How It All Started: My Journey Into Marathoning

I would not have considered myself a runner growing up. I was always pretty good at running and had decent endurance. I played soccer year round until I graduated high school. I chose not to pursue soccer past high school; it was beginning to feel like more of a chore than fun and I wanted to party. I ran a lot for soccer and would go for runs here and there with my mom. I think I ran a 5K with my parents when I was young, but only because I wanted the t-shirt you got for signing up. For about four years during college, I did absolutely nothing. No exercising. I would go to school, work, and party. That’s basically it. I didn’t have any desire to exercise. Because I went to college in Boston, I watched the Boston Marathon every year. My Dad also ran it most of the years I was in school. I always thought the people running were crazy and didn’t know why anyone would want to run 26.2 miles.

I became a runner in 2016. My apartment at the time in Baltimore was right on the promenade. If you are not familiar with Baltimore, the promenade is a couple mile stretch along the harbor that is very popular for runners, walkers, etc. I was sitting on my couch one day staring out the window and watching people run by. I randomly decided to go for a run. I probably ran about 2.5 miles. I don’t know for sure because I didn’t have a watch or any apps on my phone. It was hard, but I felt so good after! I remember saying, “Wow! That was amazing!” when I returned home. I continued going for runs a couple times a week, usually no more than 5 miles at a time.

The promenade in Baltimore

A few months after the day I went for my first run in Baltimore, I temporarily relocated to California for a year. I was 29 years old and working from home. I didn’t know anyone, so I would go for runs to get out of the house. With my 30th birthday around the corner, I had a mini crisis: I didn’t know where my life was going. I had no specific hobbies and wasn’t passionate about anything in particular. I got the idea in my head that I wanted to run a marathon when I turned 30, but realized I should probably do a half first. I signed up and ran my first half marathon: the Golden Gate Half in San Francisco in November 2016. I remember my first 10 mile training run being so hard, but so rewarding! I had no idea I could run that far until I tried. I was pretty sore and tired after. I think I stayed in bed the remainder of that day. My Dad, who is also a runner, was very excited that I was doing a half and flew to San Francisco to run it with me. My uncle, who was living in the area at the time, ran with us also. I didn’t really know much about pacing and was just trying to finish. My uncle chatted away the whole race and it made it go by a lot easier than if I had been running by myself. We finished in 1:59. I was hooked!

My first half marathon-Golden Gate Half in November 2016

My first marathon was in February 2017, a week after I turned 30. I ran the Arizona Marathon, which was a small race and pretty flat. My dad ran it with me as well. Plus, it was perfect that my sister was living in Scottsdale. The longest run I had done leading up to it was 20.5 miles and I remember that I had to stop a few times during that run because I was tired. I didn’t really have a pacing strategy for the marathon. I planned to give it all I had. I was still very new to running and didn’t know much about pacing or fueling and all of that. I recall during the race thinking “Why am I doing this? It’s really hard. I’m never doing this again.” However, I felt such joy when I finished and proved to myself that I did it! I accomplished it! It is like no other feeling, even though I could hardly walk after. Of course, a few hours after I finished I signed up for another marathon. To date, I’ve finished 11 marathons and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon!

There are times when I will get down on myself for not starting running and racing earlier, but, you know what? It’s never too late to start! The time will pass anyway. I would have been too distracted and not disciplined enough to take running seriously earlier in my life. I would not have loved it then the way I do now! This is the journey I was meant to be on and I am so thankful that I found running!