I owe my love for running to Megan and Marissa. Megan really helped push me to start running/working out as a mechanism to relieve stress. Marissa pushed me to distances I never thought I would go. I started wanting to run longer distances when Marissa would take off to run another 7 miles after our workout. Not saying I felt the need to "compete" with her, but it was the best push!
Races were a good way to push me and really helped motivate me during this time. I signed up for the Bloomsday Run that is incredibly popular in Spokane and the Gonzaga community. It is a 12 K which is 7 miles in distance. Knowing that I signed up to run 7 miles was an excellent way to propel me forward. I also knew that I would be running this with a lot of friends and wanted to be able to "keep up". I had a lot of friends that ran in college.
Knowing that races were a good personal motivator for me, I signed up for a womens sprint triathlon with Marissa. I thought that would be fun since the race incorporated three exercises. It was fun to train for as well because if you got tired of running you could always swim or bike instead. I swam in high school so I thought it would be a good challenge and it was!
The last race I have competed in was my first half-marathon! I regret not doing another one last year when I got into running longer distances after work. The biggest thing that kept me from doing another one is how expensive they can be!
There are two main reason why I love running and why I believe I have stuck with it for so long now. One is the way it helps me relieve stress. They say you never regret a work out and I find this statement to be 100% true. I also love the way I feel afterwards. Endorphins really do make you happy! Running is very self - empowering. You can see/feel your body become stronger and the distances you can cover with just your two legs and a pair of good shoes is also pretty amazing.
Stay tuned for Part 2!
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