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?
Running forever sounds good! This is cute
Thanks, Deborah!
Love it! My origin story is “tried running it was hard” so I kept on doing cardio at the gym. Then 2009 happened and I was on a tight budget with no room for gym memberships so I tried the running thing again because it was the only free way for me to get the intensity that I needed. Haven’t looked back, can’t stop won’t stop;-)
Beckett @ Birchwood Pie recently posted…Weekly Eats: Steak Tacos, Take Out, and Life Lately
That’s a great story as well!
Yes to running forever!
My dream is to be the little old lady crossing the finish line with a smile on my face even if I’m the last person to finish the race. 😀
What a beautiful vision! Love it 🙂
Jennifer recently posted…How to Offer Support and Compassion to Yourself and Others During Times of Stress
What a wonderful story! My long-term goal is to run forever too. Luckily I have some good older role-models who are still going strong in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. Thanks for the encouragement!
Laurie recently posted…Finding the Thing With Feathers
Yes, you do, and I love when you tell us about your older role-models!
[…] Friday – My Running Story, the Condensed Version […]
Great running synopsis.
Thanks!