My Running Journey

My running journey began long, long ago.  Growing up in the Midwest, I was an active little pie.  Running through fields, playing every sport I could, climbing trees.  I played softball, soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, dance… and loved them all.  When I moved to Connecticut, it was time for middle school and high school. I decided to narrow down my love for activities to one or two things.  I stuck with dance- I had been taking lessons since I was old enough to walk, and running.  I participated in a co-ed cross country group in middle school- there were three people in the group, but it was a blast.  Once high school came, I was on the regionally recognized competition dance team, and the track and field team.  I ran two hurdle events and once in a while would run the 4x400m race.

Once high school was over, I decided on a small state university in Connecticut, to pursue a business degree.  While there, I continued to take dance classes, as well as venture on a few weekly runs.  I never was fully dedicated to running, but used my two or three weekly runs as a way to relieve the stresses of college and a way to stay in shape.

Post college, I moved back home to Wethersfield, CT, and started looking for a job.  I was running an average of two-three times per week.  My mom had run the Hartford half marathon, and that inspired me to do the same.  I started a light training program, when I began feeling intense pain in my feet.  Bunions had always been an issue for me- I inherited them genetically (thanks mom!), and with my demanding dance schedule, they intensified and got worse.  I went to a podiatrist when the pain got to the point of affecting my daily life.  I was not at all surprised when my doctor recommended having the bunions removed- it was something I'd always thought about, but never had the time to do.  Since I was recently graduated and unemployed, I decided to schedule the surgeries, the first being in July 2012.

Here I am, almost two years from the date of the first surgery, and I am just now getting back to running.  It has been such a long, painful, frustrating process, and I am still not completely satisfied with the results.  Even though the situation is less than desirable, I am determined to complete my goal that started long ago of finishing that half marathon.  This is my documentation of my ups and downs in the process of completing my goal.