My name is Kaila and I am the voice behind Let Your Colors Run! This blog is all about my running journey, the delicious food I eat along the way (it's all about balance), other ways I stay fit, my dog(s), my family, adventure, and finding happiness.
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| My days as a competitive figure skater |
Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I ran my first 5k in 2005 (I was 10) and won my age group with a time of 24:xx. My dad thought I had some real potential so he began signing me up for several more races, none of which ended with amazing times. At such a young age, I learned that running was hard, the weather rarely cooperates, and your body will give out way before your mind does.
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| The only award I ever won running XC |
Fast forward 5 years. Running has always been in my family- my dad runs, my uncle is a marathoner, my aunt has completed two Ironman races- and I knew that is was in me too. When my days of being a competitive figure skater began to wind down, I decided to join Cross Country at my high school. I ran for the team my junior and senior years but was never anything special. I ran times that often put me into the non-scoring open race, but I had fun and made memories along the way. During my senior year of high school, I was really struggling. A recent break-up with a friend had left me depressed and I was in a vicious cycle of self-harm addiction. I began to starve myself and when I returned to eating, I gained wieght rapidly because my metabolism had crashed. During the spring of that year (2013) I set out for a 2 mile run on a complete whim mostly because I had been out to eat a lot recently and knew I needed to start taking care of my body.
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| Half Marathon- September 2013 |
Something clicked. I fell in love with the run. At first, it was a gradual thing; I began to check the weather for good days to run, I would only run on weekends or days off from school, I never ran more than 2 miles. But then I found myself looking forward to my run every single day, I began to run rain or shine, I spent my time on the ice wishing I could be outside running. By June, I quit figure skating and was running consistently every day and had upped my mileage to 3 mile regular runs and an occasional 5 or 6 mile run. I entered a few local 5ks and ran average times, similar to those I ran during XC, but they were steadily dropping each time and I knew I was making progress in the right direction. I continued running 5ks, a few 8ks, and even a half marathon in the fall of 2013.
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| Joined the track team at my college- March 2015 |
Running has become a safe haven for me. I have been mostly self-harm free for 2 years, since the summer I began running. I have found a way to pound out my anger, sadness and frustration on the pavement rather than onto my own body. When I am having a tough time, I find myself begging for a run rather than reaching for something to hurt myself with and there have been times when I have laced up late at night and ran around my neighborhood simply because I needed to. Running saved my life and allowed me to fall in love with myself in a way I never knew was possible. I am so thankful for running and all that it has given me.
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| So blessed to have such an amazing family |
Today, things are looking up. I am absolutely obsessed with running and everything it has done for me. My runs are consistently my favorite part of my day. I have done countless 5ks, a few 8ks, a half marathon, a duathlon, and three sprint triathlons. My family has given me an unending amount of support and I have grown so close to them over the past few years. I recently joined the track team at my school and plan to run XC in the fall as well. I am studying Speech Pathology at a school that I love, and I still get to live at home with my family and friends. Life is good.
This blog is a place for me to share my running progress, fitness adventures, delicious eats, and journey towards finding happiness. Thanks for reading and be sure to follow me on Instagram @letyourcolors_run
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