I got tagged....

Thanks to my friend TZ, I’ve been tagged!!! I’ll answer the 5 questions he gave me, and then tag 5 people who I want to know how THEY will answer the same questions. I think it’s a pretty fun way to learn a bit about people you run with (or runners that you know, but don’t run with). We all have a motivation behind our running… What’s yours??

1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?
Well, a few years before that, I ran cross-country and loved it. I then moved to a small school that didn’t have cross-country (or track for that matter). Then my senior year our school started a track team. I’m a distance runner, not a fast runner so I opted for 3200 meter, which equates to about 2 miles. Friends, let me tell you, running 8 laps around a track is NOT FUN. So after the season, I stopped running until a year-and-a-half ago.

2. What was you best and worst run/race experience?
My best race experience was my first ½ marathon. OKC Memorial Marathon in April 2007. It was a beautiful day, I really felt like I accomplished something, I finished strong, and I knew I was hooked! OKC puts on an amazing event for a great cause, and I plan on doing the full marathon in 2010 when they have the 10th anniversary of the race. My worst race experience was my first (and so far only) marathon in November 2007. You can read my previous blog about it here... Marathon Blog

3. Why do you run?
For my health. More for my mental health than my physical health, but it’s all the same in the end! This may sound totally corny, but I feel alive when I run. I feel so at peace with myself, and I am never more aware of my 5 senses than when I run - the rotten egg smell, seeing rollerbladeguy (and wishing I hadn't), the intersting taste of sunscreen and sweat...
I am practically a different person when I run consistently. When I’m not running, I am moody and cranky. I recently took some time off to recover from an injury and general burn-out, and I wouldn’t say that I was depressed, but I was definitely in a funk. Now that I’m running again, I feel much better!

4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you’ve been given about running?
I don’t know that this is necessarily the “best” advice, but it’s definitely my favorite! We have a sports dietician that comes and talks to us about the foods we should be eating during training, and she told us that ½ of our plate at each meal should be carbs. Woohoo!!!! I could live on bread and pasta!!! Another great bit of advice that actually pertains to running is from my fabulous coach, Kathy… You can run a lot farther without getting tired if you run slower. This was hard for me to grasp because I always thought you had to be practically sprinting to consider it a run. Nope – by making yourself slow down and building a good base, you will eventually start running faster.
5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.
I am a distant relative of Laura Ingalls Wilder! I don’t remember exactly, but I believe her Great-Grandfather was my Great (x 4 or 5) Grandfather.

And now that I've done my part, these are the 5 people that I am tagging...

Joye (AKA Mom)
Christa
Susan
Deana
Christin