Nikki Peoples Wants Your Vote!

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My love for running didn’t come overnight. I remember the two months of training leading up to my first 5K thinking to myself, Why the hell am I doing this? I ran the 5K nonstop, finished with a great time and I didn’t have an answer to my ‘why.’ I drove home that day feeling unfulfilled and wanted to throw in the towel. I needed my ‘why!’ Four days later, I got back on the pavement, determined to chase down my reason for wanting to run in heat, sweat and stink like a barn animal, and mess up my hair. I ran eight miles. Still nothing.

Why?

I allowed that question to mentally exhaust me for days on end. Fast forward to almost a year later—January 2015—when I completed my first half marathon. It was then that I discovered my ‘why.’ And you know what? It wasn’t a reason that would make sense to anyone but me.

The truth is, your ‘why’ doesn’t have to make sense to anyone but you. I want every woman I come across to identify and hold that ‘why’ close to her heart each and every time she laces up her sneakers. It’s not about being the fastest or the most fit, the cutest, or whatever other label society throws at us. It’s about doing something—even if it’s for just for 30 minutes a day—that gives me an opportunity to revisit my ‘why’ and be proud of myself for chasing it. I’ll close 2016 having attempted my first half Ironman (clumsy me had a fall on my bike and I did not complete the race), crossing the finish line at the New York City Marathon (November), gearing up for February marathon and training for another half Ironman (set for April, 2017).

What keeps me going? My ‘why.’

Read about all eight of our cover runner contest finalists and vote for your favorite before voting closes on Oct. 17!