A different breed of people.

I took up long distance running the summer I didn’t make the volleyball team. When a family friend learned that I didn’t make the team, she suggested that I try Cross Country running. Looking back on my decision to join her that first morning for practice, I can’t remember why I thought I should try or why I’d be any good. I sucked at running. Okay, I could run but I couldn’t run fast.

I was that kid on the team that people would watch and say, “God bless her for trying.” I was always the last person on my team to finish and that year I don’t think I ever ran a 5K in less than 30 minutes. I told you, I was awful.

But, despite my lack of talent I kept running and I ran on the team the next season and the season after that. I never got much faster but it was something to do, I guess. I had made some good friends and so, for me, the social aspect was enough.

I ran my way through college. Be it around campus (which was hills no matter which way you approached it), around Ping’s indoor track or on a treadmill, I ran. It made me feel good and I didn’t gain the dreaded “Freshman 15″ so I kept at it.

I never really ran for anything other than to stay fit. I hated racing – it always made me so nervous (probably because I was so slow).

I graduated college and still ran. I moved to South Florida and I ran in the heavy heat and humidity only August could bring. I moved back north and ran. And then, as 2007 was ending I decided I should probably do something with all this running I was doing. I set a goal to run a half marathon — specifically a half marathon in this fine city and I had 4 months in which to train.

I ran solo each day at lunch and early for my long runs on Saturdays that winter. Crawling out of bed, by myself, to venture out into the cold wasn’t always my idea of a way to start the weekend but I knew that if I wanted to finish that race in May without dying I’d have to. I braved snow and ice, rain and fog and my first dog bite so kindly given to me by a neighborhood Labrador as I was finishing my fourth of eight miles that morning.

I actually surprised myself last year as my running went from slow (11 min. miles) to “Holy crap I just ran a mile under 7:30!” I was starting to get good! I was faster than I was in high school! And then I got knocked up. And my running from December to April went back to slow and then to stopped and then slow again as we went through the loss and then recovery and then the Midwive’s “no running for 12 weeks” rule.

This is all a way to say that I’ve really missed running lately and when I heard this story on NPR’s “The Story,” I hoped that someday I could share a similar experience with the Samurai.

Tags: running