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"How long have you been running?"
I get that question a lot when people ask me about running this year's Boston Marathon or my decision to run NYC for Boston Children's Hospital. When I stop to think about it, I can only remember a few times in my life when I wasn't running, and it boils down to when the kids were much younger and hard to wrangle, or didn't have spectacular sleeping habits and I was simply exhausted. So, I guess I've been running forever, but before this year, it's not really been what I would consider serious. However, when you're training to run 26.2 miles, you've got to be serious about preparing your body. I went into training for Boston with the One-and-Done mentality, and yet here I am gearing up to run another marathon in the same year, and I've thought quite a bit about why I've had this change of heart.
Giving Back
One of the most rewarding parts of my Boston Marathon experience was actively raising money for The Greg Hill Foundation and promoting the amazing things they do for people who suffer tragedy. I'm the type of person whose heart smiles when I see the good in the world and the ways people give back, but aside from writing the check, I've never given more of myself to make an even bigger contribution, and it just felt right. I feel just as strongly about helping Boston Children's Hospital, and it feels good to be planning events and fundraisers to support their mission to help every child who walks through their doors.
Focus and Health
Like most women, unfortunately, I've struggled with body image my entire life. It's come and gone in intensity through various stages of my life, but I've never been 100% comfortable in my own skin, and I've not always handled that in a healthy way. I started training for Boston in December, and those months following were some of the healthiest, most positive months I can recall. I was focused on taking in nutrition that would allow me to perform every week in training, and I was active enough to feel good about my balance of food and exercise. When I suffered an injury three weeks before the race, it was difficult to stop running, and my balance felt off. In the weeks following the Boston Marathon, I felt as if I was in my own personal tailspin, and I know it was because of a sudden loss of focus and a feeling that the balance I'd created was gone. Will I always be training for a marathon? No, I'll do what I can for now, but I'm no spring chicken, and my body will have a limit. In order to maintain a healthy balance, though, I'll always be running.
Role Model
Living an active lifestyle is important for a lifetime of good health, and I want my kids to live long healthy lives. More effective that telling them is to actually be the example, and show them how you can incorporate exercise into your life and make it fun and consistent. I'm still learning how myself, but they are watching, and they are joining in and running with me. When I start my longer runs, they'll see me lacing up my shoes as I set out for 20 miles, and they'll see my husband ride out ahead on his bike to be my water stops, and they'll see that committing to a goal and staying focused is possible when you plan ahead and lean on your loved ones.
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I run because it is a part of who I am, and right now it allows me to help charities that I adore. I run because it helps me maintain a balance, and I get to show my kids what balance can look like when you make it a priority. I run because it brings me peace, joy, and focus in every area of my life.
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