Story by Karoline
Growing up I associated running with heavy breathing, time passing by slowly and nothing but discomfort. I ran when I had to at school and if someone where to ask me to run 42 km I would have laughed.
Fast forward at age 21 I not only ran a full marathon in one of Norway’s hilliest cities, Bergen, but I won it running a 3:05:44 marathon. What changed?
In 2018 I moved to San Fransisco and took the pressure off running. No longer a competition. No longer for speed. Rather for exploring nature and a new area. I was not running with anyone who pushed me or where I needed to prove anything. No one told me I HAD TO.
There was no distance I needed to go. What happened then? I slowed down. It became enjoyable because I started where I was with as short of a distance that was right for me. With time, I WANTED to go further. Running became my new morning routine that left me feeling free, in the moment, strong and capable.
It was my meditation. And the more I ran, the further I could go without feeling tired. Moving back to Bergen as a business student I signed up for a school race and surprised everyone with doing well.
I decided to sign up for my first marathon. Not because I had to. Not to impress other people.
Because I had the confidence that I could do it. Running taught me to believe in myself and that when the pressure was off I was capable of ANYTHING. Even for the marathon I put the pressure of myself and had no time in mind.
I am now a competitive marathoner with an olympic dream. Despite this, I have learned the importance of listening to your body and running slow most of the time (80 %). People think to be the best you need to be tired, and you do, but in a different way than I realized before. You are not out of breath like I thought.
You feel strong and fit. You are on your bodies team and your goals should be personalized meaning they are realistic. This way the process is enjoyable:) As with anything in life, you have phases that are harder and phases that are easier. I have had 6 bone stress injuries and have struggled psychologically to see myself healthy.
Not running is one of the hardest things now which is why the injuries have been so tough. This hardship has made me stronger, more passionate about helping others and teaching my clients what the sport of running has taught me. In particular, I have learned how crucial managing sleep, life stress, and nutrition is for your running goals.
As someone who loves sweets I have founded my protein muffin company @staysatisfied to deliver natural, balanced protein muffins made with Whole Foods and sweetened with fruit to everyone who is looking to nourish their bodies with quality nutritious ingredients. I am building my dream life 5000 miles away from home.
If there is ONE thing to take away from my story it is that ANYTHING is possible. I never thought I would be here 5 years ago. Don’t start with the end goal. Start with where you are right now. Build small habits and fall in love with the process. When you fall in love with the process your growth is infinite ❤️