Run, Kayla, Run

Although I grew up as an athlete and spent countless hours in the gym and on the softball diamond, "running" was never really part of my vocabulary. I was the type of athlete who played smarter not harder. I knew a lot about the sport of volleyball and softball, and more often than not, my instincts of the sport would take over more than my actual skill. I was the power hitter in softball, where running from home to first-base felt like a mile. Some might have told me "to get the refrigerator off my back." While this is humorous now, running was always the most frustrating part of my training/workouts as an athlete. I remember running on the outdoor track during volleyball open gyms and two-a-days in the dead of summer, wondering how I was going to survive.

After high school, I decided not to pursue sports in college, but like most people, would frequent the gym to attempt to stay in shape. Because of my love/hate relationship with running, I would often migrate toward spin classes, yoga classes, weights, the elliptical, and occasionally a quick run outside or the treadmill. It wasn't until my first job out of college, where I really began to discover a passion for running. My employer had a very nice gym on campus, and walking trails around the facility. I found myself running around 3 miles a day, and even participating in local 5ks.

August 2014, I made a huge life decision and moved to the state of North Carolina. I only knew a couple of people, and initially lived about 20 minutes outside of Uptown. I found myself immediately going on a run in the evenings after work to help pass the time. I would also attend local run clubs, such as the popular NoDa run club to see new areas and socialize to meet new people. Over a period of 3 months, I began increasing my runs from 3 miles to 4 - 5 miles. I could not believe that I was actually running 5 miles in one workout. I had never run this far in my life! However, as my personal and professional life became increasingly busy, my running life came to a crashing halt. Over the next two or so years, my visits to the gym became almost nonexistent, and I felt somewhat lost in my fitness journey. It was not until a Turkey Trot, on Thanksgiving Day of 2018, that I found my passion for running again.

For the majority of 2018, I was busy planning for my wedding taking place on June, 8 2019. Like most brides, I was motivated to get in shape to look and feel great on my wedding day. For one reason or another, I thought signing up for my first half marathon would motivate me to run and workout more. And, oh boy, did it. My friend Suzanne and I signed up for the Publix Women's half marathon in Savannah, Georgia. The race was scheduled for April 6, so I began training shortly after the new year. I decided a 3 month training schedule was appropriate for me. A couple weeks before the race, I had worked my way up to 9 miles, NINE MILES! That was by far the farthest I had ever run in my career. The next farthest run was race day.... 13.1 miles of shear pain, sweat, motivation, and dedication. I completed my first half marathon in 2:42:53. I know this sounds slow to most runners, but I was so thrilled to have completed my first half marathon. We celebrated our achievements with a night out in Savannah. What could be better?

Shortly after the Savannah half marathon, Suzanne and I had the itch to register for our second half marathon, this one taking place in Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Both races were very flat, which I am not sure if that made the run harder or easier. I unfortunately did not have the same amount of time to train for the half, and definitely went in under trained. The farthest I ran training for this half was the "Run for the Green" 10k which took place in September. That race was actually my first 10k, another race to check off the bucket list. With that said, I finished my second half marathon at 2:42:04, just slightly faster than my first half. I did not beat my first race time by much, but hey, a PR is a PR.

After running my second half, I decided it was time to take a break. Although I wanted a break, it was hard to keep myself away from registering for another race. I saw on Instagram, the Hot Chocolate 15k was coming to Charlotte in February. I thought this race would be a good way to get back in shape after the holiday season. In my head, I was like, I have ran TWO half marathons and a 10k, how hard can 9 miles be? I was wrong. When you go into a race under trained, especially in weather you are not used to, like the cold, and the addition of a hilly course, it is brutal. Every mile feels like an eternity and you keep telling yourself how you are never running another race again. I somehow managed to complete the race, but finished at a time of 2:00:46, one I was not super proud of. This race was hard, but it was definitely a learning experience. I already know, I WILL register for another race one day, and I WILL NOT go in under trained. Who knows, maybe sometime in the near future, I will catch the runners high to register and train for a full marathon. Until then, I am just focused on a happy and healthy me who enjoys my leisurely jogs around Lake Norman.

And yes, I am that person with the 13.1 sticker on the back window of my car.