My hippie runner pirate headband in honor of talk like a pirate day! 

I have some awesome news to share but I’m going to start by telling you a little more about myself and why I run. It will relate to the news I have and make it clear about why this day is so important to me. 

I was always naturally active. I lived to be outdoors. In high school, I was a majorette and a tennis player. I was tall and skinny. That’s pretty much my entire family. Tall and skinny. Most people would think that was a blessing. For me, it was a curse. When I hit my growth spurts as a child, I hit them hard. To say I grew like a weed would be an understatement. I grew so fast that my muscles could not keep up with my bones. This caused me to have a condition called patellar instability. Basically, my knee caps dislocate when I turn just the right way or when I am highly active. It was only in one knee in school but it has escalated to be in both now. I was told that would happen eventually, anyway. I never let that stop me from anything I really wanted to do. I was a championship majorette. I also went to districts in tennis just months after my knee surgery. I held my own too. After graduate school, I became less active. Work was tough and I didn’t have a lot of time on my hands. When Hubs and I got engaged, I decided to start running. It was just the way I could make sure I fit into my amazing dress. I bought it off the rack on a huge sale. I was a size 8 and it was a size 6. Not that big of a difference and I’m sure hubs figured I would give it up after the wedding. 

I found that running was more for me than just fitting into a dress. It helped me deal. As a therapist, I take on everyone’s problems all the time. I have people’s lives depending on my ability to help them through the hard times in life. I also have my own issues. Hubs and I get along great. He is my rock and the love of my life. My parents and I, on the other hand, do not get along at all. I don’t want to get into the details completely but it frequently turns for the worst. I have a hard time coping with the issues at times. No matter how hard the relationship is, I do love my family and would love to see a real improvement. As of right now, we are doing somewhat better. Running was my way of dealing with all of the stress of life. It also helped me find a love for my body. It is not a perfect body. I have two horrible knees and have to wear braces on them. I have my share of insecurities but my body has done so much more than what I ever thought I could do. 

I have always been a back to middle of the pack runner. In Women Can Run, I was the slowest. I made vast improvements but was not nearly as speedy as the other girls. They were great, though. They celebrated my victories just as much as they did their own. They encouraged me and did not ever look down on me for the amount of work I had to put into it. When I broke into the 10 minute range in my magic mile back in the spring, I felt like throwing a party. The other girls were single digit runners and I really never thought that my bum knees could ever work as fast as theirs. Today I did my second magic mile in Princess training. I was nervous and kept putting it off. I was afraid it wouldn’t be faster than the first one. I pushed myself to get out there today and I’m glad I did! I pushed hard. I listened to my new songs, especially Fight Song. It has become kind of an anthem for me. It worked! I broke into the single digits. I went faster than I ever thought I could and I know it’s only the beginning. When I hit that mile mark and saw the 9:45 time, I literally cried. Ugly cried, like Kim K style. I called hubs and breathlessly told him about my achievement. I finished a cooldown mile and went home to post it for the facebook world to see. I am so, very happy and so in love with my bum knees for doing what I doubted they could. Here’s to completing GSC, I finally know that I really can do it!

  
Now that you’ve heard my story, I would love to hear yours. What made you guys start running? What pushes you to keep going and what are your big achievement moments?