Going for it

There are certain events that will forever be etched in my memory and no amount of time will dull these "mental movies" when recalling them. The sigh of relief that my Bat Mitzvah was over and I no longer had to practice my haftorah or prepare for the Friday night/ Saturday morning service, my first dance with Jeff after getting married, holding Ian for the first time, the moment when I found out that Sam was going to be fine (we had a scare that required getting an amniocentesis), and crossing the finish line of the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in April 2007. That's a picture of me doing just that on the left.

I had been toying around with 5k (3.1 miles) races here and there; mostly for fun and to keep my motivation for running. I have to say that every time I go for a run, whether outside or on the treadmill, I have an out-of-body experience that I am actually the one running. I still can't believe it is me that is moving. Deciding to do the Cherry Blossom 10 miler was a whole new level of commitment. I had no idea if my body would be able to pull off 10 miles. It was daunting and exciting all at the same time just thinking about it.

I found a great training schedule that promised I could be running 10 miles in just 10 weeks. Could this really happen? Each time I hit a new running milestone and finished 5 miles, then 6, then 8, I was in awe. Wow, I was really going to do it. I even did a practice run a few weeks before the big day and was never more proud of my legs for completing 10 miles. What a great way to start the day! I was making it happen.

And, I am going to make it happen again. Wish me luck, I am entering the lottery system for the 2010 Cherry Blossom 10 miler. Last year they had 12,000 participants register within the first 2 hours and 45 minutes. This year they decided to give everyone an equal chance and will hold a lottery system. You have 10 days to enter by email and then will be notified if you get in.

I figure if I get in, it is a sign for me to do this race again. I am starting to get used to the idea of getting up again at 5:00am, doing my training runs 3 times a week outside, in all kinds of weather (my limit is anything below 20 degrees) and slowly building up the mileage with my running partner Bailey. Knowing I've done it before helps greatly, now its just a matter of doing faster.