"Ahhhhhh....why did I sign up for this?????" This is what I was thinking at 6 am earlier this week when I overslept and missed a run. I had snoozed my alarm about 4 times and just couldn't bring myself to get up out of bed and out on the streets in the dark. So, I went back to sleep. Which I never do. I NEVER skip training runs! EVER! I am as rigid as it comes. Give me a schedule and I will follow it. Flexibility is rarely an option (just ask Theo). The decision to skip a run created a catastrophic thinking downward spiral. Why did I decide to sign up for the race this year? I have a full time job and less freedom to run. Runs MUST happen at the crack of dawn. How am I going to pull off 8-10 mile runs at 5 am? AHHHHHHHHH!

Then wouldn't you know, that night Declan (my six-year-old son) comes home with a worksheet talking about marathons, specifically the Boston Marathon. One of the questions on the worksheet was, "Why do you think someone would choose to run a marathon?" Lucky for Declan, he has a mom who could answer this question from experience. Declan posed the question during dinner time and I replied, "Because it makes me feel accomplished."  Quickly Charlotte (my eight-year-old daughter) chimed in, "People run marathons to help sick people."

There you have it. That is why I signed up for the 2013 Boston Marathon. I am running this race for the 4th time in memory of my mom, Patty. This year, I have another angel pulling me along--Jonathan Smyth, my "In Memory" partner. Both of these courageous heroes fought an unwinnable battle. I want to make the outcome different for those cancer warriors today and in the future.

Thank you to those that have supported me in the past. Thank you to those who have supported me already this year. Please consider helping me attain my fundraising goal of $15,000! More blog entries to come as I train through the early, dark, winter mornings....