We pick up the story already in progress…
Let me tell you a bit about how I got here.
Today was not my first day of running; I’m not starting a totally new endeavor. But it is almost the new year, and it’s time for new beginnings. Sure, it seems cliche to start something new at the start of a year, especially because the calendar is so arbitrary. But if we kept ourselves from doing things just because other people already do it and do it better, we would never accomplish anything. All of life is derivative at some level.
So here I am writing my first blog entry on this new site. Not my first blog entry ever; because I am a Millennial - a child of the internet. I grew up in a time where everyone was writing their little hearts out all over the internet for everyone to see. We’re masters of vague hints at our woes and happiness that give away just enough to make us seem cool and mysterious. At least it felt that way in high school. Every blog I’ve written since then has slowly become less and less moody.
What I’m here to do now is totally different for me.
I’m here to share a specific journey that I am on. Like any good 30-something, I recently found that swapping nights of binge-drinking for early mornings of long miles can really increase your quality of life. Go figure! Let me tell you a bit about how I got here.
I’ve been running road races now for almost 4 years (this coming March will be my 4-year race-iversary!). I tried out running in college, but I was definitely trying to go farther than my body was ready for. I tried running a bit after college, when I lived by myself in Sedona, AZ. The scenery there makes you want to keep running, but I still wasn’t ready to put myself first in my life. So this great self-care activity was often forgotten in lieu of nights out with my co-workers.
It was only when I started my PhD program that running really became a more consistent part of my life. Nobody tells you this, but graduate school is a horrible mental prison built of anxiety and guilt. Well, it is if it’s not the right fit. It was not the right fit for me. That’s when I found zumba… and yoga… and running! Those moments of exertion where I didn’t have to think and my body could just move. All of my anxiety would melt away.
It took about 3 years of testing my limits with short runs around my neighborhood before I got serious with running - I decided to sign up for my first half-marathon! And the rest… well, I’ll fill you in on the love story that is me and running over the course of this blog. Suffice to say for now - running has given me so much and I am looking for ways to share my story in the hopes that it might inspire just one other person to change their life for the better. So here we go…
