Marathonista

Nothing like being suckered into something! I have resisted blogging for some time now…knowing that my life is not nearly compelling enough to be documented, much less followed! None the less, here I am. My intention with this blog is to openly share my journey with running and how it has truly changed my life.

I guess my fascination with marathoning started three years ago when my husband, Bill, and I headed down to Turner Field to watch our friend, Geno, finish the Atlanta Marathon on Turkey Day 2006. On the drive down, I couldn’t help but think Geno was crazy for wanting to wake up at the crack of dawn on Thanksgiving Day, of all days, to run a marathon! Oh, how I quickly changed my way of thinking! When Geno crossed that finish line, tears came to my eyes and I KNEW at that moment that running a marathon was something I HAD to do. I felt so compelled to run that not signing up for a race immediately didn’t even seem like an option. We hugged Geno’s neck and then we were on our way to visit family. I told Bill that I was determined to run a race of my own and asked for his support. After all, he was the closest thing to an expert that I knew, having done a few endurance races of his own :). The following week, Bill and I registered for the ING Georgia Half Marathon. This was it…I was on my way!! I was pumped until the long runs kicked in. The next several months were brutal. I never realized distance running would be so boring!

Something didn’t seem right with this whole running thing. I had always heard of the “runners high” but never quite seemed to be able to personally experience it….at that point at least! The months passed and it was finally race day. Bill and I ran our races separately, as he was much faster than me. Throughout the grueling 13.1 miles, one thought kept popping into my mind…my Daddy. With the finish line in sight, I unexpectedly became overwhelmed with emotions and began to hyperventilate. All I could think was, “You idiot…you just ran 13 miles and now with .1 mile left to go you decide you can’t breathe…WHAT?!” I began to cry just thinking of what I was about to accomplish and knowing that I had no greater fan than my dearest Daddy cheering me on from his sweet little home I like to call Heaven!! He gave me the strength and the courage to take a deep breath and finish that race with my head held high! I had never felt so proud and accomplished...nor had I ever felt so tired and sore! And as they say, the rest is history!

One race = One forever hooked Tiffiny :)