When did you fall in love?

With running, that is. When did it click with you? At what instance did you realize that you had fallen for running, were determined to become a runner and run in road races? In short, when did the warm fuzzies for running begin? For me it was last spring. I had just returned to running for health matters and I can recall now that there was something of a courtship that occurred during those early days. Was running “right” for me? Did I see this relationship growing? Did I still get those excited feelings when it was time to run? Now, don’t get me wrong. I still love running and most of my struggle is geting up at insanely early hours to get runs in (4:50 AM insane!) But once on the road, I am in my own world or some podcaster’s world and love it.

But when I look back on those early days of running I recall a distinctly good feeling about what I was doing–an attraction, even. It was brand new. I scoured the internet reading all sorts of running blogs and web sites. I subscribed to Runners World! When I fall for something, and get really into it, I devour information, ask tons of questions, observe runners, their attire, gear, their habits. It all seems old hat now, but ten it was fresh, new, and yes, a bit seductive.