Happy New Year!

Three months late, I should say. Entering the blog world is something I've been meaning to do since, well, January. My profile says I'm a procrastinator. The fact I'm tackling a New Year's Resolution in March really should give me some credibility.

I began 2007 more determinedly than any other year before. I blame it on 2006's Christmas letter-writing episode. (Sidenote: since this is my introduction to the RBF, I should establish that I really hate, hate, hate Christmas letters. I find them generic. But, as I get older and friends/family disperse all over this country, I realize it's not easy staying in tune with everyone's lives. Unfortunately, the typewritten, mass-produced Christmas letter is about the only annual connection we can count on.)

My problem, beyond the fact that I was relegating myself to the Christmas-letter clique, was that I had literally nothing interesting to report. Reading everyone elses proclomations of marriage, engagements, babies, new houses, etc ... seemed to confirm my fear that I was one boring chica in '06.

It's not that I didn't try - my biggest accomplishment, by far, was becoming a runner. In my childhood and throughout high school, I was a hard-core swimmer. I was good, and I was obsessive about training. I was used to pushing my body's limits, but this water baby was also very afraid of land. Running freaked me out. It hurt my legs, my lungs, my everything. I didn't understand why anyone would choose to run when gliding through the water was so much more fun.

Then, I turned 26. I hadn't exercised to the point of pain in many years. I was ready to test my limits, so I tackled running. I started on a Hal Higdon program, run 30 seconds/walk 30 seconds and worked up to a few miles.... Last weekend, I ran my first 5K and finished in 30:14! Next month, I'm onto a 10K and, I hope, by the end of the year I can say I'm a marathon FINISHER.

I know there's a lot to be said for being boring; in many ways, that means my life was relatively calm and stable in '06. But I want more than that. I want the ups and downs that make a life interesting, and I want something to be proud of when I sit down to pound out the '07 synopsis.

This isn't about impressing other people, though. It's really about impressing myself. I'm soon-to-be 27 years old; I've settled into a comfortable lull since college and am ready to turn the heat back on. It's time to pressure my body, my brain, my resolve the way I used to take pride in. I hope that keeping this blog will serve a few purposes: First, it will keep me honest. (No lying about training to a bunch of fellow runners who are out there pounding the pavement every day.) Second, it should give me a stronger connection to the running community. I already am addicted to reading running blogs. Now I hope to use my own rantings to form an actual connection with fellow runners and people who share my interest. I have come a long way, but I still have a lot to learn, and I hope some of you out there can help with that.

I'll end with a promise: none of my posts will be as long as this one! I'm excited; it's my first go at the blog world and I feel like I need to get everything out. I should remember there are many days, and many miles, to come ...