Learning to love to run

Have you ever heard someone say something like: "I hate running!" "Running is stupid, you're going nowhere!" "Why would you put your body through that?", or said it yourself? No? OK, then maybe it was just me. I used to say all of those things. Now, I love running. When people ask me why or what made me change my mind, I always say: "Two things: races and my running buddies" But I guess at the end they are both the same thing – the running community. The support, encouragement, motivation (and any other synonym you can think of) that you get when you are in a race or just training is incredible. I will never forget my first race. It was a small 5K in Altoona, PA. It was June, 2014 and I haven't stopped since then. If we don't count last summer when I was nursing a terrible sprain. And then there are the times when you are lucky to combine running and traveling. Best way to get to know the place you are visiting? Run around it!

In the last two years, I've run many more races, including my very first half marathon ever! I've met amazing people and I've learned about pushing through the pain. And yes... running is not for everyone, but like everything in life, don't dismiss it without first giving it a try!

Former hater,

Loren