Thursday, April 5, 2012


What Makes Us Become Runners

Everyone who runs has their own individual reasons for doing.  Some do it to stay in shape, some do it as a way to socialize others do it because somewhere along the line they became addicted to the runner’s high. I have already referenced my use of running as, among other things, a stress reliever.  Aside from this, I think another question to ask is is what motivated us to start running in the first place?  The reasons for beginning are as diverse as the reasons for continuing.  My running life did not begin as a way to combat stress. 

I was never an athlete.  Oh I tried to be, but I spent a lot of time on the bench and being made fun of!  My younger brother was the one blessed with athletic prowess.  He was star football player in high school.  He was also number 3 in the nation in shot put.  His path led him to a full scholarship to play football for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes.  Mine led me to nowhere.  By my senior year in high school I had quit even trying.  The one thing I have always been is a walker.  I’ve had a car for the sum total of 2 years over the course of my life, and that was 13 years ago.  I walked everywhere, so at least I wasn’t totally bereft of exercise. So what was it that got me to start running?

In 2006 I had a Marine friend who was preparing to deploy to Iraq.  At that point he was the 3 person I knew who to go to war.  I’m not exactly sure what it was but I decided I was going to run the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) in his honor.  Mind you I had never run before, had no idea what I was doing and most importantly did not respect the distance.  I chose a book about marathoning that had a training schedule and I set out to do my best to prepare for the race.  After a lot of effort, some injuries and some time in PT, I finished the race in just under 5 hours.  I immediately called my friend to let him know I had done it!  Sadly, I also found myself in physical therapy for months after and I swore off running marathons. 

In 2008 I was drawn back when I was asked to be a part of the Inaugural Marine Corps Marathon Team USO.  The military is something very near and dear to my heart.  Many of my friends and family members are, or have been, in the military.  The USO is the one organization I could not say no to.  I had already done a lot of volunteer work for the organization.  So what started as 1 race as part of the team turned into 2, then 3 then 4 years as part of the team.  While the medals are cool, the real reward has been the money I’ve been able to raise for the USO as part of the team.  Between 2008 and 2011 I raised close to $10,000.  So while, yes, I run for myself, I also run for a cause greater than myself.  The team has grown and I love it more and more every year.  Maybe that also has something to do with the fact that I now run a 3:45:00 marathon J.   If you want to know how to get involved just ask me.



I took a slight detour from running for Team USO a few weeks ago when I ran the Shamrock Marathon for Team Hope for the Warriors.  It was meant to be a marathon just for me to try 1 last time to qualify for Boston.  In the end the motivation to raise money for another good cause helped me get through running on some of those cold winter days.  My friend Heather was running for them and I decided I would too.




 Over the past few years I have also had the pleasure of running the Army 10 Miler multiple times with my cousin who is currently a Major in the United States Army.  He served 2 tours in Iraq and has always been one of the people on my mind as I trained and ran. 




This year I was unsure if I would be able to be part of Team USO again.  Election years are busy for me, the trail beckons, and the MCM is the last weekend in October.  There was also the possibility that my client would hold their Annual Membership Meeting at that same time.  Yesterday I found out that my client will be holding the meeting in  mid-November and not at the end of October which means … YES, I plan on running the MCM for a 6th time, my 5th as part of Team USO.  It was fitting that I found this out on the same day that my cousin began his journey for a 9 month tour in Afghanistan.  As part of my training I would love to run the Army 10 Miler again with my cousin … me running it here in DC and he running the satellite race in Afghanistan.  I really hope that is something that conditions will allow.  However, if they don’t you will still find me running the Marine Corps Marathon on October 28th, 2012 with my other Team USO teammates.  I will be running for my cousin and all my friends and family who have served, are serving or will serve in the future.  Semper Fi!  and HOAH!

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