One Foot in Front of the Other

Today I started training for my first marathon....before you go... seriously Katie... one more thing, when are you going to fit this in...you can stop yourself - my husband has already rolled his eyes at me once, if not several times....but it's a priority to me....actually it's my privilege.

Now I'm not the coolest, hippest looking runner with new flashy clothes, shoes or gps training devices. I have decent running shoes, I listen to Pandora on my phone while the stopwatch application keeps my time and my clothes are just anything that doesn't restrict my running. Nothing extraordinary.

I did start running my fair share of 5K's in college, took some major time off during my wedding and two pregnancies, then got back on "track" to complete my first half-marathon in under two hours last fall.......which was the coolest runner's high I've ever had.....

Runner's high - it's the adrenaline rush after you've accomplished a half mile run or 13.1 miles....a feeling of accomplishment, pushing through the cramps and mental weakness, getting over to the other side where you walk around afterwards like... yeah I'm amazing...You can only experience it.

It's also healthy to get out and do at least.... at LEAST...30 minutes of fairly intense exercise DAILY. This isn't your stroll around the block looking at the neighbor's lovely spring flowers. This is a pumping your arms, increasing your heart rate, leave those flowers in the dust kind of movement.

Also, setting a goal, working through obstacles and celebrating successes as well as achieving the goal are all huge life lessons I hope to teach my boys. Maybe someday they'll make the connection as they lace up their running shoes.

You can also eat more after you run than before....another reason I eat ice cream every night after a run - yes, I realize this might be counterproductive....but I also have a fairly tight relationship with Ben & Jerry, the Blue Bunny and Country Fresh and I'd rather just give in then fight temptation :).

The two I think about every time I lace up my shoes...
Aunt Casee & Grandpa Bum - beating the odds daily.

Seriously though, there are so many amazing reasons to encourage anyone to run....but my reason is so much more. I have family that will never run again. Cancer has taken away their lung capacity to breath deep. Cancer has taken away the movement in their legs. Cancer is a bitch. It's an awful way to say it, and I'm usually pretty smooth with word choice, but I have no desire to give cancer the time and energy to come up with a considerate, romantic way to capture its raw approach to essentially turning lives upside out and inside down. It's awful. It's unfair. It's nondiscriminatory. It shows no empathy or sympathy. It's a bitch.

So God has given me lungs to breath deep. To handle the cold winter runs and the hot humid ones as well. He also blessed me with two legs that move, maybe not as fast as the competitive side of me would like, but when my mind tells my feet to put one foot in front of the other, they follow directions.

So I  have no excuse to not lace up my shoes everyday to train for this marathon....because someday - looking at my family's health history - I may not have this privilege. And to waste what I have at this moment in my life would be so irresponsible...because so many would and have died trying to get just one more chance to put one foot in front of the other...