NYC Marathon

When Chris and I finally found out we were expecting, we told my mom and sister the evening of the NYC marathon, which Katie had just completed, 2008. The set up was: I announced I was signed up to do a marathon.

Katie right away suggested I do a half marathon. Chris told them this marathon was different. That no body would be timing me, and I'd be doing the endurance alone. Oh, and at the end of the marathon, instead of a medal, we'd have a baby.

It took a few minutes, but finally the light bulb went on: I wasn't doing a conventional marathon...but childbirth was the marathon!! How funny that things are coming full circle now.

As you all know by now, the Spina Bifida Association is officially a Community Charity for the 2010 ING NYC Marathon. That means 5 runners get guaranteed entry to run...no qualifying runs/times, no lottery. Just raise the minimum amount of money and run for your cause.

This was my sister's brainchild. And, she might as well be a marathon runner (soon to be tri-athlete) by trade so she registered right away and is all set to be the Captain of the SBA team.

And so we go about the search for 4 remaining runners...Katie's marathon companion and long-time friend Shannon has been *invited*. I started my search for 2 more runners, briefly thinking the other day...hmmmm...I wonder if I could run it. I researched briefly how much time one needs to train and then pushed the thought to the back of my head.

There are many reasons not to do it. I've never run in a legitimate race, let alone a marathon. 26.2 continuous miles of running. Oh yeah, and while Emily is already 1, it's like I just gave birth to her two months ago, with my weight and physical fitness state. Would they be asking me to move off the streets to the side walk at some point because 7 hours had passed and I was still trudging through?

There are always reason's not to do something.

But then Katie said something about me running it. And it was like an "I second that motion" on the thought from the other day. So I gave it some more thought. Because, while there is always a reason not to do something, there are always more important reasons to do something.

You can either watch life run past you, or you can run along with life. There is always an excuse not to do something, not to go somewhere, not to participate in something, not to embrace life while you have the chance. This is not the message or value we want to instill in Emily. We want her to do anything and everything her heart contents. We want her *running* along with life, in whatever form she may be *running*. We do not want her watching from the sidelines as life runs past her.

But the bottom line is: for everything Emily has been through so far in her little life, and for everything she will have to go through in the future, 26.2 miles seems like a very small feat, and there is no excuse to not do it.

So it's official: I am entry #586757 in the world's largest marathon, the NYC Marathon 2010, running for the Spina Bifida Association, on behalf of my daughter. I'm going to raise at least $5000 (our team goal is $25,000), and run (well, and walk some...) 26.2 miles.

This blog is now essentially turning into my training tracker, journal, crutch, countdown, contribution tracker and so on. I'll be journaling every Sunday, for everyone to see how much I ran and worked out during the week, how we are raising money, what you can do to help, what I'm learning as I learn another new language, that of marathon training/runner.

If you are as inspired to jump on board, especially any of you Mommy's on this journey, please let me know. Only 2 spots are remaining on the team!!!