It is hard to imagine that it was only 8 short years ago that I took my first running steps. 8 years ago, I was nervous about it, I thought I was going to die while running and I hated it when I finished the run. I used to run alone with my eyes firmly on the ground and not looking up to anyone crossing, and I’d be dressed in all cotton T and baggy cotton capris, preferably black or grey. And now here I was, meeting up with people to run on the trails, dressed in festive holiday colors and chatting around with even more people at the Christmas Eve Run.

Unfortunately, due to the government shutdown, I didn’t run on the trails like I’ve always done in the past. But instead ran 8 miles to celebrate my 8th running anniversary. This girl has come a long long long way in those 8 years!