Taking the Plunge

So for some time I have been an avid follower of many blogs, mostly pertaining to the following topics: running, health, nutrition & vegetarianism. I have decided to start my own blog, as a way to share my triumphs and heart-aches in the world of running and to virtually connect with other active, health-conscious individuals!

My Running Hx...

My first running memory?

Competing in the Junior Olympics when I was 8 years old, crushing the competition in the 50 yard dash! I still have the blue ribbons to prove it! :)

As a child and up through my junior year of high school, I was involved in many sports: soccer, basketball, volleyball and track & field (a SPRINTER!)

A torn ACL my freshman year of high school caused me to re-evaluate my goals, and I realized during my junior year of high school, that I wanted to focus on basketball. I quit the volleyball team and was encouraged by my basketball coaches that running cross country would be a great way to condition for the upcoming basketball season...

Little did I know that I would fall in love with the sport of distance running. Sure, I have been a runner my entire life, running after all, is one of the foundations of sports such as soccer and basketball. It was not uncommon for me to play an entire soccer or basketball game without a single break. However, I didn't know that my endurance wasn't shared by all of my teammates.

It only took a few practices on the cross country course for my coaches and I to realize that I wasn't just another basketball player looking to use the cross country team as a way to better myself for another sport. I was a runner and a competitor...

My cross country team ended up winning the majority of our meets that season, but missed qualifying for the state meet by 1 point. I was so heart-broken, I cried in public for the first time since I was a little girl that day...

The following season my teammates and I came back with a vengeance, having only graduating one senior, we were stacked and ready to go. We won Districts, placed second at Regionals, and 16th in the State meet. I PR-ed in the 5K with a time of 20:56, and was consistently in the top 3 on the team. It was a great year.

After high school I attended a large Div I MAC school, thinking that I was finished with running on a team, and I would just enjoy running on my own and focusing on school. I ended up joining a Club Lacrosse team and became the starting Center. Yet again I was in a position that ran the entire length of the field the entire game and never was given a break, but I handled it well and absolutely loved it. However, it didn't take me long to realize that I didn't enjoy my school of choice and something was missing from my life...To make a long story short, I chose to transfer to Muskingum College and to run cross country and track & field and it was the absolute best decision of my life...

I will continue my Running Hx in my next post, I don't want to get too lengthy on the first day! :)