Why I run. . .

Today's Mileage: 5 Yasso 800's, approximately 4 miles.
Days til Marathon: 17 (although 18 from right now I'll be getting ready to eat a big dinner and have sangria at Spoodles!)

A lot of people ask me why I run. . . and moreover, why I want to run a marathon. . . there are a million reasons why I run and if you told me 5 years ago I'd be running a marathon on January 13, 2008, I'd probably start crying. . . I run because I can. . . because not so long ago, I was told I wouldn't be walking.

I may only be 11 days short of 26 years old, but I've been through a lot. . . and when asked why I want to run marathons, I never get into the details of the true reason I run. If you're reading this, you know me well, so you know my ride on the bad health rollercoaster began in 2002. . . or so. I don't really even consider the fact that I had hip surgery at the age of 19 part of this "rollercoaster." In fact, the ride started shortly thereafter. I was told I wouldn't be walking in a year because of tightening skin on my foot because I was loosing movement in my toes at a rapid pace, but was told there was nothing to stop it. . . and that is when it started. . . a battle that would last until January 13, 2006. My parents found a doctor for me that diagnosed me with scleroderma and that is when the long ride downhill for my health began. . . cortisone treatments that at my worst were 2-3 weeks apart being injected 20+ time each treatment. . . the reality that food was my enemy because of all the medication I was on. . . and the loss of weight that would leave me too weak to get out of bed some mornings, let alone go for a run.

Don't get me wrong, on my good days, I was out there running. . . then would sleep or lay on the couch the rest of the day. Hell, I even ran 3 half marathons before it got real bad. . . because I wasn't going to allow some idiot of a doctor tell me I wasn't going be able to walk or run. . . boy, she was wrong. I guess my motivation was when people started telling me I can't do something because of scleroderma. When in fact, looking back, although it was hell, scleroderma is a big part of why I run.

When I was put in remission on January 13, 2006, I cried like a baby (much like I did when I was told that I wasn't going to be able to walk). After all, it was the moment I had waited for since July 30, 2002 when I was officially diagnosed with scleroderma. My entire life was about to change. January 13 was less then a week after I missed running in my 3rd Walt Disney World Half Marathon because I was too sick for 8 months of the previous year to train for it. And January 13 is also when I knew I would be running again in the 2007 half marathon and I swore I'd be running to raise money for scleroderma.

So ran I did. . . with my dad. I raised money to give to the Scleroderma Foundation and despite the heat on the day of the half, my dad and I did it. . . and it was around mile 8 when I started crying because I think that was when it hit me that what I was doing was what everyone said I wouldn't be able to do. I dedicated the last mile to everyone who still suffered from Scleroderma and for my doctors who made me better. . . and when I crossed the finish line crying like a baby, I turned to my father and said "Next year, we're running 26.2."

And that is where I am now. . . little did I know at the time that the date of the full marathon would fall on my second anniversary of being in remission which makes it that much more emotional and special. Yes, for me, every race is emotional and I fight back tears crossing each and every finish line. . . but this year will be even more emotional than last year simply because of the date.

So to answer the question- I run because I can. . . because despite what I couldn't do just 2 years ago, I can do it now. Because I have the greatest coach and running partner in the world. . . my dad and despite how much I don't want to run some days. . . I get up and go because those miles with my dad are the best miles to run and on days when I don't think I can do it, he knows I can.