Hi, my name is Monica, and I just started running. I started this blog to document the journey, and its hardships, to hopefully encourage others to see that running is possible. This blog is also to hold me accountable. :p
I am 20 years old and finishing up my sophomore year in college, anthropology major, writing minor. I got engaged in July 2010, and I am getting married December 17, 2011, to my most amazing fiance, Joseph. Who is also the reason I started running. He has run/does run and enjoys it so I decided to give it a try. I figured it will help me build muscle and lose weight. It also sort of serves as cross training. I also am an Irish dancer. I've been taking Irish dance at the McCafferty School of Irish Dance for about 6.5 years now.
I also have exercise-induced asthma, which makes doing activities such as Irish dance and running somewhat difficult, not impossible, but difficult. Breathing can be difficult, and some days my inhaler doesn't work like one would hope it would. But of course, the very things that might make it easier to breathe cause it to be difficult to breathe. That seems to be how these things work.
I also periodically have shin splints. They flare up after feiseanna (fesh-ahna), which is an Irish dance competition. The hard beating on, usually unsprung, floors usually has my shins very tender for the next 24-48 hours. And I hate ice. >.< They sometimes spontaneously occur, but it is usually after periods of a lot of high impact over a long period of time, i.e. all day.
So I've bought my first pair of running shoes, a pair of very comfy Nikes, and I hope to find a 5K somewhere where everyone gets a prize (medal, ribbon, whatever) to compete in when I get to that point.
