Amazing~ I think not

I have had many people tell me how amazing (or crazy) I am for running a marathon. The truth of the matter is that I am a determined person, but really the training for me was the hardest part of it all. It is a challenge to figure out fuel, hydration, soreness vs. injury, clothing, weather, shoes, blisters and more. The actual marathon race~ that for me is/was fun and what the training payoff is! I am just like you- ordinary yet unique, but not extraordinary. I don't want to minimize the effort or determination necessary to do it. It is not easy. It is an accomplishment that I am proud of.

Halhigdon.com is what I have used for my training programs. It is a great site and I transferred the mileage training/distance to my calendar for free or you can download the apps for a charge.

Medtronics Twin Cities Marathon October 2012

Each of us have a "bucket list". I have not had many serious thoughts about what I want to do or even accomplish before I die. I am not sure that I want to think about my death. Death comes to all that live, so I am not in denial, but it is not something that I dwell on or am planning for. I am someone that generally tries to live in the here and now but also plans for the near future.

Ever since I was a young child I have loved watching the Olympics. Extremely talented, trained athletes come together from all over the world to compete. I would sit in front of the tv and watch for hours. I did not have the natural talent or the drive within to be able to compete at that level. I was given opportunities to discover my talents as a child. I was a natural at swimming and tested for my life guard certification. I was a gymnast, dancer, basketball player and a golfer. As a younger person, I was the first girl on our golf team. I had natural talent and a "feel" for golf. I gave up the game in an act of defiance. I felt pushed by the adults around me to compete on a higher level and the game became high pressured which I was not interested in. I dabbled in creativity too. I took art, music, acting and writing classes. I had talent in lots of areas but nothing that filled me with passion.  

dreamer

High school ended. College and the decision about what to do with my adult life became a necessity. I liked working with kids. I won't lie. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of others and what better way than to become a  teacher? I taught kindergarten. And then, I got married. The "me" in my life became "we". The happiness of our lives became even richer with the birth of our children. I know that I could never have imagined how much my life would change.

Early professional days

"I do." and I would again!

The train station near Peshtigo, WI.

I became a full time mom and if I am honest, a part time wife. We will be celebrating our 26th wedding anniversary this week and it is a tribute to my husband that we are loving each other today. He supported me in all of my insanity and troubling times. I know that there were times that I felt that I had lost "my self". That might not make any sense to you. I took time off to raise our kids. I left my profession and had friends that were moms. My identity revolved around my kids. This is not a bad or good thing. It is a choice that I made.  I am very proud of my kids. They have personal integrity, compassion for others, intelligence, common sense, great work ethics, sarcastic senses of humor, and a balance in their lives that is mature and healthy. They were raised by us but they are their own selves as any loving parent would want them to be. I take only partial credit for this. In my years of teaching, I have learned that much of who we are is just plain luck. We are lucky!

A few years back...

Fast forward to Katy leaving home for college. The 22 years that children were living within our midst, changed in a flash. I have been teaching full time since 2001 and I had gone back to college and earned my masters degree. I had started to get other interests again as time and money allowed. There was a small part of me (nagging me perhaps)  that needed to do something more. Perhaps I could run and finish a marathon? I had not been a runner and a 5K seemed like a far distance when I first started. I don't know if it was really a bucket list item or not. I do know though that I have discovered the joy of running. Training for and completing marathons is not crazy or amazing. It is something I can say I have done. It is a mental and physical challenge. I am glad that I can do it for me.