Hi, I'm Chris. An Australian 30-something, living (and running) in Chicago.
I vaguely remember the first time I went for a run. I was around 13 or 14 and went for a run with my Dad. It was hard and I didn't think I was very good at it. I gave up on the idea of running at that point.
When I got a little older I started playing Touch Football on a women's team. I loved playing the sport and being on a team. Of course, playing Touch required running. Again, I didn't think I was very good at it but without it being the main focus of what I was doing, I persisted. Unsurprisingly, with practice I started improving and my confidence increased. But I still didn't take up running on it's own. It was a means to an end in Touch only.
Fast forward a few years and I joined a boot camp at the local gym. In that boot camp we ran twice a week. We ran slow. We ran fast. We ran loaded with weights in backpacks. We ran over obstacles. And at the end of what I think was a 10 week course, we ran for distance. And I was hooked!
In 2008 I ran my first half marathon - Melbourne. I was so very nervous! But I made it!
Unfortunately, making across that finish line was a painful process. Hip and knee pain that I experienced during my training leading up to the race kicked in early in the race and plagued me for weeks afterwards. I exacerbated the knee pain while holidaying overseas later than year.
It took me three and a half years to get to my second half marathon. In 2012, I tackled the Gold Coast half marathon. I PRed this race and finished feeling so much better than I had my first. This ignited my running bug again.
And then I packed up and moved overseas to Chicago.
In 2013, I ran more than ever. I ran my first half marathon in the snow. Every city I visited I tried to find a race in. If I couldn't race, I made sure to sight-see on the run. I raced nearly every month of the year. I even ran my first marathon.
I don't know what's in my future but I do know that I plan to be running where ever I am and what ever I am doing.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteI came across your running blog this morning and was curious if you were considering running in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon for 2014? As you may know, the marathon is operating as a raffle this year. However, if you run for a charity, you are guaranteed a spot in the race!
I’m the charity race team coordinator at Girls in the Game, a non-profit in Chicago helping girls throughout Chicago school teaching girls about sports, healthy habits, and leadership skills. We have entries for the Chicago Marathon at no cost to our runners and we offer a number of great benefits, such as a running coach to assist your training. To see a list, check out our website:
http://girlsinthegame.org/content/index.asp?s=508&s2=526&p=526&t=Commitment-Details.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions at abeaver@girlsinthegame.org
Thank you,
Alex