Marathons, Triathlons and Bodybuilding, Oh My!

When I joined the team at GingerbreadMan Running Co., one of the first things I was asked was if I ever ran cross country or track. However I didn’t, and I was never a “runner”. I played volleyball and lacrosse, and I loved weightlifting throughout high school. By senior year though, I began running for enjoyment. I had always wanted to run a marathon, but assumed that was something I would never be able to do because I wasn’t a “runner”. I had a couple big influences a long the way, but before I knew it, I started training for my first ever marathon the summer before college.

There were so many times along the way where I didn’t think I would be able to run 26 miles. Before then, I had only run maybe 3 miles at most. I soon realized running was much more than physical capability. The hardest part was mentally battling yourself to keep going and not give up. It’s a battle to wake up early, put your shoes on, and run the miles you know you’re supposed to that day. The hardest part is starting and not stopping until you're done, because almost every time you finish, you feel accomplished that you did what you were supposed to. Halfway through my first semester in college, I finally ran my first marathon. I thought that would be my last and I would be happy with reaching my goal, but of course it didn’t end there. Within a year of completing my first, I had run two more full marathons, one half, and even competed in a sprint triathlon.

Ironically, I still don’t consider myself a “runner”. I never did any of the things I did to tell people I run or about what I accomplished. I fell in love with the process of reaching for goals I didn’t think I was fully capable of doing, and growing as a person along the way. It’s amazing what people can accomplish, and my journey showed me just how strong I can be. I am not done striving to see what I am capable of, and have set a few more goals for myself in the future.

While I was training for marathons or triathlons, I never stopped lifting. The gym had always been my favorite place and I never lost my love for weightlifting. I continued lifting while I was training for endurance sports, because it kept me strong and helped prevent injuries. After my third marathon, I wanted a different kind of challenge, so I decided to try out bodybuilding. I had been lifting for years and knew it required a different kind of discipline. Currently, I am still in the process of bodybuilding and love it. It is definitely a different sort of challenge compared to running, but it is just making me stronger as a person.

As I explain my story, I don’t want this to be an article just about what I did. This is a reminder that you are so much more capable of doing amazing things than you think. I’m not telling you to chase the same dreams as me and go run marathons or bodybuild (although that would be awesome), but rather to reach for a goal that challenges you. Find something that excites you, and scares you a bit too! Push yourself to accomplish it! Strengthen your mind to not quit on you, because those are the moments where you will grow the most. No matter what you choose to do, keep a self-growth mindset and look for opportunities to improve. Most things aren’t really about the end destination, but more so about the journey and the person you become along the way.

Sophia Alvarez running her first marathon, The Indianapolis Marathon 2023