Adventures in running

You have your shorts and t-shirt. You grab your shoes...ahh the laces so familier you tie them they way you always do. Grab your ipod with your favorite tunes...then you step out the door. That first step to the pavement is a step towards victory. As you head down the street the wind in your face and its you against you. You keep going and start to feel the pains in your legs telling you to stop but you keep going. All of a sudden you become aware of every muscle and every breath. Focusing on the music and your thoughts you push through...telling yourself this is my day and I got this. Finally you are rounding your last corner and you see your house and you are back for a nice shower and a snack...and you are proud that you went out at all.

Running has been an adventure for me...one I never thought I would take on. It has become more then something I do but something I have become. I live my life around it...everything I do I ask the question how will this effect my running. My eating habits, my sleeping habits and just my daily life I have become a runner. I am a runner. I feel weird sayng that because I feel like it takes years of training and some medals under your belt before you can be called that. But its not true...I have been running for about 4months now...and I am a runner. I think I have improved since my first awkward day on the track in the rain with people I didnt know. Now I look forward to running and I get upset...very upset when I cant. I love just randomly running in my neighborhood and getting lost and finding my way home its so fun and a great way to get to know the city better.

I have always started things and quit them but this is something I dont want to quit. I have thought of quitting many times...but I dont want to. Its hard but the reward is so much more. Everytime I go out there and run I doubt at first I am not gonna make it I say and then I surprise myself and actually do it. Even tho I have only done a couple of races they are awesome. Super hard but awesome...near the last km I always think if quitting or in the first km I think why the heck am I doin this maybe I should just walk. But then I get to the finish line and its all over and I just had victory. All I have to say is I got this. Its really a mind thing you would be surprised what you can convince your body of doing.

Running has become tougher for me recently as I have a weird pain in my side and now in my chest. The doctor doesnt know what it is. But I am not letting it stop me...I do listen to my body and slow down when it gets worse and somedays I cant even go out. Those are the worst...not running is hard...I cant not run. But I continue and push on and I know it will get resolved.

Theres nothing like ending a hard stressful day with an amazing night run. You come home relaxed and ready to sleep and take on the next day cause the faster you get to sleep the closer you get to running again. Once you start you cant stop its addicting...its who you are. And its become who I am. This is me a runner. Never thought I would say that...never knew I liked running.

I am surrounded by great people who cheer you on and dont look down on you for being slow and I really appreciate that. I love the people I run with cause I can learn from them and feel great about myself as well. Also its great to have a group of people cause I think its important to have this encouragment so you dont quit. I know for me if I didnt have the people and the coach around I wouldnt be where I am today with running and I prob wouldnt be doing it anymore. My favorite day is wednesday when I get to run with these encouraging people. I look forward to it every week. And learning from the coach has been awesome too...I think every week I learn something new from her and I love it cause it helps me improve...expecially when someone seems interested in you succeeding like she does.

So in the last bit of my post I would like to encourage you all again to find some sort of sport you love or didnt know you loved and go do it. Honestly the reward is worth all the hard work and the smell of victory is just too good.