I do believe I've been running just about as long as I've been walking. Most people who played sports like football or baseball growing up will always claim that running is punishment, but you are wrong my friends! Running is not just cardio, it's therapy (and cheaper than a $150 for a 50 minute hour therapy), it will clear your mind, work your entire body and just make you feel so good on so many levels afterward. In high school I accumulated close to 100 medals (now collecting dust in a storage unit, but still beautifully mounted in elaborate shadow boxes and frames-thanks Dad ;-)) and there is one I hold nearest and dearest to my heart. The medal I received at the PENN RELAYS as the second leg of an amazing 4X400 relay team when I was only fourteen years old was probably the most unexpected since I was so inexperienced at the time. And for anyone who doesn't know anything about the world of track and field, the PENN RELAYS is a HUGE deal and super competitive, so to compete well enough to snag a medal is totally brag-worthy. A senior girl who I idolized lead off the relay that day and as I stood on the line with masses of other girls, trembling with anticipating and anxiety, watching her make her way around the track, I was terrified I might drop the baton from all the jostling happening in the pass zone. Just as she reached me and I started to turn and put my hand out for the grab, I made eye contact with her for a split second. "Move!" she shouted. I moved. The entire race was a blur, it was almost an out of body experience and before I knew it, I had maintained our lead the entire way and passed the baton to our third leg. I walked off the infield in a daze, my body was still humming from running so fast, it was one of the biggest adrenaline rushes I had ever had and made me realize that running a race might possibly be the greatest high I had ever experienced. (Keep in mind I was only fourteen.) But it was that feeling that keeps me still running today, not so much to be competitive, but to just feel good and be healthy. This very long winded introduction is what leads me to my Day 5 new experience. When I first became a part of track and field, I ran with a team, then I ran solo or with a running buddy friend, never with someone I did not know. Today I was walking out of my apartment for a boardwalk beach run and encountered five runners stretching in front of my driveway; we examined each other for a minute, taking in the obvious running attire, Garmin watches, and ipods. I smiled, said good morning and was about to take off when one of them asked me if I wanted to run a quick 5 miles with them on the boards. So today was the first time I ever ran with people I didn't know and not only was it a motivating start to the morning, they invited me to run the boards with them every weekend, what's a better end to an already great weekend than new friends and new running buddies??
Back to work tomorrow, what will I do next??? Stay tuned :-) @ellesep
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