I wasn't always a runner. In reality, I wasn't someone who did much exercise at all. I hated gym class and going to camp as a kid. Physical activity wasn't my thing. But, boy did I love to eat.
Over the years I joined gyms for short periods of time, went on diets, but always remained relatively unhealthy and ultimately lazy. After many years of my weight bouncing around, my mid 20s saw it climb up, down a little, up further, down a little, and up further until, after a particularly stressful time, I reached a point where I wasn't chubby anymore. I was fat.
In the summer of 2006, after the stress had passed, but my weight stayed where it was, I decided enough was enough. I was not to remain a fat person uncomfortable in my clothes, and my skin. So, I went on a diet and lost a bunch of weight. Later that year, I started doing yoga, which I kept doing almost daily.
Cut to 2 years ago. January of 2008. I was ready to take my fitness up a level, so I joined a gym. I started using the treadmill bit by bit and vividly remember a trainer warning me "you might be jogging now, but soon you'll be running." He was right.
In 2008, I was 29. I started a blog so I could make a list of things I had never done and wanted to complete by the time I hit 30. Goal #1: Run a 5k.
The day of my first 5k, on May 3, 2008, was the day that changed everything for me. After completing the 5k and feeling amazing, I went to an information session for Team and Training and signed up to train for a marathon. I had read that doing something for 6 months makes it a habit. So, I figured training for 6 months would force running into my life for good. My blog shifted from being just a list, to tracking the ultimate goal: Run a Marathon.
I completed my first marathon, the NIKE Women's Marathon, in San Francisco in October 2008.
And, running did become a habit. Those people who knew me before I started running were dumbfounded that I would train for a marathon, but even more blown away that I then continued to run. Last year I joined a running team and completed all my qualifying races (and then some), so I could guarantee my entry into the NYC 2010 Marathon. I run a few times a week and am heading toward the Manhattan Half Marathon at the end of January.
I wasn't always a runner. And, actually, I only really felt like I was truly a runner a few months ago. I ran the Queens Half Marathon after deciding to only a couple of days prior, and had a wheeze in my chest. The fact that I was able to do that, and break my personal record, was what pushed me over the edge.
