Let's Get One Thing Straight...

Yes, it says "I Run..." as the title of this blog...but that might be a lie. What I do would probably be laughed at by most "runners." An elite runner would say, "You're a jogger." But the term "jogger" is so 80's. Therefore, I will call myself a runner in the hopes that this will be the year that I finally become one. I've been "running" for about six years now (well...I do other stuff too. Like bake good food, play shuffle board, teach English--I'll get to that one in a minute). I do about four half-marathons a year.

The four major San Diego races include: The Silver Strand (in November), The Carlsbad Marathon and Half Marathon (in January), The La Jolla Half (in April), and America's Finest City Half Marathon (in August). Of course, there is the Rock 'n Roll Marathon in June --that's the big one almost everybody knows about. I did it two years ago. Was NOT pretty. Let's just say...I feel really bad for whoever had to empty the trashcans at the finish line...and for anyone who walked within a three-foot radius of said trashcans. I probably won't be doing a full marathon this year, but I'm not going to rule it out either.

So the purpose of this blog is to take you through some of San Diego's best (and maybe worst) places to run in San Diego. For the last five years, I've pretty much stuck to my neighborhood in Point Loma/OB for my runs. But, I'm hoping to expand my terrain this year...and hopefully it will inspire you to break from your regular running loops as well.

Aside from whether or not I can be called a "runner," let's get one more thing straight: the second half of the blog title, "...Because I Teach" is not a lie. I am a high school English teacher. I realized during my first year of teaching that if I didn't find a way to release the anger stored up throughout the day, then the people I love the most in my life (namely, my husband) are the first to suffer my wrath. When I cussed out my husband for not taking out the trash one afternoon, both he and I knew something had to change: either I find a different job, or find a way to let the day go.

Thus, I discovered running (ok...jogging...) and in the words of Robert Frost, "it has made all the difference."