Why?
I learned the pleasure and pain of running starting my freshman year of high school. The basketball coach doubled as a cross country coach mainly to keep his players straight. He knew I was an athlete; that I played soccer and could stay on the field un- winded for a good amount of time. He asked if I wanted to run for him. I accepted thinking (wrongly) that it would keep me in shape for soccer. Coach Kelly and I came to find that I was pretty decent at the 3.1 miles. I trained moderately through high school, earned a few conference championships and regional qualifications, and came in the top three in just about every race. When my senior year hit, running became tiresome. Being the competitive person I am, I continued with cross country and wanted to do better than I had in the previous years. However, I became sick that year and couldn’t shake it. I became very weary and barely finished the conference championship meet. I still qualified for regionals but didn't make it to the race because the sickness came back. This became a major regret in my life even though I wouldn't admit it. I lost. Worse, I lost to myself. I quit running long distances for fun or even for exercise. I became bad (or so I thought) at running. When I began college I knew I would need to run in
order to stay in shape. I wasn't playing soccer competitively anymore and knew without running that ominous "Freshman 15" would come quickly. I found a trail
behind my dorm with many twists and turns and hills to climb. I loved it. I had forgotten how much I had enjoyed running. I ran throughout my freshman year outside and on treadmills and ellipticals. Summer came and my boyfriend, Aaron, and I began training for a Half Marathon. Aaron's sister has run a few half marathons and one full marathon. She inspired us to run the Half and made us a schedule to follow. We trained all summer; I wasn't amazing but could tell that I was getting better. I knew that if I continued to train I might actually be able to try for a Marathon. Three weeks before the race date, our training fizzled away. Aaron and I became busy and simply stopped running. This frustrated me and I felt I couldn't properly train without Aaron. I didn't know how many miles I would run if he wasn't with me. I was scared I wouldn't be motivated enough. Now, in comes the iPhone. I recently acquired an iPhone and found this application called MapMyRun. This piece of technology has motivated me to start all over with the Half Marathon training schedule. I can see how many miles I have ran, where I am, and routes I have ran. Plus, it shows the Calories I burn after every session. So, iRun. I also see many beautiful and interesting things along the way and capture them with the camera on my phone. I want to continue to run for the rest of my life. Running can be very peaceful yet challenging. Running introduces you to your worst enemy: yourself.
order to stay in shape. I wasn't playing soccer competitively anymore and knew without running that ominous "Freshman 15" would come quickly. I found a trail
behind my dorm with many twists and turns and hills to climb. I loved it. I had forgotten how much I had enjoyed running. I ran throughout my freshman year outside and on treadmills and ellipticals. Summer came and my boyfriend, Aaron, and I began training for a Half Marathon. Aaron's sister has run a few half marathons and one full marathon. She inspired us to run the Half and made us a schedule to follow. We trained all summer; I wasn't amazing but could tell that I was getting better. I knew that if I continued to train I might actually be able to try for a Marathon. Three weeks before the race date, our training fizzled away. Aaron and I became busy and simply stopped running. This frustrated me and I felt I couldn't properly train without Aaron. I didn't know how many miles I would run if he wasn't with me. I was scared I wouldn't be motivated enough. Now, in comes the iPhone. I recently acquired an iPhone and found this application called MapMyRun. This piece of technology has motivated me to start all over with the Half Marathon training schedule. I can see how many miles I have ran, where I am, and routes I have ran. Plus, it shows the Calories I burn after every session. So, iRun. I also see many beautiful and interesting things along the way and capture them with the camera on my phone. I want to continue to run for the rest of my life. Running can be very peaceful yet challenging. Running introduces you to your worst enemy: yourself.