Did you ever do something that had you smacking your forehead and wondering what the hell you were getting yourself into? That’s me. Two weeks into training for my second marathon in 4 years. 2008 Chicago, here I come…again. The pain from the 2004 Chicago marathon wasn’t tattooed into my brain deeply enough, I guess. I’ve decided to do it again because of peer pressure and my sometimes annoying, genetic gift of fierce competitiveness. Mostly I’m terrified of the inevitable pain I’m going to endure. I’m definitely not a Kenyan and my body was not built for this, even though I’m an athletic chic. But there are a few things that keep me putting one foot in front of the other.
One, I fell in love with Chicago the one and only time I was there. Any excuse to go back is excuse enough for me. Train 18 weeks and be guaranteed that with every step, my knees are going to feel like someone is beating me right across the joint with an iron pipe for the entire 4 hours. Sign me up. Chicago’s a fantastic city and I can't wait to soak it all up again. I’ll do anything to get back.
Two, I'm looking forward to spending countless hours during the next 16 weeks planning, talking and running with my girlfriends. I look forward to those long run days when the miles seem to fly by as we vent our frustrations of the week, talk about our future dreams and laugh about the ridiculousness of our family responsibilities. It's much cheaper than paying a therapist. Unless we all need knee and hip replacements before retirement age.
Three, I missed the after party on the Navy Pier in 2004 because, well, I literally couldn’t put one foot in front of the other from the extreme post-race knee pain. That bummed me out. This year, I’ll be there even if my pals have to help me shuffle over there.
But most importantly, I’m looking forward to the marathon because I’m thrilled to raise money for Girls on the Run as I step closer to my goal of 26.2. More on this groundbreaking program in future posts…
So, here’s my blog. My journey to Chicago in 2008 and a few more details about why my running matters to me and where I hope running shoes will take me. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally too. Maybe someone who needs inspiration will find my words and will see from my experiences that we only have to look inside ourselves to find what it takes to be the best we can be. And you’ll also see that my journey is definitely an ongoing process. Two steps forward and one step back…
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