Throughout my life I have definitely had a love/hate relationship with running. I remember when I was little I used to run everywhere. When we had to run a mile in 6th grade I was the first girl to finish. I couldn’t stop. But then my teen years hit. And the requirements for running made me begin to hate something that made me feel so good. I hated that we HAD to run the mile in a certain amount of time. I realize this might speak volumes to my character. Basically being told I have to do something a certain way without any compromise is not something I like to do.
So when I graduated from high school and the Army came calling I told them an emphatic NO! When asked if it was because I would have to wear green all the time my response was, ‘No, in fact I look great in the color green. The problem is the running. I don’t run unless something threatening is chasing me.’ They told me to have a good day and I never heard from them again.
My passion for running began again when I was 23. I had injured my knee playing basketball on Thanksgiving Day. During my physical therapy rehab I began doing a little jogging. Upon discovering that I kind of liked it, I began running a little more. I realized that I LOVED running when I could do it under my own terms. It is such a great individual sport because I only need to be better than myself. So I challenged myself to do a 5K. My sister Amanda and I signed up to do the Race for the Cure. I WAS ADDICTED!!! As soon as I crossed that finish line I knew what it was all about for me. Pretty soon I was running more and more.
I had a couple of friends who were running their first marathon. They challenged me to do the same. I told them I liked running but I didn’t know if I could do a marathon. So we made a deal. If they could run theirs and finish I would start training to run a marathon. They did it. So I had to do it. Amanda and I once again set out to run a long distance race together. I was amazed every week to see that I could push myself to go just one more mile on a run. Then I was doing even longer runs and setting goals for more miles on top of that. Amanda and I signed up to do the Moab ½ Marathon during our training schedule for our full marathon in June. What a sense of self accomplishment that was. As soon as I completed that ½ marathon I knew I could do the full thing.
June 2, 2002, Amanda and I lined up with 20,000 other runners at Balboa Park in San Diego for the Rock n’ Roll marathon. The experience of that marathon is a long story in itself. I will have to share that another time.
Needless to say, I was hooked. I began running more and more races. I never competed to win against anyone but myself. Since then I have done several half marathons, 10K’s, a team endurance race (Hood to Coast), 5K’s and a triathlon! I have the Shamrock run coming up this weekend. I am doing the 8K distance. It will be the first one of the year which will get me motivated and going for the summer season. I always tell people that if I could do it, so can they. It definitely has to be under one’s own terms but when you cross that finish line, you will understand the Runner’s High and be addicted as well.
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