Give me that test now! :-)

The Gulf Terrace Hike and Bike Trail is basically a 2-mile loop with a 1.5 mile spur. (And I have since heard that on the weekends, it is crowded like nobody's business.)

While I was running the loop part on Wednesday, for some reason, I started thinking about 7th-grade P.E.

Let me just get this out of the way: I always hated P.E. when I was in school. For starters, the thought of wearing clothing that others had worn? OMG. There is not enough hot water and bleach in the UNIVERSE to make that OK. Really. And secondly, I pretty much sucked at every single thing we were told to do.

But on Wednesday, I was specifically thinking of 7th-grade P.E. and the Presidential Physical Fitness Test.

I don't believe they do this now, but basically, you were put through a series of tests -- sit-ups, pull-ups, push-ups, etc. -- and rated on how many you could do in a certain amount of time. I never could do enough.

And then there was the mile run. We were supposed to complete it in a set amount of time.

Ha!

I remember the P.E. teacher telling us that if we couldn't run the whole thing, to run the straights and walk the curves.

Double ha!

I couldn't run more than four feet without huffing and puffing, my side aching, and my head pounding.

So I couldn't do that, either.

I routinely failed the Presidential Physical Fitness Test, an irony I find especially delightful now that I'm 38 years old, with two half-marathons, two 10Ks and numerous 5Ks under my belt.

I'm not one to blame my failings on anyone else. My weight and food issues are all mine. I had a wonderful childhood with absolutely no crises, trauma or drama whatsoever.

But way back when I decided to run for the first time, I can honestly tell you that the first thought that went through my mind was the memory of that mile run in the 7th grade, which was probably the last time I had tried to run. And the thought that maybe I can't do this, maybe I can't run and shouldn't even try was there.

I am a research queen. If there's information about something out there, I can find it. So I researched, and figured out that most of my problems from back then stemmed from lack of hydration.

Put very simply: If you don't drink enough water, then you're going to have side pain and a pounding headache.

I drink a lot of water these days -- 100 ounces a day at least -- and I have yet to have side pains as a result of running. The huffing and puffing? That was again, lack of knowledge. I was starting out too fast and not pacing myself.

Now, had I known those things back then, I may not have finished the mile in the allotted time anyway. It would have been nice to have known, though, that my side pains, headaches and heavy breathing weren't because I "wasn't a runner," but were due to some very basic issues that could be easily solved.

Maybe I've been a runner all along, and just didn't know it.