The First Mile

I don't really know how to introduce myself in a unique way, so I'm not going to and get right to the chase. Hi, my name is Catie Keenan and I'm a freshman attending Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Just for you to get to know me a little better, I've only blogged once and it was for my English class last semester so I'm fairly new at this thing. I like to run, I love ice cream, I hate how far away I'm from my family while I'm at school, I could look at pinterest all day long, I enjoy anything relaxing (including the spring break I'm currently on), and as much as I thought I didn't love it, I truly love my home town and find it one of the most beautiful places in the world.
I guess I should tell you my background; I have two parents, four siblings, three nieces, one nephew, countless cousins, two of the best friends I could ask for, and one dog. Although new to the whole college thing, I have made some great friends so far. I was born in Melrose, Massachusetts and raised in York, Maine. My parent's house is in Maine and I'm a five minute walk to the closest beach.
For a while, I thought that I didn't like my town, I was tired of the same thing every day, and I wanted a big change. I figured, 'hey why not go to school somewhere that was everything I wasn't tired of' (a city opposed to a town, seventy degree winters opposed to seven degree winters, and going to a place where I didn't know a soul opposed to living in a town that a trip to the grocery store would include seeing everyone and their mother). After a long process, Tallahassee, Florida is where I had landed. Definitely not my first intentions, but I was certainly up for the change in scenery.
I think being far away from everything I had once known really forced me to grow up. Although I probably could have grown up almost the same amount if I went somewhere, such as UNH or somewhere else close, I think that being as far away as I am in this point of my life really made me do everything on my own. Even though my parents occasionally visited, for the most part I went months without seeing family or my boyfriend. In the beginning I hate it. I cried almost every day and even cried walking to class and just felt so lonely. Even with talking to my older sister almost every day, it still was a very tough time in my life. Yet, joining a running team was probably was of the best things I could have decided for myself in entering college. Without going to practice and making friends that easily, I probably wouldn't be enjoying spring break in my house in Florida right now; I'd be home still at school because spring break back home doesn't start till next week.
Fast forward a couple of months, and I finally made it through most of my freshman year. Although it is not over with yet, and boy do I have a lot of work left to complete, I do find myself satisfied with where I'm at. So far this school year I have, earned straight As, ran cross-country and track for the first time, met new friends, actually went to a real college party, had a great Christmas (who am I kidding? Christmas is always great for me!), had the chance to spend time with all my friends and family while on winter break, and finally began the long road of living on my own.
Now with some introductory information, I will conclude with the purpose of my blog. I'm not going to sit here and pity anyone who doesn't live a healthy lifestyle like I strive for every day, but I wish to celebrate my accomplishments with my running and everything else in my life. Running is truly something that hasn't always been in my life, but the second I fell in love with it I could tell that I wasn't going back. Not that I've been training very long (not even a full year yet), I really wish to see much more improvements in terms of my personal records and my own physical appearance. I will be finishing out my track season and heading home at the end of April only to begin to train all summer long with one of my great friends Shelly. I'm hoping to take pictures of my runs this year, just so you too can see how beautiful it truly is- and even how more beautiful the beaches are as we both run on them before 8 am. I'm not really concerned about keeping this blog up to date in an adequate manner, in fact this might be my first and last post till summer time when the real training begins, but I hope to explore other blogs and to learn from others. Running is a true passion of mine and I love reading other people's stories on running and how it affects their lives.
Hopefully this first post wasn't too drawn out- I feel as though all introduction can get lengthy at times. Hope you have a great day and happy running! :)