Runniversary: 4 Years Running Strong

This week in my personal history is one of the best, most life changing weeks of my life. This is the week of my runniversary, and the week of my handsome husband putting a ring on my finger and promised to keep me forever. I have to say that I love him more than I love running, but I am still pretty pumped about my runniversary. On May 9th, 2011, I went out on my first intentional run, and I have accomplished so much in the four years since then.

I completed  my first half, the Wadell and Reed Kansas City Half Marathon, in October 2011, and this week I signed up to run the same race a second time. I can't wait to return to my first half, only the second race I ever ran, and I am going to work hard over the next 5 months to hopefully set a new half PR for myself.

I raised money for ALS research with help from some very generous friends and family members in conjunction with training for my first marathon. I ran the Philadelphia Marathon with my Anything for 10 sister, Grace, in my grandma's memory in 2013. I had said after running the KC Half the first

time that I wanted to run a marathon before I turned 26. It was the runner's high talking at the time, but when my amazingly strong and independent grandma lost the ability to walk, talk, and eat before she passed away on my 25th birthday, I looked at my sister at her funeral and I said, "You know we are running a marathon before I turn 26, right?" She smiled and said, "Yes." And although it wasn't pretty, I finished that marathon. I spent the MANY training miles logged thinking about and talking to my grandma. Running was a way for me to grieve and heal. Did my grandma love running? No. But she was the absolute picture of strength and grace, which is something all marathoners need as a beacon.  I wrote "Anything for 10" and "For Grandma" on my race bib, and as I was about to cross the finish line, the announcer asked me what it meant, and then announced to the crowd that I was running in my grandma's memory one week before the one year anniversary of her passing. As the tears started flowing when the announcer spoke to the crowd, I thought I might not make it the last couple steps, but Mayor Michael Nutter grabbed me and pulled me across the finish into an embrace saying, "She's proud. Good job. Congratulations."

I ran three half marathons in two states in 45 days in the Spring of 2014, and I earned membership in the national running club, Half Fanatics, and I earned a Road Apple Award that same year. I set my current half PR at the first half in that Spring series, and afterward I got my first and only tattoo. It is a running tattoo on my wrist so that I can see it when I am out on the road, and it signifies love, life, run. It means that I need to remember to do those three things regularly, and that I need to run in order to love and live life fully. Running helps me to appreciate life and all that I am able to experience in life. I have met many amazing people in the running community since I started running, and I am thankful for each of them, and when I see my tattoo I often think of them as well.

I am a fortunate and blessed human being, and running reminds me to be grateful. Here's to many more years of crazy goals, meeting new people, connecting with family and friends, and logging lots of miles.

Runner's Rambles: Vacation Running and National Running Day

Happy National Running Day!! It's one of the best holidays of the year! I celebrated with a short night run

after work. I absolutely love running at night during the summer. I'm not really sure why because it is usually still pretty hot at night because the heat radiates up from the pavement, but I guess I just like that I feel less exposed when it's dark. Believe me, I wear plenty of reflective gear to try my best to be seen by cars, but I just feel more like I'm flying than running at night even though I am not fast enough to consider what I do flying.

I am happy to say that my Summer Streak is firmly intact after going on a trip to Colorado to see two of my good friends get married! I got altitude sickness after their mountain top wedding, but even though they were probably the slowest miles of my life, I still ran at least one mile every day! Running can be difficult on vacation to say the least, but if you don't have to do super long runs, and your spouse or family doesn't mind you logging a few miles, then it is definitely doable! I just hopped on the hotel's "dreadmill" most days, but I did log some miles on a nearby trail!

At Garden of the Gods with my handsome husband, Matthew!

Garden of the Gods

Mountain View during my last run in Colorado

We got to go to the Olympic Training Center.

