So, how did you and running meet?

I wasn’t always in to running. It’s been a progressive relationship, with some ghosting here and there on my part. Running and I didn’t start off on a good first impression. I played soccer in high school and the running part of the sport was my least favorite activity. I specifically remember always dreading the “warm up” laps around the field. It was boring and it was tiring and the only part I enjoyed was the gossiping my teammates and I did while we stampeded around the corner flags.

In 2005, when I was 17, I heard about a local 5k, The Flowertown Festival run in Summerville, South Carolina. I have absolutely no memory of why I signed up. Perhaps I was just curious. I do specificaly remember that the prize for whoever won was a used Toyota Camry and that I could really use a free car. 

I remember running slow, which is funny because the results say I finished with a 9:04 min/mile pace, which is a pace I would be very happy with today. I also remember that my younger sister sped ahead at the very end in order to beat me. She rudely did the same thing over a decade later at the Colorado Springs Super Bowl Half Marathon in 2017.

A few years later, when I was a Sophomore in college, a friend of mine convinced me to sign up and train for my first road half marathon (13.1 miles), the 2008 Spinx Half Marathon in Greenville, South Carolina. Reflecting back on this now, I think I was just intrigued to see if I could run thirteen miles and the finish of the race had you running the bases of a minor league baseball field and I thought that was pretty cool. 

I found Hal Higdon’s Half Marathon training guide online pretty easily. It still is one of the top results if you are searching for a plan and I highly recommend them. I’m actually currently using his Intermediate I Marathon plan for my upcoming marathon in March. 

Looking at the guide’s Sunday long runs leading up to the race, the guide instructed me to run 6, then 7, then, 8, then 9, then freaking 10 miles! I was intimidated. It seemed impossible. I had never ran more than three miles by this point in my life.

I printed that guide out and taped it above my desk in my dorm and each week I proudly crossed off the days and miles. The running didn’t come easy and I sometimes had to miss a day here and there but I have vivid memories of running through campus with a sense of purpose… and pain.

Come race day, I was nervous but confident. I ran with two friends and the excitement of having people cheering along the way and supportive volunteers at the aid stations was motivating and carried me through. Near the end, one of my friends was struggling so I lagged back with her the last three miles. I remember thinking that I could have finished faster but I’m glad I took it slow with her, it probably kept me from injuring myself.

Receiving our home plate shaped medals and then heading downtown for a huge brunch was such a memorable way to celebrate the weeks of hard work that lead up to that moment. I was hooked after that. However, the next day, I could barely walk to class due to arch pain. Turns out, it’s not a great idea to do something like that on a pair of cheap tennis shoes. I got a proper shoe fitting at a running store a few months later, which is something I HIGHLY recommend doing if you are interested in putting in any sort of substantial miles. Seriously, the discounted shoes from the Nike outlet really aren’t going to be the best choice.

Over the course of the next fifteen years, I kept one up-ing myself, signing up for further and more challenging races. I completed two road marathons, close to a dozen half marathons, and countless 5ks and 10ks.  If you are curious, you can check out my (somewhat complete) race history here. 

One point of interest is my first marathon result, the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon in 2013. My final time was 5:44:54, which is pretty slow. Out of the 4,135 participants that year, at the age of 28, I came in the bottom 9% of over all finishers and the bottom 9% for my age/gender. Did that matter? Of course not. All that mattered was that I finished something that less than 1% of the US population has done. All that mattered was that I put the effort in to something difficult and finished that shit.

My next, and as of now, only other road marathon, which I did in 2017, I shaved off about 26 minutes! That time I finished in the bottom 15% of finishers and the bottom 13% of my age group. Progress!

Also, I found this photo just today. I went to see how much it would cost to get a personal copy without the watermark. $25 freaking dollars for one print. For a race that happened over 12 years ago?! Nahhhhh

When I moved to Asheville, North Carolina in 2016, I started dabbling in to trail running and subsequently signed up for trail races. I started with halves but eventually progressed into ultras including 50ks (31 miles) and the eventual 50 mile big boy. 

I also have done a few time based races, meaning you run as many laps as you can within 6 hours or 12 hours. Sounds fun, huh? I think so! These time based races are a fantastic way to test yourself without committing to a set distance. I very much recommend them as a great introduction into ultra running. There are great benefits to these races as support is always close by and if you need to stop for whatever reason, you won’t get stranded in the middle of the woods. I’ve seen people at these races just hiking through instead of running, another great way to challenge yourself!

 I took a short detour from running in 2021 and participated in three triathlons, including a Half Ironman. I wasn’t a strong swimmer and I find road biking is a little intimidating around Asheville so I’ve somewhat “retired” from triathlons for the time being.

My goal for all of these races would always be to just finish. I also would take months off of running, focusing on some other hobby or just drinking too many beers, then sign up for a half marathon out of the blue.

Like anything in life, the more you do something, the more comfortable and confident you become. I find it incredible now that when I go out and do an “easy” 6 mile run, that this would have been considered a huge accomplishment for younger me. 

You just have to start somewhere.