Funny story...

Today at work, I was recalling a call from a recruiter for the army when I was in high school. I reminisced about telling the recruiter how I wasn't fit for the army because I:

1. DID NOT run
2. Had no desire to ever wake up at 5am.

She gave me this look of disbelief and I was snapped back into what is my new reality: that I do in fact run and I routinely have to be to work by 5am and I'm pretty darn perky, even on my bad days. How I've changed!

Its also my birthday in less than 11 days. I'll be 29. Not all that old, but thinking back to this conversation with the military recruiter and realizing it happened over 11 years ago. But even just 2 years ago, I'd never imagine running and craving it. 

I'd never imagine getting on my bike and biking 9.4 miles just because I felt like it. More on my biking adventures another time.

What changed in me?

Nothing major changed in me. There was no "ah-ha" moment of clarity, no death of a loved one forcing me to question my mortality, etc. It was just a combination of desire and opportunity/a friend to do it with me. I needed that extrinsic motivation to get up. As we started training, it was focused on intervals. Running 20 minutes wasn't as intimidating because it was being broken up into 1 minute chunks. It also served a great purpose in taking my mind off the loss of my job and the grief process I was going through associated with that. Then I did a 5K and promptly stopped running/exercises. But unlike previous work out attempts where I stopped and never looked back, all year into the winter I thought back longingly on the feel of running and craved to get back out there. 

So this year, I did two 5k's without training and as I previously posted about, I set my sites on more and as they say, the rest is history. I am a runner. Not necessarily a good one or a fast one but nonetheless a runner. Wanna find me? The open road and trails are my home. Just follow the size 5 foot prints.  :)