I’m a single parent.  I’m a teacher and a writer and an artist.  And I’m a runner.  I’m not fast.  I’m not even really disciplined.  I run because I love the way it feels to finish.  I’ll admit it, I’m a medal whore.  I love feeling that scratchy ribbon on my neck and the weight of what I’ve just accomplished settled against my chest.  Why?  Because I never in a million years thought I’d ever be able to say “I’m a runner”.

I’ve struggled with my weight for years.  I’ve used eating disorders and diet pills.  I’ve binged and purged.  I’ve eaten my feelings and starved myself silly.  I’ve lost and gained over 200 pounds over the last ten years and after a bout of depression, an ADD diagnosis and a mental revamp, I’ve finally found a place I feel at peace…the pavement!

I’ve tried every type of physical activity in pursuit of finding something that I don’t hate.  You see, at any point in the day, I’d rather be reading.  I’m mentally hyperactive, but fitness is not my forte.  It wasn’t until I found R.I.P.P.E.D., a total body circuit, that I began to be impressed with what my body could do.  I mean, I was doing push-ups, for crying out loud.  The real kind.  Shortly after, I was invited to run Ragnar, a 200 mile overnight relay with 12 teammates.  I’ve lived in Southern California my whole life.  I thought I’d seen everything this region had to offer.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  Running the streets literally gave me a whole new perspective on sight-seeing.  Since then, I’ve raced in Napa, Washington, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Philadelphia, Massachusetts, and Disneyland.  I run with zombies and fairies, ninjas and superheros.  Most importantly, I run with my best friends.  And I’ve only just begun!  I’m going to see the country from the pavement, one mile at a time.

In addition to running, I weight train and do yoga.  I take a kickboxing class twice a week and just added Bulgarian bag work to my workout routine.  I still do R.I.P.P.E.D. and I still squat and lunge until I want to die.  But running is my therapy.  Living with ADD, mental clarity doesn’t come easy. But in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but my own breathing to listen to, things start to come into focus.  If I need to pause in the middle of a run and dance or puke or just have a good cry, I do it.  If I’m tired, I take a break.  I love running because it’s all about personal goals and my goal is always just to finish.  Don’t stop.  Get it, get it.  It’s my mantra. I may be slow, but I’m consistent.  I don’t ever stop.  And I always finish.

More about Cam here in our Chick on Chick series!