Jessica and her kiddos.

Jessica and her kiddos.

I was not born into a family of runners. As a matter of fact, I grew up hating to run. I played numerous other sports as a child: basketball, softball, volleyball, and gymnastics (my height got in the way of that one) and ended my high school career on the dance team. I had, and probably still do, the worst form when running.

My enjoyment of running was found when I participated in a local radio station’s version of The Biggest Loser contest. The trainer I had at that time incorporated cardio into our workouts and a couple times a week, I ran on the treadmill. After the weight started coming off, I really began to enjoy running.  A friend of mine asked me to run a 5K for St. Patty’s day and then several months later, a 5K at a local college. I wasn’t the fastest or most graceful runner, but I did it.

Most recently, I placed 3rd in my category – the first time I have ever placed for running! It was the best feeling I’ve had in a long time considering I had gained some weight back and just wasn’t ‘into running’ at the time.

I am fortunate that I have a great support system: a husband who will ride his bike along the route to take pictures of me mid-race, children who get excited when I cross the finish line, and parents who think I’m the best runner out there.

My new goal is running my hometown’s half-marathon next spring. I won’t be at the front of the pack, but that’s okay because each mile I run becomes the most important mile in my life.

What was (or will be) the most important mile of your life? We want to know.

This is an ongoing feature on the website. Best way to submit is to email us your story with a picture: runmother {at} gmail {dot} com with “Most Important Mile” in the subject line. Please try to keep your mile stories under 300 words. Thank you!