Some days I get crazy ideas in my head… and it takes very little encouragement for me to just run with these ideas. The year of my 30th birthday, I got a postcard in the mail about training for a marathon. Hmmmm that sounds like an epic thing to do for my 30th birthday. This postcard also said I could walk it… which was good because I didn't run. Then the postcard says… oh, this marathon is in Dublin, as in IRELAND. Yep. Sign me up. Ireland was my dream destination for the longest time. Turns out, this magical trip would require me to do some fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Sure, whatever, I'm going to Ireland. See? Crazy ideas! Many months later, I had finished my fundraising, which included a keg party, selling candy bars at my workplace, and begging for money in front of WalMart. Didn't care… going to Ireland. Allllllllll worth it. Have I mentioned those early wake-ups for Saturday morning trainings? There's some maniacal about getting up… let's be honest, in the middle of the night… to get 20 miles done before breakfast for most people. Did I care? Nope! Going to Ireland.
And so, my best friend and I took off to Ireland for our biggest adventure yet and the trip we had been dreaming of forever.
We had our first Irish beers in Dublin! Delicious!!
I even managed to finish the race that brought us all the way there…
I'm on the right. I even made a friend over the last 6 miles to help pass the time. I couldn't have asked for a better first event than the Dublin Marathon.
How long it took me really doesn't matter. The entire journey started with a postcard. It got me to the finish line and so much farther. It created new dreams for me. Since then, I have completed many other races and started running, too. Now, 8 years later, I'm preparing yet again to go 26.2 miles for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This time I will run with the marines and finish the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.. The early morning wake-ups are still worth it mostly for the friends I've made along the way and the sunrises I get to witness.
To think this all started with a random postcard… craziness.
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