starting today.

A very happy Monday to you! If there was one surprising takeaway from the survey I posted last week,  it was that many of you wanted to hear more about my life. First things first, I was beyond flattered my life even matters to you. I assume with blogs that most people read because of pretty pictures or content, but your responses made me realize I should be giving you more of me. I'm starting today :)


In seventh grade, I knew I was going to be cut from the volleyball team, so rather than risk imminent failure, I decided to try something else: cross country. {Ball sports are not my forte. At all.} My first year, I was last at nearly every meet. It was frustrating beyond belief, but the sense of accomplishment for simply finishing a race was enough for me. I kept working at it--and came back the next year near the top of the roster. The hard work paid off for me in middle school and high school. Though I wasn't breaking any records, I found a certain solace in running--and an incredible circle of friends.

I made the decision not to run in college because I wanted a more "normal" collegiate experience--and because the schools I wanted to attend had much better programs than the D3 schools who recruited me. When I left for Georgetown, my running ended up on the back burner. At the end of my freshman year, I realized I needed to do a little soul searching and decided to sign up for the Marine Corps Marathon. Truth be told, I loved every minute of training--even when it was incredibly hard. I got an ear infection the week of the race, but I finished {though not quite as quickly as I would have liked} and found my "rhythm" in the process.

Running became a bigger fixture in my life again after the marathon. It gave me time to think and get away from the craziness of college life. After graduation, I kept with it and ran a few ten-milers and half-marathons here and there. It wasn't until right around the time I started this blog that I decided it was time for another marathon. I signed up for a marathon in May 2011, knowing full well I'd be doing most of my training during a New England winter. The problem was that I picked the worst winter in ages to train, which relegated me to a treadmill for the entire month of January. {If you remember my lack of ball-handling skills, you'll understand I'm a huge klutz--which is a bad recipe with ice and snow.}

The month on the treadmill handed me a nasty setback: a severe tibia stress fracture--which meant no May marathon. I signed up for another in October, thinking I'd be recovered by then, only to be sidelined by a longer recovery. I managed a half-marathon last year {strangely, with a PR}, but somehow, by January, I felt that sneaky little pain in my lower right leg...and knew the injury was back.

I didn't {and haven't} talked about it much because I know so many people have much worse ailments than I do. Running helped me stay centered--and without it, I felt more than a little lost. My physical therapy this winter helped me regain my confidence enough to sign up for this October's Marine Corps Marathon. I started my training last week. I'm loving each and every run, but I'm also paying lots of attention to my body because I don't want to be sidelined again. I'm sharing this today because I know it will be a big part of my life in the next few months. 

Don't worry--I have no intention upon changing {long distance loving} into a running blog, though the name fits ;) As I push for that finish line in October, the quote above was a solid reminder to try to be better--in running, blogging, and life in general. If you've made it this far in the post, thank you! I promise shorter posts in the future, but this topic needed some explanation. I simply would love your thoughts and/or prayers as I try down this road again. Any tips would be welcome too! I am beyond grateful for readers like you...

29 comments:

  1. Sounds like our stories are somewhat similar! I also started cross country on a whim my freshman year of high school, was terrible, but after a year moved up to varsity and fell in love with the sport and the girls on the team. I debated running in college, but decided not to in the end {in hopes of a less crazy schedule} and took a little hiatus from running all together. Now I try and run a few times a week and it also keeps me grounded :)

    Good luck in your marathon training and I will be crossing my fingers that your injury is gone for good!

    xxx
    Jenna

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  2. Thanks for sharing this! I had NO IDEA that you ran cross country in high school :) Or that you were a runner in general! It makes me so happy that you shared this little piece of you with us, so thank you!

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  3. i completed the london marathon last year, so i know how you feel with all the training ahead - it's such an exciting time. unfortunately, the training and marathon (and skiing) have lead me to a terrible knee injury that i can't seem to shift but one day, i definitely dream of running long distance again. lots of luck and look forward to reading about your journey :) xx

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  4. I loved reading this! I totally am with you on running as a way to stay centered. Definite bummer when injury kicks in, but it's awesome that you're not letting that keep you away and are slowly training for the next one. I'm looking forward to the updates!

    -Erin-

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  5. Thanks for sharing your story! Good luck with the training. It's my dream in life to run a marathon, so props to you!!

