Running Changes Everything

That's me and mentor Angela rounding the first mile of the time trial this morning – in the pouring rain! "You know you're a real runner when you just run through the puddles," she told me. We were all squishing in our shoes by the end!

Today I celebrate my most proud running achievement yet.

I began the No Boundaries 2.0 program at Fleet Feet today, and we had time trials this morning to place us in pacing groups. With the help of mentor Angela, I was able to run two miles in 27 minutes 53 seconds, which means I ran sub-14 minute miles. It's something I never, ever imagined I would be able to do at this point. On top of that, we all ran those two miles in the pouring rain.

I am so grateful to everyone in the program who knew I could handle this next step in my running journey, especially my running pal Amy. We ran together yesterday and I was still debating on whether to join 2.0 or do a repeat of the Learn to 5K program. She helped me make the decision to move forward to reach my goals, not step back into something comfortable and familiar. Yes, 2.0 is going to be hard, but I'm not going to make progress unless I push myself to the next level. I have to do the work!

After today, I no longer doubt that I can do it!

"Running Changes Everything" is the motto on our program t-shirts, but it's also so much more than that.