random rambling...thoughts on running part 1

ANNOUNCEMENT...i'm starting a new series around here RANDOM RAMBLING. in my attempts to have a little more organization on this blog, these posts will be on mondays. sometimes i might post weekend recaps, 5 little confessions, or just rambling about whatever. feel free to join me.

in my guest post over on carrie's blog, i promised to tell my running story. i have actually had this post in my drafts for 2 years, but never published it. right after i wrote it, i had a hip injury and really didn't know if i would be able to run again. i promised myself once i recovered enough to feel like i could be called a runner again i would post it. i guess being right in the middle of marathon training qualifies so, here is part 1 of my running story.

I've written this post in my head over and over again over the past several years. I even started typing it about a year and half ago, but for some reason I never got around to actually posting it. This isn't one of those wow that looks fun, I can't believe that happened, or how cool kind of posts. It's like the title says...a random rambling...possibly part 1 of my running story.

I've always been pretty active. I danced my whole life, starting swimming when I was a baby, and played tennis growing up. After those organized activities ended, I had to find my own fitness. I did a few aerobics classes (that makes me feel old. I don't think any classes are called aerobics anymore) in college and went running ( I really kind of hated running) every now and then before joining a gym.

5 years ago (edit...now 7 years ago) my good friends Ben and Kate literally had to sign me up for the Race for the Cure...best thing that ever happened to me. I was scared to death (I know it was a 5K), but I actually loved it. I did a few more over the next year or so and even a 10K and thought that was about the end of my running story...

...until another friend needed some help with the Ragnar relay in Washington state. Sounded like a fun thing to do. After working at several races and seeing that all types run, I kind of thought "I can do that" so I did. On a little bit of a whim I put a relay team together for the Wasatch Back. My friend's mom (who is really my friend too) joined the team and invited me to start running with her running group (Generation Gap), and that's really where my running story begins.

i swear i will finish this story, but it's way too long for just one post. i'll be back soon to continue the story. do you have a running story? or some other how i got started story? i would love to hear about it.