From Runner to Marathoner
Today I am grateful for a movie night and some laughter and lounging to go with it. I'm also grateful for the antibiotics available to help my son Sam get over strep throat. And I am grateful for the role my niece Katie played in my dream to run a marathon.
In August of 2003, we were at a family function and Katie was there with her fiance Danny.They were set to get married that October, but already had a plan to celebrate their first wedding anniversary: They were going to run the Chicago Marathon the next October. (I guess you'll have to ask them how and why they came up with that, but I am sure glad they did!) I had been running most of my life, and Darcy and I were running to stay in shape and manage weight. We were thinking about training for a half-marathon. But a full marathon was not on our radar at all. It came up again during the holidays and by early 2004, we were committing to Chicago and starting to train.
When I was 19, the 1984 Summer Olympics were in Los Angeles and American Joan Benoit-Samuelson won the first-ever women's Olympic marathon.
(check out the finish on YouTube at 1984 Olympic Women's Marathon - Joan Benoit)
That discussion changed the course of my life and my husband's life for the better. Five family members ran the Chicago Marathon, including Katie and I running the first 18 miles together, along with a friend of hers. We connected up again at the finish. Absolutely exhausted, but we did it! Darcy and I have since done eight more marathons. It's never too late. We ran our first at age 39.
Thanks for being the messenger I needed Katie!
In August of 2003, we were at a family function and Katie was there with her fiance Danny.They were set to get married that October, but already had a plan to celebrate their first wedding anniversary: They were going to run the Chicago Marathon the next October. (I guess you'll have to ask them how and why they came up with that, but I am sure glad they did!) I had been running most of my life, and Darcy and I were running to stay in shape and manage weight. We were thinking about training for a half-marathon. But a full marathon was not on our radar at all. It came up again during the holidays and by early 2004, we were committing to Chicago and starting to train.
When I was 19, the 1984 Summer Olympics were in Los Angeles and American Joan Benoit-Samuelson won the first-ever women's Olympic marathon.
(check out the finish on YouTube at 1984 Olympic Women's Marathon - Joan Benoit)
I loved watching the event unfold and dreamed of running a marathon some day. I kept running, but the marathon dream sort of got pushed to the back of my mind. Life has a way of doing that. Fast-forward almost twenty years and a comment from my niece Katie brings the dream to life again. That was what I needed; a push from someone else, a reason to pursue something that at the time was a mystery and something I wasn't sure I could do on my own.
Thanks for being the messenger I needed Katie!
and THANK YOU for continuing to be an inspiration to us all! i made one little comment about a marathon and you ran away with it!! (pun intended!) haha! i will NEVER forget that marathon back in 2004! truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me!! i felt so blessed to be surrounded and encouraged by people that i love dearly! thank you, lisa, for who you are and for your willingness to share that beautiful soul with us all!
ReplyDelete~katie steege
Thanks Katie! We have some family history we would rather not leave to the next generation. . . like breast cancer and high blood pressure. But we have some beautiful family history when it comes to running. Keep on keeping on! Speaking of beautiful souls . . . I am so glad I got to watch you grow up into the fine young woman you are today.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your blog, Lis. I don't get to it every day, but I try to get to it at least a couple times a week. Today I am grateful for you! Thanks for keeping me going! I am so psyched to see your dedication to this blog and for how you help me stay focused on being grateful too. Peace and thanks! Jenny
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenny! Just knowing you are checking in helps keep me going on this blog. DILIGENCE. Gratitude is amazing . . . the more I practice it and share it, the more I seem to have.
ReplyDelete