7 days, 7 reasons why I run

With just 7 days before the marathon, many of my teammates are excited, nervous, and anxiously awaiting Marathon Monday!  Now that I’ve done this twice before, I am still excited…but I’m also sick with a nasty cold, and carrying a fair amount of anxiety about how much it actually hurts to run 26.2 miles.

So, to motivate myself and to give you readers a glimpse into a nervous runner’s brain, I give you 7 Reasons Why I Run.

1) I run for Aunt Karen

with Aunt Karen at high school graduation, and leaving for South Africa

Many of you know that I am running primarily in honor of my Aunt Karen, who was the coolest babysitter when I was a kid.  She was the one person I allowed to drive me to school dances (because it wasn’t cool to go with your parents). She was the babysitter we couldn’t wait to have when Mom and Dad wanted to escape for the weekend.  And when I found out in 2008 that she had cancer, the first thing I did was go for a run to clear my head.

It’s an awkward and disarming feeling to have the tables turned: to have someone that has cared and nurtured you for years to suddenly need some care and nurturing.  I felt helpless and disconnected–she was undergoing tests and treatments in Maine, while I was here in Boston.

And so I ran.  I ran to make sense, and I ran to forget.  Soon realizing that I couldn’t forget, I decided to do quite the opposite.  That was when I started fund raising and training for my first marathon–the 2008 Chicago Marathon, as part of the American Cancer Society Team.

Three marathons and nearly $12,000 later, I am still running and fund raising in Aunt Karen’s honor. 

2) I run for Theo

I met Theo about a year and a half ago, and I am so lucky I did!  At the time, Theo was just finishing up his treatments at Dana Farber, and he’s made a strong recovery for a 3 year old.

We’ve had fun playing games, coloring, going to the Science Museum and the swan boats, and practicing some Theo-style yoga.  He’ll be out there at mile 25 on Marathon Monday, and I can’t think of a better reason to keep ticking off the miles…every mile is one step closer to hearing his cheers!

high fives after "roley ball"

3) I run because it’s something I can do to help

at the finish line, 2009

Seeing Karen and Theo, and so many other loved ones fight their battles always leaves me thinking: they don’t get to choose.  They have to face this disease and endure the treatments, whether it’s rainy or sunny, whether they are tired or not.  I run for Dana Farber because it’s something I can do to help.  I cannot change the diagnosis, and I cannot make the treatment any easier.  But I can rally my friends, family and coworkers to help do something in the race against cancer.  Every dollar makes a difference.

I’ve raised $3,600 so far this year.  If you’d like to help, please visit this link:  http://www.rundfmc.org/2010/betsyg

4) I run because I stress!

Have you ever spent a day with a room full of 8 year olds?  How about a full week, or better yet–9 months?  While I do maintain that every day is pure pleasure and entertainment, that doesn’t mean that stress is nowhere to be found.  My job is incredibly demanding, and sometimes I need to run just to work the kinks out of a frustrating lesson or an irritating day.  Many people hit the bars after work.  I hit the roads.

5) I run because I can

a rare public appearance in the accident accessories

When I had my nasty bike accident 2 years ago, I was unable to run–let alone work, cook, or dress myself. Two months in a neck brace and a sling, with a broken vertebrae and a broken shoulder provided some good thinking time, and some excellent motivation.  It’s so easy to take our bodies for granted.  I had always had a goal of “running a marathon….someday”.  Those two months and my long recovery afterward showed me that “someday” might not happen if I didn’t MAKE it happen. My first marathon was one year to the day after my bike accident.

So now I run because I can; because someday I may not be able to; and because I want to look back and see what I made happen instead of what I let happen.

6) I run because I like my legs

I run because I like the way my legs look when I wear dresses, skirts, running shorts, tights…you name it.  I’m not usually narcissistic, but I work hard for this!

Boston 2009

7)I run because I love the time with friends

Through running, I have met some of the most amazing and unique people in the Boston running community.  I have chatted and cried and pushed through runs with some of the most interesting, entertaining people I’ve met in a long time.  I’ve sorted out relationship problems, life decisions, and shared embarrassing stories during 20 mile journeys and 5 mile jogs.

poster kids for the Harpoon 5 miler (June 2009)

I have been so lucky to have this time to climb outside of my Bowdoin bubble and my teacher talk at least three times a week: Tuesday night track, Thursday night hills, and weekend long runs.  It doesn’t hurt that we all like a cold drink as much as we do a good workout 🙂

So those are seven of the big reasons why I run.  I’ll draw on all of them (and more) throughout my 26 mile jaunt next week, whenever I start to think I can’t do it, or dwell on how much it hurts.  When there are so many positive reasons to run, it really can’t hurt that much, can it?!

Fellow runners: What’s your reason?