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  6. Thanks for sharing! Good luck training!! :)

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  7. I love that you're going to share more about your life!! I didn't even think to include that, but I absolutely second, third, and fourth that vote from the survey. And I love that you started with running! I'm so glad you're going to include it in your blog. I had NO idea that you had this deep of a running history. I remember commenting on your facebook from the RNR Providence and you mentioning you run a lot, but I didn't get that it was this much!! That's so awesome that you're doing Marine Corps! I wanted 2012 to be my first marathon, but with the wedding and a surgery in August I'm having to push it back to 2013. I'm thinking Disney may be the one. I'm so excited for you and can't wait to hear all about it!! Does this mean we may get a race recap?? Ah! It's on my bucket list with NYC, Disney, and maybe (hopefully one day) Boston!! What's your goal?! Best of luck!!!

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  8. Thanks for sharing Allison. I hope everything goes well in your training, you definitely deserve it. I'm training for a half too! I've never done one before, but I'm excited to see how it will go!

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  9. What an inspiration! You can do it A! One day at a time... Stacie xo

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  10. Yayy high school cross country! XC was my life in high school, and my best friends are still from that team. I'm training for my first marathon in November! I've also dealt with a few stress fractures myself, so I've had to spend some time aqua jogging and a lot of time doing calf raises, but it is worth it to be pain free! Have you tried calf sleeves? I wear them when my shin splints are acting up. They basically just slip over your calves and kind of hold everything together so that it hurts a little less.

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  11. I'm SO GLAD you're writing more about you and your running! It's so nice to hear that other ladies with similar interests as me are also looking to nab a marathon finish; and I can't wait to hear more about your training :)

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  12. I think it's so amazing that you're doing the MCM, my husband and I have a goal to run a marathon some day. I started running while my husband was deployed because I knew it would help keep my mind busy & also give me a goal to help the time go by faster. After my first major race (the Army 10-miler), I was hooked. Running gives me so much more confidence & has become my calming place. Good luck on your training!!

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  13. Good luck training! A marathon is on my life bucket list. I wanted to do a half in July but I don't think I can handle the Chicago heat then. Running is such a good outlet for me. I really like hearing more about "you" on your blog, too. I have to say, your blog was one of my main motivators to start my own blog so thank you! Have a great day!

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  14. thoughts & prayers being sent your way! i commend your bravery in running a marathon - my only hope is to one day complete a half. you can do this! so glad you are sharing more of your life on here - looking forward to more posts like this :)

    - lauren

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  15. Great post. Thanks for sharing this. I'm inspired by your perseverance! Anyone who can push their body (and mind) to that limit is a rock star in my book! Good luck with your training!

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  16. Oh my gosh I'm so excited for you! I ran Marine Corps last year and absolutely loved it! It was an incredible race and while I know you have no plans to turn this into a running blog, I do hope you chronicle some of your training on here!

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  17. I was so happy to see this post on your blog today! I was also a high school runner (track, not cross-country) and have recently gotten back into competitive running. I ran a bunch of half marathons last year and was training for a full (the Rock & Roll in D.C. in March) when I started to have some pain in my foot, which turned out to be 2 stress fractures (one in the cuboid, one in the calcaneus). After 6 months (4 of those were on crutches, eek) I finally had my foot operated on 2 weeks ago. I'm just starting to walk again and can't wait to get back into training - although I will definitely take the same approach as you and listen to my body! I so hope you're able to steer clear of injury, and maybe I'll see you at the finish line sometime soon! - Katie

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  18. I love this! (especially your ball sports comment- ME TOO!) I love running but I'm super slow. I'm so impressed by your marathon! You go girl!

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  19. I love long, personal posts! More of it {av}

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  20. I didn't even know you were a runner! That's why I love these posts. :) And ditto on ball sports, haha!

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  21. Can I just say... I love the personal post. :)

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  22. LOVED getting to know more about you love, so amazing you're so in tune with yourself and running- i've tried so many times to "pick it up" and haven't found the right way to do so. loved reading this!

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  25. Yes, yes & yes please on the more personal posts. :) You're such an inspiration in so many ways! I'm working my hardest to become a runner (I've always wanted to be one, but it's never been my strong suit). All I can legitimately call myself is a jogger at this point, but I can feel that I'm getting stronger every time out. Any posts where you want to cover your training/tips/advice is A-OK with me!

    Mendi @ Her Late Night Cravings

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  26. love this post! dream big and enjoy your training! see you at the finish line!

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