Blenders and Blisters

On Tuesday night I ran six miles. Let's just start with that.

Even just recently, I never could have pictured myself being able to say that. And yet I signed up to run a marathon in June. I remember the question being asked at the Team in Training information session: "Who's ready to change a life?" To be honest, my first instinctual thought was, "My own."

Around New Years my life got put into a blender and whirled around and emerged as this smoothie that I'm still trying to grow accustomed to the taste of. Among other things, I (FINALLY!) moved out of my parents house and started my second job as a weight loss coach at Lucille Roberts. One day I was about to throw out yetanotherbrochure that I had gotten in the mail from a running charity, but I stopped, looked at it, and thought, "Why not?" Why not focus as much of my disheveled energy into doing something good?

I've been sort of a gym addict since college but I've never been much of an endurance runner. It's one of those things that I always wanted to to be able to say: "I'm a runner." I somewhat envied those people who went for five mile loops before breakfast.

Another day recently at the gym, before the six mile mark, I was still lingering around doing two to three miles a night before getting bored and moving to the next machine. But I noticed a girl on a treadmill near mine, and her numbers read over five miles. The competitive side of me came out and I thought, "If she can do it, I can do it," and I kept myself going until I had hit that landmark.

The marathon is raising money for blood cancers, and as far as I know, I've never known anyone with blood cancer personally, but different types of cancers have definitely affected my family: my mother, my brother, my aunt... I'm sure so many people could say the same thing. I've also strangely been noticing blood cancer mentioned in the media a lot lately: In the movie Dear John, which I saw last weekend; in the Survivor special featuring Ethan Zohn; in a book a picked randomly at the library: The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters. These instances have put a face on the battle I'm helping to fight, and keep me running that extra mile.

I worry about about meeting the fundraising goal. I am 47% of the way there, and people have been so generous, and others have pledged to help out, too. I hope I can do this. I need to do this.

Also: I need new sneakers. Blisters= ouch.

Six is good, but I signed up for twenty-six. I still have a long way to go.