Have we met in "real life"? If so – hang in there while I tell the friends at home who have not met me in "real life" a little bit about myself.

I am vertically challenged (aka "short"). My dad was maybe once 5'6" (I'm convinced he's shrinking) and my mom, 4'11". There was never any hope for me being tall. Reaching 5'2" was a feat in and of itself, one that I have appreciated and even at times celebrated. I am not, however, small. I've never known how the inside of a pair of size 0 jeans feels (though I imagine they feel exactly like the inside of a pair of size 10 jeans). I don't suspect I'll ever know how that feels. And you know what? That's totally ok with me.

I enjoy learning about fitness and nutrition. I'm not sure why, exactly, I take interest in it, but I do. I seem to go through periods of my life where I'm very active and others in which I'm not so active. I've never mastered a solid routine for an extended period of time where fitness or nutrition are concerned. I pick them up and set them down like old friends.

I have determined over time that I don't stick with exercise because I don't really appreciate it. I can't force myself to endure activities that I hate. Things that I do like aren't very effective at moving me toward my fitness goals. After awhile, I find myself saying, "What's the point?" and giving up.

Awhile back, I started toying with the idea of running. Me? I'm a planner. I want to think about it, learn about it and then maybe do something about it. It'd have been too easy to just hop on the treadmill and start running. So I thought about running. I learned about running. I read about running. And one day? I gave it a shot.

I think the first time I ran, it was really more of a light jog which I endured for about a quarter mile. I huffed and puffed. My sides ached. My chest heaved. "Gosh, this is hard! I'll never be good at this."

I started thinking back on my favorite show, The Biggest Loser, and the advice that the trainers give. You need to believe in yourself. You are stronger than you think you are. I decided to give it another whirl.

On January 11 this year, I ran my first full mile. I was pretty sure my heart was going to come out of my chest. I was drenched in sweat, exhausted, and totally elated. I hopped onto the sides of my treadmill and realized I was crying. "You big nerd, what in the world are you crying for?!" I had done something that I thought was impossible. I ran a mile. Me. I did it. All by myself. I ran a mile.

After that, I kept adding to my distance, but at one and a half miles, my body would stop. I would will it to push forward, but it wouldn't budge. This, I found, was infuriating.

I was at dinner one night and asked one of my friends about running. I knew that he ran and played Ultimate Frisbee. His middle name might as well be "fitness." I hoped he could shed a little light onto the situation. His solution? Run faster. Faster?! I am short! These legs only go so fast! Run faster.

A few days later, I tried running faster. My legs did not fall off. I did not pass out. In fact, I pushed through the 1.5 mile barrier. Well... How about that?

After that – I just kept running. I proved to myself that I can do it, my ultimate goal. I run 3 or 4 miles at a time now without trouble. And while you'd never know by looking at me that I can run – I stopped caring about that. I started to understand the healing powers of a long run. I started to feel better which is what I've come to care most about.

So my advice to you, friends, who are sitting at home thinking, "I wonder if I can do that?" is that yes, you can. You can do it. You just need to believe you can. Start small. Celebrate the little triumphs. And when you think that you can not go farther or faster – do it anyway. You will feel empowered. You will feel accomplished and surprised and utterly blissful. You will be proud.