"If you run, you are a runner"

I used to run 2-3 miles a few times a week during Grad School.  When I graduated, I fell out of the "habit".  I only thought of it as exercise or a stress-reliever; I don't think I truly enjoyed it.
Fast forward to 2012. I started reading motivational quotes and bookmarking motivational images. I wanted to get back into exercising, but I didn't know if running would be the way I did it. In mid-January, I discovered that my big doggy likes to run. We were walking together when she started pulling at the leash quite hard.  I started jogging and she jogged too.  The next day I took her again for a jog. She just pulled me along, motivated me, and distracted me from the effort I was having to put into it. As nice as it was to have her as a partner, there were many problems with having a dog as a running partner. She barked at every dog in sight and some people too. She frequently stopped to bark or sniff or go to the bathroom. She can't pace herself, so I was unable to pace myself. Sometimes she'd just jut out in front of me and I'd have to stop to avoid tripping over her. One day, she pushed me off the sidewalk and I twisted my ankle. I knew the days of us running together would have to come to an end.  My first day running without her was quite the challenge. It felt so much more difficult without her tugging me along. It's been a few weeks now, though, and I'm pushing myself to go farther and faster each time. And, more importantly, I'm truly enjoying myself. Today I woke up and was ready to run! I ran 5 miles in 60 minutes. That's 12 min/mile. I'm really proud of myself.
Not so proud of tripping over a sidewalk crack and completely eating concrete, but that's beside the point. (I'm a klutz, what can I say?) The best part was that I got back up and kept going for the last 10 minutes.

Battle wounds: My knee and leg banged up after taking a spill. :( The white spot just above the cut is a scar from falling off my bike when I was a teenager- See? Klutz.

John Bingham is a motivational speaker, author, and runner. Need some inspiration to get moving? I recommend visiting his website or blog. *You could also just keep following my blog, as I have much more to come! ;)

(Image from Pinterest) I love this quote!

I'm always hesitant to say I'm a runner. I typically think of people who run 10+ miles and races and look like this:

(Image from movingcomfort.com) I definitely don't look like her!

This quote from Mr. Bingham makes me so much more confident in my abilities. I am a runner. :)