I've finally got 'the runs'!

I've got the runs and I've got them bad! And no, I don't want to sprint to a toilet.  I mean I have running fever, which I call the runs, because I am 28 and still think bathroom humor is hilarious.  I love to run, but this was not always the case. I always ran, but rarely loved it, and sometimes liked it.  I loved to lose and maintain weight, I enjoyed the stress relief of a good run, I liked socializing with my friends when on runs, but I rarely enjoyed the run itself, as much as I enjoyed the benefits.

Ladies and gentleman, I can safely say I have reached the point in my life where I love the run!  My relationship with running has evolved to a place where I never thought it would arrive.  The evolution of my relationship with running looks something like this:

Age 5-13: BOYS DROOL.. AND DAD IS SCARY

My hips and big booty sprouted outward around age 13.  I was FAST (and lanky) before they came! I was always the fastest girl,sometimes student, in the mile run at school.   I was always trying to compete with the boys.  I was always on co-ed teams and leagues (dad thought it would make me tougher), which forced me to try and be just as fast as the males on my team.  There was also a checklist on my refrigerator during the summers, on which, by dad's decree, I had to check off a chore, an academic activity, and an exercise every day (crazy old man!).  I chose running a lot and ran to 'get it over with', after all there were no boys to beat.

Eat my dust! Hope you trip over your Y chromosome suckers!

Age 13-18 SKINNY, SPORTY, SANITY

Once those hips and big ol' backside started growing, I slowed down quite a bit.  I only ran to
 A. Keep myself at 115 lbs
 B. Not embarrass myself at basketball practice
 C. Get out of the house, and away from my parents, because I was grounded A LOT.

 I hated the run, but we were friends with benefits. 



Peace out mom and dad! I am running laps and nibblin saltines!

Age 18-22 PEANUT BUTTER FATTY TIME BY THE ONE AND DONE WONDER

 During college I only let running in here and there.   I also gained about 30 lbs over the first three years.  I had the attitude "I don't wanna, and I do what I want!" I was also working 50 hours a week, attending school full time, and visiting my boyfriend/ now husband at a school, located an hour away, on the weekends.  I had no time, and no desire to run.  Once a month I would go out and try and run like I did in high school- like 5 miles full speed- D-U-M-B- and then I would hurt, or get sick the next day, or hate it, or not fit into any workout clothes.  So the run was just a pain in my ass, and I wasn't having it.

SPRINKLESSSSS! GET IT!!

(I did lose all my college weight before entering grad school thanks to ULTIMATE SPEED WALKING, coached by my best friend Megan).

2007, Coach Megan is a beast!

Age 22-25  F THE LIBRARY, HEY GRL HEY

Enter grad school.  All you do is sit and read, and go to the library, and type papers, and sit and discuss things.  ALL DAY LONG.  And then you go the neighborhood bar, after a 15 hour day, and talk and sit some more, while consuming lots of beverages.  I got real antsy, real quick, and decided I needed a healthy goal, where I could still socialize.   So I signed up for my first half marathon with my friend Kristin.  We trained every morning, I hated the run.  The run made me tired and took me out of my comfort zone.  I enjoyed working toward a goal together (and I especially liked our Saturday-after- long run- celebrations with guacamole, wine, and dance parties) and the run became my way to socialize and work toward something other than academic goals.  I loved the after- run moments and camaraderie, but I still did not enjoy the run. 

Charleston 2009, Save the Light Half Marathon , Windiest run of my life, Husbands had 40s waiting at the finish line for us!

Age 25-27 Stresserella

Running while teaching has been my stress relief.  I started running again in the second semester of my teaching career.  I did it strictly for stress relief and maintaining my health.  My best runs were always fueled by my wost days.  I was running to survive long days, piles of work, crazy children, exhausting coworkers , and trying to remember that I was still a human being. It also helped with setting health goals, hanging with friends, and getting out of town.  So I was thankful for the way running made me feel, once I was done.

Running, so I don't go bananas!! Diva's half marathon in DC with Kristin and Laura (all employed by the school system!)

PRESENT- I GOT THE RUNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I felt the runs coming on summer of 2013.  I changed my stance on running around this time.  I was going to run at my pace, and I was going to stop when I wanted and run when I wanted.  I wasn't going to worry about times and distances, how many calories I burned, training plans, or who was with me.  I started making it about my needs.  And the wonderful thing is: I started to crave the run.  My husband made me start running trails around this time, and I was terrified (I am spazoid and I've taken one too many spills in my time) but after the first few trials of navigating tree roots and uneven terrain, I loved it.  I stopped thinking about what I was going to do after, what I needed to get done, who had pissed me off, and just became present in the run.  I take in the scenery, think without constant interruption, and enjoy the moment.  I love the run.
        

Whitewater Center 15k, Despite my pained look, I am actually quite happy =)

                                       
EPILOGUE 
And thank goodness I do. My husband, that rotten scoundrel, has signed me up for the Long Cane ultra marathon in May.  I am terrified and don't know what to expect, or what I am capable of, but at least I've got the runs on my side.

First training run with my favorite shoes, in Colonel Beatty Park!

My awesome training team: Nate (husband), G, and Sarah (aka Health Fairies Inc.).

Scott's got the runs too:

“The longer and farther I ran, the more I realized that what I was often chasing was a state of mind--a place where worries that seemed monumental melted away, where the beauty and timelessness of the universe, of the present moment, came into sharp focus.”-Scott Jurek 


Check back soon for some delicious recipes in the upcoming week!