Lacing Up: Your First Steps Towards Running

Kate Smoliakova
4 min readFeb 5, 2024

Personal Story of a 15-Year Habit of Running

While I was in school, I didn’t enjoy running much, probably because it often involved sprinting short distances. I found myself gravitating more towards sports like volleyball or football (soccer).

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Photo by lucas Favre on Unsplash

How did I start running, then?

It all began with a role model.

After graduating from university, I landed a job at a fancy digital agency known for its impressive client list and project portfolio. In this environment, where everyone felt on equal footing with the CEO and the leadership team, I was surrounded by creative, motivated, and unique individuals. As a newcomer fresh out of university, I was eager to be as remarkable as they were.

The turning point came when the company’s manager invited us to join a weekend morning running club. We were so excited that we decided to train the day before to prepare ourselves.

It was a huge mistake!

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Kate Smoliakova
Kate Smoliakova

Written by Kate Smoliakova

Product Manager. I write about my experience as manager and writer, ADHD and my interests as running, travelling, art and food. https://smoliakova.me/