Well, Here Goes.

I have blogged before. I have quit blogging before. But I also know that this passion I have (re)discovered for the sport of running needs its own space, because I'm pretty sure my FB friends and Instagram followers are sick of my posts at this point (I know fellow runners can relate.)

In highschool, I ran cross country. I loved it. It was the only highschool sport I excelled at, mostly because it didn't require hand-eye coordination. I was pretty good. Girls ran 2 mile courses, and I can't remember the time to the second, but I ran my best races in 14:something. I was decent.

Then, I got sick. Really sick. Hemoglobin count 4.0 when it should have been 13.0 sick. I recooped the rest of my freshman year of school.

After that Ulcerative Colitis flair, I ran again. I continued running cross country, but also added track to the list. I ran both the 1600 and 3200. The 3200 was my best race, and I loved it!

After highschool, I didn't run competitively anymore. I would run here and there, but it had come to a lull. Years passed, and my fitness slowed down. Fast forward to 2013, where I found myself in the hospital with another bout of UC, and blood clots in my lungs. The doctors said NO physical activity, and it stayed that way for months. While I took blood thinners to dissolve the clots, I also had to be careful not to throw them and send them to my brain, which could cause a stroke. It was scary, and my fitness came to a complete standstill.

When I was clear to exercise again, I tried to run, but something just wasn't there. I trained and trained, and even ran a 5K, but something wasn't there. My legs wouldn't run as fast as my heart wanted them to. I finished that 5K in an hour, and quit. I was so discouraged.

Which brings me to now. A teacher friend told me she had signed up for an 8K this year. I don't know what compelled me to, but I signed up to run it with her. I started training. I wasn't fast, but I was faster than I was in 2015 when I attempted my last 5K. I finished 5 miles in the same amount it took me to run 3 two years prior. I can do this. I can be a runner, was my constant thought.

And run I have. Since then, I have run three more 5Ks, and even placed in my AD for one! I haven't broken 30 in a race yet, but I will soon. I did on my long run today!

So here I am now, in 2017. A runner. I can get better. I have goals. But watch out, world, because I have arrived, and I plan to run the crap out of you.

So, what's next?

A Color Run 5K on April 29th
A 10K on May 6th
A Half on September 3rd

***I'm linking up with MissSippi Piddlin and Ho Ho Runs this week for their weekly wrap up! Great way to meet other runner bloggers!