Runners take your mark!

So, it has been some time since I did any blogging...when faced with the question: do I shower or should i sit on my butt, upload some tunes for my run, and blog? the answer was very clear...who needs to shower anyway?

"Ready, Ready, Ready, Ready to Run"...."all Im ready to do is have some fuuuuunnn"...okay, not so sure the Dixie Chicks were talking about a 10 miler, but I am!! I am sitting here with a mixture of positive nervous energy. I did a short 2 mile to take the edge off, and I have to say that it worked...so, if you have a lot of pent up emotion (good, bad or ugly) DO SOMETHING! it really does help! So the "Broad Street Run"...10 miles through the city with 30,000 die hard (ish) runners. I cant imagine being in the front, I would gess there are less than 100 people in the "professional" corral, so 29,000 people running after you, that would make me run! I have been trying to work on the mental aspect of a long run. I have avoided using my mp3 (mostly cause i have a great running buddy who talks and doesnt mind that i hardly answer back, and my mp3 is GHETTO), in efforts of working through the self talk of "holy crap this is hard" "you can stop now and just take a break, you need a break" and "who are you trying to beat, just stop"....I really have poor self motivation when it comes to running. I love doing it when im doing it, but getting there and sticking with the long runs takes strength that I do not have much of. I am more of the...yeah, im tired, id rather sleep, kinda runner...so, motivation to get me through 10 miles of Philadelphia road running (my knees will heart me later)...First and foremost, the reason behind the run, American Cancer Society. And while I can make a pretty good list of people who I know have been faced with this beast, there are really 3 people who I constantly think of on my race. 1. My dad: lost the battle, but is always cheering me on, and I run to hear his voice (run angie run-could be a surpressed softball memory, but Ill take it) 2. Spencer-Beck: again, such a fighter, but fight she did and I am still amazed by her strength, her nobility and her ass kickin attitude, I hear her screaming (HANDSMACKER move your ass). and 3. Bobby C: the strongest little boy I know, he fought and won, and is an amazing kid to know, and is a kid that I look at frequently and think, "I hope Gavin is just like you". Without the support and funding, he may have not made it, so if my running gives more kids a chance...sign me up. To help on the motivation end, I signed up to run for an army soldier who is currently stationed over seas. Didnt cost me a thing, and I thought, hey its the least I can do. So my thought on that is: this person (i really wish I had a name/face) made the choice to serve our country, made the choice to be away from loved ones and put their life in possible danger for millions of people they will never see, or get thank yous from...I will do my best because they are doing theirs.

I run for my kids, because God forbid, they need special medical attention, because I want to show them that even if you dont "win", trying your best is still awesome, because I want them to see that being healthy and doing things that are difficult are a huge part of life. I really wish they could be at the finish line....seeing their faces at the Phillies 5k took all the negative thoughts away. I understand why they are not...an hr+car ride, to attempt to navigate though 30,000+ with 2 kids, having to take subways/and walk blocks....maybe if they were older. My sisters will be there, it will mean alot seeing them, and they are in my filing cabinet of motivation, b/c i want them to see me being strong, and again, what if they need help from the research this run is funding?

So me and running, we have come a long way. Its been 16 years since I started running distances over 2 miles, and there have been many days when i cursed and hated it, and cried and sworn that i would never do it again. But it has become a part of who I am. I may not be the best runner, the fastest, the strongest, but I am a runner. My body feels it more now, but bounces back. When I use to ignore aches and pains and wait til they went away, I know listen to my body, back off when I need to, try to push it when its ready, but I listen, and I guess that comes with maturity, b/c i kinda need to stay in working order!

What I am most excited for is running with Mia. She is showing an interest. the other day she said "hey mom, I wanna run a 65k with you and daddy"....I said, "mia, a 65k is really far, do you mean a 5k?" She said "yeah, whatever you guys run, I wanna run it with you, can we start to practice?"...well sure thing! I am going to start with her 1/4 mile at a time. She has the legs for it, was the fastest around the bases today at Tball (that could have been from being about 2 inches taller than everyone and having long legs), but she was the fastest and didnt even look like she was trying that hard (exactly how I got into running in hs, saunders saw me running at softball tryouts and said, "if you dont make it here, i need you over there(pointing to the track)" Is a 5k too much for a 5 year old??? We will do some mile fun runs this summer.

Whats next? Oh man, I have the looming desire to do a half marathon...at this point, whats another 3.1 miles? the problem is finding time to do the long runs, so I think I will wait until the fall and work on long runs during the summer. Id also love to do a tri, the bike part scares me the most...the swimming is kinda scary, but its just my body i need to coordinate. the bike, that is a piece of equipment and im not very good at sports with equipment! I hope to hit up some yard sales and find a cheap bike...gotta start somewhere!

Well, I have sat here and typed away, kids are still sleeping so I will get some time to eat in peace, then off to either a baseball game or a park!!