*in honor of National Running Day*
I overheard someone at yoga today talking about how a friend "does yoga to run." And I thought that makes sense. I enjoy yoga, and it makes me feel good, but it started as a way to stretch myself out so that I was running better.
My first memory of being a runner was elementary school. Our gym teacher decided she wanted to coach a track team. My dad was already a marathoner at this time, and little 11 year old Laney thought this sounded like a great idea.
It wasn't what you call a true track meet, but it sparked my love for competitive running. Truthfully, I hated running the mile though. That President's test -- was my worst nightmare. I was a "sprinter."
In middle school, I became a full-fledged track runner. I ran the 200M dash, the 4X100 relay, the 4x200 relay and what became my favorite race...the 100M hurdles. I felt like some sort of graceful animal, like a gazelle, leaping over the hurdles. 
In high school, I broke up with running for volleyball and the newspaper. I couldn't do it all, and unlike volleyball, running deserved a commitment that I couldn't make. After that running became a way to "get my cardio in." I had no problem running on the treadmill for 30 minutes, and would head out for a run with a sorority sister -- never more than 3 miles.
I was first introduced to a true running community when I was living in NYC. There were so many races to choose from. And I became a competitive runner again.
I may dabble in other exercise trends -- P90X, yoga, barre, and spinning -- running is my true love.
