Just joined, Northern Californian runner

Hey people,

I'm a runner in the Bay Area in California. I started running non-competitively in University, and boy I was fast then. Then a move from one country (Canada) to another (USA), full-time employment, and other such excuses kept me away for about a decade. I started running again during work, just 2.5-3.5 miles a day. Then a co-worker got me to run my first 10k, and I ran it, sub 7 minute miles. I didn't know how fast that was.

Well, I kept running, and hurt my knee during a longer run (like 4 miles). Stopped running, for awhile, and then hurt my other knee skydiving. Became a sporadic runner. But about two years ago, a friend of mine said he was running the first half of the San Francisco marathon, and that it goes across the Golden Gate bridge. Hey, if he can do it, I'll do it. I started training, noticing walls at 5 miles, 10 miles, but progressing.

Race day was amazing. Being in SF before the city wakes up in the dark (5:30 start time), with 20000 other runners, about to charge through the streets I've only seen from inside a car before. It was easier, and harder than I thought. I finished under my public target time (2 hours), and over my personal target time (1:45) at 1:53.

Well, I continued running, but then hurt my knees bad enough to think I broke 'em skydiving again, and stopped. Same friend moves to LA, but tells me he's coming back to run the SF marathon first half again. Well geeze! If he can do it, I'll do it. Training is better this time around, and I get closer with a 1:48.

This time, I decide to keep going, and followed it up with two more halfs last year (SJ Rock and Roll half, and Silicon Valley half).

In December, I decided to do one race per month in 2007, including one marathon.

Well, so far, I've done 8 races (I missed April, and I'm making it up with 4 races in June, maybe 2 in July) including:
trail 9k, 20k, half-marathon
10k through the vineyards, and Bay to Breakers (12k)
and a 5k, and a 5 mile race, both this week.

My first marathon (SF of course) is at the end of July, and I just might keep my training going for Silicon Valley, and Death Valley.

I caught the running bug bad. But I've realized that hurting myself does no good, and trying not to push my training (but I do). And running all these races has changed my outlook on things, such as I worry mostly about hurting my legs now jumping out of airplanes, and I really look forward to turning 40, and being in a different age bracket, and becoming a "master".

Thanks for having me here!

Gotta run,

Baldwyn