as I begin…
This morning, I was up before dawn. It was dark in this little town, but I felt the birth of something new, or at least the return of something familiar. On went the gloves, the layers, the hat, the shoes, and out I went, to face a new day. I ran a quiet two miles. It’s like being home again.
I must confess, I have been lurking. Peeking into the lives of people I don’t know and gaining a sense of community. I just discovered the awesome power of shared-experience with total strangers. It’s incredible to hear stories of triumph and perseverance. Reading about how a women who never thought she could, finished her first marathon or qualified for Boston, or ran 6 miles for the first time ever. Yes, it’s true I am quickly becoming addicted to running blogs.
My own story with running started my senior year of college. I had one more “activity” credit that I needed to get before they would let me out into the great wide world. On a whim, and probably because it was the only one that fit my schedule, I signed up for “Running for Everyone” at 7:30am. With no agenda other than getting a college diploma, I stumbled into the most transformational aspect of my life.
By the end of the semester, I ran my first half-marathon–in the rain. I was so green to the sport, I had no idea what was going on. I had trained. Not necessarily trained well. The long runs only started about a month and a half before the race and still really didn’t have a clue what it meant to have a race-day goal or what PR meant. I didn’t know that there would be water available on the course. When we got to mile 10 and there were people offering me slices of orange, I remember nothing had ever tasted so amazing. There were huge slabs of wood with some grease-looking goo (I now know was Vaseline) and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what that could be for. I still remember how funny I looked in the finish line photo wearing my basketball shorts, soaking wet running shoes, a sweatshirt and an “emergency” poncho (the clear kind you can buy for $1). It was obvious I had never raced before. But in that moment, I remember being so confident, so proud of myself, and complete.
That’s how my journey with running began. Now, here I am seven years post-college. For awhile I kept up with the running. The next year I ran the same half and improved my time by more that 20 minutes. A year after that my dear friend Andi agreed to train and run the full marathon with me. That was a perfect day. Then I moved to Vermont, and found a new running partner and decided to tackle a new course and run another full marathon. That day was not-so-perfect and couldn’t improve upon my time.
That was in 2006. It’s been four years since I ran a full marathon. Sure, I’ve done a couple half’s but it’s not the same. My heart calls out for the challenge, the pain, and the triumph that comes with running 26.2 miles.
That brings me to today. Exactly one week ago I signed up and paid for the San Diego Rock ‘n Roll Marathon on June 6, 2010. I have found a training partner that I’ve also convinced to travel with me to California to tackle the race.
I’ve learned that while running is a solitary sport, I do it best in community. In the past week, I’ve stumbled on people’s stories of triumphs and trials when wrestling with the beast that is the marathon. This world of blogs, specifically running blogs, has already given me so much support. I’ve learned new techniques, various training plans, clothing suggestions, equipment reviews and so much more. I feel like I’m stealing. I’m taking in, without giving back. I believe that community is vital to the success of the individual and I can’t truly be a part of a community until I give as well as take.
