My brother talked our parents into letting me join
the high school track team when I was in eighth grade.
At the end of the season, I won the 110% trophy.
It was the coach’s way of saying,
“You’re not the fastest, but you’ve got heart!”
I was hooked!

I ran intramural track at Virginia Tech and have always
regretted not joining the cross-country team.
I ran for fitness and to manage the “freshman fifteen.”

After college, I taught PE for two years
and ran a few races with my students.

I married my hubby and moved out west.
I joined the aerobics craze
and cut back to running only a day or two a week.

We moved back east and my running picked back up.
I had babies and tried pushing them in a regular stroller.
It didn’t work.
My babies got too big for strollers and someone invented the jog stroller.
Why wasn’t that me?

I ran a lot, but not a lot of races…
Until I could see my 4oth birthday just around the bend.
I signed up for my first marathon, ran it, and BQ’d (Boston qualified).
I was hooked.

My friend talked me into running a 50-mile ultramarathon.
Then I ran lots more marathons,
and the gym where I worked asked me to become their running coach.
I formed a running group and made friends for life.

My long-term goal is to run forever!
Life without running…
Sounds boring to me!

 

Questions:
  • • What’s your running story?
  • • How old were you in your first memory of running, even if it was racing a sibling?
  • • Do you still run?