I think I have become a “real” runner.
I run in the rain and cold, and I’ve past the point of “holy shit, this is nuts.”
I look forward to the run (though maybe not in the rain).
I push myself farther than I thought possible.

On Dec. 26, my tribe (Brick City Running Tribe, Sanford, NC, Facebook page), held a WTF? Boxing Day Madness run. Show up and log loops around the city’s Kiwanis Park Trail (roughly 1.05 mile per loop, which started at a picnic shelter). Sure, why not?

My plan: put the wee lad in his Bob stroller (bought used, because hello budget) and get 5 loops, which is what I did in 2013. The boy wanted to run, too. So he did loop 1 with me (new slow time of …18:09). Then he was tired. So out came the stroller … at loop 4, I said, “Let’s run double your age.” At loop 8, I said, “Let’s the the Tar Heel 10-Miler.” At loop 10, I said, “Let’s run a half-marathon.” And we did. I let him run loop 10 with me.

For a winging-it plan (not a good way to log 13 loops, btw), I am pleased. My time sucked and I forgot my Garmin and to turn off my MapMyRun app (Connor was watching TMNT on my phone.

The BCRT folks set it up like this: You show up and write your name on an index card, leave the card on the picnic table and put an orange on it to hold it down. Every time you complete a loop (start/finish at the shelter), you draw a line … Easy. And there was food at the shelter … And Drip Drop (lemon flavor is good). One of their ambassadors is the BCRT go-to leader dude, Tim P. Anyway, my fellow tribers were super supportive, calling out things like “Superwoman” and “Beast momma” and saying I was awesome. And I needed to hear that … 🙂 Made the run even better.

So yeah, I’m a runner girl. You try pushing a 45-pound stroller containing a 38-pound kid up a hilly dirt trail for 13.65 miles … I’m not fast, but I got this.