The Road

So first things first, this blog is for me to express the ups and downs of my passion for running. So what better place to start but the past.

If you or anyone else think that becoming a great runner is just something you are born with, you are absolutely crazy! Some people are better than others naturally yes, but all of us are GREAT because of the work we put in to get where we are today. And just like anything else, GREAT runners can become HORRIBLE runners very quickly.

I started off my running career around my junior year of high school in Florida. I was a 5 foot, overweight, frustrated, and angry child. I started doing soccer probably around my freshman year of high school and found out I wasn't half bad but to become better I would need to boost my cardio, so I joined the cross country team at school. Extremely reluctantly I might add. I even managed to drag along another friend who was in a bad place at the time in order to convince her that hours of running and basically self torture would be the answer to all of her problems. Man, I had no idea what I was getting myself or my friend into.

If you think there is some hidden talent I had that made me all of a sudden a great runner, you are so wrong. It was completely my desire to escape my home life and dedication to prove everyone else around me wrong. The first practice sucked, and when I mean sucked... it was only a three mile run and I thought I was about to die. Anyways, for whatever crazy reason I stuck with it (probably because I didn't want my friend to see how angry I was at making such a dumb mistake as trying to run for "fun").

 

Some of the girls and I from my first Cross Country and Track Team (2006-2008) 

 

So just after a year of running, I had an amazing group of friends, an amazing group of coaches who really cared about each and every one of us, and the best way for coping with my anger. I couldn't have asked for anything more... but as it turned out, I received way more than I could have ever dreamed. I was in my senior year of high school when I decided to pursue my runner career. I had only been running for a little while and was still pretty awful at the 5k but had a promising path in the 400m since I had just run a sub 60 sec split in our girls 4 x 400 at regional’s. Unfortunately the college I was about to attend only had a cross country program. I figured what really mattered was that I was running... not really the event. After all, running was probably my first true love.

 

I started running my freshman year of college and really became addicted. It was my outlet for everything. Soon I realized that my first college was not the right fit for me and transferred to a program that had cross country and track. Where ironically I became a long distance runner. I can still hear my coach telling me at my first summer camp "your stride, well... it’s just better for distance, like marathon distance." I thought he was six shades of crazy!! Who goes from running a sprint event to the longest running even in college track!? I have to give him credit though; he must know something because distance was definitely my calling. The more miles the better.

 

So while I would love to tell everyone I had this amazing college experience and became this insanely awesome runner... truth is I was pretty average. If it hadn't been for a few key teammates and some serious dedication (running 100 plus miles a week) I probably would not have gone as far as I did. I was lucky enough to compete in two cross country national races and qualify for two outdoor track nationals throughout my career. All in all running was pretty much my one great success story. Only problem was, by my senior year I had racked up several injuries and running had developed into another job on top of school, ROTC, and working at the hospital. I had lost the passion I had once held on to for dear life and maybe that was why I lost it. I stopped running.

Flash forward about two years. I was now living in Colorado and had just gotten back from my first deployment. I had been running about ten miles every day mainly because of trying to escape from others around me but also because I could feel myself changing, both emotionally and physically. I hated it but it felt like a train that I just couldn't seem to find the brake for. Fortunately I had a great roommate who pushed me to make myself better and after a little weekend slip up, I ran my first half marathon post college... by myself with my roommate on his bike cheering me along(long story).

 

 

Well whatever inspiration I had mustered for that adventure quickly dissipated and put me on a fast road to being overweight and miserable all over again. Too ashamed to work out in a gym or run on the road because I was nothing like the person I used to be. A powerhouse runner. Somehow I was wrangled into running another half marathon about a year later with my current boyfriend, who thank goodness has been extremely supportive of the path I seemed to of wandered off on.

I was pretty miserable with where I had landed myself in regards to running. I was slow, out of shape, timid, and overall horrible at running. It was as if my fall to where I was now was harder than the climb I had made to become the runner I was in college. Anyways, to the point of why I decided to start this blog…  I am sick of being scared and upset with myself about where my athletic life has gone, which is clearly nowhere. I want to be the passionate runner I used to be and love to road again. Today was my first day back running, only a nice easy 2.3 miles but it is 2.3 miles further than I went yesterday and I am determined to never let the road go again. Wish me luck.

 

-A Re-Found Passionate Runner