I was not a high school or college athlete. Running came to me, or rather, I came to running, a little later in life. Because of this, I never thought of it as a team sport. 

I signed up for the race in December 2019 and promptly began training. But like everyone else, I had no idea what 2020 would hold.

For the six people who’ve been anxiously awaiting it, here’s the second part of the story of how I became a runner.

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. Or maybe 66 days, depending on who you ask. I’ve been running consistently for 1,200+ days, so I think it’s safe to say the habit’s stuck.

“Runner” has become a core part of my identity, for myself and for others. There are people in my life now who never knew me as not a runner. They want to know:

“Have you always been a runner?”

It’s a long story, and it’s not even a particularly interesting one—I mean, no one died or narrowly avoided a stabbing, and it’s not like I ended up being an Olympian or some shit—but who’s gonna tell it if not me?