Thankful

Last week, there was plenty of talk around the sphere as to what constitutes a runner and I still say that no matter if you run for a min or run a full marathon, the fact that you laced up your sneakers and make an effort, it makes you a runner.

It's funny to me that I say this now. I have 6 days until the Rock 'n Roll San Antonio half marathon. My first half.

Over the weekend, I posted a thank-you via FB to various people who have provided the motivation to get off my butt and run and workout. This thank-you has lead me to reflect back on why I run.

Growing up, I wasn't the most active child. I spent a lot of time reading. I did play volleyball in elementary school and moved on to tennis in junior high and high school. When I started college, I was on an Army ROTC scholarship. This meant meeting a weight requirement for my height (I never reached the weight requirement), regular PT (that included running). At this point, I was only partially running on a track (running the straights and walking the curves) to keep my endurance up for tennis. I HATED running. On PT runs, I was always the one behind the safety patrol. I never ran in rank because I could never keep up. I was made fun of and was truly miserable.

Fast forward 20 years. I haven't played much tennis these days because it's difficult for me to find people who know how to play. Thanks to a co-worker, I bought TurboJam a few years back and got hooked on TKB. I've lost 40lbs and stalled. So I started reading more fitness blogs and saw that folks were shedding pounds through running. Thanks to various blogs such as Carli over at Running Into Shape, Tricia at  Endurance Isnt Only Physical, Kim at to dream the KIMpossible dream and a few other now-defunct blogs, I decided to try Couch to 5K. The program seemed easy enough, especially on a treadmill. I found myself running almost everyday before or after my workout classes at the gym.

Then I moved to Sacramento. This move threw my workout schedule a curve ball, but after a few months, I was back on a workout schedule with plenty of TKB  and Body Pump classes. But I still wasn't really running. In an effort to meet people outside of work, I answered a CL ad for a workout buddy and we signed up for my first 5K with the intention of walking it. A recap of that race can be found here.

Following that race, I wanted to challenge myself to run outside even more. I completed a Fun Run. Still looking to meet people and make a home in Sacramento,I came across Black Girls Run and noticed they were starting local running groups. My running has spiraled into an activity that I am really beginning to enjoy (even though I swore I would never run further than a 10k). While in Sac, I promised the ladies I would run the Urban Cow Half if I was still there. Unfortunately, I'm not. But to hold up my end, I picked a race on my birthday, the BIG 4-0 (it's even national running day).

Even being back in Houston, I look forward to my early morning Saturdays and my after work running sessions. I've recently started running without music and have my races picked out from now until April 2013, including 2 more halfs. To date, I have completed 2-5Ks, 3-10Ks, 1-12K and come Sunday I will have run my longest - a half.

So I have to say thank you to the many who have crossed my path to serve as motivators to get me to do the one thing I never liked and to go further than I ever planned.

I guess this is a true testament to never say never.

Thank you!