How it all got started...

I haven't always been a runner. I was a chubby kid that watched Scooby-Doo and ate ice cream after school. As I got older, my weight would swing between being really fit to being really fat... It was only until I finished college that I really started taking care of my health. My health-conscious attitude started with the yearly blood test required by my health insurance. The results of my first test opened my eyes. I had a cholesterol level > 200 and I don't even want to talk about my triglycerides. I thought my blood test would come out excellent, I weight train 6 days a week, have protein shakes after each workout, drink green tea, there could never be anything wrong with ME, never! But something was wrong with what I was doing, so I started to think about what I was eating and how I was working out.

I needed more cardio, that was for sure, and running was convenient. Tons of treadmills in the gym, I could choose any one of them, any time of the day. I was determined and driven, I decided I will start with 5 miles on the treadmill. Ha! Not that easy, who was I kidding! After a week of achy legs, feet and stomach muscles, I decided 1.5 miles would be good enough. Plus if it took 25 minutes to do this, I'm ok with it just as long as I didn't stop.

Fast forward to January 2006. The marathon craze started. Everyone was asking me if I would do the P.F. Chang's Rock and Roll half marathon. No way! I could never run 13 miles, especially since I am so slow, it would take me all day! But my inspiration came from a lady at work who lost 30 pounds all in preparation for the race. She wasn't interested in anything other than accomplishing the goal. I was so impressed by her determination and courage to do this on her own. I made myself a promise that I would do the P.F. Chang's half marathon in 2007, no excuses.

Then the serious challenge began. Ok, so now I REALLY need to do 5 miles on the treadmill. I still didn't care about my time, not really interested on being first to the finish line, I just didn't want to stop. Five miles was not easy. It took one hour to do it, and I would have to take walking breaks. Almost every day in 2006 I got on the treadmill, logging 3, 4, or 5 miles at a time (I have to say, I love my TRUE treadmill). I had a few long runs, nothing to brag about, not even on a blog.

Then the day of reckoning. P.F. Chang's Rock and Roll Half Marathon, January 2007. It was bitterly cold in Phoenix that weekend. Record lows and rain the day before the race. I was not prepared, luckly my boyfriend bought me a long sleeve running shirt at the Expo. I was filled with anxiety as we waited to start, shaking from head to toe. I don't know if I was shaking because it was cold or because I was afraid that I couldn't finish. I was also nervous that the people behind me would be pissed that I was so slow! Then the race started. By the time I knew it, one mile came up and we saw the first band. I was excited, people were cheering us on and I was passing other runners at a comfortable pace. Then three miles, six miles (still excited), 10 miles! I stopped a couple of times to tie my shoe (you would have thought that I would have figured out the double knot the first time). By the eleventh mile, my legs were numb, I heard a couple of young girls scream, "just two more miles!". Two miles? I can do that! But my right knee was killing me, my hip flexor was screaming and it took all the energy I had to push myself those last two miles. Then I crossed the finish line. I can't believe I did it.

Then reality hits. Oh, the pain! My hip flexor was in serious pain, I couldn't put any pressure on my knee. I just wanted to transport home (for Star Trek fans). Beam me up, get me out of here! The parking maps sucked and I had to walk another 3 miles to get to my car. I was freezing by then, the temperature was 45F when I finished, all I wanted was some heat. But I was still floating from finishing 13.1 miles. Wow, what a feeling!

I couldn't run a mile a week after the race. I tried massage therapy, yoga, glucosamine. Three weeks after the race, I could hardly sit or walk because my right knee was killing me. This sucks! What do I do now? I didn't want to hear cross training because I didn't want to bike or swim, I wanted to run! I started acupuncture at the Southwest Center for Oriental Medicine in Phoenix with Sherri Taylor. Oh, it is so awesome. I'll have to do another post solely on my experience with acupuncture, but I have to say, my knee pain was virtually gone after my third session. Thank you Sherri!!

Five months later, I'm still running on the treadmill, but I started cross training with Patty, Jose, James and Raja by hiking and taking spinning class. Overall it's healed some of the imbalances I had in my legs. So now that I'm feeling better and injury free, I committed (yes I know, it's a scary thought) to run the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco (yup, 26.2 miles) with the Arizona Team In Training.

More to come, the challenge has started all over again...