The Journey Begins

Welcome to my small space on the Internet dedicated to capturing my trials, tribulations, and triumphs along the path of my running journey.  Thanks for stopping by!  Allow me to introduce myself and give you a bit of background on my journey thus far...


My name is Rebecca (nickname: Reba) and I've never been what you would call "athletic."  If you had told me nine years ago that I would call myself a runner, I would have laughed at you.  I didn't come from a family with any runners, I didn't play any sports in high school or college, and I thought that all runners were born, not made.  I assumed that REAL runners were people who were born with the ability to just run three miles any time they felt like it.  I watched runners in the gym and thought that that would never be me - that I wasn't blessed to be born as a runner and that I would be limited to the elliptical or stationary bike forever. 

But something happened eight years ago and one random day, despite my preconceived notions about running being an innate talent, I decided that I wanted to become a runner.  Maybe it was the secondhand treadmill that was given to me and taking up space unused in my guest bedroom.  Maybe it was seeing a flyer for the Baltimore Running Festival at my local gym.  Or maybe it was inspiration from Kinsey as I re-read the alphabet books during snowy winter days.  But whatever it was, I decided to give running a shot to see if I could do it.

I'll be honest - I had a few false starts on my journey (i.e. attempting to run full speed for four miles without any sort of training), but I eventually found a helpful Couch to 5K program that made all the difference.  The program involved a mixture of running and walking with the ratio of run to walk increasing each week.  It called for training three times a week for eight weeks.  This seemed like a doable and non-intimidating plan for me. 

So I diligently followed the plan and lo and behold, by the end of 8 weeks I could run for 30 minutes straight!  I was so excited to finally call myself a "runner" - and I realized that runners are MADE not born.  I also realized how much I personally enjoyed running:  the discipline involved in pushing yourself when you don't think you can do it, the progress your body makes from week to week with proper training, and most importantly, the way I felt both mentally and physically after a run.  I decided to keep running after reaching my initial milestone - and I haven't stopped since!

So that's where my running story up to now ends...and where my journey into running AND blogging about it begins. I can't wait to see how this new journey unfolds!