Roughly 17 months.....

17 months ago, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. I was surprised because it had always been good - I even remember my doctor asking me if I was a runner one time because it was good. Alas, at that time, I was not.

So what could I do to change it and keep it in control? I decided to join a marathon training group here in Columbus thru Fleet Feet which is a running/walking store. I have to throw in walking there because that is what I decided to do. I started out thinking a 12 minute mile was pretty reasonable and I could do that. Little did I know how fast that really is! That summer, I was distracted a lot from training because my dad had a stroke from his undetected high blood pressure but I still kept with it and walked my first half marathon - the 30th Annual Nationwide Better Health Marathon & Half Marathon. I met 2 wonderful ladies I am still friends with today and we all agreed to walk the race together - walk together, restroom pitstop together, and finish together. It was awesome. We finished that inaugural race in 3 hours & 16 minutes and 58 seconds. Okay, okay, 3 hours 17 minutes.....but we were at about a 15:03 pace. It was an awesome experience and I was bitten by a bug! I set goals for 2010 and one of them was to complete 2 half marathons during the year......little did I know that I'd complete 3 but I am getting to that!

Following that, we all joined for winter training. Our next race was to be in May but I couldn't do the same one as the group because I was going to be in Costa Rica that day. I know, I know, a rough life. I signed up for the Cleveland Half Marathon. Pamela, one of the women I walked the first half with agreed to join me in Cleveland and we had a great time! My goal for the race was to trim some of the time off of my Columbus time and I did! I finished in 3 hours, 10 minutes & 59 seconds! This was a 14:34 minute pace! I was riding pretty high and had no idea I could get better. Pamela & I decided to sign up for the Virginia Beach Rock & Roll Half Marathon which is Labor Day weekend every year.

More training ensued throughout the summer with us spending a lot of time at MIT's mid-week speed workouts. They were awesome........some times difficult, but awesome just the same. VA Beach came up and it was an awesome race. Hot, but awesome!! I had an issue with water during mile 11-13 but I still finished with a new personal best: 2 hours, 59 minutes & 19 seconds!! Which works out to a 13:41 minute per mile pace. I was elated and had no idea I could do so well. Pamela, Jim & I all had great races and enjoyed our time in VA Beach. Next up was the Columbus Half, about 6 weeks after VA Beach.

I had realized that when I finished the Columbus Half, it would be 4 half marathons in a year's period. I was proud of that accomplishment and realized that I'd have to race it to challenge myself to see if I can better my 2009 time. I did! The same course and I finished in 2 hours 54 minutes and 13 seconds - which equated to a 13:18 second mile!!!! It was a great race and I was proud to finish faster than I had before.

What have I learned this year? I can do anything I put my mind to. I am stronger than I thought I was and I love the thrill of racing. I also thought about my father who passed away on April 13th and how proud he would have been. I remember telling him about the training before he had his stroke and he was excited for me - encouraging me to walk because it was good for you. I am sad because he never really got a chance to share in my successes with me but I know he saw it all.

Time to plan my 2011 training goals now........not sure what they will include but I am thinking more half marathons of course!! Maybe another one or 2 out of town at least? I've made some great friends through training and I am looking forward to working with all of them in 2011 to hit all of our goals.

Hi, my name is Laurie and I was bullied.......

I was reading this week's article about bullying in People magazine and it brought back my own memories of being bullied in the 8th grade. I was moving from my mom's to my dad's - traumatic enough - and I remember making a few friends right away at school. I had a girl over for a sleepover and she started naming girls at school & asked if I liked them. I think I'd been in school a whole month. I didn't even really know who she was talking about. She wrote stuff down and took it to school with her. She showed it to these girls and an entire year of harassment ensued. Think being followed, being jumped by the girls and just general taunts. And the problems it caused me at home?? Don't even get me started. Somehow in the midst of all of it, I still made friends that I still have today and who never believed I did all the things this girl said I did. I even later became "friends" with the girls who had taunted me. I was lucky - I survived.

If the internet had been the way it is today, I am not sure what I would have done or what would have happened to me. These kids reacted in the best way they knew how. I can't get over what happened to Tyler Clementi, Phoebe Prince and the countless others. It's the worst possible thing I can imagine. I am not a parent but I can imagine how difficult and challenging raising children in this time is. Hats off to my friends who are. I commend you.