My Running Journey

My running journey began in January 2007 in Florence, Italy. 

What began merely as a means of exercise slowly evolved into my means of seeing Europe. Everywhere I went, my running shoes came along. I ran across the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, around the Notre Dame in France, to the Parthenon in Athens, through the streets of Jerusalem, to the Prague Castle and over the canals in Amsterdam.

Before I knew it, I was running farther and longer than I ever had before. I was enjoying the feeling of freedom and the time I was able to spend in the peace and quiet of the morning. The quiet of the morning gave me the opportunity to spend time talking with God, to pray for my friends and family and to just allow God to speak to me.

Running had started as an exercise, evolved into a hobby and now had become an instrument of my faith. 

After returning to the states, my passion began to fade as I got caught up in the hustle and bustle of everday life, allowing myself to conform to the ways of the world. Running had taken a back seat in my life and I noticed my faith beginning to follow suit. 

I had been attending a church called Rock Harbor since 2005 and decided that it was finally time for me to get involved. I had no idea at the time, but this decision to join a lifegroup would make a huge impact in my life, both spritually and otherwise. My passion for God had never been stronger, and my running hobby came right back, thanks to Phillip and Kristin, two very special people in my life.

In March of 2008, Phillip and I began training for the Disneyland Half Marathon. We ran a couple of races along the way, taking special time out of each training run to talk with God in a tradition we called our "Prayer Mile". Five months later, Phillip and I finished the half marathon.

After finishing the half-marathon, I wanted more. I had been inspired by my friends Kristin and Kevin who had both run in multiple marathons, so I decided to run the Rock n Roll Arizona Marathon alongside them.

I began training in September, gradually building mileage as the weeks progressed. Even though I experienced stress fractures, cramps, and plenty of soreness along the way, i found myself standing on Washington St. in Phoenix at 7:40 on Sunday morning, ready to run.