{motivation}

This past weekend was marathon weekend in Cincinnati.  Randall ran the relay with some members of his work group, so the girls and I went downtown to cheer him on.  The girls really liked all of the people wearing pink tutus and other flying pig paraphernalia and were so excited when they saw daddy run by.   It was so fun to watch all of the runners and provided just the motivation that I needed. 

Watching all of the runners cross the finish line on a hot sunny day fueled my running fever. I started running again about 4 weeks ago. While I have run 5 marathons in the past, it has been a LONG time since I have really run. It seems so long ago, that is almost seems like it was something I did in a former life. My pre-fertility treatment, pre-pregnancy, pre- baby life. I think I almost feared that it was something I could no longer do. Now don’t get me wrong … I was never a great runner (as in fast) but I was disciplined and enjoyed going the distance. When I started running again about a month ago I remembered why I liked it. It gives me time to think and time to clear my mind. I have been going in the evenings after the girls go to bed. It is dark. It is quiet. It brings me peace and makes me feel strong. Some days Randall and I go together with the girls in the running stroller. The girls like to “exercise” with us especially if it involves a stop at the park along the way. Now, I have only been going a few nights a week and have only been running a 3 mile loop, so nothing extreme here. Some nights I am exhausted after a full day of work, cooking dinner, playing with the girls and the whole bed/bathtime routine so it seems easier not to go. In those times I think of 2 quotes to motivate me:

"Someone who is busier than you is running right now." and "You can feel sore tomorrow or you can feel sorry tomorrow.  You choose."

Sometimes that works, but sometimes the couch still wins. So a couple of weeks ago I decided I needed a little extra motivation to keep me going. In the middle of our work day I sent Randall the below email titled “Random Idea.”

“Would you want to sign up for the lottery for the New York Marathon on Nov 4, 2012?
The application deadline is next Monday. There is only about a 10% chance of getting a spot (the selection is on Apr 25), but I thought it would be fun to try to train for a race together and if we happen to both get a spot then maybe that is a sign that it was meant to be. I feel like I need something to really motivate me.
Let me know what you think. xoxo
A”
So we signed up and low and behold on April 26th a charge for $255 showed up on my credit card. I won the lottery! The marathon lottery that is. Of course this is probably the only lottery I will ever win … the one where you pay someone else $255 to run 26.2 miles. Some may call it crazy :)  Unfortunately Randall did not get selected. While I was really hoping that we could do this together, I am thinking I may still do this on my own. I am hoping that my body will hold up and that I can continue to find the time needed to do this. It is something that I want to do for me … but also for my daughters and my husband. I want them to see that I am strong. I want to take better care of myself for them. I'm in!

The New York marathon is exactly 6 months from the Flying Pig Marathon. So I’ve got 6 months to get back into shape and prepare … physically & mentally. Wish me luck and if you know anyone else running NYC let me know!

Now for the remaining instagram download from last week ... Enjoy!