I started running in 2005.  I didn’t know much about it.  I knew one other person that ran (he worked with me).  My friends that run now, didn’t run before.  I remember going to races and I didn’t know anybody there.  Fast forward many years later, and I know so much more about running and more of my friends are runners now.  On race day I would always see someone I knew.  Sigh, cannot wait till I can race again.

I am pleased with how things have turned out.  I’ve run many races and have met many wonderful runners.  However, if I could go back in time, there are a few things I would tell my younger self.

✔️ Be ready to invest good money for shoes, clothes, and gear.   Running stuff is not cheap.  Do you have to spend $150 for a pair of shoes?  No, but there is a difference between spending that amount of money versus $50.  However, there are a few instances in which you will find some great deals.  I remember a few years ago I bought some Brooks shoes that were on sale and they were around $60.

✔️ Make sure it is fun.  It was within these past few years that I finally realized it.  Running is a hobby and not a job.  When running is no longer fun, it feels like a burden.  There is no joy so what’s the point?

✔️ Don’t compare yourself to others.  It is very easy to do it, but one of the worst things a runner can do.  Comparing yourself to others will not make you feel better.  On the contrary, it will make you feel worse.  I don’t do that anymore because sometimes it would make me envious of others instead of being happy for them.

✔️ Never say never.  I remember saying that I would never run an ultramarathon.  It my mind 26.2 miles was more than enough.  Why go longer than that?  Eventually I did get the itch to run more than that.  Ha, I didn’t run just one ultramarathon, I did two.  Now I am thinking of doing another one in the next couple of years.

✔️ Don’t run all of the races and have a goal or goals.  In the beginning I would sign up for whatever race I could find.  It was in 2012 that I decided to run a half marathon in each state.  By then I had run about 20 half marathons.  Then about 2 years ago I decided to work on speed and get some PRs.  The ones I have now are a few years old and it is time for some new ones.  

I am not saying that any of these are “wrong”.  I am just saying that if I knew those things, then I would have done things a bit different.  But then maybe that’s how it was supposed to happen?  Life is weird.  🙂 What running advice would you give to your younger self?

Thanks for linking up with us again this week!  We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts, and we are ready to link up every Friday to share YOUR weekly fitness favorites!  Join hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday!  Please add your link below.

Happy Friday!  Friday is my favorite day of the week.  Every other Friday it is payday for me.  Currently, our students are in school till 11:30 am and the rest of the day they have asynchronous work.  That will change on 3/22 with the new hybrid schedule.  Monday will be how our current Friday is now.   We’ll see how that goes.

Anyway, I love taking pictures.  Right now I have almost 6,000 pictures stored in my phone.  Many are duplicates since I need to get the right one.  🙂 I take pictures of things I see on my runs, my students, my cats, and my mom.

Let me share with you 5 of those pictures from this week.

📷 I took this Peloton running class on Tuesday and just thinking about it makes me smile.  Since there are so many classes I have not taken, my plan is not to take any class twice.  I may make an exception here.  I had so much fun with Chase and the playlist was amazing.  In 45 minutes I listened to 10 songs (1 from each year) while learning something interesting about each song.  I highly recommend it! 

📷 I ran in shorts!  It made me so happy.  I wore one of my newest Oiselle shorts.  It was warm but very windy.  I also felt very tired (have not been sleeping well) and ran for 20 minutes.  

📷 I’ve mentioned that Lola and Mateo do not get along.  It is very rare to see them together.  I was in bed reading and Lola joined me.  Then Mateo came along.  Lola did not move and Mateo got comfortable.  I’d say too comfortable.  I don’t know how long they stayed like that because in the morning they were both gone.

📷 This reminds me of the hours and days spent last year on the balcony with my mother.  Did we enjoy being stuck inside the house?  No, but we made the best of it.  We ate, drank coffee, talked, people watched, and listened to music.  You bet I am looking forward to it again this year!

📷 Yesterday right before lunch my students asked me if we could have lunch together.  It made me feel really good and made me smile.  I thought that for sure they would be tired of being with me.  I guess not.  

Thanks for linking up with us again this week!  We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts, and we are ready to link up every Friday to share YOUR weekly fitness favorites!  Join hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday!  Please add your link below.

In five years it will be 2026.  Nothing wrong with thinking ahead.  Things definitely will be better than how they are now, right?  I thought it would be fun and interesting to write about where I see myself in 5 years.  Keep on reading to find out.  🙂

🟣 I hope that I will still be running.  I won’t stop unless it is absolutely necessary.  Hopefully in 5 years I would have completed my goal to run a half marathon in each state.  Hopefully I would have run another marathon or a 50K.  I’ve run two 50Ks and my finish time from my second one is worse than my first one.  Yep, I would like a PR too.

🟣 I hope to still be blogging.  I enjoy it.  These past couple of months have demonstrated to me how much I look forward to reading different blogs.  Your posts have encouraged and motivated me.  You’ve all made me smile and let me know that things will be OK.  Hopefully in 5 years I will have met many more of you.

🟣 Still living in Chicago in a new house.  You know I have to add this one.  While I am grateful to have a place to live, I want something new.  I want to have my own house.  Though right now I am glad I don’t own a home because I hate to shovel.  

🟣 I see myself still teaching.  I already made a career change back in 2009 and don’t see myself making another one.  The only change I would like to make is to no longer be a classroom teacher.  I have a certificate in Math and would love to be a Math Interventionist.  This past year was really difficult and challenging.  While teaching isn’t as fun as it used to be, I still know that I am making a difference in these kids’ lives.

🟣 Hopefully I would have traveled to all of these countries or some of them – France, Italy, Hawaii, Africa, and Greece.  Of course I would love to go there to run but most importantly the chance to travel somewhere new.  While Hawaii is not in a different country, it sure sounds like it since it takes so long to get there.  That is how I felt when I traveled to Alaska.  I was in the US but it felt foreign to me.

Thanks for linking up with us again this week!  We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts, and we are ready to link up every Friday to share YOUR weekly fitness favorites!  Join hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday!