PadRUN on the RUN
To be quite honest, I still struggle with calling myself a "runner". It might be the fact that the stereotypical runner has this certain body (long legs, no muscle fat, no boobs) and/or has ran track in high school. Yeah, I was definitely NOT that person. I was your typical sports girl, give me ALL the sports - swimming, tennis, basketball - especially soccer, but the moment our coach would say "three laps around the field" I was the first one to complain 10 steps in.
Running is a relatively new thing for me. It all started May 2017, when two of my friends and I decided to cheer and watch the Bolder Boulder (which if you have never heard of it, please look it up and add it to your bucket list). I fell in love with the experience and promised myself I would run it the next year no matter where I lived for work. Crazy enough! I ended up staying in Colorado the full year, so I had no excuse to not run it. I encouraged my boyfriend at the time to run this 10K with me as none of us were runners, plus we had full 5 months to train for it. Keep in mind I had never ran for more than a mile straight and had no idea what 10 kilometers even meant - distance-wise. Crossing that finish line meant more than just receiving a medal, that run made me realize how much I could push myself. That of course didn't end there... I moved to Charlotte.
Wait! I ran a FULL Marathon??
When I tell you I had no intention of running a full marathon 2 years ago.. believe me when I say that thought had NEVER even crossed my mind. I ran my first half back in November 2019 in St Augustine, FL, and that to me was a huge entire goal I never thought of accomplishing. I was encouraged by a friend to sign up with him and so I did - I knew I had the commitment, determination, and discipline to complete it. Of course, it's not as easy as it sounds... these words mean nothing if you actually don't put in the hard work, the habits, the training, and the effort. I bought the appropriate shoes, I hired a nutritionist to help me get the right nutrients to train as hard as I wanted, and I set the schedule on my agenda of how my miles would increase per week to get me to the finish line.
The day came and I ran that half like no one's business, I left my friend behind and cheered people on as much as myself. I finished 9th in my age group in 2 hours 4 minutes, with a 10" minute pace.
While celebrating our big accomplishment, my friend asks "Full marathon next?" and as I laugh at him for even asking the question I immediately say "no chance!".
Three weeks later, there I was at my kitchen table registering for the freaking CHICAGO FULL MARATHON! Yep, never in my wildest dreams did I think that was even a possibility. I had 6 months to train and that's where that journey began...
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Blog coming up soon!