I ran track in high school and hated it. I was a two-miler, but didn't receive much coaching. It was the lack of good coaching, I think, that caused me to dislike running. My coaches were good at conditioning, but didn't help me put running in my head. I learned to love running a couple of years later in the Marine Corps. There, I met coaches who loved to run, knew a lot about it, and knew how to get the potential out of a runner. My competitive years were during this time, and the 10K and 3 mile were my races. Now, at forty years old, I run for the fun of it, and love it more than ever. The only time I "race" anymore is against myself. A couple of times a year I'll take out my stopwatch and run a measured distance, but that's about it. Thanks for asking.

In junior high and HS I ran track, but short stuff...100, 200, 4x100, 4x200. I HATED running anything more than a mile. Tried to get back into running a few times as an adult, but it always went the same...try to go and pound out 1-2 miles from day 1, end up in misery, quit. I probably had the wrong shoes, definitely had the wrong medthodology. 2.5 years ago found the Couch-to-5k program. Started running to drop my last 15-20#s....which are still firmly attached, BUT I just ran my first marathon almost a month ago. Most days I do love running. The days that I don't I still get out there, knowing that bad runs are normal, not a message that I should quit.

When I was in junior high, I can remember I was the fastest kid in my class in terms of sprinting. I liked running short distances, but when it came to running "the mile" I had a hard time breathing with my asthma. As I went through high school, I never really enjoyed running and felt handicapped with my asthma. As I've grown older into and out of college, the asthma hasn't bothered me as much, and I've really grown to appreciate running.

I always hated running as a kid. Slowest in the 50 yard dash in 3rd grade or whenever that starts. I would occasionally run around playing tag and stuff and that was ok. I liked soccer but where I grew up that was a boys sport only. Pretty much running or walking had to have a PURPOSE. Junior high I was in a car accident and on crutches for 4 months with damage to the cartilage in my knee and that provided me all the reason to not run I needed for another 15 years. That and sportsbras for the well endowed didnt really exist then. Shortly after moving to Oregon in 1995 (25 years old) I was desperate enough with my weight to try running a little on my lunch time walks and eventually did a 5K and was pseudo hooked. I loved it, but I would still fall off the bandwagon and stop running for 3-6 months and then start again. Did a few 5K's, I think the longest even I did was an 8 miler, but then I did a sprint tri. but shortly after that I stopped running, not sure why. Back then when life got busy, running was first to go. It wasnt until my first kid was born when I was 33 that it became a permanent part of my life. Actually in a ironic twist because I will be the first to advise that people NOT try a marathon too soon or on too low a mileage, it wasnt until I ran my first marathon on dd's 1st birthday (woefully undertrained and injured to the point where I couldnt run for another 8 weeks) that I became committed to running.

Didn't think about running when I was a kid. Sports just wasn't something I was brought up around (other than watching on tv). Didn't even really think about it until 2005. THen it was a way to lose the last few lbs from my last 2 kids. Not sure how or why I signed up to do a marathon about 6 months after I started running however I did. VERY undertrained. Took 6 weeks of afterwards cause of something I had read. I'm still wowed that I'm where I am today and didn't completely blow myself up the first year. I don't think running even became serious for me until after a health scare in 2006. Now it's in my blood and will probably die running.

I ran a little in gym class in school, but there was nothing really available for the girls to do. I'm pre-Title 9 and the powers that be were convinced that if we ran out uteruses would fall out. I've walked a lot over the years and tried running once in awhile, but never could go very far. About 2 1/2 years ago when I was 64, I decided I wanted to do a marathon (and then another marathon) and started training. I still walk more than I run, but I'm getting there. Now I've completed seven marathons, three half marathons and a 5K.

I mocked every moron with sneakers for being dumb enough to run. Boring boring boring. Did that for about 40 years. Who knows why. Shoot me for saying it, but the Ipod makes a world of difference on many a day.