It isn't without good reason that one of my post labels is "Addiction: Running". Despite my ever-amateur status, running really is my addiction, and my love, and my therapy.

I love this ad:

I love that a girl like this one--with her rock hard body and apparent speed--and a girl like me--with my general squishiness and snail-like pace--can get the same benefits from running. Stress, sadness, regret... Whoosh!

Stress, sadness and regret don't disappear from my life, of course, just because I run. But those God-given endorphins help me to process all that stress, sadness and regret in a more positive frame of mind. I really like this ad a lot. It's a good one.

Speaking of ads, this one was my first favorite running-gear ad:

I discovered it back in 2007, the year of my first half marathon. Let's just say I was drawn to it because I can relate.

My jog bra is the second most expensive piece of sportswear on my body, after my running shoes,... and it still doesn't work as well as duct tape would if I could just get up the guts to use it.

My most recent sports bra purchase was one endorsed by both Oprah and Drew Barrymore. (That's right! Both!) It is, dare I say, the most serious piece of clothing I own. I say this because no other clothing in my closet requires an instructional video detailing how to put it on. This one does. (I am not making this up.)

One last ad that I like is this one. Kind of. (I'll explain.)

The question of when I could officially call myself a runner was a hard one. (It is for lots of ever-amateurs just like me.) I finally decided that it was distance that made me a runner for real. For example, I'm participating in a half-marathon training group right now. At the pace my group goes, we could opt to do another group's walk/run pace and finish in the same amount of time. But I can't bring myself to do it. I want to run as far as I can... even if I'm slow.

Still, I wish I could go faster. And then I could be sure...