This is something I’ve heard a lot since starting my half marathon training. I’m asked what’s going on, anything new? “Well, yes! (big smile on my face) I’m training for the half marathon in April.” This is met with quizzical looks, sometimes a slight sideways head tilt and some form of these words come out of the person’s mouth, “Oh…but you’re not a runner.” At times, the inflection goes up at the end, making it sound like a question, “But you’re not a runner?” As if I have completely altered their thinking of what makes me, well, me.

I took my first Spanish class the summer between the seventh and eighth grade. In high school, English was the only other class I took as much as Spanish. In college I took four semesters of it. And as I sit here today, typing this post, I’m as far from speaking the language as you may be from accomplishing your health and fitness goals.