Hello, World!

A new day, is a new day. Whether you woke up to pristine blue skies, or bolts of lightening streaking across your window- it is a new day and you should all make the most of it.

For me, today marked the day where I decided I wanted to share my experience as a runner with the world. Now it should be clarified that when I say this some of you are probably thinking that this is the blog of an elite runner. Sadly, if this is what you were looking for this may not be the right place to find it. However, if you are open to reading experiences of an intermediate runner with several dozen races under her belt and a wicked sense of humor and a knack for sharing tips, than you are in the right place my friend!

But before I begin, perhaps I should share a tiny bit about who you are reading about:

Lets start with the basics- I am a 26 year old runner, previously a running instructor with the running room, but got injured training for the Mississauga marathon and had to abandon my training for about a year. Well, this was actually a combination of injury and opportunity to move to Peru for half a year. Either way, this is the beginning of my journey back into competitive running!

Why do I run?

Why not!? Actually, to be honest my love affair with running began when I was a freshman in college. Everyone knows the rule for freshmen: By the end of your first year it is expected that you will gain about 15lbs. Well, my tendency to be an over achiever seemed to also apply in this situation because where most people gained 10-15 lbs, I saw a 24 extra pounds on my 5’1″ frame. Though I didn’t notice the difference too much at first, the top button on my jeans was holding on for dear life every time I sat down.  So, I decided to give running a shot after my father (an avid runner) promised me I would love it.

I would be lying if I said my love for running began right away. In reality, my first 3 weeks running were painful and I felt extremely discouraged. I was tired after 30 seconds and would need to walk for about 2 minutes afterwards just to recover. However, one day I remember it just clicked. It was like a perfect storm of amazing outcomes: I wasn’t tired, I was happy and I was actually enjoying the scenery instead of counting the seconds until I got to walk. And from then on, running wasn’t a chore I was doing to stay fit- it was a hobby I did because I loved the feeling.

Now, I know I am not the only one who has felt this way, after being an instructor at the running room and talking to plenty of people, we all had one thing in common- the understanding that learning to run is hard, and that the first few runs – well, just plain old suck. Alas, there is hope, the runs will get longer in distance but they will feel shorter in terms of time. You will have more energy and the pride and endorphins will make you full of pep. And for those of you new to this game, the pep is contagious, haha.

So with this in mind, I will conclude my first, but definitely not last, post. Stay tuned for stories, tips and pictures!

Cheers!

Alicia