a "14" Mile-stone

In the last 2 years that I've considered myself a runner, I've had many great mile-stones along the way. I began running mostly because I needed a way to exercise. The idea of going to the gym intimidated the hell out of me, and let's face it; for those of you who have known me since my middle school days, I have never been the most coordinated or athletic person. But in the privacy of the little gym in my apartment building in Denver, I learned that I could run for about 20 minutes on the treadmill. It took a while for me to catch on that those 20 minutes eventually would be the equivalent of 2 miles. This was a really huge accomplishment for me, as I was always being yelled at in PE class to finish that 1-mile run! (it was usually completed in about 11 or 12 minutes, always with walking somewhere in between!). Soon, 20 minutes on the treadmill turned into 30 minutes. And I'll never forget the day I completed 4 miles on the treadmill! I was with Leigha, and I kept exclaiming over and over, "I've never run that long or that far in my life!!!"

I don't know how she did it, but Leigha convinced me to sign up for the Colfax Half Marathon. I took on the challenge, and before I knew it, I was a running machine!!! Each week I was amazing myself as I would run 6.. 9..12 miles at a time, and I could KEEP going! When I completed my first Half Marathon (13.1 miles) on May 16, 2010; I was overcome with more emotion than I ever thought possible. It was the most proud moment of my life. Here I was, this small, uncoordinated girl, who was never good at anything physical, just completed the biggest challenge of my life! Months of hard training and conditioning, proved that your body really is capable of anything you set your mind to! It was official: I had caught the "runner's high".  Throughout that next year, I continued on to run several more races, (many of those with my amazing running friend, Alison Page :)  including 5K's, 10K's, 10milers, and 4 more half marathons. I already knew that I'd done it once, I can do it again.

So now, time to advance...  The next challenge: a Marathon. So, my friend Alexe convinced me to sign up for the Chicago Marathon, and without hesitation, I registered. I knew I was capable of at least half of that! The first several weeks of training were really no different than what I was used to.....but this week was the turning point. In the last 2 years of training for races, I was comfortable and used to running 13 mile distances. But today, I ran 14 miles, which is my furthest distance to date. I knew when I woke up this morning, that today was a big day. This marks the second half of my training, and from this point on, I will exceed distances I have never before touched.  So I laced up, and set out with a good attitude, and a happy heart. As I was getting closer to home, I realized that I was keeping a great pace.  I steadily looked down at my Garmin; and to my excitement, at 13.1 miles, I beat my own personal best time for any half marathon I'd ever run!!! I was exuberant when I reached home, and reflected upon my running accomplishments. I've come so far, but it's not over yet. Ten more weeks until the Marathon. 26.2, here I come!