Running down a dream...

Wanna' know what today is?

National Running Day!

If you would've told me two years ago that I would be a runner, I would've laughed in your face. And then I would've pointed in the distance, encouraged you to look there and promptly stolen a fry off your plate. Two years ago at 280 pounds, running seemed absolutely impossible.

In fact, it was just over a year ago that I decided that I might maybe should could try running. I had worked out -hard - on the elliptical at my gym for months. Every day, I'd wait in a long line of people waiting for a machine. The really fit people always seemed to be waiting for treadmills. As I'd be on the elliptical, burning calories to a dignified song like "I'm Too Sexy", I'd look at the people running on the treadmills ahead of me. Sweat poured down their faces and they STILL looked graceful and amazing.

'Someday,' I'd think to myself, 'I'm going to run again.'

See, when I graduated from college I decided that I wanted to run. I was renting in an apartment complex and about 30 steps outside my door was a little dirt track. I decided to run until I couldn't run any more. That lasted for about 30 seconds.

But I kept at it.

And soon enough, I was running miles at a time without wishing for death because at least that would stop the burning in my lungs. I eventually moved and stopped running - but I missed it.

When I moved to Colorado, I dated a guy that was all about running. I'll save the back story for another time, but basically, he wanted me to run with him. Who cares if I was exercising at the gym in my own way? He wanted me to run with him outside for miles at a time. And so I did. It was torture and I felt so embarrassed that I couldn't keep up with him -a guy that ran a frickin' marathon. Unrealistic expectations much?

So I ditched running for good. Or so I thought.

As I wrote before, picked running back up a year ago. At first, I just ran what I could, which was about 15 seconds this time around. But eventually the 15 seconds turned into 30 seconds, which turned into minutes (MINUTES!) at a time.

It's taken a long time, more than a few races, hundreds of miles logged, and the HUGE milestone I hit recently where I got under a 10 minute mile, but I can finally say:

I AM A RUNNER.

Truthfully, I never really thought I'd be able to say that. But the stats show that it's true.

I have pride in that statement. Not that runners are any better than anyone else (because I've seen and heard plenty that are clearly a-holes). It's just that, to me, being a RUNNER means that you run consistently. You're committed to your own health and that you're doing something consistent about it.

So I run. I'm a runner. And unless you have a medical condition that states otherwise, you could be too. In fact, if you're curious, you can go here to read all of the benefits of running.

Today I'm going to run at lunch. I'm going to celebrate National Running Day by having a fun run - one where it's just for me. I'll run as far or fast as I want - or not. I've run in various 5Ks for the good of lots of organizations...

But today I'm running for MY own good.