Heading out of last week and the All Saints’ holidays, I’m suffering from a bit of inertia and so that’s why this week’s Fitness Diary is delayed.
If you follow me on Instagram, you will probably have noticed that my two most recent posts have mused on my role as an “influencer” of sorts. I actually dislike that term, but it is what it is.
Many times over the course of the years I’ve kept this blog and put up the persona of “Kikay Runner,” I felt burdened by my own success. With every race, those who followed me on social media assumed I would win or at least take a spot on the podium. I certainly didn’t set out to be this super woman or “idol” that I had become in the eyes of my readers and followers. At heart, I was still just some girl who fell into running because it helped me lose weight. The wins and podiums were happy accidents, usually because no one stronger had shown up on the day. (Hey, you can only race those who show up…)
But when I started writing this blog, it was really just to share my enthusiasm for this sport and to track my journey into running my first marathon. I had very clear ideas about what I wanted to become: not a repository for race and product information like the two mega websites run by my friends, but a personal blog to encourage people to get off their butts, make and achieve fitness goals, and in so doing take charge of their health and wellness.
It’s why I’ve been quite open about challenges I’ve come across in my own health and wellbeing. I don’t want to present a shiny veneer of success so that you can envy me and buy any products I’m marketing because you want to be me. Sure, I’m happy for people to listen to and respect my opinions and judgment, but only because I’m known as someone who is honest and fair and has learned from experts and my own experience.
It is my goal to inspire hope in those who follow this blog: the hope that it is never too late to start something, never too late to get back on track, never too late to do what you love, never too late to be better than you were yesterday. What I love about this sport is that you can always just begin again.
