And running, running,...

I have become a runner. It didn't happen on purpose. I didn't wake up one morning and decided I wanted to start training for half marathons full. It actually happened on a whim.

As a sailor we are required to run twice a year, 1.5 miles each time. Up until my second year in the Navy that was my only goal. I joined the run team on base just to keep me motivated enough to do well for my PRT. No other goals were set. Then one day as I was browsing the inter webs I stumbled upon a Mud Run that was happening nearby in Monterey, Ca. I figured, "why not? seems like it'll be fun." I had no idea how hard or how fun it was going to be. Five miles and several muddy obstacles later I was overjoyed at what I had accomplished. I looked up at the cloudy sky and noticed a rainbow. So perfect of a visual ending to a race that rained off and on. The scenery was gorgeous as anyone who has been in the Big Sur area would know. Lush green grass with blooming trees which was my only sign of Spring in a climate that never changed. After the race and the perfect hot shower, I was done. The end. I did a race.

The following Spring I was no longer living in California but 3,000 miles east in the Master's capital of Georgia. HOT, HUMID, Georgia. My roommate at the time had told me of a local half marathon that was taking place in about a month and that I should sign up. "It's only $55!! Plus, you run a lot! You can totally run 13.1 miles!" In my tipsy on wine state I figured, "Meh why not, I'll give it a try. I've ran 10 miles before...once." So I signed up and then didn't train.

If you ask the amateur runner who has done a half marathon I am sure many of them may tell you "Yea I sign up and didn't train and ran it in like 2 hours. So easy." But if you as the amateur runner who woke up one day and said to themselves "one day I am going to run a half marathon" they will then tell you about their training journey. Those people in the latter group are smart because after that half marathon I was so incredibly sore (and happy that I finished in 2:39) that my friend Z had to carry me to the car. I just couldn't walk without looking like I had been hit by a car. It was horrible. NEVER AGAIN I would say but that was clearly a lie because as of right now I have ran that same Half Marathon three years in a row.

 For me it wasn't the runners high or how I felt after the run that kept me running (obviously because I was in so much pain), it was the medals. I love winning! I didn't technically win the race but I got a medal. I won at finishing! Something only a small percentage of Americans do each year! I wanted to keep winning medals. Cool looking ones too! Like bottle opener 5k medals from Myrtle Beach and Rock N Roll medals and Trifecta Medals (Spartan Race). I wanted to show my accomplishments of something that I could actually do, even if I was slow and steady. I still won my own race against myself. What a great feeling!!

 And so, I just keep running and running and slowly I am getting faster and faster and the medals keep being hung around my neck.