That's the year when, as a ninth grader, I started running. Immediately I was enamored. I loved the sense of exploration, of challenging myself, of being outside in all kinds of weather. I loved the time alone, time to think about whatever came to my head. I loved seeing if I could go farther than I ever had, or run a loop faster than I did the week before. I loved how I felt physically while running and how I felt mentally when I was done. When I joined the high school cross-country team that fall, I learned to love running even more. Training with friends, racing against those friends, building toward a long-term goal – all this and more about being a competitive runner added a whole other layer of attraction to this most natural act.