I run. But I'm not "a runner" This is what I always say when I hear: "Oh Erin I saw you running in Memorial Park yesterday. I didn't know you were a runner!" "I'm not!" I reply. Yes, technically you did see me in the act of running, but I AM NOT A RUNNER....I'm just a girl who happens to run.
If you've known me for longer than 4 years, you know that I was never a runner and that I never spoke of any desire to do anything that required physical movement Period. (Okay, yes I was in show choir, but that doesn't count.) But here I am starting a blog about...running. Weird! See most people might expect me to write about shoes, or lip gloss, or my love of ABBA, but running? ERIN? Hell-to-the-NO.
But this year I have committed to doing something that I never, ever in my life thought I would do:
Run the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 11, 2009.
4 years ago I started running. I'm not sure why, really. Walking was my exercise of choice and when I moved to the Benson neighborhood in spring of 2005 I would walk to Memorial Park and back. And one day I just decided to run. I could only run to the end of my block. The next week I tried to make it 2 blocks...then 3...then 4 and before I knew it I could run a mile without stopping. It was a really big deal for girl who hated sports, sweating, and who lacked any sort of athletic ability of any kind. Then I was running almost every day, usually about 4 miles. I was constantly amazed that I could do it! My friend Stacey was training at that same time for the Chicago Marathon so we would run together. I was lucky enough to go to Chicago that October and run with her in the race from mile 23 to 25. It was amazing! I was so proud of her! But even after witnessing her amazing accomplishment I still didn't have the desire to run one myself, or even think I could.
After that she convinced me to run the Lincoln Half-Marathon with her. Run 13.1 miles? Whatever sister! The first time I ran 5 miles I thought I would die! How would I make it 8.1 more miles beyond that? But, I signed up and we trained together and in May of 2006 we crossed the finish line together in 2:36.48. (Hey--I just wanted to finish the damn thing so I was VERY happy we did it in just over 2 1/2 hours!....had I not stopped to pee, it would've been under 2 1/2 hours! I'm convinced!)
Since then Stacey and have have vowed to run the Lincoln Half-Marathon together every year! This year will be our 4th time running that race and my 5th Half-Marathon. (I did the Omaha half in 2006....NEVER again. Let me just say--Omaha Nebraska is not as flat as you think it is!)
So in May after I complete the Lincoln Half, I will continue to train for the Chicago marathon. I've also convinced my good friend Anthony to run it, as well as my brother's girlfriend Kim! AND I hear that David might do it too! Anyone else?
So I've decided to write this blog for a few reasons:
1) If I make it through this whole training and the actual marathon, I will want some sort of proof and answer to the "What was I thinking?" question.
2) Motivation--perhaps keeping track of my progress and having an outlet for my ups and downs throughout the training process will keep me on track and motivated to keep going. Yes, I am anticipating that I will really want to quit at times.
3) ...well....maybe my stories and struggles will motivate and inspire someone else like me--The girl who would stand still during dodgeball so that I would get hit and could go sit down in gym class, the girl who was excited when it rained in elementary school so that we couldn't go outside for recess, the girl who "played" volleyball in third grade and never made actual contact with the ball till the final game of the season, the girl who prayed in the outfield during softball "Please don't hit the ball over here. Please don't hit the ball over here."
Am I uncoordinated? YES. Did I flinch and cover my face when a ball came toward me in right field? (which, by the way, I had been told was "hardly ever going to happen") YES. Do I think of every excuse I can to skip cycling, yoga and body pump class on a daily basis. HELL YES.
But I'm also the girl who at one time couldn't run a block without stopping and is now training for a marathon. So maybe somewhere behind the high heels, the lip gloss and undying love of ABBA tunes--is a runner. A runner who will keep going despite losing toenails, her mind and (from what I hear from Stacey), my free time!
So when its all said and done and I've run the damn thing maybe then I will actually be able to call myself "a runner" till then, I'm just a crazy girl who will one day wake up at 5 AM to run 20 miles....what have I gotten myself into?!
We will find out!
P.S. I know that the title of my blog "Gotta Run Gal" doesn't really seem to fit considering I've just spent all this time telling you that "I'm not a runner." But "Gotta Run" is on my favorite Life is Good T-shirt so I thought it would be a good name. Plus, now that I've signed up for the Chicago Marathon--I have no excuse. Even if I don't consider myself "a runner"...I've gotta run!
