The Well-Read Runner

The Well-Read Runner is a weekly Sunday feature that began here when I started training for the Mystic Half Marathon on March 8, 2015.  At first, I only planned to keep it until I finish the half marathon...and then, it stayed.  For all my running and reading friends, this feature is for you!

My running history is...interesting.  I hated running.  Like, for a long time.  My primary sport for most of childhood/adolescence was softball, and one day when he was making us run never-ending sprints, I told my coach that I played softball because you get to run 60 feet and then stop.  Yeah, I hated running.

Then I went to college.  I ate a lot of late-night chicken wings and drank a lot of cheap beer.  I graduated heavier than when I started.  I needed a way to get in shape that did not require a team sport (because let's face it, getting a softball team together when you're working 9-5 is not the easiest).  So with more than a little disdain, I got on the treadmill at my local gym.

When I started in 2006, I couldn't run one mile without stopping midway through to huff and puff and walk for a bit.  But I kept going.  And after a while...I got better.  Who would have thought?  I stuck with it, and the following year, I tried my first 5K.  I loved it.

And so it goes.

You can check out my weekly training recaps for the Mystic Half so far here:
Intro
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11

And here's a list of my past races and race times (PR's in bold):

2007
Freihofer's Run for Women 5K (Albany, NY)  32:47

2008
Freihofer's Run for Women 5K (Albany, NY)  29:57
Boilermaker 15K (Utica, NY)  1:44:41

2009
Run for the ROC 5K (Saratoga Springs, NY)  27:58

2010
Freihofer's Run for Women 5K (Albany, NY)  29:58
Tri-City ValleyCats Home Run 5K (Troy, NY)  30:16
Run for the ROC 5K (Saratoga Springs, NY)  28:45

2011: no racing, had a baby!

2012
Freihofer's Run for Women 5K (Albany, NY)  28:10
Dunkin' Run 10K (Albany, NY)  57:17

2013: no racing, had another baby!

2014
Seneca Park Zoo Jungle Jog 5K (Rochester, NY)  28:25
Rochester Half Marathon (Rochester, NY)  2:21:12
East Avenue Grocery Run 5K (Rochester, NY)  27:02

2015
Winter Warrior Half Marathon (Rochester, NY)  ran 2 legs of a 5-leg relay, team time 2:00:42
Hearts of Iron 5K (Rushville, NY)  27:50 (3rd in age group)
GLCC Wavy Waters 10K (Geneva, NY)  55:55 (2nd in age group)
Mystic Half Marathon (Mystic, CT)  2:14:07
Shoreline 5K (Hamlin, NY)  27:18
Vino and the Beasts 5K Obstacle Run (Geneva, NY)  53:43
Summerfest 5K (Pittsford, NY)  26:24 (2nd in age group)
Monster Scramble 10K (Rochester, NY)  59:29

2016
Winter Warrior Half Marathon (Rochester 4 Seasons Challenge #1)  2:05:11
Flower City Half Marathon (Rochester 4 Seasons Challenge #2)  2:05:09
Right to Run 19K (Seneca Falls, NY)  1:55:36
Shoreline Half Marathon (Rochester 4 Seasons Challenge #3)  2:16:14
Brindley Beach Lighthouse 5K (Corolla, NC)  27:27 (2nd in age group)
Rochester Half Marathon (Rochester 4 Seasons Challenge #4)  2:23:17

2017
Spring Forward 15K (Pittsford, NY)  1:27:03