As another gift to me for NRD, when I went to my chiropractor this morning, he said that I am ready for PT, and I can start slowly increasing my daily mileage! So I upped my mileage a bit tonight as well! I am a bit bummed that my running in my current neighborhood is coming to an end this week as I officially move out to the 'burbs, but I am mainly bummed that I never figured out where the house is that JLaw "lived in" in Silver Linings Playbook. I will not at all miss the ridiculous traffic and getting honked at every day even though I am on the sidewalk out of the way. On one hand, I am pretty excited to find new routes after I move. On the other hand, I am not stoked that I have to go through runs in an unfamiliar place, so I will likely have some good stories about getting lost!

Runniversary

May is a month that holds a special place in my heart. May is the month where the two loves in my life forged new paths to the beginning of the rest of my life. Two years ago on my 8th, my handsome Matthew (finally) asked me to marry him (sort of). We've discussed it, and I honestly don't remember him actually asking me to marry him, but he was on one knee with a beautiful ring, and now we're married. I don't ever want to imagine what my life would be like without him. But what about my other love? Running.

On May 7th 2011, I went to the middle school track where I lived at the time to log 3 miles in my prep for half marathon training. That's right. I  was training for training. I had signed up for the Kansas City Half Marathon because my family laughed and said there was no way I could run a half marathon. My family jumped on board after I showed them that I really was training and putting in some work.

After my first half marathon

My life has changed so much since then. I have moved half way across the country, completed five half marathons, a marathon, and tons of other races of varying distances. I left my job as a teacher and program director to work for a running specialty store, and I am one half marathon and a few days away from becoming a Half Fanatic. In about a month, I will begin training for my second marathon. I have come so far and run so far, but I still have miles and miles to go in becoming the best version of myself.

Marathon Finishers!

Running is something that is so hard to explain to non-runners. Running is such an amazing powerful experience that I wish I could share with everyone. It sounds so cliche, but it is truly a parallel for life. There are times when running gets tough and tests you to see what you're made of. Will you dig deep and find a way to push through as best you can, or will you give up? That's what running and life demand of you. There are times when I love running, and times when I want to give up, but I keep going back out. Running reminds me of all I have to be thankful for and what I am really made of. I am capable of so much more than others give me credit for, and often times more than I give myself credit for. I have been running for 3 years, and it seems so much longer and shorter all at the same time. I am looking forward to all the lessons, beauty, and progress that my fourth year and all the years to come hold in store for me. 

How beautifully difficult, and therefore true.

Do you want to know what I love about running? Life. Running makes me appreciate life far more than I did before I became a runner. Running has a way of subtly, and sometimes not so subtly, reminding me that I am very fortunate. My life is easy. Have I faced my share of challenges? Sure! Haven't we all? Running just reminds me that those challenges, those hardships, those feelings of despair when you've experienced something awful, are all temporary.

I can be a bit of a pessimist. I am also a bit of a whiner. When I'm running, I sometimes complain, whine, or even get angry about how difficult things seem at the time, but I try to remind myself that I should be thankful. There are so many people who cannot run. There are people living their lives in fear and defining themselves by the standards of others. There are women living in oppressive societies. There are entire countries devastated by poverty, war, and famine.

My life is easy. My life is blessed. My life is beautiful. Running is hard. Running feels hard. Running is beautiful, and running is easy. Wait? How can running be hard and easy? Well, it is a challenge. A challenge that I readily invite into my life. It's hard because it pushes me to evaluate my motivation, dedication, and confidence, which makes it easy because that helps me to become a better version of myself. The biggest key to running is that it only feels hard. Hard is relative. When I think that running feels hard, I try to think about how easy my life really is and how I can often be ungrateful for the easy, blessed, fortunate, beautiful life that I have. It really helps to put things in perspective.

That is what my new running tattoo represents to me. I got it on my wrist to see while I am running to remind me that I need to love. I need to live. I need to run. In order to put my life in perspective, in order to live fully, and in order to fully love all that I have been blessed with, I need to run.

If you really want inspiration, watch this awesome Boston Marathon tribute video.

How wonderful, how sane, how beautifully difficult, and therefore true.-- Salinger