My Running Origins

NOTE: I've decided to go back and write about how I got started in triathlon. Triathlon is such a huge part of my life and I want to reflect on how I got where I am.

15 years ago I was a freshman in high school. I've always liked playing sports, but I wasn't particularly good at any of them. So when I started high school, I went into the general PE class. Every Friday we had to run the mile in PE. I was one of about ten girls in my PE class and none of them liked running. I didn't like running either. It was hard. You could choose to run the mile or walk for 20 minutes. Even though I didn't like running, I preferred it over walking. Plus, you couldn't get a full score for walking, so I attempted to get an "A" by trying to run a mile in under 8 minutes. I almost did it once (I think I ran it in 8:05).

Fast forward a few years to my senior year in high school. My first boyfriend was on the cross-country team at Esperanza High School. Being the devoted girlfriend that I was, I attended every single one of his meets during the season. One day, I was over at his house, and he asked me to join him in a quick run. I was not a runner, but decided to join him anyway.

I started running a few times a week after school. I ran the same route in my neighborhood every day. It was exactly one mile and I worked on improving my time. My boyfriend suggested I try to make my runs longer instead of faster.

The track team was beginning their season at school. I had never participated in a sport at school, so I was a little intimidated to join the team. But I did. I approached the track coach and told him I wanted to join the team. My schedule had to be switched around so I could do track during the last period of the day. Before this, I was leaving school early because I didn't have a class during the last period (I was a senior and didn't need the credits). I convinced my friend Kristina to join me in track. We had been running together after school.

And so my running career began. The track team has many different events to do. I join the long distance running team. Mondays were hard days. We would do speed intervals on the track. The rest of the week we would run around the city. I loved these days! I wish I could go back to these track practices. I remember how wonderful it felt to run. I remember how hot it was every day. I remember that I could smell the scent of my conditioner (it was Thermasilk and was heat-activated). I remember that I would run faster to catch up with a boy I was interested in (oh, I wasn't with my boyfriend anymore).

The track team probably had about six or seven track meets during the season. My events were the one-mile (1600) and two-mile (3200), although I preferred the 3200. Usually these two events were spaced out during the event: the 1600 at the beginning and the 3200 at the end. I remember buying special cleats for track. They are tight running shoes with spikes on the bottom. Regular running shoes slip on dirt tracks.

I would braid my hair in two braids for every track meet. I bought special ribbon to tie on my braids. At the time, I had super long hair. I think it almost went down to my waist.

My fastest 1600 race was during a track meet hosted at my high school. I remember my dad being there to see it. I don't know why I remember that, but I just do. My time was 6:33. That still holds as the fastest mile I've ever run in my life. My fastest 3200 was at a different meet. I finished in 14:07. I might be able to beat that time today, but I'm not sure because I don't run 2 mile races.

High school ended, but I kept running. I continued to run around my neighborhood and eventually starting running farther around the city. I never knew how far I ran because this was before GPS watches. I loved running. I loved the feeling it gave me. I loved the runner's high I got after I finished. I loved being alone in my thoughts.

I've always wondered if I would have gotten into running if not for my first boyfriend. Wherever you are, thank you.