Diaries I Read:
From age five to 14, I was a serious gymnast, training over three hours a day, five days a week. It was grueling and I loved it. The sport fit perfectly with, and fed into, my need for perfection. I was in incredible shape and became an athlete at heart at a very young age. Because of this strange childhood spent in the gym, I don�t think I�ll ever be happy unless I�m very active.
At age 14, I was ready to be a more �normal� kid, which serious gymnastics training wouldn�t allow, so I quit and joined the cheerleading squad. Corny as it may sound, I do believe cheerleading is a sport, especially the way I did it. I loved every moment of cheerleading. I was still a gymnast to some extent, too, doing flips down the sidelines at football games and throughout our competition routines.
My freshman year in college, I went to a gymnastics meet and said to myself, �I could do that.� So I talked to the coach and joined the team my sophomore year. Unfortunately, my comeback gymnastics career was cut short when I tore my ACL that spring and had to have reconstructive surgery.
For a couple of years after that, I didn�t do much, sports-wise, but started running casually. Then, because it had always been something I wanted to do, I joined a marathon training group in 2001, through which I formed some amazing friendships AND met B. Since then, I�ve run three marathons, several half-marathons and 10Ks, and one 5K. I try to run and go to the gym nearly every day.
Working at home - Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004
Toronto - Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004
On the way to Toronto... - Tuesday, Nov. 09, 2004
A Good Day - Monday, Nov. 08, 2004
Another letter - Thursday, Nov. 04, 2004