Hello! I'm Lauren from St. Louis (but moving to Atlanta soon).

I ran the St. Louis and Chicago marathon, and various half marathons. I was getting ready to do my first sprint triathlon a few years ago. But then I got into nursing school and I had no time for anything (barely even sleep). So I'm about to graduate and more than eager to get back to long distance running and biking and swimming this summer.

Feel free to add me!

Hi all, 27yr old Mum from UK. Training for my first marathon in Edinburgh in 3weeks time.. Eek! X

The name is Daniel and I'm a non-recovering runner. *waves to the group*. I started down this dark road last August when I went for a run around the block instead of going to the gym and using the treadmill. Who knew the road just went on forever out there? I had no idea.

Since then I've done a few 5ks and figured out what to do with the chip part of the bib and decided that the bib won't look good on you no matter where you pin it. I'm currently training for a half marathon that will take place June 9th and after that? Well, a friend is talking me into doing the Dallas Marathon in December. I'm sure I'll cave in and do it since the challenge does sound fun.

I'm currently running 40 - 50 miles a week. This half in June should go well even though it's my first one. I've done the distance 7-8 times already and this last weekend's 14 mile run I ran at about an 8:27 pace. Even with that I'm still a bit unsure about what running 26 miles will be like. I did a 15 mile run last month and I have a 15 and 16 mile run coming up these next two weekends but 26.2 miles still sounds crazy to me. I have this amazing 10 mile stretch of trail I could run up and down but that would only be 20 miles. That's still a full 10k short of the full thing. I'm sure I'll feel different about it in the future but for now I can safely say all of you are crazy. CRAZY!!

I'm Sue Ann. I am 36 and I am a new runner. On March 10, I weighed 274 pounds, I could only run a minute without stopping and I smoked 1-1.5 packs of cigarettes a day. When I stopped smoking, I was able to add considerable time and was able to run my first 5k on April 27th. I ran a 2.62 mile fundraiser run for Boston on May19th and have a 5k this Thursday. I have already booked a 10k for June 8th and the Savannah, Ga Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon this November. I used to think I would never be able to run a lap. When I was able to run a mile, I started to believe I can do anything. If all goes well, I plan to run my first marathon next March.

HI...I'm another adult onset runner. I always secretly wanted to be a runner, but could not run from one driveway to the next. About 2 years ago, I started running the down-hills on a hilly little 2 mile stretch, the down-hills only slowly became the down-hills and straight-aways. I then decided what the heck, give it a shot and run UP those hills, too. I still didn't really consider myself a runner until about 6 months ago when I moved and started adding mileage to my runs. It was then that I realized that I was hooked!

I love running for the fact that I can eat a lot more food than if I wasn't running. I love running to eliminate the stress in my life. I love running because it allows me to have conversations with myself. It clears my head and my heart. I have found I love running in the rain almost more than running in the sunshine. I love running along on the shoreline roads seeing nature at it's finest and have found I hate running along with traffic.

I love talking to others about running. I want to hear their past experiences, both good and bad and share inspirational quotes and stories. Please add me as a friend. I definitely need to keep this motivation going.

I've run one 1/2 marathon and have signed up for another, but I am training to switch that one to a marathon if I can.

Hi all,
I'm Destanie and I ran track and field in high school my events were 100 and 300 hurdles, long jump and triple jump. My senior year I discovered cross county and have been running long distances ever since! the furthest distance to date ran was my first marathon I ran back in 2010.. now this year I am training to complete another in December!

Looking for runner friends to motivate and be motivated by friend me!

Hi!
I'm training for my second marathon.... while working away so that people won't look surprised at this hobby of mine!
(long distance running + triathlon have helped keep me in a size 10/12 instead of a bigger size--> as my weight would likely suggest!)
But time to stop eating like a trucker & make some heathier choices.

Dave, 33, 5 time marathoner (Fargo 4 times and Chicago once)

I started running to lose weight. When I ran my first marathon, I set a world record (though I didn't know it at the time) for being the heavest pearson to complete a marthon ( I weighted 330 pounds) and finished in 5:37. I have since dropped 70 pounds and 40 minutes off my time. I hope to run the New York, Walt Disney, Twin Cities, Grandma's (Duluth), and LA Marathon. Boston is a dream too, but I need to get alot faster.

Last year I started losing weight and signed up for a warrior dash in that september as a measure of my fitness. That July I ran my first race, a 10k that ended by coming out of the giant inflatable patriots helmet and running across the 50 yard line in Gilette Stadium.

I was totally hooked on running at that point even if I probably only ran 50% of that race and walked a big chunk of it.

I run 4 sometimes 5 days a week now, I've completed a BUNCH of 5ks a few 10Ks and last weekend I ran my first half marathon and I will be running my first marathon next july.

