2006: I ran for a first time on a 10K Nike race with my dear teammate and life sibling Brigitte. We were so fit, we didn't have to "train" for a 10K race when we were running and raining so hard all the weeks BUT the fact of crossing the finish line just GOT ME and made a click inside my brain.
Nike 10K. Caracas, Venezuela 2006
From there, I started running eventually and like the feeling of being there just pushing my heart and legs to get to that finish line excitement. It became addicted since that race in 2006, but normally I ran with my team or other running friends.
I moved to US years ago. It's not easy, a new start in all your life's levels. Most of the time I felt alone and was hard to get back to run because I was thinking "Oh so boring to do it alone" "I need my running buddies" "I miss so much my team" "Will get in a Running Club because I need people to run with me!!". It's all about a new start and learn to keep doing your activities and hobbies in a completely new environment. It started to be challenging but I really like to push myself forward and one day I started running again. Get my favorite music list on Ipod and went for a run. Just me, my shoes, my music! I discovered that the real way to conquer a new city is running!! New paths, new smells, learning to be and enjoy with myself was a hole process. Sometimes I felt bored, I was missing my buddies to challenge each other during the runs but I started doing it too. Step by step, I started using my runs as a therapy. All that about missing my home, friends, and life, was behind or stopped during my runs. Running solo showed me I can do what I want, showed me I can be strong no matter where I am.
I tried to get in some Running clubs, but for my surprise I started to feel more comfortable running just with myself. With the running clubs I was paying more attention to the pace or just not being the last one and not enjoying the outdoors or the run. I liked to learn new tips from these new runner for me, places to run and all I could learnt from them, and still ( I follow them on social media and get together sometimes) but it just happened, my solo runs became my therapy, no matter where we are we can challenge ourselves, we can enjoy with ourselves, each of us is powerful but we need to find that power inside us. Just in the hardest moments we know what are we made of.
I am Carolina Muriel, I became a solo runner and I love it. After training for the Chevron Houston Marathon by myself, showed me up I could, I can, I will. And adding some inspiration to my miles, I found the great way this marathon has to raise money for non profit organizations so, I really push up my running and better goals. Can't wait to keep discovering wonderful places to run and add thousands of miles to come in my green city Houston.
CMuriel
Running for Houston Food Bank in 2016
Chevron Houston Marathon
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