Sarah F. (Yes, there are two of us Sara B. and Sarah F.) is a good friend and another person who was not a runner, but through some determination and hard-work, she runs for fun (gag!).
*click*. Holy S!#^ what the heck did I just sign myself up for?
Why does one create (and pay a large amount for) such anxiety for oneself?!? Signing up for a half marathon apparently does this. It’s a pretty crazy feeling, almost an adrenaline rush signing up for your first one when you haven’t crossed mile marker one. Thoughts of “can I actually do this”, “will I hurt myself”, and ‘why am I PAYING to do this!?’ have clearly gone through my head hundreds of times.
Okay. Let’s go back. Sarah, that’s me. Recently turned 29 (but feel 24). Daughter, girlfriend, friend, cousin, niece, honorary ‘Aunt’, worker, dancer, theater snob, fashion addict, college basketball obsessed, sarcastic, and highly competitive.
However, I think over the last year I’ve added one more title to my list. Runner.
Ha. I laugh out loud when I read that, but I actually do believe that. I never thought I’d ever consider myself a runner. Athlete yes, but runner? That’s another breed.
I’ve been involved in sports as far back as I can remember.
Whenever it came to running, however, I loathed it. I ran because I had to. I ran because if I didn’t complete a 10 min mile, I wasn’t anywhere close to making the volleyball or basketball teams.
July – 2009. I ran my very first 5k.
My new friends from work convinced me it was fun (ha) and I could do it. I was super hesitant but I
thought, why not. I thought I’d never be able to finish the 3.12 miles. But I did. I also got rewarded with a t-shirt, hot dog and a beer. (Holler!) The next year I went back and did that race again. Never ran the entire time, but I finished.
I guess I officially accepted running into my life in 2011. I was bound and determined to lose the weight I had put on towards the end of college, and the beginning of my workplace career.
Work had this amazing offer to try Weight Watchers. I needed something to get me going. When I first
weighed in I was shocked to find how much I’ve let myself go. I still thought of myself as the athlete I was back in high school with maybe a little toning up to do. Man, were those days out of sight and I was highly delusional. I had joined gyms before with the intention of losing but with no progress. Something this time, was just right.
With my mind right, and starting to eat healthy again, I enlisted my friend C, one of those ubber fit people who runs all the time. For fun. She’s the girl who runs to the gym and then works out. Yep, annoying, right? She was my little (literally) guardian angel to help guide me through the workouts. I needed to be pushed, and she was there to do it. With eating better, and the tips, tools, friendships from Weight Watchers, and C’s incentive, I dropped 42 lbs and three sizes from June 2011 to September 2012. Somewhere in there, I became a full on 3-5 times a week runner and registered for races for…wait for it… ‘FUN’.
Since 2009 I have run 22 races, plus 4 more runs coming up this summer.
Now on my list – a ½ marathon thing in September. Just felt like, why not now? The training will be a pain, but I have support of friends and family, and I just know I can do it….I got this.
