A thank you letter to Running....

I saw this post over at Amanda's blog Run to the Finish and thought it was an interesting idea....

As I ran today I started thinking about when I started running...in 2010...to impress a boy.  That first run, in the dark of the night, scared the heck out of me...to the point of tears.  Would I ever be able to learn to love this activity that I used to mock?

This is what I used to think about running!

 Now...almost 6 years later...I have run 2 half marathons and countless 10 and 5k's...all starting when I was 34.  Why do I mention my age?  Because I want everyone to know that it is never to late to start!!

So here it goes....

Dear Running,

Over the past six years, you have given me so much to be thankful for and I want to take a moment to thank you.

• Thank you for allowing me to cry out the frustrations I feel on bad days and keeping me sane over the years.
• Thank you for teaching me patience AND discipline.
• Thank you for showing me that I can accomplish goals that I set my mind to.
• Thank you for bringing amazing people into my life that believe in me.
• Thank you for showing me that I am passionate about helping people be healthy...without running, I wouldn't have discovered that I love fitness training and teaching!
• Thank you for the high fives from random runners as you cross finish lines and turn around points.
• Thank you for increasing my wardrobe...but I'm not thanking you for depleting my bank account with said clothes or race entry fees!
• Thank you for showing me that even though it hurts now...one day it will be my warm up.
• Thank you for teaching me more about my body than any high-school biology class could.

There are so many other things that running has done for me over the past years but these are the ones that I think of most.  I have been converted from one that mocks runners as I drive by to being that one out running on rainy/snowy days...in the bright clothes!  I am really looking forward to what running can teach me in the years to come!! Thank you...thank you...thank you!

What has running done for you?