it all started in the 7th grade. my PE class had regular run built in every so often. it was usually 7 tenths of a mile, with a smattering of a mile here and there. I usually alternated my jogging with walking.
until the day i gave it my all.
i ran, and i ran hard. and came in second overall, and first for girls. how cool was that?!?
a few years passed and i found myself in college, desperate to not put on the “freshman 15″ with the late night eat-fests. i started jogging around campus. nothing too serious. just me, my walkman with hootie and the blowfish, and the starry skies.
then i started teaching. and i had a doozy of a first class. i needed to get out some aggression and decompress after my long day. i joined the Y and hit the treadmill. i was averaging 4 miles a run, 4 times a week. then nate and i moved to pennsylvania. we had seth. i needed to lose baby weight, and as a new stay-at-home mom, needed to get out of the house. i joined the Y again, and hit the treadmill. same routine, 4 miles 4 times weekly. no more, no less. six months of this routine helped me win my age division in women’s, in my very first 5k race.

look at wee seth. wasn’t he so cute? this photo is from 2005…. accepting my first place medal. my time was 25:16.
i decided i preferred outdoors running, and have not touched a treadmill since. lucas was born. again, managing my weight, i hit a local wooded fitness terrain of one mile… and would circle it 4 times. the whole time i thought, i wish i could do more, maybe someday i’ll do 10 miles. someday.
i was pregnant with audrey when my dear girlfriend frannie was training for a marathon. hearing her story of the training, and then the actual story of marathon day… flipped my switch and lit my fire. i wanted to do this too! i could do this too!
audrey was born and i started running again 6 weeks post-partum. it was painful and slow. but i continued. i worked through blisters and bruised toenails. i ran in cotton. i bought technical gear… new nike breathable clothes, balega socks, and a garmin fr60 heart rate monitor. i ran some more.
i ran 7 miles today.
its the furthest i’ve ever gone. i know i could run 10 tomorrow if i wanted to. i feel strong and empowered. i came home and registered for the philadelphia half marathon on november 22. i am excited, not only for proving to myself i can do something remarkable, but for blowing that 10 mile dream out of the water.
i still have training to accomplish. and if you see me jogging around gaithersburg, give me a little honk and wave. i’ll give you a sweaty wave back.