Chasing the High

No I don't mean a drug high, I'm referring to a runner's high. After almost every long run I feel this rush of adrenaline and feeling of accomplishment. I'll admit, I usually call my Mom or Dad afterwards to share my excitement. It probably gets kind of annoying but I think more than anything each time I run a new distance, I surprise myself so I have to share with someone. It's one of the best feelings to have ran a distance that you never thought you could have. Not only is the rush exciting after you've ran a long run, but you can also eat pretty much whatever you want! I try not to take this to the extreme but as you all know, I LOVE my food! :) Don't get me wrong, it's not all runner's highs and good food. Running is hard. It's one of the most challenging things mentally and physically that I've ever done. Sometimes it's mind over body and sometimes it's body over mind but I love it.

Thank you

My longtime friend Amanda Hale motivated me to start running. I want to take a moment to share my sincere thanks and gratitude to her. Had she not asked me to join and given me the encouragement that I needed, I probably wouldn't have began running. I don't know if she knew what running could do for me but I have to think that knowing what it did for her, she'd have to know that it would bring me the same feeling of pride and satisfaction that I so desperately needed in my life. Amanda we've been friends since the 1st grade and I love you dearly. Thank you for being my friend and running partner.

Somewhere in the Middle

I realize that I should have started this months ago but to be honest, I wasn't quite sure how long I'd last. Before I started training with RW the most I'd ever ran was a 5K. (Not even an easy 5K at that.) I ran Race for the Cure several times but it was never easy and I always had to walk at some point. I ran track in High School but my focus was always sprints not distance. Seeing numbers like 8 or 13 on the training schedule made me cringe. I honestly thought there's no way! Whenever I heard people talk about running or training for a marathon I always thought that's NOT for me. Not because I didn't want to, just because I didn't think I could do it. Keep in mind that running 1 mile was hard enough for me. I couldn't imagine doing more.
So this is where my story begins. My friend Amanda started training with Runner's World well before me. I always marveled at her success and determination and thought to myself, I wish I could do that. When she became pregnant in October of 2008 I knew how excited and happy she was to become a mom but I also watched as she lost a little piece of her personal dream which was completing a full marathon. I knew after she had James that she'd return to the running world and that she did. Little did I realize that she would take me along with her! I had no idea what to expect from running with a group. (In my mind I pictured a tight pack of people, running closely together like ninjas or a gang almost. Ha-ha!) So with fear of the unknown, I decided to start running some on my own before training began. I wanted to make sure that I could run 3 miles before joining this group of "professional runners." The last thing I wanted was to be a runner who can't run. Lucky for me, the first training run was a success. We ran some, we walked some and we weren't even dead last, we were somewhere in the middle which is just fine with me.