Baby I Was Born To Run

As some of you already know, I started a women's running class last week. The response from most of you when told I was taking this class -- that I actually signed myself up and PAID to take this class -- was "are you nuts?" One runner I told questioned why I needed a class to essentially "put one foot in front of the other." And a few of you applauded me for my efforts.

Tonight is Class #2 (of 8) and I can honestly and with conviction say that deciding to take this class was one of the best decisions I have made for myself in quite some time. Aside from the humbling realization last week after running a timed mile (I came in at 14:05) that I have my work cut out for me I also quickly realized the rush of euphoria you get after having a good run. Bill has been encouraging me for quite some time to give running a try (with two marathons under his belt he is a seasoned runner) as he felt it was a well-suited form of exercise for me. Clearly he recognized the head clearing properties that I need to rid myself of work and home stresses and he saw how running was "just what the doctor ordered" to take care of that. He also warned me to "be careful because running can become addicting just like a drug." I think I already see what he means.

This past week I have looked forward to my homework assignments and without hesitation headed to the health club to run on the treadmill (still a little too dark a little too early here for me to run alone outside in the evenings). And believe it or not, in just a week I feel myself getting a little stronger and my endurance growing. Wow - it is amazing the paces you can put your body through and how quickly it responds.

Tonight will be another personal challenge as I will get assigned to my leveled group and we will embark on an hour-long run after listening to a guest speaker talk about running attire and shoes. Lucky for me we are having a spring day today with sun and temps near 50. Thank goodness tomorrow's forecasted weather (snow yet again) isn't coming today. We were told last week we run outside rain, shine OR snow.

Check back to see how tonight's class goes.