Such is the circuitous nature of life, what feels unnatural at first may be the missing piece when you meet it again at the right time. “I laugh when I think about my first experience — thinking that running was stupid and feeling so dejected and embarrassed by my inability to keep up with the kids in my school. But look at me now.” — Adriana Estrada

LOG 1 — introducing Adriana

For Adriana, the inevitable next start line is Boston. “I mean, it's kind of the Holy Grail, right? It's the oldest marathon in the US.”

Reflecting on how she got to this point — feeling confident in targeting big city marathons — Adriana finds it almost absurd that her first foray into running offered such little promise of the joy she now draws from the sport. An ill-fated attempt to join the school cross-country team lasted just a couple of blocks. “I'm by myself. I don't know where they went. So do I keep running or do I turn around? I turned around, walked back to the school, and  called my mom. She asked me what happened and I said, "‘Running is stupid.’ And that was the end of that.” 

Times change and running came around again. On her terms — nothing competitive. And maybe that was the key to unlocking what running could mean. Doing it unrushed and without comparison. Before any compulsion to chase time, running became a way to move through new places.

“My husband and I call it touring. The first thing we do in a new place is go for a run so we can get to know a neighborhood.” 

Racing has a magnetism that eventually pulled Adriana in. That enchanting quality. The juxtaposition that blends a festival atmosphere alongside thousands of people wrangling with a distance. “Every year we'd go out and cheer on the New York City marathoners. It was so exciting. I would yell, ‘We're going to do this. Let's do it. Let's sign up.’ Then finally, one day I said, ‘You know what? That's it. I'm going to sign up for something.’ So I consulted all of my friends who run and I started with a half marathon— the Rock 'n' Roll Half, in Brooklyn.” 

And so the process of learning to become a runner began. “My friends gave me tips about what I needed — what shoes, what socks, what kind of shorts, what kind of sports bra… everything. Because I didn't really know anything. This world was so, so different.”

Learning how to fuel isn’t as simple as choosing socks. You only know it’s right when you feel nothing. And when it’s wrong, it can ruin a run.

“Everyone told me to eat lots of  bagels because I needed the glycogen in my muscles. I did that and felt gross because I was way over-bageled.”

While the mental picture of being over-bageled is an amusing one, it’s an important reminder that there’s not necessarily a right or wrong way — only what’s right for you. And that takes patience and practice to master.

This is something that Adriana hopes she will leave Fueled for a Year with a much clearer understanding of. “I know there's a science behind it and I've become a kitchen scientist by trying a little bit of this and a little bit of that. But really knowing what works for my height, weight, speed, age — that’s where I want to learn.” 

Being more educated about fueling, Adriana hopes that it will enable her to strip away much of the clutter. Everything you need — nothing you don’t. To access the purity of running. “There are moments when I'm running and I don't even think about what's happening in my body. It's just this absolute fantastic feeling of being connected to the Earth. When I see Eliud Kipchoge or Hellen Obiri move, it seems effortless. That's where I want to get to — to feel that flow.”

Since the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half, Adriana has moved through greater distances on trail and road. But a qualifying time for Boston would be a sweet validation — a deserved reward — for toiling with the inertia of comfort. Sometimes it’s easier not to try again. But Adriana did and her life is richer for it.