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Conquering the Cooper River Bridge Run

Conquering the Cooper River Bridge Run
© Alex di Suvero for the New York Times

I grew up an only child, and I was very much a girly-girl. My cousins would all tease me when we played baseball or basketball at family get-togethers. I was tall, lanky, scared of the ball, and very uncoordinated for the first 19 years of my life. In junior high and high school, I was a cheerleader, which didn’t require much exercise other than stretching. At the age of 15, I picked up golf and made all my dad’s dreams come true. He was an avid golfer my whole life, and he had always wanted me to play. I realized that I had finally found a sport in which the ball was sitting still instead of flying at my face, so I decided to give it a try.

 

In high school I took lessons and played as the only girl on the team. Eventually I received a scholarship to play at the University of Louisiana at Monroe just thirty minutes down the road from my hometown. I was very excited to be part of a team of all girls, and I was thankful for the opportunity to be a Division I college athlete. However, all the built up excitement came crashing down with one word at the first team meeting: running.

At the age of 16 I won my first junior tournament in Hoover, Alabama. 

I was never a runner. I picked the one sport that did not require any form of running whatsoever- or at least I thought! I was rudely awakened when our coach described the concept of workouts and physical conditioning. So I ran my first mile at 18 years old, and it was no fun. Through three years of college golf, though, it did get better. We ran up to two miles at a time, and some days, we would just run for a specified time like 15 or 20 minutes. It wasn’t rigorous, but it was certainly more than I was used to.

During my last year of college I decided I wanted to start running more for exercise since my golf career would soon be over. On my 21st birthday I ran my first 5K, and managed to complete the race in 30 minutes without walking. I was pretty proud of myself, and I quickly decided I wanted to become a better runner. I continued running 5k’s here and there and even won second place in my age group one time (I think there were only two of us in the category, but don’t tell anyone!).

I was so excited to hold my second place certificate! 

When I moved to Charleston I started seeing signs everywhere for the Cooper River Bridge Run. In every office building there is a poster from a previous Bridge Run, and people are constantly walking around in the t-shirts that say “Get Over It.” When my step-mom asked me if I wanted to sign up to run it with her, I immediately said yes. A few thousand people running over a bridge that overlooks one of the prettiest harbors in America, why not?

A few days after we signed up for the Bridge Run, I noticed a flyer that said “Cooper River Bridge Run 10K April 5th.” Something about that doesn’t look right, I thought. And then I spotted it… 10K. I’m not sure why I never thought to ask how long the race was, but I always just assumed it was a 5K. So now I’ve found myself in mid-February with six-and-a-half weeks to prepare to run a race that’s twice as long as the longest race I’ve ever run. Pheww!

I strongly considered backing out for a few days, but then I thought, why not challenge myself? I made it through three years of college golf, why can’t I run six miles? Well, there are actually several reasons why I can’t run six miles, but hopefully I will be able to overcome those obstacles in the coming weeks! I’ve been running two to three days per week trying to work up to longer distances. For a while now I’ve been running 2.5 to 3 miles in each workout, but I’m finding it hard to get over that three mile hump. I’ve been looking at different training regimens since my “run a little further every time” strategy hasn’t been working for me. Hopefully I’ll figure something out soon because my goal is to be able to run the entire 10K without stopping or walking.

I’ll be blogging about my progress throughout the next few weeks until race day. Whether or not I’ll be able to actually run six miles without stopping will remain a mystery, but the moral of the story is that there’s no harm in trying. When I was kid I never thought I would play a “real” sport. When I was in high school I never thought I would become a college athlete. When I was in college I never thought I would survive three years of competition and workouts while earning my degree. But here I am and I’ve accomplished all of the above.

 

Jumping into my dad's arms after shooting my career low of 75 my senior year of college.

So, if any of you out there are contemplating the Bridge Run, don’t be afraid to sign up! Chances are, you’ll run better than me. And if not, I’ll be right there beside you huffing and puffing!

Famous golfer Ken Venturi once said, “I don’t believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be.”

He won the U.S. Open. I think I can conquer the Cooper River Bridge Run. Stay tuned to find out! 

*To learn more details about this year's Cooper River Bridge Run, click here.

Lea Anna Cardwell

Lea Anna is a Louisiana native with an undeniable accent. Raised in a small town, she learned the rules of football and the words to "Amazing Grace" before she could spell her own name. Speaking of the name, she hates being called Leah or Leanne. It’s Lea, like sweet tea, add the Anna. These days, you can find her under the "big city" lights in Charleston, SC, chasing dreams she never knew she had. Like becoming a writer, getting a Master’s degree, and exploring life on the east coast. She hopes you leave this blog with a little insight, and a big smile. So, in the words of a Louisianan, “laissez les bons temps rouler.” Let the good times roll.  

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