Well I did it. I did my first "run" this morning. Well, technically my first run waslast night with Ellie down the block. She was so cute, she had her sweat band around her head, her jogging clothes on. It was awesome. But this AM was the run that I was going to write down in my runners journal. I woke up with a screamer of a sore throat, and slept only about 4 hours but I was determined. "I'll just walk really brisk" I told myself. Next thing I knew I was doing the walk a minute/run a minute thing 6 times! I couldn't believe it! And it was not as hard as the last time I started running! I was very very happy. And my legs are a little sore, but I love that feeling. I went to Chapters and looked at a bunch of books on running. I was looking at books about marathons in particular. Marathons are an extremely personal and emotional endeavor for most people. And the stories are incredible. There are so many unique people with equally unique situations running marathons, it is very inspirational. There is a lot of info about a woman named Kathrine Switzer, who in 1967 ran the Boston Marathon as the first woman ever to enter. Women were not allowed to run marathons in those days, so she entered as K. Switzer. She was actually shoved quite brutally by an official and that shove was caught on camera. You can read her story here. Many people run for many reasons, and not all of them are as obvious as fitness and weightloss. There are not only cancer survivors who run, but people running as they battle the disease. There are people with prosthetics, with arthritis, seniors in their 80's, recovering from depression, addiction, the list goes on and on. The finish line of a marathon is a snapshot inside a persons soul. The photo of someone embracing a loved one, or collapsing with exhaustion captures a moment in time where that individual has achieved a lifelong dream, or conquered a demon.. or both. It is a personal achievment that many people only dream of, and others wear with pride. My Dad was in the army, and growing up I always remember him going for his runs. I was so in awe of that. He'd run and run and come back and sweat and I would ask him all of these questions, "Dad, are you going to take a shower now?" "No." He'd say. A couple of minutes later, "Are you going to take a shower NOW??" As his sweat was dripping. I didn't think it was gross at all, I was just curious why he didn't want to shower. "No, honey, I just want to sweat it out first." Wow. Cool. I thought. Then my sister took up running. And she entered and completed a half marathon. A HALF MARATHON PEOPLE!! I really really wanted to be there to catch her at the finish line, but was working and missed it. I am still so incredibly proud of her for doing it. Yay you, Kim!! That is something I would like to do someday, as brutal as it is on the human form. Running is for everybody, and even if a person is in a wheel chair, well guess what there is a race for them too. There is a race for Generations of Hope Fertility Assistance Fund in June. It's a 5 or 10 k walk/run, and there is even a .5 k for kids. I have no idea how this e-mail ended up in my inbox, I seriously have no idea, but it is a bit eerie that it did. The running, the fertility... hmmmm... I would like our family to do it, I think Ellie would have a blast doing the .5 k, and she'll get a t-shirt! She is quite the little philanthropist, which thrills me beyond anything!! She has been saving her change for the Children's Miracle Fund, and she is very excited about Wednesday as we are going to the Dare to Dream Gala to support local charities.

So, I am running now, and will run, not because I have to, but because I can. Our bodies were designed over a million years of evolution to run. As kids we ran all over the place! Remember? I remember also being able to skip rope for hours on end, now if I do 2 jumps without dying I'm ecstatic! Someday I'll be able to run without gasping for breath after 1 minute, maybe even 10 minutes! Ellie is going to run with me sometimes on easy runs. Her pony tail flying. Regan can't run, but he likes to walk while we run laps around him. He could ride his bike and then it would really be a family thang.

No passports yet, but really, I am at peace with it. I truly have let it go. Running will help with the stress of that. Certainly more than eating an ENTIRE bag of Laye's ripple chips, you know the Blockbuster size bag!! I wish I were kidding.