Introduction

I have thought about starting a running blog for a long time. I love reading about other people's running, so why shouldn't there be people who enjoy reading about mine? In addition, I like the idea of being able to look back in a couple of years and see where I was now.

Let me start by introducing myself: My name is Helen. I am currently living in Austin, Texas. I absolutely love this city, but the temperatures during the seemingly endless summer can make running a lot harder. About a year and a half ago, I started to run with the Austin Runners Meetup. Before then I had been running on and off, depending on my motivation. Running with the group has not only allowed me to make new friends outside of school, it also kept me motivated to show up to run on a regular basis. Even on days where otherwise I might not feel like running, I just can't pass up the chance to see the friends I made there, or the delicious post run breakfast after the weekend runs!

Since I started running with them, I have really fallen in love with running. While being "fast" is always relative, I am proud of how far I have come. When I trained for the Austin Half Marathon in 2014, I was doubtful if I would be able to finish in under two hours. One year later I ran the Austin Full Marathon, finishing in 3:48. More recently, I have run the Hottest Half in Dallas, finishing in 1:41, placing first in my age group. Finally, last weekend, I qualified for the Boston Marathon with a finish time of 3:29 in the Twin Cities Marathon.

Proud me after finishing the Twin Cities Marathon.

I am vegan for ethical reasons. But while that is the "veg" part of "veg girl runs", I doubt that that will make up a large part of what this blog will be about. When I first made the switch, it obviously took up a lot of my thinking. But now, after 3.5 years, it is just one small part of who I am. Mostly this blog will focus on my training, races I run, and thoughts I have about running and life in general. I am curious where this journey will lead me.