10 Years 10 Memories

This past June marked my 10 year anniversary of training and racing.  10 years ago I was 21 years old, bartending, a full time student, and already sick of the college bad habits lifestyle.  I ran 2-3 miles a few times a week throughout college but that spring had ran for 60 minutes without stopping.  It was one of the proudest moments of my life!  I didn’t know anyone that ran and I couldn’t believe I had just ran for a whole hour.  I thought if I can run for an hour, I can run for 2 hours and 3 hours and 4 hours! For me that first hour was the hardest one.  So in June of 2001 I signed up for my first race, the White Rock Marathon and started training. 

10.  Enjoyed every step of that first marathon.  I had friends and family scattered all along the course, it was a perfect weather day and I felt amazing.  Not concerned with time, I hugged my family when I saw them and soaked in the experience.  I finished in 4:34.

Finishing White Rock in 2001

9.  Running and my family.  I ran 3 races getting ready for White Rock.  My dad came to my first one, a 10k, and ran it with me.  He biked alongside me during my first and only 20 miler of that training.  He ran miles 20-23 with me during the marathon and my parents have rarely missed a marathon or triathlon in the last 10 years.

8.  Lake Tahoe Marathon in October, 2002.  My first real running “low.”  I was so tired and cramping and had to walk some at the end.  I crossed the finish line and immediately burst into crying, shaking tears.  They only lasted 30 seconds and then I was fine.  It was my first experience with “It’s over. I can stop.”

7.  Spending the next 7 years on and off with triathlons, taking big breaks after a race and getting out of shape and going through the pain of having to get back into shape.  3 years ago I promised myself I would never get that out of shape again.

6.  Rockledge Rumble 15k in November 2007 was my first trail race.  I was new to the area and didn’t know many people.  I forgot socks and rushed home to get them.  I had been sick all week and was only moderately better.  I got caught in a fast group on the singletrack and bonked by the 4.5 mile turnaround.  I WAS HOOKED.

5.  Chattanooga 3 day stage race.  June 2011.  3 days of running on trails in the Smoky Mountains on a new mountain each day? With my RAW friends? Enough said.  This was a great trip because of the people I shared it with.

4.  Discovering my passion in running is in the mountains on a trail.  TransRockies RUN3 Stage Race and Jemez Mountain 50k are my two most treasured races.  I ran them both with Beth Hyland and pushed my body to new limits in each of them.  I envision the next 10 years an adventure of finding new trails and exploring new distances.

3.  Trying to get fast.  After running the same comfortable pace from 2001 to 2009 I made the mistake of joining RAW and getting sucked into wanting to get faster.  I was so happy being slow! Just kidding, it’s been an incredible journey and I’ve already far surpassed any speed times I had ever imagined.  I’m not intimidated by distance but I am very scared of speed.  It’s been the best thing for me to face that fear and learn from each quality workout and race.

2.  Sharing all my good and bad training and racing with my husband, Evan.  A few examples: the good, he was at marathon number one, White Rock in 2001.  I’ll never forget how much I looked forward to mile 18 so I could see him. The bad, he was at mile 16 of my DNF in Houston in 2011.  He let me be sad while saying all the right things so I wouldn’t get discouraged about my favorite pastime. 

Hiking in Colorado this summer

1.  Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers changed my life.  Be careful newbies... : )