Introduction: My Running Journey Begins

Hi! Welcome to my blog!!  I'm glad that you've decided to join me for this crazy ride! A little bit about myself: 

My name is Emily, I am a Litigation Paralegal and distance runner in the DC area.  I am also a single woman trying to date in this crazy atmosphere that we call the DC dating scene while trying to juggle work, friends, marathon training and family time. This is my journey to run ALL THE RACES!

I embarked on this crazy running journey in September 2014.  My sister decided that she did not want to buy me "stuff'" for my birthday that year, she wanted to get me an "experience"... I'm positive that she did not realize that, with that purchase of a Potomac River Running training session (101/201 program, whoot whoot), she would create a total monster.  During that first 8 week session, I realized for the first time in my life that I LOVED RUNNING!! 

Let me back up here, I have to say that I was NEVER EVER EVER anything close to a runner at any point before I was 32 years old... seriously, never.  I was the kid in middle school and high school that would walk the track so slowly that the gym teacher would get irritated that I was only a half done with the mile by the time that gym class was over.  I was never athletic at all, I preferred watching TV and playing Sega Genesis while eating ungodly amounts of junk food. Yes, I played some sports when I was young but never more than a season and I never put any effort into getting any better (swimming, dance, softball, lacrosse).  I just wasn't into it and I was lazy.  This did not catch up with me until after college, I was always rail thin until my 25th birthday when it all caught up with me. 

When I embarked on that first 8 week session, I could not run a mile, at all, and I never thought that I would ever improve or get better.  At the end of the session I ran my first 5k (Potomac River Running Turkey Day 5k) and I could run it almost ALL THE WAY THROUGH (I only stopped to walk twice)!  After that I was HOOKED.

Turkey Day 5k Around Mile 3

I decided that I was going to sign up for the Potomac River Running (anyone else see a theme here) Distance Training Program (DTP) and attempt to run a half marathon the next spring.  Yes, I threw myself into running hard core; and no, I don't necessarily suggest that someone do the same.  

After another 5k and a 15k, I was ready to run the 2015 Rock n Roll DC.  Then a week before, I came down with a nasty case of Bronchitis, basically my doctor told me that I would need a miracle from God himself to be better by race day. I was not better by race day, in fact it was still rough to get out of bed and/or off the couch by race day and I was still using my inhaler like my life depended on it!  So I had to do what most runners fear (including myself) and go into race day with a DNS, It was a lesson in moving on and really visualizing the idea that there is ALWAYS another race to focus on; and that's just what I did, I set my sights on running the 2015 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Miler and I have to say that the race was AWESOME!!

So, funny story about this time in 2015... I was out on a run with my friend and running buddy Cristina (who also started running with Potomac River Running 101/201 at the same time as I did) after she ran RnR DC (I had convinced her to run with me and then had to bail).  As she was recapping her race day experience (think monsoon) and casually mentioned that she had signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon Lottery.  All I said was "ok", meaning that I was going to sign up too. 

On March 18, 2015 I received the greatest and most frightening email that I had ever received...

The email that changed my life

I was registered for the 40th MARINE CORPS MARATHON!!  My initial thoughts (after I almost dropped my iPhone) was: "HOLY CRAP, I haven't even been running for a year, how the heck am I going to run a MARATHON??? At that moment I knew that sh!t just got real and I was actually becoming a serious runner!"

... and so the journey began...