The Little Things
January 29, 2013

I’ve wanted to share my journey to running since I first started this blog, and it’s taken me a year and a half to finally sit down and start typing this. Just a warning- this will definitely be a story in may parts, so you’ll have to follow along each week as I share another piece of my story. I think the best place to start the story is before the real story picks up, so I’ll be talking about life up until my junior year of high school!

Like many people, I was born into a really active and health conscious family. My dad was a runner throughout his 20s, and my mom occasionally ran with him. I was an active little kid, and loved to run around outside. I did ballet until first grade, when I switched to ice skating (for 4 years). In 4th grade, I picked up ballet again, and continued to dance until I started college. I played soccer throughout elementary school and played basketball in middle school. It wasn’t uncommon for me to hop in the pool throughout middle and high school and swim a mile for fun on a Saturday (I was also a lifeguard in high school). My point is, I was really active. I didn’t enjoy running much at all, though. I can count on one hand the number of times I actually went out on a ran during this time. I would tell people throughout this time that “I would much rather swim a mile than run a mile anytime”. Yeah. Crazy, right?

I remember in middle school we did the presidential fitness test at school, and I ran an 8:04 mile. I think it’s my fastest mile that was ever timed. Coincidentally, even after running for almost two years, I still can’t run a mile that fast.

So, I grew up in a very healthy and active household, and enjoyed dancing and playing sports. While I never trained for the run, I still managed to pull out a pretty great mile time. I guess something in it was natural?

And then November of 2003 hit…

Now it’s your turn to share! Were you an active child? What was your favorite way to stay active as a kid? 

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3 responses to “My Journey to Running {Part 1}”

  1. runnerleana says:
    January 29, 2013 at 7:17 am

    I remember the Presidential fitness test! We had to see how far we could stretch past our toes or how long we could hold our chin up over a bar. I wish I could remember how fast my mile was!

  2. Heidi says:
    January 29, 2013 at 1:29 pm

    I liked to ride my bike as a kid. But I was never a runner. I used to walk the mile for the presidential fitness test! If only my old gym teachers could see me now! 😉

  3. How POTS Changed My Exercise | Journey to Wellness says:
    March 26, 2013 at 1:48 am

    […] My Journey to Running {Part 1} […]