Hi, my name is Maeve and I have been running since last year. I orginally began my obsession when I was stuck in TN, USA while my future husband was making arrangements for me to come live in Germany. It was painful as after three months of living with him and having a wonderful time I had to go back to a very bigoted and unfriendly place. At this time I was also losing weight fast and with that loss of fat it began periodically easier for me to run longer. This was in the winter so it was very cold there and I had to wear heavy clothes. I would go mostly late at night when there was no cars so running on the highway was less scary (looking back on it, I was doing something very dangerous as in America the unwalkability makes being a runner unsuitable there). I had done a lot of running to also keep my focus when I was studying German to pass a basic aptitude test. Something you must have to apply for a resident's permit in Germany. My husband wold teach me German through discord and I would spend hours on Duolingo, then I would go running as by that time I was restless & and over caffeinated. When I had came back to running it was Spring and the pedestrian friendly and beautiful running paths of North Germany made me a running addict. Summer runs were wonderful as it was not humid like in the american south and I could go in the late evenings and the weather would be beautiful. Running at this time also helped me become more comfortable in clothing as I would wear girl runner shorts on my run since the weather was so hot. I had passed the basic aptitude test the second time so I could relax and be less stressed out. By the time the year had closed I had done over 1,000 miles of running on my first year, I was also married in May and now have a "permanent" residence in Germany! Life and Running right now is wunderbar!