“It was being a runner that mattered, not how fast or how far I could run. The joy was in the act of running and in the journey, not in the destination.” – John Bingham
“When you cross the finish line, no matter how slow or fast, it will change your life forever” – Dick Beardsley
There is nothing that can turn my day around more than a run. In college, I wanted to find an escape, something to do to de stress and free my mind for a little bit from all the craziness of school. My dad was a runner, so I figured I could do it too. And since then, it has been such a great part of my life.
My weeks feel incomplete if I don't get three days of running in. I hate not having a race on my calendar. I have a collection of Brooks shoes in various state of wear and a collection of race shirts and colored socks I often sport. My medals hang proudly on my wall and all of my race bibs live in a memory box. I have caught the running bug in full force.
The joy I get from pushing through miles, crushing hills, and feeling the sun shining down or the breeze against me can't be found anywhere else in my life. I am not the fastest runner, but building strength and continuing to race and push myself keeps me going. Something about training and starting my day with a run makes life better.
7 half marathons, 4 trail 10ks, 1 trail 8k, one 10 miler and a number of 5ks and so many more to come. No matter the distance, I'm going to keep running happy.
