Hi, I'm Holly, and I might just be crazy!

In high school, I quit the soccer team because I hated running.

Perhaps the name of this blog gave it away, but things have changed. 

I would never have believed I would become a runner. I always thought a runner was somebody who eagerly bounced out of bed at 4:30 a.m., threw on his/her running shoes and skipped out the door, grinning in anticipation of the upcoming 10-mile jog. 

I thought these people were all designed to run and that it came easily. I thought these people would rather run than do anything else in the world. I thought these people were crazy. 

Now, at age 29, I have three marathons, seven half-marathons, three 15Ks, and a handful of both 10Ks and 5Ks under my belt ... and many more races on the way. 

It never occurred to me that people might actually have to work to become a runner. I learned that I am definitely not the runner I mentions above. There are days that I get really excited about running, but there are also days that I absolutely dread running. And, I can count the number of 4:30 a.m. runs I've done on one hand, with fingers to spare.

I am, by no means, an expert. I took to treadmill running during college in a blatant effort to avoid the freshman 15 and actually — gasp — began to love running. If you were to tell this to 17-year-old me, you would have definitely been laughed at, probably followed with an exaggerated eye roll and a "whatever." Yes, I was that girl. 

My first race was in 2005, when my then boyfriend (now fiance), Terry, convinced me to run the Bolder Boulder 10K with him. I agreed to do the race, not even batting an eyelash at the elevation of the course, which reaches nearly 5,400 feet. 

We finished the race at 57:59. I didn't really understand — or care about, for that matter — the hype that surrounded race times. For me, the desire to finish a race in a decent amount of time has only recently surpassed the desire to finish the race period. Now, I'm in awe of the elite runners, who can finish a 10K in half an hour without even having to spend the rest of the day in the medical tent. 

The following year, I began training for the craziest race yet — motherhood. It's by far the best job I've ever had! My son Luke is now 5. He is tons of fun, but he tends to cut into my training schedule a bit. Throw in a full-time job and I'm spent! But, I guess he's worth it. 

            Just look at this face ...      

... and he loves his mama, too!

The most important thing I've learned while juggling my family, my job and my training schedule over the past few years is that it can be done. Sure I might miss a couple runs here and there, or even a couple hours of sleep, but it can be done. 

I've also learned that I've come to depend on running in an attempt to maintain some sort of sanity in my crazy life. My runs are reserved as my "me time." When I miss a run or two, I tend to get a bit cranky. Now, there are days that running comes easily to me. There are days when I'd rather run than do anything else in the world. And there are days that I'm pretty sure I'm crazy!