One of Three

Hi, I'm Courtney I'm a 29 year old mama of four little ones I've been married for just over 11 years and shabby chic is probably a good way to describe me. I'm a little bit country a little bit rock and roll too. Growing up I dreamed of climbing trees and certainly would have had I not lived in the rather flat plains of Texas. I thought broken arms and black eyes were cool though I would leave frog catching up to my sisters. I got along easily with the boys but thought my girlfriend friendships were a bit more work. I played baby dolls and rode my bike everyday. I was willing to take risks and usually had a skinned  knee or elbow to prove it. I wanted to grow up and have a fat bald baby of my own.

I had four of them. I spend my days trying to educate and entertain them. My runs are like mini vacations where only grown ups come. I run to reclaim my after baby body,I run to set an example,I run to support good causes.

I run for...fun? It's always fun before talking,stretching,figuring out a strategy to beat a time or go a certain distance. It's always fun after. Feeling good that you stuck with it and finished. Getting that runner's high,feeling energized. I don't know if it's fun during. It's hard. You argue with yourself who wants to quit and yourself who refuses to give up.

Ugh a hill. Just dig in don't slow down. I can't breath. Yes, you can. You are. I'm just going to slow down,take a break. Don't let that lady pass you it's hard for her too. What am I doing? I don't like running. Just imagine the end.

If you have running buddies sometimes they can read your mind. When you are thinking about stopping they say "Come on,almost there" and then you just go.

I first tried running in the months before my wedding. To get in shape. (Insert eye roll) I'm not sure what my 117lb self was shooting for,116lbs? I never thought of myself as a runner but was always looking for chances to run. After I got married and moved miles away I was too scared to run alone in a strange neighborhood. We made several moves and ended up in our small town where we still call home. Soon after moving here I began working out in our apartment's clubhouse and met Missy.

I tried running around our parking lot but after a strange encounter with a man appearing around every turn one night I cut that idea short. I joined a gym and did everything from spin class to weights. I even gave Tae Kwon Do a turn. When I did do those things I did them consistently but my pregnancies interrupted each time. Almost always I worked out with Missy, when I became pregnant she would continue and I would join back up with her after the baby came. I ran one summer with my brother when he came to stay with us and broke my old records with I think a whole whopping mile. Most recently my sister-in-law Abbie mentioned she would like to run and I was all over that. We even woke up early to do it. :) When Missy found out what we were up to she wanted to join and so we bumped our morning alarms up some and moved our runs from Abbie's clubhouse to outside.

The rest is history.

Courtney