Officially a Runner?

At what point do you consider yourself a runner? I can tell you that in my life never did I think that my name and runner would be used the same sentence. I dreaded it, hated it, nay, in fact, I loathed it.

Running was a dreadful activity and I could never ever fathom why anyone would want to do it for fun. I always assumed those were the people that weren't quite crazy enough to be committed.... Yet. Even in high school I marveled at those willing to join the cross country team. "They must be accepting bribes", I thought to myself. Why would anyone want to punish themselves voluntarily? Now, I find myself drawn to it.

In my first ever "race", my brother dubiously tricked me into it by claiming that it was a charity walk. Walking, I like, in fact I'll would have walked to the ends of the earth and back if my iPod would have lasted that long. But this was a formal 5k, complete with timing chips and runners who are clambering to the front of the line while clinging to the hope of shaving a second or so off their personal records. I was now amongst them, me and all of my 289 pounds of flesh.

I walked the entire way, comforted only by the fact that I was still passing folks. (Lest we talk about the fact that they were either ancient or newly walking toddlers). Nevertheless, I finished and even jogged the last 100 yards before I needed a lung transplant. I have to admit however, that the mere act of participating in an event such as that was a bit exciting and brought back a flood of memories from the 4 years of high school track and field meets that shaped my very being.

After surgery, I reflected on that first 5k and thought it might be a good goal and motivator to get my butt moving in the exercise arena. One of the hottest trends in the sport are mud runs, invented I am sure, in order to attract a fresh audience who might otherwise shun the sport in favor of other less boredom inflicting pursuits. Given that I was a reluctant participant, I thought that the mud and obstacles might make for an interesting break and make running suck just a little less.

The MS 10k Mud (and obstacle) Run was my first real (voluntary) foray into the world of running. While interesting in concept and perhaps fun for others, I found the mud an unnecessary obstacle that, at times, seemed hell bent on making me wish I were dead. Granted, it probably didn't help that I was only 3 months out of surgery and attempting to slog through 6+ miles of mud and sand on less than 600 calories. However, I still find no use for an interruption in my pace. Give me some tunes and just let me go.

I've found lately that I've gotten stronger and less likely to fall over dead at the thought of participating in a marathon. While I hated the mud run, I continued to use running/walking as my cardio exercise of choice. I have had quite a few breakthroughs recently that I'd like to share with you, if for no other reason than to get a few "atta girls!".

When I first began "training" I couldn't run for more than 30 seconds at a time rendering every single couch to 5k program useless and disheartening.
Three weeks ago: I ran for 2 minutes straight.
The week following: 5 minutes
Last week: 10 minutes with an average pace of 13:02/mile
Three days later: average pace of 11:45/mile

I might not ever make it to the coveted elite classes of runners with paces in the single digits, but by hell, I think I'm a runner now!