Future marathoner?

One morning, at 24 years old, I woke up and decided I wanted to complete a marathon.  Later that week I was signed up with Team In Training and preparing for the 2001 Honolulu Marathon.  It was a fantastic experience (one that I highly recommend, by the way).  My training came to a halt in the middle of a 16 mile training run when I first experienced patellar tendinitis, and I was ordered off my feet for the last couple months before the race.  Nevertheless, I showed up at the start line and put one foot in front of the other until I crossed the finish line...7 hours 48 minutes 49 seconds later.  That simultaneous feeling of complete joy and extreme pain will never be duplicated.  It was amazing.

And so my love of endurance events began.

Notice I didn't say my love of running.  Don't get me wrong, I love running.  But it's that sense of accomplishment that really drives my passion.  I only wish I had discovered it earlier in life.

One of the things I hope for my future children is that they will find joy, excitement, and value in athletics.  Whatever sport they choose, I want them to experience all of the benefits that come with it: fun, discipline, pride, teamwork...the list goes on and on.  I don't care what direction they go as long as they find something they love, though I have to admit it would warm my heart to have a running partner in the years to come.

As they say, it's never too young to start, so one day shy of 19 weeks, I took my soon-to-be-baby-girl to her first half marathon (my 16th).  With doctor's permission, I again put one foot in front of the other all the way to the finish line.  It was long and painful (I have the blisters to prove it) and I'm glad it's over, but maybe, just maybe, I lit a little spark in the heart of my (potential) future marathoner!

My friend Allison after finishing her very first half marathon!

One of my favorite things about marathons is the finisher's medal.  Today's disco ball bling did not disappoint!