Female

24

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Writing/Publishing

Jun, 2007

I started running competitively as a freshman in high school and ran every year since, I also ran the Boston Marathon in 2005. But college killed my physique: a combination of more beer, less structure, more stress, and going on really crazy birth control my freshman year (sorry if that's too much information, but what the hell, right?) led to my gaining 30 pounds. I diet every summer and lose weight, only to gain it back during the year, but this summer will be different. This time I'm in it to change my lifestyle and my fitness and eating routines so that I can maintain them. And get into my skinny jeans from senior year, which I just hung on the wall next to the fridge for inspiration. Oh, and I'm also into biking, and I'm a swim instructor for the summers so I definitely do a lot of swimming and aquajogging. And running after little kids, which, trust me, is a workout. In terms of bodybuilding, my strength training is centered mostly around running and aside from the gym I do some pretty crazy ab workouts and plyometrics.

I run because I love to run. It's a part of who I am. More specifically? -For the burn of a hill workout when you can't feel any part of your body except the burn in your quads. -For the fitness level that allows me to say words like "10-mile run" and "easy run" in the same sentence. -For the community of people in the sport. Running may seem like a solitary pursuit, but it's not. I wouldn't last a mile if it was. -For the 20 or so miniskirts I own (come on, we all think things like this, I just come right out and say them). -For that moment at dawn when the sun is up but you can't quite see it and the air is crisp and almost electric and no one's up but me. -For turning the corner of Hereford and Boylston and seeing the finish line of the Boston Marathon up ahead. That changed my life. -For kicking Heartbreak Hill's ass. -For every actual run, from the incredible ones that feel amazing to the horrible ones where I never get past the wall. Maybe even more so for those. Because the beauty is that no matter how awful a run is, I'm still going to keep running. -For running in the most adverse of weather conditions when everyone else stays inside and I conquer blizzards, torrential downpours, biting cold and ridiculous heat. -I really, really like spandex. -Because I can leg press more than the boys. -Last, because it makes me happy.

It's a constant battle sometimes, but I go by what a former Olympian 10k runner told me one summer at running camp (yes, running camp): You've just got to walk out your door. Put on your shoes, grab your keys, and walk out the door. You might run ten steps and turn around, you might run ten miles, frankly it doesn't matter. You've just got to make that first step, and after that, whatever happens happens.

Boston Marathon 2005!!!