My knees ache.  My hips hurt.  My back is sore.  My soul…my soul is singing. I just started running - again.  I started running for the first time 12 years ago.  I was working with eight-time U.S. Duathlon Champion Kenny Sousa and he made running sound like it was fun.  It wasn’t.  Not at first.

The very first time I decided to give running a try, I sprinted for three (that’s not a typo) blocks, grabbed the light post for support and started hyperventilating.  The next day, I began running with a passion. I ran every day for two years while training for the San Diego Rock ‘n Roll Marathon. 

The last time I ran was March, 2007.  My nephew Frank talked me into entering the Utica Heart Run.  He was a high school track star. I was a middle-aged woman.  I agreed because I thought it was cool that he asked me (not many 18-year-olds want to be seen having fun with their aunt – especially when their aunt is wearing running tights).  I wasn’t prepared for this challenge, but I gave it the old college try. Had I still been in college, the results may have been different.

Frank completed the 10-mile-run in the same amount of time it took me to compete the three-mile-run.  As I approached the steepest part of the course – Utica’s own “Heartbreak Hill”- I barely noticed Frank striding along beside me.  I was focused on the roadside posters pointing out the seven warning signs of a stroke - four of which (shortness of breath, heart palpations, dizziness and fatigue) I was experiencing at that very moment.  While I checked my pulse and scanned the area for an EMT, Frank waved and shouted “See ya at the finish line.”  He wasn’t even breathing hard.

My goal is to run the Utica Boilermaker, July 2012.  It’s the country’s largest 15K run.  Often covered by ESPN, it attracts elite runners from around the world. I’ve participated in the race twice before and it’s fabulous.  The entire city gets involved.  As a PR professional, I applaud the marketing genius of the F.X. Matt Brewing Company.  As the event’s lead sponsor, they offer all runners Saranac Beer free of charge. Bottled water costs $2.50. 

-Karen