Selena Lourenco

My Reason 🏃🏽‍♀️

Sunday 3rd May The Million Reasons Run has always filled my heart with hope. I grew up internalizing the idea that I wasn’t athletic or capable of doing physically challenging things. But in 2021 I fostered a cat recovering from a leg amputation and my outlook began to change. He didn’t let it stop him from running, jumping, playing, or living life to the fullest. I realized how lucky I was to have a healthy and able body. Many people don’t and I might not always, so why not use it to make a difference? I signed up to raise money for children’s hospitals across Canada by running and focused on being a small part of the reason a child could have a future, instead of all my self-doubt and insecurity. I’m a slow runner but that didn’t matter. The MRR community was so encouraging, my family and friends were so supportive, and somehow I ran 226km and raised $6692 over 5 years. Along the way, I proved to myself that I am mentally and physically stronger than I realized. This year I started weight lifting and felt nervous about keeping up my running tradition as this is the most physical activity I've ever done - but I couldn't give up without trying! My goal is to match my distance from last year (75km for the month of May) and practise long runs so I can get a little closer to my dream of completing a half marathon. It seems crazy, but so did 5km once… Signing off with so much gratitude 💖 - Selena Share