On your marks!

So. I decided to start a blog about my running adventures. I've been spending so much time reading other 'mother runner' blogs that I figured I might as well join the 'club'! I have truly become obsessed with running again. One of my biggest fans, Minda, put it perfectly. She said that I have "rediscovered an old love." So, so true. I can't get enough. I even dreamed of racing last night. Of course, I am not only enjoying the actual running itself, but have discovered the exhilaration and satisfaction of running races.

Let me start from the beginning. I've been a runner my entire life. I started running in elementary school, and was pretty successful in the yearly 'jog-a-thons' and school track meets. I even have quite a few trophies and ribbons stashed away somewhere (I know, so impressive!). I kept running here and there throughout junior high and high school and mainly used it for cross-training for my softball and basketball teams. I ran many laps around the school track after practices to keep in shape. I regret not joining the track team in high school because I am a competitive person by nature. I continued running on my own through college and then kind of lost it after I started teaching and having my babies. Even though I wasn't consistent, I always considered myself a runner and thought about running EVERY SINGLE DAY. I would tell people that and they would always look at me like I was crazy but it was true, running was a part of me whether I was finding time for it or not.

I always enjoyed running just for the freedom I felt during a run, the stress-release, and the health benefits. This year I have discovered the excitement of running races as well! I was feeling stagnant and bored with my exercise routine. I have been playing rec-league softball since high school and have added many other activities over the years but now that my kids are getting older, I was craving more "me" time. New Year's Day, 2012 was the beginning of my rekindled love affair with the run.
Some of my closest girlfriends and fellow softball mamas decided to register for the Wine Valley Half Marathon on Mother's Day weekend. I was ALL in! I was extremely motivated and very NERVOUS at the same time....what had I signed myself up for??? And signing up for a half marathon on New Year's Day? Such a cliche! A classic 'resolution' but I was determined not to let this one 'slip away'.

And so it all started...short runs here and there to get myself back in the saddle, some new kicks thanks to a great deal at the Nike Outlet, and a freshly printed training schedule posted on the fridge. I was all set. Ha! Little did I know that most of my 'team' would find excuses and reasons why they weren't training and if they were even going to run at all! While I was annoyed, I trudged on. I had paid the $100, told WAY too many people that I was running a half marathon, and really truly wanted to complete it! So, I joined a local fitness program that focuses on strength and endurance and found time for a few runs a week. Come hell or high water, I was going to run.

This will be my 'running journal' documenting and sharing my experiences of my "Year of the Run, 2012", and all of those yet to come...I'm madly in love and hopelessly devoted!