When Running Becomes Your ‘Me Time’
Are you a master at taking care of others? The telephone rings, and it’s a friend who needs your ear. The children need help with their homework. Your boss needs you to work late to meet a deadline. The list goes on and on. Have you ever stepped back and asked, “Where is my time?”
It is time for a change in your lifestyle to add “me time.” You can do that a number of ways: the gym membership which you pay every month but never use, reverse the trend; or set aside time on the weekend for an early morning walk with the friend who called. This can develop into an exercise plan. There is nothing wrong with doing something and figuring out what you want to achieve. Make the commitment to have that “me time.”
Each month I like to find an athlete who is making a difference by keeping up a passion and doing what they love. Growing up, someone was always knocking on the door to see if you could come out and play. What has happened to that?
This month Megan DiGregorio set aside some time to entertain a few of my questions, and she has managed to get outside to play and does so very well.
I opened with a question of her philosophy on running: “Running gives me a sense of balance in life. When I’m stressed or not having a good day, I know I have running to look forward to. I always feel much better after I go for a run. I have been running for two thirds of my life and feel out of sorts when I don’t run.”
During a period of time when you are running, there is a reverse effect in that you are not getting tired, but you are feeling better. Stress gets relieved and whatever was on your mind has vanished as you focus on the moment. You get rejuvenated.
The sport of running has helped to transform DiGregorio: “I believe that running has helped me grow into the person that I am today. It has given me good health, persistence to be the best I can be as an athlete and person, and has given me the opportunity to meet and become friends with people from all walks of life.”
Most of us started running at an early age, not really knowing what was around the corner. The same is true for DiGregorio: “I started running at 10 years old. It was 1998, and I can faintly remember my dad taking me to races where I could do the kids 1-mile fun run. A couple of years later at 13, I ran my first 5K at The Bel Air Town Run [Maryland] and ran 28:31. I wasn’t fast, but that’s when I realized I really liked running. Since then I have run that same race 12 times.”
In 2018, at the Bel Air Run, DiGregorio was the first female finisher in a time of 18:38.
At Towson University DiGregorio ran three seasons of her four years. The primary distance was the 3K Steeplechase in track. Her teammates played a vital role: “In college the older girls on the team were my role models. They were who I looked up to and were there for me when I needed someone. Outside of college I joined a local running store’s race team: Falls Road Running Store. I looked up to the people on that team and aspired to be like them one day.”
Things have changed for DiGregorio because of her running: “Over the years I have become a more confident person. I have had many life experiences that have opened my eyes to great opportunities in life. I have started and organized several run clubs throughout Baltimore, attended many events, and had different jobs that helped shape me.”
In life we have to make choices that can affect our sport of choice, and there has to be a balance. “Responsibilities, injury, work, and social events can all affect my running,” DiGregorio said. “I had to learn to accept that and know that these things will always need to come first before my running. I’ve taught myself not to stress about it when I miss days of running due to other life events. I’m not a professional runner; these things are going to happen. I just have to make adjustments to accommodate. If I miss a day of training or a race, I tell myself it’s not a big deal; there will always be other races.”
When you have a deep passion for what you do it comes with a price that can consume you along with pressure. Emotions can get out in front: “I distinctly remember my senior year of college and my last race ever. I was running the Steeplechase at the University of Maryland Twilight Meet. I had two goals: run a qualifying time for ECAC’s, which was under 10:50, and break the school record, which was 11:01. I worked so hard and showed improvement my senior year. I was shaving seconds off my time every time I raced. This was one of the last meets I could race in, and if I didn’t run a qualifying time, my season and collegiate running career would end there. I remember toeing the line, ready to give it everything I had. Coming around the last lap, I knew it would be close. I crossed the line in 10:56. It took me a second to process what I did as I lay in the infield completely deplete. My coach ran over to me, and I remember I started crying. Yes, I had broken the school record, but missed the ECAC qualifier by 6 seconds, meaning my season was over. I had both tears of joy and tears of sadness.”
Along the way there will be disappointments in performance and missed opportunities: “I used to beat myself up about it, but now I will give myself a few hours of being upset before telling myself there will always be more races. This failure will only make me stronger and hungrier to do better the next time. Sometimes I will give up social events, like going out with friends. I also give up sleep sometimes in order to get in runs late at night or early morning.”
There is a drive to stay in the sport: “My motivation to stay with the sport is meeting so many people through running. A lot of people tell me I am their inspiration and they follow me. If I can enjoy what I am doing while helping inspire or motivate runners, I will continue to stick with it. I also like going back to races to try and beat my times from previous years. It gives me a goal to work toward, and I feel a great deal of accomplishment.”
The road back from an injury takes time: “Sometimes I get down on myself when I run slower times than previous years. Recently, I have been coming back from an injury I obtained from a fall while trail running. I stopped running for a few months to go to physical therapy, and ever since coming back, I don’t feel the same. It’s been hard to go on runs or run races and not perform the way I would like.”
A performance which stands out to DiGregorio is her marathon debut at the 2012 New Jersey Marathon where she placed first (3:00:14). “I did some research, wrote myself a training plan, and it somehow all came together perfectly on race day.”
The answer to the question is DiGregorio competitive? “I am competitive. I started at such a young age, and in high school the coaches taught me how to be competitive. When you grow up being taught to always give it your all and having a coach for eight years straight, it just becomes a part of who you are. I competed at a highly competitive level Division 1 College. When you had an athletic scholarship, you had to be competitive in order to keep it.”
There is a selection process for the events which she participates in: “I always go back to the races I enjoy and have a good time running them., but I also try to mix it up and choose new races to go to each year. Some races I go to because the race director will invite me, others I go to because they have some sort of personal meaning to me.
DiGregorio passes along three comments to stay motivated in the sport: “First, there will be good races and bad races. You have to learn to accept the bad races because those are the races that will make you a better, stronger runner. Second, you are going to have rough patches, but be patient because there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Third, pain is only temporary. Don’t be afraid to push yourself; you might be surprised at what you can really do.”
