Running

I started running "regularly" when I was 21 and had just graduated from college. I was broke, unemployed, out of shape, bored and lonely in a new city.  I could barely run half a mile without stopping when I began, but I kept plugging and eventually lost about 20 pounds while getting to know our beautiful capital city.

I had always idealized the "running lifestyle" that gets sold to all of us through Nike ads and other media. I kept waiting for the moment when it would get easy - when I would "just do it" or feel like I was good at it, and it would just become part of who I was.

For me, that moment didn't look how I wanted or expected it to look. It's still hard work, and I still don't really think of myself as a runner. I'm slow both in terms of speed and adding distance, I need walking breaks, and there are days when I would just rather lay on the couch all day. 


Now that I've been struggling with running for 5 years and am finally training for my first long distance event (a half marathon) with hopes for a marathon this year, I want to join the conversation about running. I hear from so many people how they could "never" run as far as I do, a feeling I'm all too familiar with. I hope this space will help us all start thinking about running as a personal journey, rather than a lifestyle or a race. 







My Races

2011 - Lawyers Have Heart 10K (reduced to 5K because of heat) - 36:24
2011 - Washington, D.C. Turkey Trot for Hunger (5K) - 31:46
2012 - North Face Endurance Challenge 10K Trail - 1:02:10
2012 - Grand Rapids Marathon - Did not start 
2013 - Charlevoix Marathon - TBD



Some useful websites

These are the best training plans out there for beginners. I love them. 

Find races near you and read reviews. 

Helps you start your shoe search. Just remember that the best way to buy shoes is to see an expert at your local running store. 

A good place to start for all your training questions.

My Runs

Check out my running related posts here and here.

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