Eat My Dust…Please?
A little over two years ago Jenni introduced me to the idea of running voluntarily for exercise, to my dismay. Igirl 
growing up who dreaded the day we had to run the mile in PE. Yeah, I would huff and puff my way around our was the stupid middle school track until I finished that dang mile. Hated. Every. Minute. Of. It.
So no one was more surprised than me when I actually took to it. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t go into it embracing running with my arms wide open like I had finally found my soulmate (workout-wise at least). But after running the trail around Town Lake regularly with Jenni and doing interval training, I noticed that weight started dropping off and I didn’t need to starve myself to make it happen. Let me tell you, when you consider that you can eat extra chocolate for free when you run for an hour, it makes you a little more amenable to it.
Now here I am, two years later, a couple of 5k’s down and a half marathon training under my belt (it’s amazing what my best friend can talk me into) and I actually miss it when I go a couple of days without going for a run. I have to say that I’ve truly come to love running. Living in a city as naturally beautiful and outdoorsy as Austin makes you want to get outside and get moving…and I certainly do.
I’m lucky enough to work downtown where I can literally drop my stuff off in my car on my way to the trail once I’m done at the office. Lately I’ve been trying to do just that 2-3 days a week. I have more holiday fails to pay penance for than I care to admit and I figure that running is one of the best ways to rediscover that metabolism I’ve worked so hard to develop.
But, there has been a new development as of late. Not only am I running the 5 mile loop on a regular basis (as opposed to the 3 or 4 mile loop that I use to stick to), I am actually passing other runners!!! I mean, half the time I feel like I’m moving at such a slow pace that passing even the walkers seems like a fete but that has changed recently. I’m not only passing the old people, I’m passing the skinny girls my age! Considering that Jenni and I used to get so miffed because we were consistently passed by old men and moms pushing twins in running strollers, this is quite the accomplishment for me.
I even find myself approaching a runner I can tell is slower than me and speeding up just out of pure competitive spirit. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m running by them like the Roadrunner from Bugs Bunny, but I am actually passing them convincingly! Every time I pass someone I hear one of those soccer announcers in my head yelling “SCCCCOOOOORRRRREEEEE!”. I’m really beginning to like this voice.
I just had to share this development with all of you fatroll followers so that hopefully you can be inspired to stick with a workout that has historically been a challenge for you. While running will never be “easy” for me, it’s getting better…and that’s a freakin’ awesome feeling!
Here’s to challenging yourself in 2010!
