I've been reading through people's blogs, yes I'm that the type of person that goes back to when you first started and will read everything that was ever written until I get to the new posts. In a lot of them I'm finding that sharing how you started running is really called for. So here's my story of how I started running.
I've loved running for as long as I can remember. Back in elementary school I held the school record for the mile at 7:11. I believe I held it until I went to middle school and then someone else took over in that position. I remember doing the four laps around the football field thinking that it was the easiest thing out there. I would stand with the coach afterwards and just talk to him while all the other students finished. Upon entering high school, I had a free period in gym and a friend of mine asked if I wanted to run laps around the school gym with her. I did and the next thing I knew I was talking to the track coach and he was telling me that I needed to go down to the health department, make sure I was healthy, bring the form back to him and that was it, I was on the track team.
I ran the 800 and mile when I first started track. The second year my track coach asked me to sign up for cross country because I was a long-distance runner and because cross country is ran during the fall and track during the spring, this would give me plenty of training time. So I did just what my coach asked to me to do, I signed up for cross country and that's where my passion for the 5K came from. My first official 5K race was the worst race of my life. I was second to last. But as the weeks went on and the meets were held, I started to improve and improve I did. By the time season was over I was running a 22 minute 5K and was usually second or third overall. My coach awarded me the "most improved runner" award at the end of cross country. When track started back up, I was taken off of the 800 and placed in the mile and 2 mile race. I loved every minute of track and cross country and was really sad when school came to an end because my running went with it also.
About two years ago, I was asked if I would run in the Jingle Bell Jog 5K. Considering my love for 5Ks I signed up. Thinking I wouldn't need much training, I didn't do much and that run showed my lack of running. I think I ran it in 30:00 or somewhere around there. The following month I signed up for another 5K race and my love affair for the races started back up in full force.
A full year after starting back with the racing, I signed up to run the Snicker's Half Marathon. I followed a half-marathon training that suited me and incorporated spinning into my exercise. The week before the race I did 12 miles in 2:30 (my longest run ever). I felt pretty confident from that run. On the day of the race I ran 13.1 in 2:14. I was EXCITED and thus my love affairs for the half marathon is now in full bloom. I have raced in another half marathon just yet. I've got my eyes on one in Panama City Beach, Florida in October.
Running has changed me in so many different ways. I can usually tell when I'm about to loose it and when I put on my running gear and hit the pavement running, by the time it's over (be it 3 miles, 5 miles, etc.) I feel so much better and whatever was causing me to stress is usually forgotten. When I started back to running I was somewhere around 160lbs. Not pretty on a 5'4 frame. I now weight 130lbs and I'm very happy with this weight. I don't have a diet I follow, I eat in moderation and if chocolate just happens to be what I'm eating, then I don't feel guilty for doing so. Running is my drug of choice and something I look forward to every single day.
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