I may have been able to get the weight off but I'm sure eventually I would have tired of going to the gym all the time. I have totally fallen in love with running and I hope to do it with my grandchildren when I eventually have some (my daughter is 2)

Running has totally changed my life, I am so sorry for making fun of my friends who are runners back in the day

HI there:

I am open to connecting with (friending) fellow runners of any age/ability who are looking to compare notes, trade stories, share lesson's learned and be realistically (daily is not necessary) responsive! I am a positive outlook kind of guy with tons of races coming up. Have a few 10Ks and a Half in the bag already with a Half, 30K, trail races and two full marathons coming my way in 2014. I have found that there is no better source of learning than runners sharing with each other; way better than books, web sites or paid trainers. (although I do read a lot too!) I keep a small FL so that I can be responsive too. So if you want to connect, flip me a quick FR with a note and let's run our *kitten* off!

Hey everybody! What a fun group!

I'm Melisa and I too am an adult-onset runner. In high school, I did one season of Cross Country (barely) and one season of Track (I tried the long jump, sort of). My brother was the captain of both sports and I quickly learned it was his thing, not mine.

Fast-forward to my late 20's and, as a total non-runner, decided what the heck: let's run a marathon. My theory is that blissful ignorance + years of being protected in a cocoon of inactivity got me through that first one. Ha ha. I went on to run 4 more marathons; a 50K ultra trail run; and a full IronMan for my 30th birthday.

2001 - Seattle Marathon (4:45)
2002 - San Diego Rock n' Roll Marathon (4:30 ish)
2003 - Nike Women's Marathon - San Francisco (4:25)
2004 - Grand Columbian Iron Distance Triathlon (16 hours, 16 minutes - actually placed 2nd in age division - ha!)
2005 - Baker Lake 50K Ultra Trail Run (many hours)
2006 - Austin Marathon (4:06 PR)
2010 - Portland Marathon (5+ hours of pure, soaking-wet hell)

After that fateful day in Portland in 2010, I figured I was probably done with running and decided to do a lot of couch-sitting instead. Also, food-eating and wine-drinking.

And then all of a sudden I was at my highest weight ever and I KNOW IT WAS SHOCKING TO ME, TOO.

So, in January of this year (the year of my 40th birthday) I decided to pick my (much heavier self) up by my boot straps and get serious about my health.

I've got tentative plans to get back on the marathon horse in December. It's a race called "Last Chance" on New Year's Eve, and I think that's rather fitting.

Let's do this thing!

I'm Linli and I'm from the prairies of central Canada.

I only found my love for running a little less than 2 years ago, right around when I joined MFP and someone mentioned the C25K program. I never truly understood what a runner's high was until my first time running for 30 minutes without stopping. I never looked back.

I ran my first half marathon in October 2013 and felt like I could conquer the world. I knew that this was something I was going to stick with.

I love the solitude (most of the time) of my long runs. I don't have to answer to anyone but myself. It balances me to get out there. It's probably one of the few things that I actually do just for me, and I have learned that as a result it ends up benefitting everyone in my life. Even my kids will tell me "Mommy, you are getting grumpy. Do you need to go for a run?".

After my HM last fall, I knew that I wanted to tackle the marathon. The big one here is on Father's day every year, I researched training plans and on January 1st I started logging those miles.

I have a HM race in early May, that fits right in with my training and am inching closer to the full. I completed my first of three 20 mile training runs 2 week-ends ago and I finished just as strong as I had started, and could have easily carried on for another 6.2.

I'm looking forward to learning from all of you and soaking up all the wisdom and knowledge as I inch closer to race day.

May your runs be long, and the wind at your back!

My name is Bobbi Jo. I started running in November 2013. I couldn't run a mile. I ran my first half marathon in april 2014 and my 2nd 28 days later. I am doing 3 halfs this fall and my goal is to do the Pittsburgh Full Marathon this year. Excited about this group to learn lots!

Hi I'm Olga and I'm in Ireland. I started running 18 months ago from a position of zero fitness! In the first 12 months I ran in three 5k races improving my time along the way. So far this year I've ran a 10k and a half marathon race and I've signed up to do a full marathon in late October. I'm scared of the distances involved and starting to panic a bit as the months close in. I'm following a training plan from a running magazine, I'm currently up to 14 miles for my long run but I'm struggling to believe that I can do even longer distances. Has anyone any good advice for me? Much appreciated, thanks ????

See you in Dublin, not long now.

When I did my first marathon last year (Late October) the furthest I'd ran was about 15miles and I arranged a long run of about 18.5mile and I hit the wall and couldn't finish but I managed a 20miler a couple of weeks later, however when it came to race day it was surprisingly comfortable as you just lose yourself in the crowd, other athletes and by that stage you just run and trust your training. I don't follow a training plan, right or wrong I just run when I want, for as long as I want because you have to enjoy it and not end up resenting it.

Since March I haven't gone over 10miles but I'm not panicing quite yet. So what's my advice? Keep doing what you're doing, trust your plan, make sure you're feeding your runs properly and most of all during the longer runs stay hydrated, that's where I went wrong oh and don't forget the jelly babies :laugh: