Thought 23: Are you for real . . .

When Bob and I got married in December 1997, he was 22 and I was barely 23 years old. We were young and ready to take on the world together. Our wedding was absolutely beautiful and the big, fun party we wanted with our friends and family. Although, we always laugh that we didn't see any of the food until we opened the picnic basket in our hotel room later that night. It was an affair to remember for sure. We were married two days after Christmas and everything was decorated so beautifully. We could not have been more grateful to our parents for giving us such an amazing start to our lives. Our honeymoon was a cruise through the Caribbean and such a carefree time. We went scuba diving for the first time and both fell in love with the experience. We arrived home to our apartment, ready to start our lives as a family. The honeymoon ended pretty quickly as it was more apparent that I was having health issues that were new and different. Outside of some childhood asthma (that I grew out of when I was 8 years old) and problems with seasonal allergies throughout my teenage years and early twenties, I had never really been sick. Bob was there for me from the moment I had my first symptoms of Crohn's Disease just months after our wedding day. He is there for me now. I could not be more blessed. 

A friend asked me recently, "are you an avid runner?" I was really not sure how to answer. It's funny, I have been running pretty consistently for about two years now and I still have trouble thinking of myself as a runner. Am I an "avid runner?" The word "avid" means to have or show a keen interest or enthusiasm in something or to have an eager desire for something. So, do I have an interest or enthusiasm for running? I would say so. Bob texts me quotes like the one below every weekend during my long runs. He sent me this one last Saturday while I was running 7 miles. It really stuck with me and I wanted to share it with you.

I know people that run for lots of reasons and they all run at different levels and distances. I also know many people that don't run for lots of reasons. There were a lot of years when I would have laughed at you if you ever told me I would train as a runner, much less for a full marathon. Let's just say, I was not the first one picked during P.E. in school. But, I am a runner. I am an avid runner. I am not able to break 2 hours in a half marathon (a benchmark I have always attributed to serious runners), but I am only 20 minutes behind them and my medal looks the same. I show up and put in the time. My mile is just as long as the next runner, no matter when I finished it. I don't care if you run 2 miles, 10 miles, or 26.2, the effort can be the same if that is a goal for you. I remember when I never thought I could run a mile without stopping. It was such a challenge for me to reach that milestone. I have come a long way since then and that is why training is so important. As you increase your mileage, you sometimes wonder how you will ever be able to run farther than the goal you have for that day. I remember when I ran 6 miles for the first time when training for the 2013 Disney Half Marathon. While I was proud of myself, I thought, how would I ever be able to run more? And then I did.

I finally feel like I am getting back into a groove with my running. The heat is definitely my biggest challenge at the moment, but I am making it work. In order to prepare for the long haul, I have pulled back on my long runs and returned to interval training. I am running seven or eight minutes and walking one throughout the whole run. This worked really well for me during my last long run and left me feeling like I could do more. The run-walk method also doesn't take too much off your time if you do it consistently throughout the run. So, I continue to run my own race and use what works for me. I know I will hit bumps throughout my training, but so far so good!

Over the past week I also mapped out my training and runs between now and race day on October 12. Seeing the visual of what days I will run what distances provided me a lot of relief. I can now look ahead and make sure I plan around those growing distances, especially on the weekends. It is hard to imagine running farther than a half marathon distance of 13.1 miles, but like I have in the past, I will do it and continue to move up the mileage ladder. I am hoping to connect with a running group when the mileage gets past the half marathon distance. I feel very naive going into this experience and I know I will learn so much along the way, but that is why I am doing this. I want the experience. I crave it. I want to show myself that I can do this and that my body is strong enough both physically and mentally. I hope to inspire others that have faced health challenges like me or are looking for a reason to hope. I want to be a source of inspiration for those that need it. I have connected with a lot of runners through social media and have found my own sources of inspiration and motivation both in and out of the running world. I just want to give back.

So, if you are reading this and want to be a runner, just lace up and get out there. If you show up, you are a runner. If you run some of it and walk some of it, you are still a runner. Take on that couch to 5K. Take on the 10K. Go for the half marathon. Next time someone asks me if I am an avid or serious runner, I am going to say yes confidently. I am putting a lot of myself into this each week, as well as my family,  and I take that sacrifice and commitment seriously. If you are just getting started with this journey, you are still a runner. If you own it, I promise I will too.

On a side note, in my last blog, Thought 22, I forgot to add one more movie to my favorite list, A Few Good Men. Had to be said.

Check out my personal fundraising page for the Les Turner ALS Foundation -  http://ow.ly/ukTos.