Pretty original title, eh? So, I wanted a running blog because I've gotten really obssessed with running blogs this year. I wanted some place to keep track of all my workouts and races and stuff. I'm signed up with like fourteen other running sites and I'm not going to keep them all updated. Since me and blogger go way back, I figured I might as well use it for this, too. Super bored yet?
Here's my story. I ran cross country in 10th grade. I was painfully slow and constantly struggling with shin splints, but I loved it. I loved how it made me feel strong and confident, and as a super shy 15 year old, it was my outlet. Plus, it helped me make friends. That fall, our team won the state finals. It was awesome. The race was sooo painful - my shins were shot. As it turns out, I ran that race on a stress fracture. Awesome. But I rested and healed and was ready for track season by February. Unfortunately, that cross country season was my debut and finale. My shins didn't make it past one track meet and I ended up on crutches again. At that point, I was so bummed out that I didn't even try to run cross country the next fall.
For the next couple of years, I ran intermittantly. I would run for a few weeks until I couldn't stand the shin pain any more and then find something else to do until it subsided. I remained pretty active through college and kept going back to running at least once a year.
Fast forward to 2006. A friend of mine was looking to get in shape fast and discovered Chi*Running - THE key (IMHO) to injury free running. She bought the book, tried it, and decided it wasn't for her. I had lots of stuff going on at the time, so I filed that bit of information in the back of my brain. A few months later, I took a Chi*Walking class through a community education program. I had signed up for the running class, but there weren't enough students, so it was cancelled. The instructor told me that she'd work with me after class to show me the running part. It was enough to pique my interest.
In July 2007, Danny Dreyer, the Chi*Running guru, was holding a seminar in my area. I signed up immediately. The class was awesome. I definitely had the bug. However, life, the planets, whatever weren't lined up quite right, so I didn't really get started at that point. But I bought the book, the DVD, the CD, and of course, a t-shirt (because I'm a ho for running shirts). The seed was planted.
In February 2009, I decided to get serious. I had gained 40 pounds in the last 11 years and was miserable and depressed and anxious. I decided on my plan of attack. I was going to follow the Runner's World beginner running program, get my lungs healthy enough that I wasn't wheezing and gasping, and then find a Chi*Running instructor. And so I ran and walked my way to slightly healthier lungs. By April, I was ready to move on and found my instructor, Sarah. She rocks. It turns out that she hated running, but got talked into taking THE SAME SEMINAR I did in 2007 (crazy!) and she got the bug too. So much so that she ended up getting certified by Danny himself.
We met for the first time and it was awesome. I had been frustrated by my own Chi*Running progress, but she gave me awesome tips on how to work on my focuses (foci?). We've met a few times since then and it's really helped. Chi*Running is gradual progress, which is something that I really need to work on. I have a tendency to want to do things perfectly the first time out, so its really difficult for me most of the time. But I also think that it's good for me to have to work at something.
So I guess that's it for the first post. If you've made it this far, well, THANK YOU. I should send you a, well, a something, but I probably won't. Sorry. Anyway, I'm not sure what or where this blog is going, so bear with me. Please comment if you feel it. I'm a ho for comments, much like I'm a ho for t-shirts. hee hee Oh, but I guess I should tell you that if you spam me or creep me out or something, I reserve the right to delete your comment.
