National Running Day

Happy National Running Day!  I plan on celebrating by running after work (maybe a little BodyPump in there too...).  I thought a good way to celebrate this on the blog would be to share the reasons why I run with y'all.

To Prove People Wrong

Finished my first half!!

What really started my running journey was my interest to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  I signed up, and when I told my husband, he was skeptical about my ability to run a half marathon.  I wasn't consistent going to the gym before this decision, and I do have a track record of getting excited about something and not following through.  One thing that kept me going in my training was to prove to Joe that I could in fact run a half marathon.  And, well, I did it!  I continue to use that (as well as other people) as motivation to keep me running and setting new goals.

To Prove Myself Wrong

Placing in my age group at the Ed Root 10K

I was never athletic growing up.  In school during the physical fitness tests, I never ran the mile because I never could do it!  If you asked 8 year old me if I'd ever run a half marathon, I'd have said "Heeeeeeck no!"  I run to prove to myself that I can do this.  I continue to set new goals for myself and am surprised/proud when I reach them.

It's Fun!

Best race shirt ever

I'm a big proponent of finding exercise you like to do so that you'll actually do it!  I find running fun (I know, crazy right?), which is why I run!  Another part of running I find fun are the numbers--the mileage, the paces, charting my progress, etc.  Some people don't like to have all of that information, but that's one of the things I enjoy most about running.

It's Good for You
When I was running and training regularly, I was in really great shape! (Side note: I hope sticking to my ZOOMA Chicago plan will help me get back to that!)  You can read about all of the benefits of running all over the internet, but I think Kat really sums them up well (health benefits and others) in her post from today.

Race Day

Before the Lake Minneola Half 2014

I LOVE running races.  Am I the fastest?  No.  Am I racing to win?  No.  I love race day because of the atmosphere, running in new areas, the running community, and competing with myself.  Plus, all of the swag from races makes them extra fun :)

Princess Half 2014 goodies

Question for you: How are you planning to celebrate National Running Day today?