Introductions

Hello!

Welcome to my little blog. Perhaps it will grow and people will read (I sure hope!) or perhaps it will serve more as a journal. Only time will tell, but I have lots to share!

My name is Stephanie, better known in the online world as Druzilla ever since I started playing World of Warcraft back in 2005. I'm currently 29 years old, I live in central Pennsylvania and I enjoy long walks on the beach. Not really. I actually usually dislike the beach but that's what people say when they want you to like them, right?

The main inspiration for this blog is running. I am not built for running, let's get that out in the open. I hate physical activity. I've shunned it since I can remember. Gym class? I laugh in the face of gym class, BWA HA HA HA. I was the girl making up t-shirts for my gym basketball team in hopes to get the measly participation points, all the while running away from the ball and hoping to God no one passed it to me.

So why running? Why blog about it?

There are a few reasons I started running. The main inspiration was my fantastic friend Billie asking me to train and run with her in a Disney World race. More on that later, but obviously I said I would. Training began February 22nd, 2014. A little late for New Years resolutions but all things considered, it's the one that's lasted the longest. Secondary reasons are more health related. First, weight. I don't consider myself especially heavy but when I started I was 157 lbs. I had been flirting with that weight all year after moving into my own home. Previously I'd keeping myself around 151 since I got married in 2011. My happy, healthy goal weight is always 135 but it's just so hard to get back to it! I figured adding running to my routine of absolutely nothing exercise related would help with that. Hah. Again, more on that later. The third reason I started running (or the second secondary reason, if you're trying to keep track) is because my husband and I hope to start a family this year and I want to be in better health prior to trying anything like a pregnancy.

So now that you know why running, why blog about it? I have this overwhelming desire to get the word out there, not all runners are amazing. They aren't all skinny. They aren't all fast. They aren't all pain free. I'm living proof. I will tell you, I suck at running but I still call myself a runner. I have all the gear, I go out and run, I walk, I get injured, but I keep going. I'm a runner. At the recommendation of another friend, I started reading Running Like A Girl by Alexandra Heminsley. (See it on Amazon) It's an OK book but I find myself getting actually a bit frustrated with her. The first quarter or so of the book is about her training for the London Marathon. Sure, her first couple of runs sounded like mine. Pain, limp, don't let anyone see you walk! But then her progress takes off, and suddenly she's there six months later ready to run her marathon. I won't include any spoilers here in case you want to read too, but she doesn't really complain about the running or the distance at all. She talks about hitting her wall, as I understand most if not all runners do in a full marathon... but she talks as though the first half of the marathon, all 13 miles, were a breeze. Honey, I've been training 6 months myself now and I can't run a full mile. I run, I walk, I run again... and at the end of the day I'm darn pleased when I come home with an overall pace of 15 minutes. My furthest distance to date is almost 7 miles and that included a LOT of walking. I can't imagine a marathon at this point, much less the half marathon looming over me in October. Again, more on that later but my point is:

Not everyone is a born runner. But you can do it. So I'm here to tell you the ins and outs of my running struggles. Perhaps I can give someone else the hope I was looking for in this book.

I hope you stick around and enjoy this time with me. Welcome!