The Story So Far.....

I used to be a runner. In high school I was a sprinter for a couple years and ran cross country in the "off season". I was pretty fast, but never a great athlete and was essentially "barely varsity". In college, I didn't do much running other than taking a Running / Walking class (thankfully, I got an "A").

I went to work after college and, after a while, decided that I wanted to run again. My first time out I was feeling pretty good and was on my way back to my place when "WHAM!", my toe caught the uneven sidewalk and I bruised and skinned up my leg pretty good. That was essentially the end of my running career.

Fast forward 10 years and a couple kids later.... I decided to run a 5k in 2008. I trained for a couple weeks and ran most of it with a bit of walking.... then stopped running. I repeated this in 2009. In 2010, I made a bit better effort, training for a total of about 9 weeks and running three 5k races, each better than the last. Then I went on vacation, got out of my routine and, yes, stopped running.

This year, I started up running again in late February with a greater sense of purpose and determination that this would not be a flirtation but part of a lifestyle change. I can and will be fit. I will become a decent runner and perhaps will evolve to be a good one.  I have been a dedicated runner for about 3 months now and do not intend to waiver in my efforts to improve and to become fit for me and for my family.

That is my running story so far. The "Clippin' Along" thing is an inside "joke" (not really funny though) between my wife and I which I'll let you in on. I used this term when I said that some vehicle was "just clippin' along". She had never heard the term and thought it was pretty dumb. I don't know if it is regional slang, but my mom used it a lot and I followed suit.