Backstory
Let’s take a trip back to high school Kelly. As I mentioned before, I joined the cross country team because my sisters and brother were all cross country runners, and I was simply following in their footsteps. A caveat to this is that they were all winning races and making it to state championships. I was there simply for exercise and keeping the family tradition. Did I always want to be there? Not really. Did I love running? Definitely not. Was I good at it? Well, I was average at best. But I stuck with it because, well, that’s what the Corvas did—we ran! So, I ran all four years. It was good exercise, but it was more of a social activity for me. I made some great friends during that time. And low and behold this is where I met Dadjogger (read is blog posts too!)! I started dating my husband at a cross country meet in October of 2005. Next month marks 19 years of us being together! I’ve now have known and dated Will for more than half of my life.
Will is a year older than me so he was a senior at the time and always has been and always will be an amazing runner. He was preparing to transition to college athletics and to continue a very successful career. What really drew me to him was his passion for running. I didn’t understand it—I didn’t love running—but he did, and that was fascinating to me. Will excelled at other sports, especially soccer, so why choose running? He explained it was about the feeling of accomplishment, the thrill of winning races (something I didn’t personally relate to), and the fact that he was simply good at it. He trained hard, clocking countless miles each week, showing immense dedication and motivation. Will never pressured me to run as he did, but he lit a fire under my butt that turned me into a runner!
Why Did I Start Running More?
I started running more to literally keep up with Will. He was the enabler and showed me the proper footwear for me, the proper running clothes, and gave me all of his tips and tricks. I would say freshman year of college – that’s where my motivation began—I wanted to run to be more like him. I wanted to experience the joy he felt from running and share it with him. Fast forward 19 years, and now I’m running marathons, half-Ironmans, and all kinds of crazy races. Will was my biggest motivator. If I had married someone else, I doubt I’d be running today. He made me playlists, put together a binder of running routes (back in the pre-GPS days), and built my confidence with his constant encouragement. Nowadays, Will creates training plans for myself and is a coach for any kind of race, running or triathlons. He gives me workouts to complete to keep me on task and challenges me to things that I didn’t think I could do. For example, this summer he challenged me to speed workouts, which are not things I do often. I was running on the track, jogging, sprinting, etc and I loved it! It changed up the monotony of running at a steady pace and created a new zest for the track, which I have honestly never had.
How Motivation Shifts
I owe so much to him for turning me into a runner, and I hope to pass that torch on to our children. Over the course of our 19-year relationship, we’ve taken turns motivating each other. In our early days of dating, he was the serious collegiate athlete while I was just getting in my two miles on weekends. Unfortunately, an injury cut his running career short, and he became burnt out. Running wasn’t his thing anymore, though he still ran occasionally. My motivation ramped up after we got married, and I began running longer races—usually alongside him, though never at the same pace. One of the most frustrating things about Will is that he can not run for 5-6 months and wake up one morning and run a half marathon WELL, always beating me. His body just naturally can run with no training and he ALWAYS beats me even though I have been training hard for all those months.
He’s always been faster than me! We joke that if I ever beat him in a race, it’s because he’ll probably be in a wheelchair. Motivation has passed between us in different seasons of life. For example, last summer, we were both incredibly motivated, completing huge races together—him with his 50-mile ultra marathon and me with my half-Ironman. The energy between us was infectious. Now, however, Will’s the one running more, with his daily one-mile challenge, while I’ve shifted my focus to strength training. The ebb and flow is natural, influenced by work, life, and the demands of raising our three boys.
Another motivator that has shifted is Wills early wakeups leading to early morning runs! He was always the one who ran at night and I was always the morning runner. Now, he is up before me getting a run and a walk in even before I get out of bed. I am so proud of the work that he puts in now rather than in years past making excuses for not being able to get a run in. He is prioritizing himself and it makes me even more motivated to get up and stop snoozing! Now the next balance is figuring out how to both workout in the morning with our boys sleeping at home. We make it work and on the days he is out for a run, I will ride the bike in the basement or complete a Youtube strength video. We make it work, bro!
In Conclusion
We’re both athletes in our own ways, excelling in different sports, but Will will always be the runner—and I have him to thank for making me one, too! While I may never win races like he did, for me, running is about so much more. It’s about physical health, mental clarity, and that constant drive to be better and do better! Find someone in your life who can motivate you and challenge you as Will did for me. Thanks for all of the love and support these past 19 years, Dadjogger! I can’t wait to see what we will conquer in the next 19 and beyond!
