Running

You pretended the snooze button didn’t exist.
You dragged your butt out of bed while others slept.
You doubled-knotted.
You left the porch light on and locked the door behind you.
You ran. 5Ks, 10Ks, 13.1 miles, 26.2 miles.
Some day more, some day less.
You rewarded a long run with a short run.
And a short run with a long run.
Rain tried to slow you.
Sun tried to microwave you.
Snow made you feel like a warrior.
You cramped. You bonked.
You paid no mind to comfort.
On weekends. On holidays.
You made excuses to keep going.
You questioned yourself.
Played mind games.
Put your heart before your knees.
Listened to your breathing.
Sweat sunscreen into your eyes.
You hit the wall.
You ran through it.
You decided to be a woman about it.
Finished what you started.
Proved what you were made of.
Just kept putting mile after miles on your internal odometer.
You are a runner.
You do it because you can.
You will do it for as long as you can.
-Nike 

Truffle Shuffle 5k- March 2010

I run for life and when I'm running, I love life a little more. I have three younger brothers and active parents who have all kept me going over the years. I played volleyball my first three years of high school and decided to join the track team my junior year. I made some amazing friends and fell in love with running. So much so, that I gave up my guaranteed position in varsity volleyball the fall of my senior year and joined the cross-country team. The winter of my senior year, I ran 13.1 miles on the trail by my house, just for fun. I ran track that spring and even won two medals! 2nd place in the 1600 meter (1 mile) run and 1st place in the 3200 meter run. (I was a senior and this was a JV meet, but still).

Running fell by the wayside after my first semester of college and after several false starts (running for a few weeks and then stopping) in the last few years, I finally consider myself a runner again (7 years after my initial 'half-marathon').

I ran my first 10k with my dad on September 26, 2010 and my first half marathon with my friend Emily on November 21, 2010.

I was training for the Fort Worth Cowtown Marathon in February 2011. Emily (my best friend from high school) and I wanted to run 26 miles with me as a celebration of our 26th birthdays-- hers was in December 2010 and mine was April 2011. We both went to TCU and fell in love with Ft. Worth so the marathon would have been a good excuse to go back for a visit, since we live in different states now.

However, I need some more time to work on endurance, asthma control, and injury prevention, but I still hope to run a marathon one day. I'm turning this 'page' into a post now, because I'm getting a blog makeover and running isn't as central to my blog as it used to be.

Here are some of my blog posts about running, getting back into shape, and training for my first marathon:
 
Resolutions

Set Your Intentions

Marathon Decision

Eat, Sleep, Run

One Moment in Time

Truffle Shuffle 5k Race Recap

Back Injury I

Back Injury II

Bikram Yoga

Back in the Saddle

Garmin Grins

Keep on Keepin' On

Girls on the Run 5k Race Recap

Learning to Chill

Daily Affirmation

Reflections thus far: On Becoming a Runner

Run the Good Race 5k Race Recap

Lessons

100 Miles

This Morning

So Much Stronger Than You Think

Third Time's a Charm

Yogging 

Own It (4 miles) 

High Five (5 miles)
 
A Little Girl Said I Was a Fast Runner

Not all Runs are Good (6 miles)

Epic: My First 10k! Omaha Marathon 10k Race Recap.

The 7 Mile Run that Wasn't (knee injury)

Learning to Listen to my Body

Reflections thus far: From 1 Minute to 10 Miles!

Doubt + Burnout

Asthma Flare-up

Your Life is Now (12 miles)

What Running Means to Me (13.1 miles)

Gobbler Grind 1/2 Marathon Race Recap

Sanctuary of Hope 5k- June 2010

“If there is no struggle, there can be no progress.” -Martin Luther King

“Ask yourself: ‘Can I give more?’. The answer is usually: ‘Yes’.” -Paul Tergat, Kenyan professional marathoner

“You can either throw in the towel or use it to wipe the sweat off your face.” -Gatorade ad

“Someone who is busier than you is running right now.” -Nike ad

"This is my body. And I can do whatever I want to it. I can push it, study it, tweak it, listen to it. Everybody wants to know what I'm on. What am I on? I'm on my bike busting my ass six hours a day. What are you on?" -Lance Armstrong

“Sweat cleanses from the inside. It comes from places a shower will never reach.” -Dr. George Sheehan

"We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves. The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable." -Sir Roger Bannister, first man to break the four-minute mile

“Even if I don’t reach any of my goals, I’ve gone higher than I would have if I hadn’t set any” -Danielle Fotopoulos, soccer player

Around mile 8.5 of the Gobbler Grind 1/2 Marathon- November 2010

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” -Dale Carnegie

"I've never regretted going for a run, but I have regretted skipping one." -Chris Beck

“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” -John Bingham

Me and Emily after our first half marathon (the Gobbler Grind)- November 2010

Click here to follow my training on dailymile.com