Speedy Gonzales

Blarney Run 5K with Cheryl, I'm in blue:)

So, I’m running my first half marathon on Saturday. You think I’d be nervous, right? Wrong. I’ve kind of taken to running like a fish to water, like a junkie to heroin, like a skier to a mountain. Get it? I love it and I’m actually pretty good at it.

My running story is pretty simple. I was inactive. I was active in high school, but that was (insert number here) years ago. Ok, alright, it was 12 years ago. I was shocked when I realized that I really hadn’t been active in 12 years. I guess I thought that I didn’t really need to be. I didn’t have a weight problem; I’ve always been on the slender side. When I told people that I was out of shape, they laughed because I just didn’t really look like I was. Regardless of what people thought, I was out of shape. How couldn’t I have been? I hadn’t done much in the form of exercise since I was 18.

I had stints of fitness throughout the years, but nothing that stuck. That was until the end of this past year. I decided, along with my good friend Lindsey, that I was going to start running. In October of 2009 we randomly decided to sign up for a half marathon. It’s the half marathon I am preparing to run on Saturday. 0 miles to 13.1 miles?? Yeah, that’s apparently how I roll. I ran for about 3 weeks prepping for a 5K on Halloween that I also signed up for (ya know, to keep me accountable and push me to train). I obviously wasn’t too dedicated because I went to a Halloween party the night before and didn’t get home until in the morning hours on race day. Oops. After missing the Halloween 5K I stopped running. You could say I gave up for a while. Then about a week before New Years Eve a bunch of my friends on Twitter were talking about a NYE 5K. So I decided that I could do the 3K and signed up! When I got there and realized that the other 12 or so people I was there with were all running the 5K I switched from the 3K to the 5K. Previous to this, my longest run was less than 2 miles. I ran this race in 34 minutes and something. I didn’t run the whole thing, but the feeling at the finish was amazing! The experience of this race changed my life. I’ve been running ever since that day, working towards my goal of becoming a runner. That was 4 months ago. I am now running the same distance (in non-race mode) in about 26 minutes. That’s approximately 8:40 minute miles. I’ve even ran farther, faster. I’m definitely not trying to brag, it just feels so good to quantify it and to be able to see my progress! To date, my longest run has been 12 miles in 1 hour 56 minutes. This Saturday’s half marathon, 13.1 miles, will be my new longest run ever. I. Can’t. Wait!

Shout Out! I am very fortunate to have a really great and supportive group of runner friends that are so impressive and motivating and inspiring. They keep me moving. They tell me I’m doing great when I’ve had a bad run. They remind me of how far I’ve come. They remind me that I’m speedy:) So this post, is dedicated to you! I don’t like listing people because I cringe at the thought of missing someone, but I also cringe at the idea of not naming you all who have been so important in my success. So, here I go….Lindsey, Anne, Rochelle, Tony, Tracey, Ginesa, Mike, Marty, Joe P., Amy, Alicia, Sara S., Krista. And a special shout out to my running partner, Cheryl! Thank you!!

Oh, and if you’re interested you can follow my running on Daily Mile. And if you’re an athlete yourself, be sure to sign up!

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