Wanna Be

Yeah, I’m a “wanna be.”  A total wanna-be runner.  I guess that’s what I get for marrying a cross country coach and marathoner.  Back in the day (read: when I was in shape and not overweight) I could play tennis for 3+ hours, play volleyball, softball and basketball with no problems….but I HATED running.  I mean, what fun was it to just go out a run??  What kind of crazy person found doing that torture fun?! Well, now I get it.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve discovered there’s more to running than just pounding pavement for the heck of it.  It’s a way to de-stress, chill out, find the calm in a hectic world.  I wouldn’t classify myself as an official “runner” just yet, but definitely a jogger. 

When I first met my hubby, I was a tennis player returning from a shoulder injury.  I ended up having to give up tennis – if I couldn’t play all out because of the pain, then I didn’t want to at all…and I needed something.  My hubs (then just boyfriend) started pestering me to join him on one of his runs.  I finally gave in and decided to go.  You’d think a person who could go three sets in a grueling tennis match could run at least for a little bit, right??  WRONG!  It was pitiful!  But I kept at it.  Baby steps.  Tribble Mill Park and Stone Mountain became my favorite places to visit.  I LOVE running (oops…jogging) on a good trail.  There’s nothing like being so close to nature, surrounded by God’s creations, just you and your thoughts.  Yep.  I wanna be a runner.  Four years and two kids later, through lots of ups and downs in my jogging career, I finally made a commitment to run in my very first road race.  Members of my family have run in the Peachtree Road Race for years – my aunt, uncle, cousins, and my hubs ran it for years in high school, so hearing the talk about the race wasn’t anything new to me.  Last year, I told my hubby that I really wanted to do it this year.  So my sister, hubby and I started in the LAST stinking start group, and actually ran all 6.2 miles.    With the other 60,000+ people.  I don’t think I’ve EVER seen that many people.  It was crazy!  But I loved it!  My goal time was to finish in under an hour and a half (I’m slow, I know, gotta start somewhere).  I finished in 1 .23.58!  Not too shabby for having to pass somewhere around 25,000 people.  Will we do it again next year?  Probably.  The one thing I will do differently is try to get into an earlier start group.  What’s next for me?  I want to finish a 5K in under 30 minutes.  Here’s hoping to a long, healthy and injury free next few months of training! :o)