To Run Deliberately: A Bildungsroman

My earliest running memory is also my best dam running story.  I ran with my Dad in the Best Dam Race in Georgia, a mile fun run across the West Point Lake Dam near my hometown of LaGrange, GA.  All I remember was by the end of the "race" I was so tired I would only run if I was in danger of being passed by a female.  Thankfully my competitive spirit has evolved past gender dependence.

My running career slowly and unintentionally progressed.  I started playing team sports in middle and high school which taught me that running was a form of punishment and a couple of 5 and 10k races early in high school led me to one short season running cross country senior year.  My one crowning achievement during this period other than a couple PRs was a letter of interest from Warren-Wilson College's Cross Country Coach.  The letter was generic and most likely not based on my athletic abilities but it provided me as much joy as any college acceptance letter I received that year.

I got inspired to start running in college as part of a Health/Wellness extra credit assignment.  The requirement was to set a health related goal and document your progress for 6 weeks.  My goal was to run Georgia Tech's Pi Mile 4 times a week, not a lofty goal as I had stayed active, but it was my first time running consistently in 2 years, so it took effort.  At the time most of my motivation came from the ear buds of my iPod with little aspirations past the end of 6 weeks.  Long story short I learned how much running helped me cope with stress and I started to enjoy lengthening my runs and seeing new areas around Atlanta.

I continue to enjoying running farther and faster but I want to use it to see new areas of the world.  My intent with this bog is to do just that document the places I run and the things I learn.  Hopefully it helps to expand my opportunities.  I cannot tell what role running will play throughout my life, hobby or even vocation but regardless of the result "I wish to (run) deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."