Personal Trainer, at your service

A neighbor called me today because she is starting on a running program and wants my help. Another neighbor did the same thing two weeks ago. If you knew me "back in the day" (and by that I mean last year or 6 months ago), it will strike you as funny (funny-strange, not funny-chuckle) that people would call me for athletic advice. Because I'm so not athletic. I never played an organized sport as a child. I didn't even have physical education class until 7th grade. At that point, I think it was too late. P.E. was total torture. I couldn't hit, I couldn't catch. Whiffle ball was a nightmare. Don't even ask me about dodge ball. I'd be THAT KID----always the last picked for teams. It was humiliating.

So, since I finally took up exercise at age 32 and running right before turning 37, people seem to have a misperception of me. Just because I run, doesn't mean I run well! I'll never be the fastest, the one with the most endurance, or even the one with the most heart (if I get tired, I stop and walk a while).

I participate in races almost every month, but I'm not "in it to win it." It's just a new life experience that I kind of enjoy. Sometimes. Plus, it's a neat little community. We're runners (ok, I'm mostly a jogger). We wear cool little numbers pinned on our shirts. We drink cups of water while in motion, then throw them on the ground. We get to cross a finish line. In life, how many finish lines do we really have the opportunity to cross? I think it's worth it to seek them out.