Ten years ago, I started a journey that would change my life forever. I started running in January 2008. It was a miserable experience, I can't lie! Fifteen laps on the track made a mile. After three I thought I was going to die. In March 2008 I signed up for a 5k and in April I was toeing the line at the 2008 Cary Road Race. What I remember most from that experience is never wanting to do it again. Haha.... Who was I kidding? Two months later I was signed up for the Race for the Cure in Raleigh and I was hooked. I discovered a community that I loved being a part of. Runners are a special breed. It's hard to put it into words but I felt like I belonged. As years passed I would fall back on running as a way to meet people when I moved to a new city. The runners in Greenville became my first "family" and I would rely on them to get me through the pain of moving.
Fast forward to Saturday, April 14th, also known as MY BIRTHDAY!! Adam and I got to wake up at 7:45am which is LATE for a race, but this race doesn't start until 9:30am. When we made it to Cary we went to packet pickup and got everything I needed for the race. We looked for coffee and I got ready to start warming up. It was a different course that I had ran 10 years ago, but the whole point of this race was to celebrate both turning 36, and the anniversary of running my first ever 5k. I wore my birthday crown headband and my funny KALE tank top and smiled the whole way. I talked to a few people along the race course and shouted out THANK YOU to everyone who said "Happy Birthday!!" I felt like a celebrity. That's just how you SHOULD feel on your birthday! Towards the end of the race someone shouted "Here comes Queen Kale!" I love the name so much that I'm thinking of using it from now on to sign off on my blog, email, YouTube channel, and everything else. I'm also thinking about getting this tank top in other colors. It can be my signature race tank! Thank you, stranger!
I'm not sure that I will do this race again next year, but I certainly enjoyed getting to run this time for the celebration of it all. I didn't run a PR, but that didn't matter. This race holds a special pace in my heart. You truly never know how your life will change until you take a chance, no matter how crazy it seems!
A huge thank you to Adam for always supporting me, waking up early on weekends, and holding my gear while I run. This wouldnt be as much fun without you!
-Queen Kale (Yep, I like it!)
Fast forward to Saturday, April 14th, also known as MY BIRTHDAY!! Adam and I got to wake up at 7:45am which is LATE for a race, but this race doesn't start until 9:30am. When we made it to Cary we went to packet pickup and got everything I needed for the race. We looked for coffee and I got ready to start warming up. It was a different course that I had ran 10 years ago, but the whole point of this race was to celebrate both turning 36, and the anniversary of running my first ever 5k. I wore my birthday crown headband and my funny KALE tank top and smiled the whole way. I talked to a few people along the race course and shouted out THANK YOU to everyone who said "Happy Birthday!!" I felt like a celebrity. That's just how you SHOULD feel on your birthday! Towards the end of the race someone shouted "Here comes Queen Kale!" I love the name so much that I'm thinking of using it from now on to sign off on my blog, email, YouTube channel, and everything else. I'm also thinking about getting this tank top in other colors. It can be my signature race tank! Thank you, stranger!
I'm not sure that I will do this race again next year, but I certainly enjoyed getting to run this time for the celebration of it all. I didn't run a PR, but that didn't matter. This race holds a special pace in my heart. You truly never know how your life will change until you take a chance, no matter how crazy it seems!
A huge thank you to Adam for always supporting me, waking up early on weekends, and holding my gear while I run. This wouldnt be as much fun without you!
-Queen Kale (Yep, I like it!)
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