I’m a few medals short of an Olympian.

In other words, “athlete” usually isn’t the first descriptor to come to mind when people think of me. To get me to work out usually requires a high amount of social stimulation and community, and even then I only have about 15 minutes before I’m tired or bored. My definition of playing a college sport was getting a C+ in “Beginning Volleyball” my senior year.

But the reality is, I can be athletic – but I’m never the most fit person in the room. I don’t want to run with friends because they are faster and their lungs are bigger (better? stronger? super-human?).  I usually just go for one round of group sports so I can do something funny and head back to the sideline with my diet coke. I don’t like exercising with people who are better than me.

So I don’t.

I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the end of the May and it sidelined me for most of the summer. Two major surgeries kept me in bed for a month and recovering from a month of sleepy time took another 2 months. As I began to recover, I had to prepare for my next treatment which induced some serious fatigue and consumed any spare energy I had. I was on these meds that were zapping all of my thyroid functions in order to kill the naughty cells in my body. I could only make plans for 4 hours at a time before I had to come home and rest up.

After my latest treatment, I woke up one day and just decided it was time to get outside. My new regulating meds were restoring my body to normal functions and I had a newfound energy. I stepped out the front door and decided I was going to run a mile. I didn’t care how long it would take, but I was going to run the whole thing. As I was rounding the third corner of the block, I realized it was actually possible without stopping. I could see the mailbox and I could get there. I didn’t have a timer on me, but I’m guessing it took about 15 minutes.

But I got up the next morning and ran another 15 minute mile. After a few weeks, I ran two of them…this time they were 13.5 minutes. Last Saturday I ran 4 1/2 miles in less than an hour (with one stop for that giant rock face on the east end of town).

Just like that, I became a runner. I tend to say I’m not a runner because I don’t run fast or I don’t run marathons…but that’s not the definition of running. Picking up your legs in rhythm is running…and I can do that.

I think we can get this way with just about anything. I’m not Julia Child, so I’m just going to make all my meals out of a box. I’m not Led Zeppelin so I’m not going to try make any sort of music. I don’t want to read War & Peace on my free afternoon, so I hate reading.

But we have to start somewhere. And give ourselves the grace to be below average. A 15-minute mile is about twice what the average runner takes to run a mile – probably 3x an Olympic-qualifying mile. But it’s where I’m at. It’s the best I can do today. And it’s 15 minutes faster than sitting on the couch.

Having trouble reading? Don’t jump to the NYT bestseller list right away, go to the library and get a book you can read in a day. Get something that was written for kids or teenagers – finishing a Harry Potter book in a week makes me feel like a million bucks and it doesn’t require every cell in my brain to get through it.

Find a recipe online and read it closely, following everything it tells you to do. The secret to making good food? READ THE DIRECTIONS. Heck if you have a covered pot, here’s my secret to people thinking I am the Barefoot Contessa: http://steamykitchen.com/blog/2007/09/10/no-knead-bread-revisited/

Maybe after you gain some confidence that you are not disabled in a certain category you can step up your game. If you feel overwhelmed, obligated, or just dread doing something – you’re probably aiming too high. You’ll get there someday, but give yourself some encouragement in the meantime.

YOU’RE AWESOME! Get out there and try something new…join me in being below average, and maybe someday it’ll turn into something great.