Hold yourself accountable; that’s the reason why I started this site, to keep showing up. I have only been a part of the running community since 2017 but have already realized consistency is key to self-improvement (in the sport and in life).
From an early age, my entire life revolved around playing soccer and eventually making the captain of my high school team, even though I didn’t have the drive to try and play for a college after I graduated. My path in life during that time was unclear and I ended up playing for a men’s league team. After playing for a few years I realized it was difficult to find people to kick around with. Sometimes players wouldn’t be taking the game seriously; like kicking around a soccer ball in flip flops, and other days there were guys who took it way too seriously and would slide-tackle you from behind and then try to start a fight with someone who would be half their age. It just got too complicated and wasn’t fun anymore.
“Be careful, you’ll get bit by the running bug and you will get addicted”.
Soccer training isn’t that far off from training for a race so I decided to see if I was cut out for the running world and registered for a 5 mile race. After chatting with some co-workers about running and races who are already avid runners, the majority of them told me the same thing: “Be careful, you’ll get bit by the running bug and you will get addicted”. My only other race experience was a 5k for fun and I didn’t even train for because I was already running a lot for soccer.
My first serious race as a newbie was a 5-miler in 2017 in Clearwater, Florida… until it was cancelled due to high winds and since the majority of the race was running over a large bridge, safety was priority. Even though the race was cancelled I still experienced my first packet-pickup, my first medal, and witnessed hundreds of runners on location still completing the 5 miles anyway (one of my first accounts of how dedicated/crazy runners are). I didn’t even run the race and I knew right then I was bit by the running bug. My co-workers were right, and I knew I wanted to be a part of the running culture.
Since my first race, I’ve learned a lot about myself through running. I’ve committed myself to keep showing up, keeping accountable and consistent. And that has brought me here, and why I created this site. A place to continue to grow, learn from others, share things I’ve discovered and hopefully help someone along the way.