My Running Journey....

I thought I'd share about my journey to becomming a runner with you....not real exciting, but writing it down helped me to put in perspective where I've come from, and maybe where I'm going.....

My Running Background

I ran track in junior high, mostly because my friends and cute girls were all on the track team. My event was the 800m and I wasn’t very fast.

In high school the only running I did was around the bases as part of the baseball team. And since I didn’t get on base too much, I didn’t have to run very often.

And then in college I think I ran once or twice, not sure exactly why. Probably bored.

But I remember living with a guy right after college, Richard, who was a runner. He ran most mornings, and I remember seeing him get really fit. He lost a lot of weight and got into great shape. Though I didn't start running at that time, the running seeds were planted.

So years go by, and I'm working on a career, married with kids and overweight.

And it's been more than a decade since I ran.

But I remembered Richard, and how running worked for him to lose weight. Besides, it seemed like all the runners I knew were in great shape. So I took up running. And got hooked. And I lost weight.

But it didn’t happen overnight.

My Running Begins

I still remember the first time I went for a run, for exercise. I couldn't even go down the street and around the corner, which was about two blocks, without stopping to walk and being out of breath. I was way out of shape.

My first 5K was brutal. My body was not even close to being ready to run 3.1 miles. But I had a free entry offered to me through work, so I signed up. I don't remember my time, but I think I walked pretty much half of it, and felt soreness in my legs for a week afterward.

But, much as I would have liked to, I didn't give up. I kept running. My second 5K was much like the first. I wasn't ready, and my body got pounded. But it was at that race that I was first attracted to the whole "runner community" thing. So again, I kept running. And observing. And learning.

I started to really enjoy going for runs. My one mile loop didn’t seem as far or as hard as it did before. I started running further distances. And, I started losing weight. I lost about 30 pounds in a year, largely attributed to eating right and running. I felt better about myself and I had more energy.

Somewhere in there I think I decided that I was a runner. At least I started to think of myself as a runner. I was reading running blogs and running books. I found some great running podcasts. I ran a couple more races, and started to feel like I was a part of the running community now.

My Running Continues

I am still not very fast, but I have discovered that it doesn't really matter anyway. It's all personal. And I am surprised to find myself saying something like “oh, I’m just running 4 miles today,” as if 4 miles is not that far. It just shows how far I’ve come. And I am learning about things like speed work, tempo runs, and GU.

And, I have decided to challenge myself to run farther than I ever have. To run a half marathon. 13.1 miles. I am doing one in the next 3 months (barring injury), and am looking forward to the accomplishment. From there, who knows, maybe a marathon?