My First Post!

"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day.  It asks you, "are you going to be a wimp, or are you going to be strong today?" ~Peter Maher

I thought it best to start my "Runner Blog" out with a quote that's kept me going for some time now.  This quote hung in my Law Review office during law school and hangs in my office at work now.  I know a lot of runners have one- or two-word "mantras," like Kara Goucher (my hero!) uses "fighter," and my good friend Eric says "one foot in front of the other."  OK, Eric's is more than two words, but you get the point.  I steal other people's mantras from time to time.  Like, when I'm going up a tough hill, I say "fighter" to myself, too.  Or if I'm really cranky, I'll tell myself I'm going to make that hill "my bitch."  But that Peter Maher quote is often what gets me out there in the first place.  And it's what makes me do 6.2 instead of 3.1 on some days.  It reminds me that I initially loved running because of the self-empowerment it gives me, and that I continue to love challenging myself.

Before I go too far, I'll introduce myself a little.  I'm 26, graduated from law school a year ago, and have been running for about 21 months.  I know, that's not that long.  Growing up, I played soccer and was a competitive cheerleader.  I ran track in junior high and high school, but I usually stuck to 110 hurdles and the 200 meter dash, and sometimes long jump.  I was forced into the 800m run by my coach in 9th grade and finished next to last--I hated "distance" running.  Flash forward to today, I've run a marathon, a half, the Broad Street 10-miler in Philly, a 7.1 mile trail run, and countless 5K's.  I'm not sure where things "clicked" exactly, but I do know that I always thought it would be amazing to run a marathoner, though I never actually expected it to happen.  But it did.

I've been married for nearly 7 months, and my husband is my favorite running partner next to my dog, Alby.  Alby is a Springer and (we think) Chocolate Lab mix, so he's a great little runner and full of energy.  Doug, my husband, ran the marathon and half with me, and has run every other race by my side except a few 5K's and Broad Street.  It's been wonderful for our relationship and also allows us the opportunity to take weekend trips all over the East Coast.

The name of my blog suits me well--I'm a middle of the pack runner.  My 5K PR is 25:20 and I've placed in my age group in a few of those (and in the trail run, which shocked me!).  I ran my half marathon with painful ITBS and finished in 2:11.  My marathon time was 4:28.  I'm looking for redemption in both of those races, hopefully this fall.  I ran Broad Street this past Sunday in 1:24:56, and beat my goal by over 5 minutes.  I was extremely proud of myself for that one, because it's the first time I've done an 8 1/2 minute mile for a long stretch like that.  Like every other sport I've done in my life, I'm a "pretty good" runner, in my opinion--not the best, not the worst.  While I'm happy to be doing it, I'm in constant competition with myself and always looking for a PR.  I know I'll never be an elite runner, so the best I can do is constantly try to better myself.  That's part of why I love running--there's always room for improvement.  Unless you're Kenyan.

I decided to start this running blog for a few reasons.  First, I'm constantly looking for race reports from others, so I decided to return the favor/pay it forward.  I also figured it will make me accountable... keeping track of runs and races and putting it out there for the world to see should be somewhat motivating.  Finally, I've been reading other runners' blogs for a while, and the support they get from other runners is pretty awesome.  It's like the crowd cheering you on to the finish line--makes you better and happier.  I've tried blogging before and never kept up with it.  However, since this is something I'm so passionate about, I'm hoping this will be different.  We shall see!