#MyChicagoMarathon No. 7

This October, I am running the Chicago Marathon! In my previous post, I told you about why I'm running the Chicago Marathon.

Why am I running for charity? And why I chose Action for Healthy Kids?

I had committed to running the Chicago Marathon. I didn't want to wait another year just to see if I could gain entry. I had already started the mental preparations that will be needed. I was going to run the Chicago Marathon in 2019.

In-order to run the Chicago Marathon in 2019, since I missed out on the lottery, I had to commit to raising money for charity so that I could gain entry into the race. I had to raise $1,750 for charity in-order to gain entry into the race. All of that money is going to charity. It's for a good cause. I'm in. But what charity do I choose? There are some good ones representing some great causes.

Full disclosure, I reached-out to a lot of the different organizations that afforded the opportunity for enter into the Chicago Marathon before choosing Action for Healthy Kids. My selection of who to choose was made easier not only from the quick response that I received from Action for Healthy Kids, but also because of the way that they engaged me with their response. That matters; good job, Latrie and Seth!

Customer service, aside, Action for Healthy Kids is an organization that values a lot of the same things that I value. Their vision - Each kid healthy, active and ready to learn. Their mission - To mobilize school professionals, families and communities to take actions that lead to healthy eating, physical activity and healthier schools were kids thrive. Those are words that describe the whole child. I am an advocate for the whole child.

Our job as educators is to help develop the whole child. School is more than just academics. Instilling healthy habits in our kids that they can practice into adulthood is an obligation for us. Furthermore, practicing healthy habits with our kids results in an increased readiness to learn. Some of the things that I am really proud of about our school our some of the wellness initiatives and practices that we have created (and modeled) - #WorkoutWednesday, walk and talk, recess running club - for our school staff and families.

Donate to my Chicago Marathon for Action for Healthy Kids (linked) 

This winter, in Iowa, has seen more extreme and/or severe weather than most (in recent memory). And as a result of dangerously cold wind chills, snow covered sidewalks and streets, and mostly all of the ice that has covered everything, my running has been limited to a couple of miles a month for the last couple of months. That's about to change! I'm about to, gradually, start training for #MyChicagoMarathon. So coming-up, I plan to shift the focus of these posts to my training, and my thinking that coincides with my training. Stay tuned! Thanks.

#MyChicagoMarathon No. 6

This October, I am running the Chicago Marathon! In my previous post, I told you about why I'm going to run 26.2 miles in 2019.

Why am I running the Chicago Marathon?

Maybe more than anyone, my friend Adam Welcome kept asking me when I was going to run my first marathon. His relentless persistence wore me down. He was attempting to run the Chicago Marathon in 2019. I decided that I was going to run the Chicago Marathon in 2019, too.

The Chicago Marathon is a big event. It's one of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors (along with Berlin, Boston, London, New York City, and Tokyo). Why not choose one of the best marathons in the world to run my first marathon. There are approximately 45,000 runners in each running of the Chicago Marathon, I want to be one of the 45,000. I wanted to run my first marathon along side (more likely behind) one of my most inspirational friends, Adam. And more than anything, I want to run my first marathon in my favorite city during my favorite time of year (early October).

However, it's not as simple as you decide to run the Chicago Marathon and then you get to run the Chicago Marathon. My next step was to join a lottery to see if I could run the Chicago Marathon. This is a competitive process. According to Runner's World, in 2015, almost 55,000 runners entered the lottery; approximately 53% of them were granted eligibility to run.

On Tuesday, December 11th, the Chicago Marathon notified runners if they were going to be allowed into the race, or not. Adam and I were texting back and forth throughout the morning. Neither of us were hearing anything. The more time passed, the less likelihood of a favorable outcome decreased. At 12:23pm, I got the email that my application was not selected.

I was dejected; more so than I thought I'd be about being told that I wasn't going to be allowed to pay $205 to run 26.2 miles. I'd committed to running this race. I was going to run the Chicago Marathon in 2019. I was going to need to find a backdoor entry into the race.

Donate to my Chicago Marathon for Action for Healthy Kids (linked)

Coming-up, I plan to dedicate future posts to why I'm running for charity and why I chose Action for Healthy Kids for my charity; soon I'll start my training and I look forward to sharing those reflections with you, too. In the mean time, check-out my page My Chicago Marathon for Action for Healthy Kids. Thanks!

#MyChicagoMarathon No. 5

This October, I am running the Chicago Marathon!

Why do I want to run 26.2 miles in 2019?

• If not now, when? That's the first (and most generic) reason, . Tomorrow isn't guaranteed. My health, as scary as this is to type, isn't guaranteed. Right now, I'm able to train and I'm able to run. So right now, I'm going to do it.
  
• Last spring, I hurt my back to the point that I couldn't run - I could barely walk, without pain. I was a little worried about potential long-term implications (this wasn't the first time that I'd had back pain). Fortunately, I healed and I am now pain free. I ran two half-marathons, last fall (never had I run two half-marathons so close together), to see how my back would hold-up. There were no problems, and I'm still doing great!
  
• With each passing year, running farther and running faster becomes a little bit harder. It starts to become about maintaining. So if I don't run farther now, what makes me think that I'd be better equipped to do so a year (or more) from now?
  
• Once I started running half-marathons, I can't tell you how many times I've been asked, "Ever run a full-marathon?" The seed was planted after accomplishing that first half-marathon. The seed has been growing for approximately eight years, now.
  
• My son was not even one-year old when I ran my first half-marathon. Long runs while training to run half-marathons meant that I was gone for a couple of hours each weekend. I didn't love this. I told people that I'd run a marathon when my children got older; when they were more independent, and leaving the house for a couple of hours wasn't as big of a deal. All of a sudden, my children are older and they are more aware of what I'm doing when I'm gone; this commitment to my self, to my health is something that I pass-on to them.
  
• This past fall, I witnessed the dedication exhibited by one of my colleagues as she prepared to run her first half-marathon. There is an extra layer of excitement in doing something for the first time. Her commitment and sense of accomplishment was inspiring. Thanks, Lindsey.
  
• I consider myself to be a driven individual. I like setting goals, and I enjoy attempting to accomplish things that are slightly out of reach. Running 26.2 miles will push me both physically and mentally. It will test me. I look forward to proving to myself what I can do.

Coming-up, I plan to dedicate future posts to why my first marathon will be the Chicago Marathon, why I'm running for charity, and why I chose Action for Healthy Kids for my charity. In the mean time, check-out my page My Chicago Marathon for Action for Healthy Kids. Thanks!

Donate to my Chicago Marathon for Action for Healthy Kids (linked)