I was a cross country runner in high school, running for Kent Denver School back in the day. I wasn't fast as some of the other runners, but I was dedicated. I remember my coach, Tom Graesser, and the things that he would do during the season to support us as runners and make us achieve more than we could hope for. At the beginning of each season, we as a team would run in a 5k and we would not be told our times or our placing because we started in groups and our coach was the only one who knew how we did that day. He would speak with all of us individually and talk about how we "did" and where we would like to go for the season. I distinctly remember talking with Coach Graesser about my run and how I did. I beat a girl on the varsity team by a slim margin and I remember that during our talk I wanted to make it to the State Finals for girls cross country. He worked with me all season and I was always just a bit slower than that girl on varsity, this is probably the beginning of my competitiveness, but by the time the season was coming to a close I was able to run in State Quarter finals. My time was fast enough I moved on to Semi-Finals. This was the race that determined the 5 who moved on to State. I had done it, I beat her, I moved on to run into State! This epitomized my running in my life at this time.
After being on top I gave it all up. After turning 16, I started smoking (cigarettes, not weed) and I became a lazy bum. I lost a lot of my motivation to be active and healthy. I didn't realize then how much it affected all aspects of my life. I was diagnosed with ADD as a child and was heavily medicated for this most of my life. At 18, I rebelled from medications and struggled by going to a school that I shouldn't have gone to for college. After Kent Denver, I started at Ethel Walkers in CT with 33 girls in my graduating class to my smallest class at University of Arizona having over 100 people. I wasn't ready for that change in my life. I struggled and floundered in my life.
3 years ago I decided to make a change. I was 180 pounds at my worst, smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day, eating fast food and other junk every day, drinking a case of Dr. Pepper a week (yes 24 in a week, easily). I was in denial about my life and where I was going. I knew I shouldn't be living this lifestyle because heart disease is the major killer in my family, my biological father has had multiple heart attacks, is on daily medication for it, takes nitro like I breathe air (maybe not that much, but still a lot), and is in overall not great health because his heart. I didn't want to end up like him. I was miserable and kept going in the same direction expecting things to change on their own and for me not to have to do any work. Then it all changed. I was working downtown as a security officer at an outdoor mall and saw the Competitor Group doing a marketing thing for the announcement of the Denver Marathon being made into the Denver Rock N Roll Marathon and Half. I was going to run a marathon. I haven't run in 9 years and smoke like a chimney, but I was to run a marathon and nothing was going to change that. I quit smoking a few weeks later when I was able to get things to line up just right. A trip to Kentucky for a friends wedding for 3 days was the perfect motivation for me. I didn't smoke in KY, and I didn't when I came back home. If I could quit for 3 days then I could quit. Hooray for Cold Turkey! I recommend this to anyone wanting to quit, pick a date and just do it. I ran that marathon a year and a few weeks later and it was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. 5 hours 55 minutes and I had completed a marathon. The part that sucked was that 3 miles of the course were closed by the time I reached Wash Park and so really, I ran 23.2 miles for my first marathon, but that doesn't change anything in my mind. I had set out to accomplish something and I did it. The only thing with all of that I wish I could change was that my dad hadn't died before I did this. That was the hardest part for me and the reason why I kept running and didn't quit. Cancer took him from me, and I would sure as hell run a marathon and finish it for him. After finishing, I broke down and cried for myself and for the memory of my father. Doing all of this has been hard without him, but those runs, where my iPod dies, I think of him and the fond memories I have with him. I run for my dad, I run for myself, I run because I can and I won't stop until my legs give out on me.
This will be the blog of all my runs that I have done (halves and fulls) as well as the continuing pursuit of completing a marathon or half in all 50 States as well as as many as I can do in the world. I would like to be a member of the 7 continent club, but I feel that Antarctica may be the biggest challenge for me in the future. I hope that I find some good runs and meet some amazing people in my life. People like Dave Mari, Tony "Endorphin Dude," Dave DeNeire "Run like a Clydesdale," Rebecca Walker, Rose Plyakova,Caolan "Chronic Runner" MacMahon, and Joe Taricani are all inspiration to me and where I feel that I can go in my life.
