Kim Cowart: Reasons to run: Reflections on running

So, at the end of the year, I find myself a little different than I was 12 months ago. My focus has shifted as running has become as much a therapy session as it has been a workout. I’m a bit more cautious as my perspective has grown. I’ve been surprised by the extrovert in me and embraced the community of runners that surround me.

It’s been a year of peaks and valleys. A lot of good mixed with a little bad, but mostly good. I’ve made a lot of strides, pun intended, and I hope these new realizations of myself as a runner will make the 2012 running year the best yet.

Kim Cowart is a wife, mom, 24-Hour Fitness instructor and marathoner whose family is as eager to see her run again as she is. Really, she needs to get out of the house.