and life gets in the way, and then gets out of the way again.

Life has a way of bringing you down. Literally. I had all the best intentions. I started early. Planning on making this process as easy on myself as possible. I signed up for my 10 k class and got started on that. It felt good...and hard. I was primed, motivated and ready. And then life got in the way. As it always will if you let it. It started with some physical health issues. The arthritis was so bad last spring and I ended up with Edima which swelled all my joints beyond recognition. That could have put a delay of a few months in the plan, that would have been ok. And then came the family problems. One after another after another until I was at a point when I was pretty darn sure I couldn't do this. Some days I couldn't even get out of bed let alone go for a run! I spent a lot of time thinking about this Marathon. Going back and forth in my head. How could I give up such an amazing opportunity, how could I take this opportunity with life blowing up in my face?
And then I got a message from Trish, our amazing joints in motion co-ordinator. It wasn't the first message she had left and I am ashamed to admit I avoided talking to her because I wanted to be sure. Probably I wanted to opt out. But this message was different. She read to me from my own website, reminded me of why I signed up for this crazy run, why I was doing it and who I was doing it for. But do I have enough time now? Can I possibly train for a Marathon that is in less than 28 weeks when I am not sure I can run around the block.
Yes I can, I will be slow, I will be sore and I will have to work super hard over the next months. I can do this. I will do it. I need to do it. There will never be another Marathon like this in my lifetime. There will never be another experience like this and I can't turn it down. To run the path that Pheidippides,the Greek messenger ran on the 2500th aniversary of that event is a life experience that I can't refuse. And I get to raise money for a society that has given me so much information and support over this past year, well it just doesn't get better does it?
Yesterday I took my first step (again) and I wil keep stepping until I have completed my goal. 7000.00 and 42 km. Can I get a Hell ya!