The last time I ran regularly was when I was in the Marine Corps 30+ years ago. Yup that was me, doing the running portion of the physical fitness test (PFT) during boot camp back in the day.I hated running back then, mainly because I had to. When I got out, I hung up my running shoes...I was done. Through the years, I tried to get moving again but never succeeded.
This year after training for three months, I was excited to back to the place where it all began, Parris Island, South Carolina.
I planned to attend the Women Marines anniversary celebration on Monday, 13 February 2012 but went a few days early to run in the Molly Marine 5K Run/Walk hosted by the SC-1 Phyllis Alexander chapter of the Women Marines Association. At 5K, we would be running twice as far as we ran the PFT in the late 1970s (now all Marines run 3 miles).When I drove through the Parris Island front gate that morning, I was pretty emotional. I couldn't quite believe I was back and wasn't sure what to expect.
PI is flat but with a 17 mile an hour headwind, the run definitely wasn't easy. But I finished with a personal best and the top woman in my age group...well okay, I was the only woman in my age group!
