I am a Runner.

Well that took a little while, didn't it?

I am a runner.

At this point in time last year I had registered for a 5K and was running a mile or so on the treadmill every once in awhile. If I was feeling super ambitious then I was running one entire lap around my apartment complex.

I had no idea that I was about to set out to complete ten 5Ks and one 10K over the next 11 months.

I had no idea I was going to register for a half marathon this coming December.

I had no idea that there would be some days that I'd actually want to run.

I had no idea there would be some days that I'd actually need to run.

I had no idea what running would bring to my life or how it would change it.

Last year, I had no idea that the Boston Marathon was being run until the news reports started flowing in about the bombing. That Monday had been just like every other day up until that point. Even in the days and weeks afterwards, as the coverage continued, it was just another national news event to me in a town that I've never been to and about people I had never known.

Thank you, 118th Boston Marathon, for making me finally feel like a runner yesterday.

Don't get me wrong, I have no idea what it feels like to run a marathon. But I do know what it feels like to run a 5K and a 10K. I know the butterflies you get before the race begins. I know the moments that your body says to quit running but your head and heart are telling you otherwise. I know the feeling you get when you turn the corner and you see the finish line. I know how it feels when there are people at the finish line {and anywhere else on the course} cheering you on as you run. I know how it feels to be a part of the running community.

After watching the marathon yesterday? Well, there's really no way that I can claim to still not be a runner. That's a community I want to be a part of and that I am a part of.

I am a runner!