RunRunRunRun

The Early Days

I started running in high school when I thought I was fat [as so many teen girls do] and thought an easy way to shed pounds would be to join the cross country team.  I was also really involved with musical theater and thought that would be a good way to bring up my endurance so I could sing and dance simultaneously without getting winded.  It is HARD to sing and dance at the same time!   

I joined the XC team the fall of my Junior year (1996, yowza).  I struggled at first. There were some really good runners on the team and I lagged way behind. I vividly remember the first practice that year.  It was a trail run in August before the school year even started, and most of the runners went on ahead while the coaches stayed back and brought up the rear, i.e. me. 

But, I perservered and I kept at it.  Over the course of the season, I went from having to walk+run the 5k races to running them in around 28-29 minutes.  My coach was very proud of my achievement in such a short time, and his encouragement meant a lot to me!  That year was also the first time I lost a toenail from running.  I have never had normal toes since. 

My Early Twenties  

After high school, I kept at it and ran a number of local charity 5Ks.   My junior year of college, I ran the Tiger Prowl 5k which was during homecoming week.  I clearly remember being about 3/4s of a mile from the end of the race when I got passed by my 35 year old Nutrition professor, going uphill, and she was pushing a baby jogger.  Ha!

But let me take a step back.  I love to run, but my true passion is for group fitness.  You know, aerobics. 

I started teaching group fitness classes in 1999 when I was 19 years old as a freshman in college.  I started as a step aerobics instructor, then I picked up kickboxing, then toning, then hi-lo, then spinning … and the list goes on.  I have a corny belief that I was put on this earth to lead fitness classes. 

The Late Twenties

In 2006, as a 25 year old, I got bit by the running bug again and decided to try my hand at a half marathon. No 10Ks, no 10 milers, right from 3.1 to 13.1.

I’m not sure if I was crazy or naive or both, but I ran it without training for it.  My thought process was that I was teaching spinning and a class called BODYSTEP which are both incredible cardio workouts.   I thought, “I can teach a double [two classes back to back], so I’m sure I could run for 2 hours straight, right?”

I did, I ran the Baltimore Half Marathon with my friend Bri and I/we finished in 2:01:13.  I didn’t even walk once, but my hip flexors hated me.

The next year, I signed up for the same race again, but was sidelined with an ankle (overuse) injury.  I was fortunate enough to defer my registration to 2008.

In the meantime though, I did my first sprint triathlon, IronGirl Columbia.  I really enjoyed the bike and run part of the race, but I was illprepared for the swim.  If I do another triathlon, I will definitely join a group to help me become a better swimmer. 

So I decided to stick with solid-land activities did the Baltimore half marathon again in October 2009 and 2010.  I’ve also done a few other races: 10ks, 7 milers, 10-milers.

Turning Thirty

I decided that as part of my celebration of enterning my next decade, I would run a marathon to start my thirties off with a bang.  I turned 30 in December 2010 and the week before, I started training for the National Marathon on March 26, 2011.  I successfully completed the entire 26.2 with no walking and clocked a 4:21.  I was amazed at how my body became accustomed to the long runs through smart training.  I had an amazing experience and was very proud of myself!  No decision yet as to whether I’ll do any more marathons though.

My PRs

5K 23:40
10K 49:40
7 Mile 1:04:43
10 Mile 1:28:52
15K (Coming soon!)
Half Marathon 1:56:29
Sprint Triathlon 2:16:07  
Marathon:  4:21:07 

Race results and recap posts

4/30/06 Baltimore Spine Center Reach Out & Run 5K     23:57
3/11/07 Shamrock  5K     33:24  (ran with a friend who was congested)
9/3/07 Bay Café 5K      23:58  
10/06  Baltimore Running Festival Half Marathon     2:01:13
8/07  Iron Girl Sprint Triathlon     2:16:07 
10/08  Baltimore Running Festival 5K     23:40    
10/09  Baltimore Running Festival Half Marathon     1:59:29
3/14/10 Shamrock 5K     32:05 (ran with boyfriend fiance for his first race in 10 years!)
4/11/10 Cherry Blossom 10 Mile      1:28:52
6/13/10 Survivor Harbor 7 mile  1:04:43
9/25/10 Clarendon Day 10K  53:50
10/16/10 Baltimore Running Festival Half Marathon 2:08:07
12/12/10 Jingle All The Way 10k  53:51
3/26/11 National Marathon 4:21:07 (automatic PR)
5/15/11 Capitol Hill Classic 10k 49:40 (new PR!)
9/18/11  Rock n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon  1:56:26 (new PR!)
11/13/11 Casey Cares  Green 5k  25:50  (no PR but an age group win!)
12/3/11  Hot Chocolate 15k  DNS
3/17/12  Rock ‘N’ Roll USA Half Marathon (Coming soon!)
8/19/12  Athleta IronGirl Sprint Triathlon (Coming soon!)