How I Got Here

So how did I get here and why am I writing about it?  Well, I have done some really fun and exciting things that I never documented and I have a lot of regrets about that.  I have a horrible memory and have forgotten so many things it makes me sad.  I do have some wonderful people around me who can fill in some of the blanks, but not enough.  My friend Dawn has wrote in a journal, I think her whole life.  Even if nothing exciting happened that day she still jots down a few words.  She inspired me to try that but I always stopped after a few days.  This time I am going through with it.

You know running is new to me, I only started in July.  It has been fun and challenging and I don't want to forget how it makes me feel, which by the way is happy, mad, bored, excited, crazy, slow and sexy.  You get the picture.  

This past summer I started to feel a little lost in my family.  Before getting married and having kids, I had FUN!  I traveled all over the world, always had time for my best friends and family and there just seemed to never be a dull moment.  I found myself sitting at the island in the kitchen looking at the four walls surrounding me and waiting for the water to boil for the cheese and mac that the kids were having for dinner.  Wow, can you say boring.  

Don't get me wrong, I love my family and I am happy to have DH and the kids in my life, but what about me?  DH is a pilot, he is gone every other week.  Our parents live in different states and those of you with kids know how hard it can be to find the perfect sitter.  By the way, I did have the perfect sitter for a long time. But she got a real job and I am happy for her, but man, is she hard to replace.  

So as I stirred the mac and cheese, I decided to do something I said I would never do.  OK start list:  jump out of plane, did that, travel the world, did that, run with the bulls, did that, get tattoo, did that, become rock star, well that is a little unrealistic.  This is harder than I thought.  I decided it would have to challenge me and be separate from my family.  Something I could do that did not involve them.  Then it occurred to me, running.  Why you ask, because I have been surrounded by runners for a long time and they have invited me to come along on more than one occasion and I always laughed at that.  Running is crazy, why would anyone want to do that?  It is boring and sometimes cold and where are you really going, nowhere.  Great I thought, I will do this a couple weeks, prove to myself that I can and move on.

I found the Couch to 5K running plan and added the app on my phone.  I also added Pandora radio.  I can't do much without music and running was no exception.  The plan is great for a beginner.   You start out run/walking until eventually you are running for 30 minutes straight.  To keep me going and motivated I signed up for a 5k.  I am the type of person that needs that goal at the end.  The program for me went rather smoothly.  Some days were harder than others, but I did it without any real problems.  In fact,  on my off days, all I could think about was getting back out there.  My last day of the program, week9 day3, was done in Nantucket with some of my best friends.  I couldn't of asked for a better day to finish and I am hooked!  Bring on the race!

The race was a couple weeks later and I had some great friends to run with me.  I ran the whole 3.1 miles and finished in 35:35.  I knew I enjoyed running now , but I cannot explain to you how I felt crossing the finish line.  It was the most happy I had felt in a long time.  I wanted to do it again and again.  And I wanted to write about it.  No more forgetting what is happening in my life and my family's life.  Time to make memories and make sure they live on for generations to come.  

My short term goal is to break 5 miles, my long term goal is to run a half marathon next fall.  My life goal is to be happy and healthy with my husband and together raise my two amazing kids.  I hope that they can be happy and satisfied with whatever they chose to do in life.  I hope they understand that when I am running, I am taking care of myself too and if I am good the whole family benefits from that.

I am not sure if most people can relate to what I am saying, but I hope it helps some people.  I am exactly where I want to to be and with with the people I want to be with.  I would change very little in my life.  No one has a perfect life, where would the challenge be in that.  But I do hope you have a happy life.  We only get one.  Live it to the fullest.

Run strong, think big!