Keeping me Honest – and Running

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten about training for a marathon was to tell everyone I know about it. (Notice I didn’t say “the best advice,” which might have been to avoid the whole marathon thing altogether. Kidding.) But seriously, with that advice, I’ve told family members, friends, and acquaintances. I’ve told anyone that wanted to hear – and probably some that didn’t really want to. And, of course, I’ve told everyone that is reading this blog! It really has made all the difference. Every time someone asks me how my training is going or shares their own stories (running or otherwise) with me, it has motivated me. It’s also kept me honest. Without this help, I know precisely when I would have quit this whole marathon business. It would have been last week on a particularly tough run. I purposely waited to run until late afternoon, when I thought it had cooled off. But, I underestimated the heat and humidity. Through each twist and turn in our neighborhood, I had to use every ounce of energy I had just to keep myself going. Ironically, my run took me by a house with a “911 Emergency Truck” parked in the driveway. I considered knocking on their door, since they were obviously in the business of rescuing people. But, I guess forcing yourself to complete a run in extreme heat isn’t called an emergency. (It’s called cra-z-y!) When I finally made it home, my face resembled a red tomato, ripe with sweat. If I hadn’t told everyone I know about the marathon, I would have thrown in the towel right there. But, I didn’t. And I haven’t. All because of the great people around me (in person and in the virtual world) that have encouraged me. Thank you to everyone that has commented on my blog and inspired me in some way. I know that it’s keeping me going, and I’m very grateful! With your encouragement (and some luck), I’ll complete the marathon this fall – without the help of the 911 Emergency Truck.