I started running back in 2004 during my college years. I was extremely over weight and wanted a change so I started portioning my food and running. I couldn’t even run a mile when I started, but then wound up training for my very first 5k race, Fifth Third River Bank Run.
From then on, my running became very inconsistent over the years. I would go for very long periods where I was running 6 days a week to not running at all for several months. The winter months are definitely some of the hardest months to keep motivated to run outdoors.
In April of 2016, I decided that I was going to make a goal to challenge myself to make it through those tough winter months when there is 6 plus inches of snow. I challenged myself to run a half marathon a month for an entire year.
When April 2017 came around, my best friend (who was also participating in this challenge) and running partner moved 1 hour south. This made it harder and less convenient to meet for runs. I wanted to challenge myself to another year of running a half marathon a month because I knew I needed a goal to keep me motivated. Even though I thought I could run on my own, I was becoming increasingly lackadaisical about completing my training runs. I knew I needed to do something but I wasn’t sure what.
One Monday I was on lunch break and opened an email from Gazelle Sports. It was about a “**Last Chance** Summer Run Camp sign-up.” I inquired, got some questions answered and I was invited to check out the group that Wednesday night. I instantly knew that the Priority Health/Gazelle Sports Summer Run Camp was exactly what I needed in regards to accountability. Run camp helped me immensely in regards to being dedicated and becoming a stronger and faster runner. Not to mention all the great friends I have made along the way.
This April is my two year mark of completing 24+ half marathons in just 24 months. Did I mention that I run for the bling? No medal, no thanks.