Life's a trip. : My introduction to Running!

Hey there Running,

So glad we can finally meet and get to know each other! My name is Megan. You actually used to know me back when I looked nothing like I do now. You might remember this super scrawny girl with knee braces, short hair and freckles who liked to rip around the track... anyways, that was me about 15 years ago. I was really into swimming for quite a while, but I would sometimes go for runs as cross training. Anyways, after I stopped swimming I wasn't motivated much to dedicate myself to any one thing, fearful of committing myself to the effort only to come up empty handed again. I dabbled in things, wanting stuff but never really trying for anything at all. I got a bike, but never rode. I had running shoes, but was lucky if I could jog a couple miles straight. I got climbing boots just as I came to realize my health was severely compromised in cold (thanks, Scleroderma). I worked out to maintain a figure or to lose weight, but never to achieve a goal. Goals scared me (they still do) because what if it doesn't work out?

So, this past summer, thanks to some friends and a supportive boyfriend I did two triathlons. I didn't really 'train' for either, just practiced running and cycling on a relaxed basis. I learned I should train, but I did have a LOT of fun. You, the running part, scared me the most. To have to run 6 or 13 miles AFTER swimming and cycling just seemed stupid. Can't I just swim again? The run killed me on my second triathlon. I knew you and I could be better friends if I put time into it, so I toyed with the idea of taking myself a bit more seriously. No, I don't need to set a world record or qualify for Olympic Trials, just a small and reasonable goal to reach for. So, before committing to my secret goal of running a half marathon in the fall, I started jogging. Three times a week. I worked out a training plan with a really good and fast friend of yours and started learning a lot from people who have known you for so much longer than I have.

So, now my goal is public. I want to run a half marathon in the end of October, with a goal time of sub 1:45. Any faster, awesome, but seeing as how I have never ran a long race (and only a handful of short ones), I want to make sure I actually hit my goal. And as I keep training, I learn that you, running, are a different kind of beast than anything I have known. Your hurt is different than that of swimming. You kick my ass, but then I come back to you 10 minutes later. You make me super excited and also as nervous as a high school boy before Prom. You like to torment my athlete brain. But, I am still looking forward to becoming much better friends. I am still learning about you (like, Fartleks are NOT to be laughed at, even though it is a funny word), and you are still learning about me.

Now, just so you know I will always be a swimmer first. Just remember, its not a competition; I value each of my athlete experiences differently and love all of them. Hopefully, we become good enough friends to the point where we can finish a half ironman together next summer. In the mean time, lets continue to work out the kinks and oddities, but after about TWO months of actually running for the first time EVER, I think we are doing pretty well so far!

Your new friend,

Megan