I recently changed the name of this blog to something more permanent. It's called "For the Love of Running" for various reasons. However, running is way more than just running to me. It's my lifestyle and I love it. It's opened a lot of doors and has made me into who I am today and will bring me to where I want to go in the future. So here's a little story of why I named this blog what I did.
I've been running for a long time. It kinda started with my dad. He ran marathons here and there when I was a kid and I'd go on an occasional run with him around the neighborhood. I also had a babysitter who ran for the local high school. Since every 8 year old wants to do what there babysitter did, I took up a local recreational track program. I don't remember a whole lot about participating besides running across the field at a track practice one night and then finding a fly in my mouth and was totally grossed out. I had a ribbon for a 300m I ran once. There wasn't a time listed on the ribbon but I know it wasn't anything impressive.
I didn't keep up with the rec program for very long. My family moved out to Arizona when I was ten and I hadn't really participated in anything up until I joined a coed soccer team with some friends. This didn't last long either since my team never won a game, but I had always enjoyed running around the field. I quit soccer on my 11th birthday. After soccer it was volleyball. A lot of volleyball. I loved volleyball. Again, I started this because my friends were playing and I had an interest in it. I didn't make the middle school teams but I played for a few local clubs. I wasn't always the most coordinated, but seemed to beat all my teammates when we'd have to do suicides (running the length of the court for a certain amount of time, usually as discipline or conditioning). I just thought I was more in shape than the other girls, for some odd reason. Then my world came crashing down when I didn't make the high school junior varsity team my sophomore year. It was a dream of mine to play at the college level. When I look at it now, this dream was kinda far fetched. I loved volleyball but I wasn't consumed by it.
So with volleyball very much over, I needed to take up something else. My dad suggested I run the local Turkey Trot 5k with him since running had been something I was interested in before taking up volleyball or soccer. Run that 5k with him I did. I ran something like 24 minutes and won my age group with little to no training. I didn't think much of it besides the fact that it was fun. This time, however, caught the eye of the local high school cross country coach. A few hours after the race, on Thanksgiving mind you, my mom received an email. It was my sister's club volleyball coach (also the high school xc coach). It said something like "24 minutes for a 5k is good for a 15 year old who doesn't have much training and I think she should come out for the track team once we start training in January." I was pretty excited seeing as how I hadn't ever been recognized for my athletic abilities. Sure my volleyball coaches always said I had potential, but I never really honed in on that. This email was the beginning of the rest of my life, quite literally.
I started with the track team and fell in love with running right away. I was quite that first season and wasn't really fast either. I didn't make it to state and ran a slow time at regionals but wanted to be on varsity as a sophomore and that was what I had accomplished so I was happy. I then ran cross country junior year and wasn't all that fast at 5ks either. I had finally found my niche that track season. Coach had me racing mostly 1600s but my 800 times were kinda impressive. I had run the 4x800 a few times and was one of the faster 4. I then started racing the open 8. I placed second in the region that year and tenth at state. (My 4x800 team were the first girls to win points state meet as we had placed 7th). I was running 2:30s consistently. At the time (girls are getting faster year after year), if you could run a sub 2:30 800 you were good because there weren't many girls that could do that. I ran cross country again my senior year but again, 5ks weren't my distance. It was the 800. I was successful at the distance again my senior year when I had learned how to actually run. My goal had been to go around 2:27 to try and keep the school record a little longer, but my legs weren't able to get me there. I placed 3rd in the region that year and 11th at state. I loved that distance and really miss racing it. It is one of the hardest races in track and field but it was a blast.
Since picking up triathlon and learning that the 20s can be some of the fastest years for female runners, I've begun to think that I'm faster than I ever was in high school. I ran a 47 minute 10k in my first olympic distance triathlon after being burnt out and not having trained a whole lot the weeks prior. The half marathon a few weeks ago was a blast but I feel like I could get my 10k down even more. I feel like I have some speed hidden inside of me somewhere. It needs to be nourished and encouraged. With these thoughts in my head I took action. I joined the local running team. It's a collective mix of middle aged parents, college kids, and singeltons in the adult program. There's also a kids team and a pro team within the whole as well. Tonight I went to my first track practice with the team at the University's track. It was a blast. We did some interval work and I was nervous about it since I haven't been very diligent about training. I kept up with some of the faster women and felt terrific. Some of the pro athletes was there to give splits and encourage every single runner no matter how fast or slow they were going. It was amazing to see the community and camaraderie taking place. I'm so glad I am now apart of two amazing teams who encourage runners no matter there speed or experience. This is one of my most favorite things about the sport and it's taught me so much.
So here it is, an actual blog with an actual name. Running is my first love and always will be. It got me into my newer love, triathlon. It's developed some of my dearest and closest friendships. Because of it, I've had the opportunities to coach and see the sport from that side and I couldn't be more grateful for having these legs of mine that allow me to do this.
Here's to doing something you love and not having it any other way. Here's to running because you love it.
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