So I'm sure most people have seen the movie Forrest Gump. It was voted one of the top Running movies of all time. In the movie, when Forrest was a small boy, he had braces on his legs to correct his spine. The braces limited his leg movement and he was unable to walk properly let alone run. Until one day, while being chased by bullies, he started to run and broke the braces right off his legs. At that moment, he realized how fast he was and how good at running he was. From that moment on, if he was going somewhere "he was run ing." That was the moment he realized he had potential and decided to follow it.
So here is my Forrest Gump moment. When I was a teenager, probably 16, a friend and I were at my house and we decided to go to his. Now we normally rode our bikes because it was about 3 miles between my house and his. That day, he had his bike but I had left mine at his house. So I said "fuck it" and said I would jog along side to his house. So we started off at a slow pace but progressively got faster. When we got to his house I was drenched in sweat, it was the middle of the summer and quite hot. We then proceeded to play several hours of basketball and then I rode my bike home. After that day, I started running a lot. I found that I loved to do it and that I was good.
I went on to run track for Junior and Senior year of High School and loved it. I was recruited by the football coach because of it as well. I went on to play 3 years of Semi-Pro Football after that. So looking back on it in my early years, running actually opened a lot of doors for me. Now I do it because I love it and even though I am not as fast as I was back then, I still like to compete as best I can.
So tell me, what is your Forrest Gump moment? Where and when was it that you realized that you had a love for running, or any other sport?
Ron
