I was never much of a runner, and I genuinely never thought that I would be one. I had grown up watching my dad run marathons, half-marathons, and various other races, but the thought of running for fun was never something that I really understood.
Growing up, I wasn’t an athlete. I tried several sports, but wasn’t interested in them, nor was I particularly good at them. However, when I got to college, I found that exercise became really important to me, as a way to take a break from schoolwork and to build structure into my day. I loved hiking and being outdoors, but I still wasn’t interested in moving faster than a brisk walk.
So naturally, I signed up for a 5K.
Okay, so not exactly, but if you had told high school—or even early college me that I was going to run over three miles for a race, I probably would have looked at you like you had three heads.
Starting to Run
I—like many people in my generation—spend a lot of time on my phone, and one day when I was scrolling through TikTok, I came across this creator Allie Bennet, who made what she called “treadmill struts.” Bennet built playlists around certain artists or themes and designated two to three songs at the end that you were supposed to run during. I thought that these were a really cool way to get in some exercise, while also listening to music that I enjoyed. So I started doing these a few times a week while I was still in college.
I found that I really enjoyed running and that it was enjoyable to try and go further and faster each time I got on the treadmill. So one fateful day in February, I decided to see just how far I could run if I paced myself.
I was never trying to break any speed records, I was just curious as to whether or not I could run. I found out rather quickly that I could run about three miles and that though it wasn’t as easy for me as hiking, it wasn’t something that felt like a struggle. It was probably around April when I decided that I really wanted to sign up for a race.
In August I saw an advertisement for the Dollywood Light the Way 5K, an event in which you run through the park at night and get to take in the beautiful Christmas lights set up all over the park. As a Dolly Parton super fan and former host, I thought it would be fun to run through the park that I spent so much time in. So my dad and I signed up for it together.
Setbacks
I’m not going to lie, there was a point during the summer when I wasn’t entirely sure if I was going to be able to run in this 5K. At the end of July, I got Bronchitis, which led to me struggling to breathe when lying down, sitting in certain positions, and during certain activities. Before getting bronchitis, I was consistently running over three miles and was feeling confident about this race that was happening in November. However, after having bronchitis, I was back to almost square one.
When I finally felt like I could run again, I could only go for about a mile before feeling like I was going to have a coughing fit. Slowly, but surely, I was able to get back into running and was able to get back to my “longer” runs by about October.
I’ve also had on-and-off pain since I was about 14, and because of this, that meant I spent a lot of time stretching to make sure I didn’t have pain the day of the race. Though I would have some soreness in my knees from time to time after a run, it was nothing debilitating, and for that, I was incredibly grateful.
The Race
The Light the Way 5K started at 11 PM. For reference, I go to bed around 9 PM. So this race was starting way past my bedtime. Though this was an issue for me, I’m sure most people didn’t struggle with this being the start time.
I was concerned with how cold it would be, as it was a late night in November in the Mountains. However, it ended up being warmer than I would have thought, making the run very comfortable. There was also little-to-no wind which made it incredibly pleasant— until you started running uphill.
For those who haven’t been to Dollywood, the theme park is built around a mountain, which makes it a beautiful place to spend time, but makes it a little more difficult to run through. If you have been to Dollywood, you do know about the really steep hill you have to go up when you enter the park and turn to the left. Luckily, they planned the race so you were going down that hill, rather than up. That made the end of the race a lot of fun.
To complete the full 3.1 miles, you ran through the park twice. This gave us the opportunity to take in the millions of lights, Christmas trees, and sculptures that had been scattered throughout the park and it was so exciting to see the park decked out for the holiday season. They kept the music playing so as you ran through the park you got to listen to various Christmas songs which really brought the whole experience together.
What I Learned
So like I said, I never thought of myself as a runner, and to an extent, I still don’t think I am. I won’t lie, there were times while I was training when I didn’t want to try anymore, and I didn’t want to push myself. There were also a few times during the first lap of the race where I was concerned that I wasn’t going to be able to finish running the race, especially the uphill portions in the second lap. But I did it. I will say that running a route that was familiar to me, even in the dark, was incredibly helpful, as I knew where things were and how close I was to the finish line at any given moment.
Obviously, there are much larger races that cover much longer distances and much more intense terrain, but it was a place for me to start. I never thought I was going to run any race, and so to have completed my first one was enough for me.
Would I Do it Again?
My dad and I have already said that we’re going to run the race again and I am looking forward to it because it was a lot of fun. I’m not sure if this is the start of my marathon running career, the idea of running 26.2 miles still doesn’t sound particularly fun to me, but I would like to continue to run and get faster and go for longer distances.
