Long Hair to 5K

I have often heard it said that making the decision to go natural and/or grow your natural hair long can spur a desire to become more disciplined in other areas of your life. This is so true for me.


Never in my life would I have imagined - not dreamed, because I couldn't stand running before - that one day I would voluntarily train for a 5K. But here I am, just back from my first official training and feeling great!


Where did this all begin? With my desire to grow my hair longer than it has ever been by cutting out the use of heat and wearing protective styles. No joke. I'll admit that in the beginning, maybe in my heart my desire was to grow my hair waist length, but I don't think I was able to believe in that goal until it first reached bra strap length. But I stayed steady, caring for my hair gently and intentionally, instead of roughly and haphazardly. I straightened it once at the 7-month mark to note my progress and treat myself, then went back to no heat and protective styles. (I don't plan on straightening my hair again until May). Along the way I noticed that I enjoyed running, especially in the morning while listening to praise music. I began to call these my "praise runs," and I would look forward to them more and more, just as I looked forward to seeing my hair grow.


Now I'm 10 months from where I started in my hair growth journey and I'm about to register for my first 5K. I'm sure there are a ton of critics out there who would look at my blog and think I'm crazy for caring so much about my hair. But it isn't really about hair, is it? Just like it isn't about mothering, exercising, decorating, baking, cooking, photography and whatever other blogs are out there. It's about the discipline that an active interest in something brings into your life. Whenever I've been in shape, I've always wanted to eat better. And vice versa: whenever I started eating better, I naturally wanted to get in shape and take care of myself. 

Discipline in one area of your life always leads to discipline in other areas. 

I am convinced that I would have no interest in running - let alone running a 5K - if I hadn't first embarked on this hair growth journey.


"Just hair"? It is not.