Sunday Runday: Where I'm From

I thought I should share a little about how I started running.  Because like most people, I didn't just get up one morning and start running.

I don't remember if I shared this before, but when I was in 10th grade, Thatdad suffered a massive heart attack.  As part of his recovery, weight loss was important.  Thatdad was already physically active, in fact, the day of his heart attack, he had been at a karate class.  But after the heart attack, he enrolled the family in a gym and started walking 4 miles every morning.

Thatmom and I joined him.  We were up at dawn every morning.  The problem was, to keep up with Thatdad's walking speed, Thatmom and I had to run.  And that's where my running began.

I found running to be a really great stress relief for me.  I remember the day I didn't get into one of my top college choices, I went to the gym and ran for hours.  After college, when I moved back home, I used it as a way to get out of the house.  When studying for THE BAR, it was my "me" time every day that I could count on.

In 2009 I started racing.  I had run/walked races before, but this was the first race I had really run.  For time.  And I was hooked.  The adrenaline, the camaraderie, the t-shirts!  I started running a lot of races.  I decided to start building, from a 5k, to an 8k, to a 10k, to a 15k, to a half marathon.  In 2010 I ran a race every month.  Along the way I grew to love running more, develop a more healthy attitude about it (a topic for a whole 'nother post), and even get faster.  I was able to keep running all through my pregnancy with Thatbaby, and after.


So really I have Thatdad to thank for my introduction to running.  But my how far I've come!