I Am a Runner

Two years ago I took a dive into Couch to 5K for the first time.  I had never, ever run a step in my life.  Since then, I've run several races, finished a half-marathon, and run hundreds of miles. But finally, last Thursday, for the first time, I felt like a real runner.

Did I go fast?  No, in fact, the heat and humidity is starting to slow me down.

Did I finish without stopping?  No, I still had to stop once to catch my breath and recoup.

Was it suddenly easy?  No, it was still hard to finish those last few minutes.

So what changed?  I'm not exactly sure, but I think it was that, for the first time, I didn't question whether or not I would be able to go the distance, to finish the run.  I didn't have to bargain with myself as to how many times I would stop, and I didn't worry about being too slow or running too fast.  I barely glanced at my Garmin, except to not go out too fast and to time Mark through his intervals.  I just went out and ran, and at the end, I felt LIKE A RUNNER!