My name is Matt Williams and I am 26 years old living in Northwest Georgia.
I took up running back in the summer of 2007 as a way to unwind from an hour commute and to finally try to get back into shape after being lazy for the previous 4 years. I quickly dropped 15lbs without any other lifestyle changes and found running as a great way to catch up with friends who lived nearby.
In early 2008, due to weather and general lack of commitment, I slacked off and stopped running except for the rare occasion. During the summer I moved back closer to work, then hit a sizable bump in the road of life. Instead of letting it get me down, I remembered how much better I felt while running. I set some goals and signed up for my first 5K race in September. The race came upon me quickly and I was not really prepared. I walked half of it after cramping up just past the first mile marker. However, I did not give up and finished the race in a full sprint, setting my first PR (btw I had no idea what a “PR” even was back then) of 34:17.
With that first race, even with an outcome I was not pleased with, I was hooked on running. I have now completed almost a dozen races, with a PR of 27:32 in the 5K at and 59:40 in the 10K. I know I’m not going to win any races with those times, so new goals have been set and I am remembering to have fun along the way.
The biggest challenge is staying motivated without any running buddies nearby. I have the addiction though, but unfortunately it is on the mild level. I read a piece by a famous runner that noted when you are truly addicted you see a road or trail on a beautiful day and want nothing more than to stop what you are doing, lace up your shoes, and hit the ground running. I will admit I have those days, but now my addiction is primarily limited to getting mad at myself when I don’t run. I am hoping to kick it up to the level of actually getting me out of bed in the morning to run no matter the weather outside. Did I mention I am not a morning person?
I am creating this site as a way for me to document my training and progress for anyone who cares to keep up with it, as well as providing myself with a history of (hopefully) how far along I have come. I also hope to share useful links and information that I find online or read in books or magazines on fitness and running. I am sure there are many others out there that are in the same shoes I was in when I started. I would like to assist them in any way that I can.
Finally, a note about the domain name. I went with www.arisingrunner.com for two reasons. One, it describes me appropriately right now:
From Meriam-Webster.com:
arise
2 a: to originate from a source b: to come into being or to attention
I am just now becoming a real runner, “arising” from the lazy man I was for so many years in college. The second reason for the name is that I can tweak it a bit to go from “Arising Runner” to “A Rising Runner” if/when I become competitive with my times.
Now that you know a little more about me and the purpose of this site, let’s go for a run…
