New Journey

I've been meaning to get new shoes for a while now.  I kept saying it - but never did it.  I realized this week I've had my Asics for a year.  I bought them the week before my first couch to 5k class.

Those shoes have taken me over 250 miles, 50 lost pounds, personal training, 30 day shreds, and a few tears.   

Those first few weeks of running were AWESOME.  I never dreamed I could run a block or more.  After the 'Ooo shiny!' wore off, I knew I had to find inspiration elsewhere to help me stick with it.  Enter the running blogosphere. 

There was a Friday night when a bunch of Mike's friends were over.  I was cruising around the Internet, only half-heartedly listening to their conversations.  I decided to see if there were any running blogs out there - having had such great experiences with knitting blogs when I was starting with the yarn.    

I think I found Tall Mom on the Run as my second or third blog.  I recognized some of the pictures in her sidebar as a trail by my in-laws house, and loved her big smile on her pictures.  I kept reading.  I found race reports, the archive, and became immersed in reading pretty much her entire blog.  Mike's friends were teasing me for being so focused on the computer - but I couldn't help it.  Her posts and quotes were exactly what I needed then.  

A few weeks after that, I approached the tall lady with big smile at the Run Like a Mother book signing I went to - "Are you tall mom?!"  It was such a fan girl moment - how much would I creep her out? 

Ten months later, I start half marathon training with a plan that 'tall lady' built for me.  I have the support of other bloggers I found in the days after I found Tall Mom… a support system I never would have dreamed of.

One year after I started running, I'm ready for the next journey. 

13.1 here I come.