Getting it right

Yesterday was a taper run - 12 miles, 2:17. We'll taper for the next 2 Saturdays as we get closer to the marathon. Next week will be my last double digit run before 1.13.08.

Finding inspiration throughout this journey has come from various places. I was out with some friends last night who, after a few martinis or two, were getting sentimental and telling me what an inspiration I had been for them during my training. These 2 friends don't realize what an inspiration they have been for me. They've helped me through a number of fundraising events (we collectively raised over $1500 working various events) and they have their own trials and tribulations that make me realize that shin splints and blisters are actually reminders of how blessed I am to be able to do what I am doing. My friend Kim has been out of work for a few months and as a single mom of 2 boys, the holidays are tough but she laughs and smiles more than a person with a million dollars. Cathy just recently found out that her breast cancer is back. She is traveling w/ me to Orlando and when we return she'll be facing surgery and 6 months of chemo. I'll cross that finish line in memory of my uncle and in honor of Cathy. This is where I get my inspiration.

Some days I find I run because I have to or I won't survive 26.2. Those are the days that it takes all I have to put one foot in front of the other and overcome the elements of my nature. Some days I find I run because I want to - because I find for a few miles or hours that my life is my own and I am who I want to be and don't have to worry about who I am to everyone else. Sometimes I'm running away, running to escape, and hoping life won't find me. But you can't really run away - it will still be there in the end and you realize that each day is simply an event, not a means to an end in this journey we call life. It's just a matter of figuring out how to get it right and do it again tomorrow.