A (Running) Reflection

If you hadn't already noticed from my ten other posts, I ran a 10 mile race on Saturday. Last year on 10/11/2009, I ran in my first 5k (about 38:00, I think, but not officially timed). I've come a long way in a year and I'm so proud of it. I never thought I'd become a runner, and now I'm running ten miles and training for more. It's proof that even with asthma, anything is possible.

I started running around August in Arizona last year. I had just graduated with my Masters in theatre history and was discovering that the job market sucks-- even for clerical and retail jobs. I felt like a failure, with no direction or goals in life. I knew that in 5 years or so I wanted to go back and get my PhD, but first I needed money (and preferably teaching experience of some sort). It just wasn't happening, and the summer heat was driving me nuts. After working out on the Wii Active, I finally decided to just run around the neighborhood to see how it felt. It was still 90 degrees at 8 o'clock at night and I was severely out of shape, even considering I was working out on the Wii 20-30 minutes a day. But you know what? I just threw on some old shoes, grabbed my iPod, and ran. I just did it. And I wanted to get better. Even with just a one mile run, I felt tired and my lungs burned. At night, as I lay in bed about to fall asleep, I could feel exhaustion and my lungs felt different. A few weeks into my running, I decided to try a 5k. Lucky for me, we had some family friends living in the area and they were happy to run the Race for the Cure in Phoenix with me. That was my first taste of the racing atmosphere and I fell in love. Although I couldn't run the entire 3.1 miles, I knew I wanted to eventually. Having the goal to be better at my running, and my health, really kept me going through tough times. And it still does. Working retail is not fun most times, and I know if I didn't run to release stress I would be in really bad shape physically and emotionally.

One thing that keeps me running is when I went to the doctor in February, the PA noticed right away after listening to my heart that I'm a runner. Instead of getting a report that I was doing okay for my age, I received a stellar report on my health. I never realized how awesome that feeling is! I don't want to just get by, I want to be awesome! I hope I continue to run all of my life, even if it's only a few miles every few days. There's nothing like a good run, especially on a stressful day! Thank the Lord!