by Sylvia Woodham

Created on: September 20, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

I was never a good runner (or athlete for that matter) growing up. The yearly Presidential Fitness tests were agony for me to complete. Whether it was the 600 yard run in elementary school or the 1 mile run in junior high and high school, I did not have the endurance to complete the distance. I never went out for any sport that involved running as a component. My personal preference was swimming, where at least I would be cool, despite the oxygen deficit that accompanies the breathing restriction.

To myself, I think I actually swore that it was never anything I would do voluntarily, and certainly not for fun. I was probably the last person any of my physical education teachers would have expected to show up on campus after graduation and see doing any kind of distance running of my own volition.

However, that was me. My life changed, somehow. It was not always easy for me to run. In college, I developed what the physical therapists called "compartment syndrome." The muscles in my shin were compressing the nerves and blood vessels running through them, cutting off circulation to my feet. If left unchanged, the condition would warrant surgery to relieve the pressure. With a little understanding of physiology and anatomy, the simple solution was discovered that keeping my calves stretched prevented the overworking of the opposing muscle group in my shins.

When I was 20, one of my favorite activities on vacation from school became my 2 hour runs, quite the contradiction from my history with the activity. Discovering a park near my home with a wide, dirt track with a 3 mile loop that allowed for switchbacks and change-up in direction, I discovered with the right soundtrack and a heart-rate monitor, there as nothing else I would rather do.

My father said once that it was called a "runner's high." Whether that was what it was, I discovered that about half an hour, I was warmed up and could fall into a rhythm I could keep going, seemingly indefinitely. Whether it was early in the morning with the fog lifting, or a cool evening, I could settle in to let the music and the rhythm of my stride create a cocoon for me to be with my thoughts undisturbed.

Since then, running has always been with me in one shape or another. When I broke my ankle, it was rehab to rebuild my bone strength. When I decided to start competing again in other sports, it became cross-training. Although I will always prefer the scenery of a course next to a river, even a treadmill has become a familiar destination where I can measure my pace and keep it constant, allowing me to keep track of days when I am tired or stiff, knowing my progress from one week to the next.

Always competitive, I push myself. Running has allowed me a way to do that, wherever I am, whatever the conditions. I know it is always something I have to turn to, like an old friend. I know that when I do, it is a familiar place, a comfortable zone where the other things in life fall into perspective and become clearer. And it is always an added perk when I "run into" cute boys!

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