It's my 1st RUNniversary!

Exactly one year ago, on November 1, 2009, without even planning it,  without really thinking about it, I laced up my sneakers and ran.

I remember doing some mild stretching and then bolted...seriously BOLTED at probably 4:30 min/km.  I know, I know... it's stupid!  I was so clueless at that time.

I didn't know you were supposed to start off with a slow jog before actually picking up the pace.  I just knew I wanted to run.  I ran as fast as I could for 1.3 kilometers.  My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.  That was so weird of me to start my running career with some speedwork!  Hilarious!

So when I got home I started reading some articles online about running.  (Duh!  I really should've done that before actually running, right?).  Wow!  Up to this day I cannot believe how clueless I was.  I didn't know a lot of things.  All I knew back then was that I was in love.  I guess it's that way when you're in love.  You sometimes do the stupidest things until you learn.

I even got injured about a month after I started coz I was so addicted to running, I increased my mileage "too much, too soon".  But I have learned a lot from my mistakes and actually that was what prompted me to start a blog.  You'll never know when another clueless newbie runner like myself would chance upon my blog and learn to NOT to do what I did in the beginning. Ha!

So much has happened in one year.  I can't help but feel a little regretful that I just discovered this wonderful sport now.  I'm not as young as I used to be.  I could've achieved a lot had I started early.  But I still have time.  LOTS of it, God-willing.

Let's see what I have achieved so far...

Race Events Joined: 14 (3 x 5K / 3 x 10K / 1 x 15K / 1 x 16K / 4 x 21K / 2 x aquathlons)
Out of Town Races: 2
Out of the Country Races: 1
Running Shoes Used: 4
Total Mileage: 1,074Km (671.25miles)

These stats don't even measure up to the things that are really of value to me -- what I actually gained, from the friendships to the lessons learned -- IMMEASURABLE! 

Made by my two Mikes

It's day 1 of my Project 30 Days of Thanks I am specifying below the things I am thankful for my 1st year or running:

• I want to thank each and every runner who helped me this whole year.  You know who you are!

• I want to thank all my bloggie friends.  I've learned so much from just reading your posts.

• I want to thank my readers -- for all your wonderful comments.  I hope I was able to help, inspire, motivate, inform and/or entertain you somehow.

• I want to thank all my twitter followers and Facebook contacts for putting up with all my running updates. Haha!

• Lastly, I want to thank the finest coach and best pacer, our God almighty, who gave me these two wonderful legs, paired with a strong heart and willful mind so that I could continue to do what I love to do - Run.

In 5 weeks, I will be doing my very first full marathon.  I believe I have waited long enough and trained well enough.   I am going to run like I've never ran before.  I am going to finish strong.  And then...only then will the REAL celebration begin.  Woohoo!

I promise to share all the juicy details with you.  Not everything that happens in Vegas should stay in Vegas, you know! :p

‎"The beauty of running is its simplicity; the beauty of runners is that we all have a similar drive to improve. We are either trying to run a personal best, or toeing the line for the first time, which will snowball into a future of trying to run personal bests. We road racers are a tight community of mileage-happy, limit-pushing athletes." -- Deena Kastor