Countdown to October 12, 2014

These words will be forced as I have been in no mood to write as of late. I am fighting a block in the writing domain. This is most unfortunate as I have much to record.

Onwards.

I have big news! On Monday, April 14 I found out I won The Lottery. For the Chicago Marathon. While I had a fair shot at winning—33,000 of 71,000 entrants were provided spots, I was elated when my congratulatory email reached my inbox (at exactly 2:45 pm after waiting for what felt like forever). There are many things about running Chicago in October that feel right. The first being, I am running again. And I have been consistently doing so for nearly two months, working myself up to 10-plus mile weekend long runs. At paces that will qualify me for Boston, no less.

All the while, I am also enjoying running again. This is something I have not been able to say for a long, long time. But each time I lace up my shoes and run alongside the Potomac River or in front of monuments people travel to see or on the quiet, blossoming tree-bordered Four-Mile Trail, I feel so lucky to be living in this city. Plus, for extra motivation, Washington, D.C. is littered with runners.

Truthfully, it’s hard to complain about running when it’s a perfect 50 degrees at 6:00 am. (There cannot be enough positive things spewed about this weather. The most notable change—my mood. From drab to alive. I am not an unbearable, fulltime grouch. Just a seasonal grouch. And with that, I can deal.) This will be more difficult to say as the temperatures rise. But summer is not winter. And that alone feels right. 

After a stress fracture (ouch!) while training for the Cleveland Marathon in May 2007, I promised myself I would not train for running-related events going forward because PAIN. (This was the first and only running injury I have had. It came after y-e-a-r-s of pounding pavement. And it nearly ruined running for me. This event and time is not something I intend to ever relive. Re: Ouch!) For the past seven years, I have stayed true to that word. By essentially not running. To be entirely honest, I have since flirted with running because, again, PAIN. So all stars aligned (i.e., no injuries), this will be my first marathon. On a flat, fast Chicago course… with both a seasoned childhood friend and college companion enduring the challenge beside me.

I will not be running second-rate, fallback marathons in Richmond or Philadelphia. I will be running Chicago on October 12, 2014. The official training begins in June. Until then, I will be preparing for the Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon in late-May. Hooray happy, injury-free running!