I'm Getting Back into Running!

Running!  Yay!

I've been an on-again, off-again runner for the past two years or so.  It all started when I decided to train for my first (and only so far) race, a 5K in April of 2012.  I took to the Couch-to-5K running plan that was a big craze back then.  What a cool concept!  Couch-to-5K was great for me because I really needed something to keep me on track and make me feel like I was actually accomplishing something.  Each week I completed, I discovered I was a stronger runner than I thought and was one step closer to running a 5K!  3.2 miles was a daunting task, but eventually I was able to run (a walk a little) in my first 5K!  It got me excited about running, but life happened and to be honest, I got a little depressed and lazy after graduating college.  I graduated in May of 2012 and found myself no longer a student and unemployed.  You would think that I would have plenty of time to go out and run but I honestly felt so bad about my predicament that I couldn't get the motivation to start something and stick to it.  This became a pattern for me over the past 18 months.  It seems that when you have nothing to work towards, sometimes the things that make you the happiest fall to the wayside.

That all changed over this past summer.  I rediscovered my deep love for my job as a National Park Ranger.  In March, I went back to the best job I can imagine for me.  It was a seasonal position with the National Park Service with the Cape Hatteras National Seashore at Bodie Island Lighthouse, a job I have had for three summers prior to this one.  It's a job I adore.  It's a job I'm good at.  It's the job I'm meant to do.  This summer made me realize that there are still things to look forward to when it comes to my career.  My anti-climatic college graduation left much to be desired, but I'm so lucky to have been invited back to the NPS this summer.  It was a breath of fresh air that I needed.  It may sound silly that this was what I needed to get back into running, but it's true.

So here I am, running again.  It's something I am passionate about.  Something I enjoy doing.  Something I plan to keep up with!  I even plan to run another race in the Spring!

What motivates you?  Do you like to run?  What do you run for?