Sunday, June 29, 2008

I read my friend Tom's blog and his site is so cool that it inspired me to create my own. So, here it goes...

I am not really sure what to write, so I'll tell you a little bit about myself. I graduated from the University of North Carolina Asheville (go Bulldogs); I am married (14 years!); I am a Social Worker; I like to travel; and, I love to run. I am a member of the Florida Track Club and serve as the Secretary. I help my friend, Mark, direct the annual Tom Walker Memorial Half Marathon. I also enjoy reading, but couldn't tell you my favorite book at this moment. My all time favorite movie is ROCKY. I am a neat-freak and everything has it's place.

I started running consistently on June 21, 2003 after moving to Alachua, Florida, which is just outside of Gainesville. I ran off and on throughout my childhood, but never really took it seriously. It was more for fun and to stay in shape while I was in college.

As an adult, I have found an appreciation for being outside at freakishly early morning hours to run with friends - an appreciation that is really hard to put into words and might only be understood by fellow runners. Now, running for me is not about keeping in shape. That is just a benefit. It's about challenging myself and spending time with friends who share the same passion.

In 2006, my brother and I ran our first marathon in Detroit. His time is 4:05:06. I ran it in 4:17 (coming off of Achilles Tendinitis - my excuse for not beating him). Last year, I was determined to beat his time. I registered for the Marathon of the Palm Beaches. I had some fairly significant pain during training, but ignored it. When I ran the marathon, I didn't realize that my Tibia was almost broken. Needless to say, I didn't beat his time and, in fact, didn't set a PR, coming in at 4:23.

So, it's back on! I started back to running on March 1st, doing a lot of swimming during my recovery. I have kept the swimming as a cross train and love it. It has sort of got me thinking about a triathlon, but that's another day...

I haven't decided which marathon to run, but will keep you posted. I have a lot of running still to do.