runner's world

I don't remember exactly when it happened, but I became a runner. I ran the Little Rock marathon back in 2006 and dabbled in a few dozen races while we lived in Lubbock. After Presley came, it was mostly stroller jogging or short solo runs. When we moved back to Little Rock in August, I was surprised to find my old b.f. had taken a liking to running and before the moving truck had even arrived, she convinced me to sign up to run the Little Rock half marathon. It was August, the race was in March...I wasn't too worried about this commitment. The only problem was that my friend was signed up to run a half marathon in December and wanted me to train with her for that one as well. We jumped into training as the hot and humid summer came to an end. Come December, she ran off to Memphis and the glory of her completed half marathon while I waited for another round of training to begin for our March race. Training for the marathon I ran in '06 was a breeze. There was no issue of who was going to keep the kids as I logged dozens of miles on the weekends. There was no popping the maximum allowed dosage of ibuprofen. There was no underlying fear that every stranger I passed while running was a potential serial killer. Running when I was 26 was blissful; running at 33 is a mind game. Ok, enough blabbering about all the prep...Sunday, March 3 was a perfect day for 13.1 miles. I was calm and excited about testing the limits of my older, wiser body. The Little Rock marathon has grown in size in the last 7 years and this was my first organized race that I had to deal with a crowded start. After logging a slow first mile, the course opened up and I enjoyed a good race. I was hopping to come in under 2 hours but crossed the finish line at 2:04. I actually crossed the line a handful of seconds after the male winner of the full marathon came in which was unique because all the announcers and spectators were cheering loudly. I, of course, took it in as a celebration for myself as well! My 2:04 time has only served as a spark to find another race to sign up for. Looks like I caught a case of the running bug myself!

A HUGE thank you to Jon, Grammy and Mimi for always coming through to watch the kids as I kept up with my mileage. Team Emily!