Will run for wine.

 

I love Wine. I am not going to lie.  And I admit, I run so I can eat and drink wine without becoming a huge blob. But, here is an abridged back story of why I am really doing this.  I am not a writer, this is something I need to do to track my progress (or lack of) and help me get my thoughts out since I am a bit crazy and never ever stop thinking. As the title says, running (and writing) is cheaper than therapy!

I come from a family of runners. My dad, brothers, sister, mom, other relatives...all of us have/still run.  My dad however has always been a runner and will until he dies. He is a RUNNER.  I started really running when I was in 6th grade.  I ran cross country and track. By the time I was in high school I ran varsity and was even an alternate on our state winning team my sophomore year. My name is on the huge trophy even though I didn't actually run in the race!  I was pretty hard core.  Then...my family moved to Georgia from Chicago where I grew up and I got into theatre and music, which ended up being what I got my degree in.

In college I ran on and off but was always skinny and didn't feel I 'needed' to exercise, not realizing the benefits at that time.  In my 20's I worked in theatre, and had day jobs, working 14-16 hours a day. Still super skinny I again did not exercise.  I finally made the choice to retire from theatre and work an 8-5 job in the legal field as a paralegal.  Which is what I do now. But all this is a WHOLE other story for another time!

In 2007 my best friend Vanessa convinced me to run a half marathon with her and it was awesome. My dad even came and ran with me. Then, a few months later, I got married and once again fell out of shape and packed on the pounds, the newlywed 15 as my husband Jonathan and I call it!

This past year some things changed. I was diagnosed with cervical cancer and MS.  Luckily the cancer had not spread and they were able to remove it. MS on the other hand is a different story.  I am on preventative shots but basically the best thing I can do for the MS to maintain mobility is take my shots and EXERCISE. 

This was a wake up call, serious motivation for me to get my ass back out there running. Not only do I need to lose weight, I am getting older and have some actual health issues to deal with.  So, here we are.  I am not happy with my body or my state of mind. Running is something I really have always loved and a great stress release even though I am not nearly as good as I used to be. Since it has come to the point where I HAVE to exercise I decided now is the time to become a 'runner' again. 

I now live in Austin TX, a huge running community. To make myself get back out there I joined a running training group and will be running my 2nd Half Marathon with my dad in January.  It has already been an eye opening experience and I just started in September.

The group is already at 7 miles so you missed my painful first month of getting back into all this (lucky you).  The half marathon is just the beginning to jump start me back into this.

This is where my journey begins...