i began running in 1999 on the high school cross country team. i ran two seasons in the top 7, typically running between 22s and 24s, and then became lazy, in all aspects, my senior year. i went off to college in the fall of 2002 and walked-on to the women's rowing team. we had numerous time trials throughout the season, and my 5k times were a little better than they had been in high school. after a year of rowing (and some less than stellar grades) i walked-off in order to have more time for school and myself.
sophomore year of college ('03-'04) i started running a few times a week with one of my roommates, jaime. we never knew how far we were going, and rarely timed ourselves, but we would get up and run for about 30 minutes before classes or during an afternoon break. sometime in the summer of 2005, i began to pick up my running, and decided to run a local 10k. i "trained" for the 10k with a number of quick, 2-5 mile runs and a couple of random 6-9 mile runs. i'm still not sure how i went out and ran 8 or 9 miles with my regular training runs of only 2-3 miles... anyway true-to-form i get to the race thinking "i got this, i'll run 8min miles or better no problem" (three years later i still can't set realistic goals.) i finished the 10k in 51:05, and though i was a little disappointed in my time, i was elated from having finished my first race since high school xc. continuing with my high hopes, i stuck around for the awards ceremony and (somehow) won first place for my age group! i was, of course, very excited at the time, but now that i have more experience i realize a 51' 10k is just not going to cut it.
excited and back in love with running, i decided to jump right into a marathon. (still not sure why) i signed up for the 2006 myrtle beach marathon and haven't looked back. i've raced numerous 5k's, 10'ks, half-marathons, marathons, and a few less-popular distances (2mi, 8k). i've been lucky to pr at each race almost every time, almost. the few times i did not pr i was only off by a few seconds.
since i began logging my mileage/runs in march of 2005, i've ran over 3600miles, almost the distance from charleston, sc to juneau, ak. twice i quit recording my runs thinking i didn't need or want to anymore - now of course, i wish i hadn't.
like most people, i run to stay fit and lose/maintain weight. i run so i don't feel as guilty about eating a pack of m&m's or a big plate of spaghetti. however, i also run because i love it. after a couple of days without a run, i'm a guaranteed grumpster. running keeps me sane, helps me pound away the things that stress me, and challenges me daily. when i run, i am free - the problems i struggle with everyday are pushed aside for an hour or so, and i am just a runner. while i may dread getting out of my nice warm bed at 5am or sooner, i love the feeling i get after a good run and knowing i won't have to worry about finding time to get mileage in later in the day. i enjoy thinking about how much i can accomplish before the average person wakes up to start their day. running is a part of who i am. it wears me out and makes me stronger; it brings me disappointment and it gives me victories.
i hope my passion for running is infectious to others so they can maintain great physical fitness and find their own love for running. i would love to somehow work in the "field" of running, but i haven't quite figured out how or what yet. until then, i'll just keep running along.
j containing his excitement before the race
start of the race
me finishing
j finishing
looking dorky and accepting my 3rd overall female award