Coming Out of the Shoe Closet

When someone divulges a long held secret, I am told it is called a "coming out" or sometimes "coming out of the closet." While I shy away from sharing this particular secret in dread that it will never take place, I have decided to let you in on my "little secret." Shhhh, don't tell anyone...

Remember the girl who said she'd "never" run a full marathon? I do. Remember that same girl said that "going Goofy" was just that - GOOFY? I do. Do you remember that same girl running Goofy and then 5 weeks later running 26.2 with Donna (in a P.R. time)? I do. Remember that girl saying that "going Goofy" once was more than enough? I do. Do you also remember her running Goofy AGAIN and "Donna", again? I do. What you probably don't remember, or maybe didn't even know was that this same girl, once upon a time, said that "qualifying for the Boston Marathon was not important" to her. Well, that silly, dain-bramaged girl has changed her mind, as is the prerogative of a girl, and now plans an attempt at qualifying for the 115th Boston Marathon (April, 2011).

Whew, I said it! The cat's out of the bag. My hope is to train and cross-train adequately, safely, and in a smart, well thought out way with the goal of running a Boston Qualifying (BQ) time (3:50:59 or better) at either the Tallahassee Marathon (2.7.2010) or 26.2 with Donna (2.21.2010). God willing and with His blessings, along with the love and support of my family, the help and support of great friends, and some much-needed coaching I will be more than ready to make that goal in 6 months. If, and that is a VERY, VERY BIG "if", I can run a BQ time in February of 2010, my goal would be to then run the 115th Boston Marathon in 2011.

I guess it's not much of a secret anymore. But, not EVERYONE knows...yet. I hope to be able to run Boston. I think maybe then I could put aside the ongoing craziness of marathon training. Make no mistake, I am giving up running or Half Marathons (I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE that distance), but I could maybe give up marathons. Maybe...

I hope to be able to run Boston, and all my events, with the light of Christ shining from me and the wings of God's eagles carrying me to the finish line.



I Corinthians 9:24-27
²⁴Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. ²⁵Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. ²⁶Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; ²⁷but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.