Gregg Gelmis

I started running in 2013 when I had the bright idea of competing in (or at least completing) a Sprint Length Triathlon. I did not run at all, I never had, nor did I swim or bicycle for fitness or fun. SO, I decided to take a No Boundaries class through Fleet Feet, I took several Masters Swim classes at the YMCA, and I bought a really nice road bicycle and started to ride outside. I didn't love running after finishing NOBO, in fact . . .

My name is Kim and I am not a natural athlete. I was forced to play sports growing up and I was terrible. And terrible is probably an understatement. In middle school I finally got a rebound during one of the few times they let me off the bench in basketball, and I was so excited I took the ball down for a layup AT THE WRONG GOAL. Luckily I was terrible and missed, but it was . . .

Throughout my whole life I was a self-conscious person. I was constantly concerned about what people thought about me and how I looked, and I was obsessed with comparing myself to other people to see how I lined up. This mindset stuck with me all the way from childhood to my early 20s. In the fall of 2011, I was 21 years old, overweight (weighing over 200 pounds), I was struggling with anxiety and depression, and I had zero self-confidence. I cried in dressing rooms every time I had to go shopping for new clothes and I felt threatened by other women's beauty. I was a jealous and insecure person. I had a good and happy life, a supportive and fun family, and a wonderful fiancé who loved me no matter how I looked. But that lack of self-confidence always lingered in the back of my mind-- maybe if I was "skinny-er" I would like myself more? With that mindset, I decided to pick up running, as it seemed like the cheapest exercise I could do on my limited college student budget. One afternoon at work I saw a flyer for the Fleet Feet Huntsville No Boundaries 5k training program. I was such a shy person, and I HATED trying new . . .

I was never a runner and always thought I could never be a runner! Four years ago I joined a local physical fitness group to empower health and wellness for women. Some of the ladies had registered to participate in a 5K and I decided to go as a cheerleader to offer support and encouragement. So afterwards, I expressed how I would love to participate in a 5K but . . .