24

When I was 24, I ran my first marathon. I started running when I was abroad in college, after my grandmother passed away. Although I always played sports, I never ran just to run. When I started, it was  a great way to process my first big loss. I thought I would eventually run a marathon in my grandmother's memory.

I loved my runs in Vienna. I would run from my apartment through the park at the Prater.

Actually, wherever I've lived and run, I have come to love the routes I've found, from the busy Vienna streets, to runs along the Charles River in Boston, to the big hills in the Adirondacks, there is something about the view and the memories from hours on foot that bonds you to those places. I really enjoy running as a sport, hobby, and stress management technique. It's the easiest way to exercise, when you can just lace up your shoes and head out the door. Distance running is also a good hobby for someone with a slightly obsessive personality. I've never been a super speedy athlete, but I do have some good endurance, and I love the feeling of going through the training and being in shape to run 20+ miles. It tickles me to think of a long distance, a distance that is normally traveled in a car, between a few different towns, say, and think "Yeah. I could run that."
 
So my first marathon was November 2007 at the Manchester Marathon in New Hampshire. My parents weren’t there to witness (they were on a Fulbright teacher’s exchange in Chile my dad secured), so my uncle Bob, my brother, and Steven represented.

They brought bikes and rode with me on parts of the race, and rode ahead and cheered me on at other points. It was perfect. Bob took some awesome photos, while Steven and Isac complained about how sore their legs were afterwards from biking.

I ran with the redheaded girl behind me until she finished at the half.

I ran probably six miles with the guy in the red shirt.

Thanks for the support, guys!