This week's story of Active in NWI is proof that the best things come when you least expect them and from the most unexpected places. Becky Kreiger, the Recreation Director for Porter County Parks and Recreation shares her story about how she came back to Indiana when she was in a tough spot in her life. She began to run and things began to turn around, one step at a time.
Read her story below to see how Kreiger is Active in NWI!
Written by Becky Kreiger of Kouts, IN.
In April 2009 I left a bad marriage in Florida and moved home. I hadn’t lived at home since 1992 and hadn’t lived in the state since 2001. I didn’t have much money and I was trying to reestablish my life here and I needed something to do. Running became something that saved me.
So I decided to start running again. It was free and I had most of what I needed to run. I had dabbled in running in the past, so I was a tad bit familiar with how it worked. Plus, I didn’t need to drive anywhere to do it. And it became my savior that first summer I was living at home.
I first joined the NW Indiana LLS Team in Training group that began training that May for a half marathon in Indianapolis in October. I completed the race, but it wasn’t pretty. I did all of my training on my own which got boring at times -especially the longer runs. However, something else happened during those solo runs on a lonely county road in South Porter County. I became stronger. I slept better. I began to run farther, and I began to cry less and smile more. And most importantly, all of the negativity that was swirling around in my brain, courtesy of my ex-husband, began to fade away.
Through running I began to connect with former BGHS classmates who were also runners (as opposed to just communicating on Facebook). We ran a few races together that summer and I found that I enjoyed being out there with the other runners. I also started working at BGMS and found out that one of the other teachers there ran. We began to run together. I also joined the gym, read Runners World, and got fitted for running shoes. I bought running socks and more running clothes. I started to run local races like the Turkey Trot, Ringing in Spring, Kent’s Run, the Kouts Country Classic, and Running with the Irish. Running had become a positive part of my life; erasing all of the negative parts.
In early 2011Chicago Marathon registration was being advertised. The BGMS teacher and I were still running together and we began to talk about it (she had run it three times before).
She was turning 50 that year and wanted to run it again – I was turning 38, so I thought, “Why not?”
We trained for the marathon together. Our long runs were the hills of 100 North and Aberdeen. I didn’t finish in the time that I wanted to, but I finished it. It was one of the toughest things I ever did. I said I’d never run a marathon again. Well, never say never because this year I am running the Chicago Marathon again with the Opportunity Enterprises Team.
As I ran more races – I began to meet more runners and then connect with them on Facebook which led to connecting to more runners. In the spring of 2011 I got involved with NWI Region Runners. I was seeing chatter on Facebook about run groups being established in Porter and Lake Counties. Well, I was living in Kouts and didn’t want to have to drive after getting home from work to go run. They asked if I wanted to be a run group leader. So I said sure (we meet on Tuesday nights at 6pm in Hebron at Anytime Fitness if anyone wants to come).
And then last spring I saw a post on Facebook for the Wellness Coordinator for Porter County Parks and Recreation and I applied. I had been driving to Lake CentralHigh School for the last two years as a long-term maternity leave/regular substitute teacher. And the drive was beginning to take its toll. With all of the teacher cutbacks and budget issues school were facing - I needed to make a choice – continue on as a substitute teacher or make a career change. Well, the career change won out. I started at Porter County Parks and Recreation in June of 2012 as the Wellness Coordinator and am now the Recreation Director. Through my job I have led two “Couch 2” trainings – one for the Turkey Trot and one for Foot Pursuit. I am also involved with Girls on the Run of Northwest Indiana as a coach and the county coordinator. I am also running with the beginner 5K group at Extra Mile Fitness Company. I’m signing up for more and more races and I’m running on a relay team for the Kal-Haven Trail run this weekend.
I love that Northwest Indiana has this enormous running community that welcomes all runners. I’m glad that the run groups and beginner runner programs are growing and reaching more people. In a way I wish that they were more established in 2009 when I began running, but then there is a part of me that is glad that they weren’t. Those lonely runs saved me from the inside out and helped me grow into who I am now. I learned to stand up for myself, take more chances, and even make a career change; Things that may not have happened if I hadn’t done all of that running alone.
My “I needed something to do” has turned into my “Something I love to do and love to share with others”.
Click here to read last week's Active in NWI story about Tom Seely!
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