For the Love of Running

It’s been almost one year since I’ve posted anything on my blog.

I have started a handful of them, but nothing ever seemed to sit right on the page.

This time though, I am going for it…

In exactly ONE month I will be running in the 2014 Boston Marathon!!

To say I am excited doesn’t even begin to describe the amazing wave of emotions I feel when I think about participating in this race. The journey to this point has been anything but pretty and less than a month ago I didn’t even think I had the heart to run it at all. That was until I started opening up about my frustrations with running, the lack of joy I felt during my training, and the desire to recreate my love for this sport.

Since qualifying for Boston, back in 2012, my life has been a bit of a roller coaster ride. Trying to balance family life, work and training has always been a bit of a challenge for me.
Training and racing has given me the ability to set goals and chase dreams I never thought were possible.
It has showed me a strength in myself I never knew I had.

It has also shown me my biggest weaknesses as well, on both an athletic and personal level.
When I am in training mode it is like living in a tunnel. Life goes on around me but all I see is the end goal.
While this might sound like a great athletic attribute, when it comes to being an athlete and a mom/wife sometimes it is extremely hard to manage.

That was until my life was shaken upside down, and left me with the challenge of rebuilding, refocusing and redefining everything I have known about my current life so far.

Fortunately for me though, I was beyond blessed with a second chance. A chance to remap my dreams, redefine my priorities and rebuild my beautiful family. I could not have done it without the amazing support system of my friends and family and will forever be grateful to those who helped me out during this time.

Coming back from a setback though is never easy. While I was able to successfully work on my family life, my training fell to the wayside and left me discouraged and frustrated with the process. I started getting stressed out and anxious about the one thing I used to LOVE doing. Training felt more like pulling teeth and my mood was usually worse after a workout. I have never wanted to give up, but at this time I was close to that point. That was until my husband and some great athletes and friends gave me some great advice!!

They told me to take a break for a little bit, a few days off where I could just rest and refocus.
At first I thought they were CRAZY!!! I only had 8 weeks till the Boston Marathon!! Taking a rest now would be SUICIDE!!!
Crazy or not though, I decided to listen and took 3 days off from running. It was amazing!! I slept in, I read some books, I even sat around doing nothing. After those 3 days I went for a nice easy run, not looking at my watch just enjoying being outside and running, and then I took a few more days off. I swam, I biked and only if I got the urge to run did I lace up my shoes and head out.

I did my long runs as scheduled but everything else remained completely unstructured. No stress – just doing what I loved when I felt like it.

Now one month till the day of the BIG RACE, my whole sense of focus and what I hope to accomplish on April 21st, 2014 has completely changed from what I had originally planned.
My goal for this race is to enjoy every moment, to totally immerse myself in the magic that this amazing race brings and to run not only to complete a life goal but to run in memory of those who were lost or affected by the tragedy of last years race.
There are no time goals, no “race weight” goals. I am just excited to go out there and run 26.2 miles in a town that I love more than any other, and to see the people I love the most, who have loved and supported me through all of this, at the finish line.

Because at the end of the day we are in this for the same reasons:

We all get up to watch the sunrise regardless of the weather,
we push ourselves through every blister, chaffing episode, and GI issue.
We meet each hill with a scowl and every downhill with a smile.
And whether we are just out there for fun or out there to compete,
we all get something out of it.
This sport brings so many different people from all different walks of life together.
We are a community, a family, we are strong.
And everything we do, we do for the love of running.