Color Your Run
Written by CharlotteSTYLE // January 30, 2012 // Blogs, Men's Fitness, Sports, Women's Workouts // No comments
You, yes you, are doing this with me. At the starting line I want to see your face and at the finish line I want to see what becomes of you. You are getting your ass up off the couch–skinny, fat, or in between. You are strapping on some running shoes and moving the pavement beneath your feet. You are pulling your hair back and making the choice to do this. You. Will. Do. This.
Imagine your body being a literal blank canvas for someone to color. That is exactly what happens at the Color Run. For some this may seem like a simple, fun way to get in a few more miles, but to me it is the story of life.
The Color Run almost mimics life in a way. We are born a blank slate, and as we move about in the world people write on us with their colored remarks, opinions, and looks. We cross the finish line colored from head to toe with the impressions of everyone else. We look back and realize that we made it. Perhaps there were hills we would have chosen not to conquer or miles that seemed a little longer than most, but we made it. Perhaps our bodies didn’t feel too good in the moment or we made a slight mistake we wished we hadn’t, but we made it. We did something that we never thought we could or we finished right on time. We see how far we came and laugh at the mess we made or the mess that was made of us. We cry at the site of being painted with the colors of the world–some joyous some not so much. We hug our partners and cheer those on who are still behind you trying to cross the finish line just as you had done. It is an amazing feeling, both in life and in a race, to cross the finish line knowing that you lived your life (or ran your race) fully (well), and because of that feeling I’m calling you out. It is a feeling that can’t be missed.
Get ready! Put your plans in place. Grab your friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, kids, parents, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, neighbors, and anyone else you can think of and make this the one thing you do in 2012. Make it your ‘letting go’ or ‘aha’ moment. Shed your fears and cares, walk up to the starting line, dressed in all white, take a deep breath and just fly. When you stand at the finish line looking at the beautiful mess you have become, smile. That brilliantly bright mess you will become is all yours. Every step, every color, every splash, every minute belongs to you and you alone. Be proud of the accomplishment. You deserve it!
A life-long fat girl, Sommer Johnson decided to strap on some fancy tennis shoes, wrestle into a sports bra that would likely be one size too small (they always are--that's what you get with big boobs), and go on a 38 week journey to run the Peachtree Road Race. In the midst of trying to find her healthier self, she found that her struggle was not all that rare. Between the full-figured audience of her online publication, Gemini Magazine, and friends who were rowing up the fat river with no paddle, Sommer decided to share her journey to help women like her get past their fears (and get moving--literally). A runner newbie, Insanity graduate, Turbofire enthusiast, and foodie experimenter, Sommer Johnson is a 32 year old mother of 2 and wife of 1 who lives in Atlanta, GA.
