I haven't always been a runner. In fact, although I certainly had the height and natural ability, I never played school basketball because of one simple reason: there was too much running! Up until five years ago, I was the quintessential non-runner. A slow jog to the mailbox and back was the extent of my running abilities and even that was overdoing it.

Two years after having my second child, I suddenly found myself motivated to get back into shape and lose the extra baby weight that was still (literally) hanging around. I started walking in earnest every day and lost about ten pounds... a good start, but I was eager and impatient. One day, while out for my walk, I did the craziest thing: I started running! Granted, it only lasted 30 steps before I had to stop, wheezing and gasping for breath. But those 30 steps were the start of something even I could never have foreseen.

What began as running simply for weight loss and recreation has turned into a bona-fide obsession. At the encouragement of a good friend, I ran my first 5K in June of 2005 and have been hooked ever since. I was bitten by the marathon bug in June of 2006; I'd trained for five months, pounding the pavement every week for hours on end through the worst of winter conditions and constant nagging aches and pains. When I crossed the finish line four hours, twenty-six minutes and fifty-four seconds after the starting gun went off, I was utterly exhausted but absolutely triumphant. Once out of the way of the crowd, I fell to my knees, held my head in my hands and sobbed, knowing I had just accomplished something extraordinary by all standards.

After enduring a spate of minor injuries and staging a comeback, I ran my second marathon in September of 2007. As I crossed the finish line, once again overcome with exhausted elation, I realized how much I love running long-distance. I'll never be a speedster and will probably always place somewhere in the middle of the pack, but whether it's a local 5K or another marathon, I'm always planning my next race.

My family and friends are a huge support, of which I couldn't do without. But truth be known, I don't run for anyone but myself. I run to test my body. I run to clear my mind. I run to feel my emotions. I run to be myself.

It's what I do. It's what I am. I am a runner!

In September 2007, I ran my second marathon and upon crossing the finish line, realized how much I love running 26.2 miles. While I plan on running some shorter distance races (always shooting for that PR at each distance), my eyes are really set on my next marathon in spring 2008. Now that I have cemented my foundation with long-distance, I'm ready to kick my training up a notch and find out what I'm really capable of doing with it!

I do not have any running logs yet.

Tall Girl Running

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