STRONGER

So on this Saturday and Sunday October 13 and 14th, 2012 I am going to attempt the most physically challenging thing I have ever done.  I am going to run a half marathon on Saturday, 13.1 miles and then wake up and do it all again on Sunday!  Say what?!?!  You read that right.  It is called the Double Half Mary and it is BOLD!  If you know me you know I enjoy running, I have run two half marathons, some 5Ks some 10Ks.  I DO consider running not just something I do but PART of who I am.  I often use the line “ I have turned out to be so much stronger than I ever thought I would be”.  That sounds all great but what exactly do I mean.  So many other amazing women in this group have been so very very honest about why they run and all their struggles and trials.  I thought I would be honest as well.

When I use the line stronger than I ever thought I would be, I am talking about a time in my life when I would not have used Strong as a word to describe myself or anything about me.  I was in a young marriage that was not healthy.  It was both physically and emotionally abusive.  I will not tell you about all details, but I went through ALOT and  it was a hard time for me.  I felt weak emotionally and physically.  I made the decision to start a better life for my beautiful newborn daughter and started my journey as a single mother.  I sacrificed to make ends meet and am proud to say she turned out to be a pretty wonderful, she is an amazing young lady today, OK actually she is perfect.

I have since that time forgiven my Ex- husband, met and married a wonderful man who loves me just they way I am and have two more beautiful daughters, twins now age four.  I have a little three bedroom house with a backyard and I am able to stay home with my children and enjoy every moment with them.

I run because everything I have been through is a part of me, I have lived through it and gotten stronger for going through it.  I would not change one minute of anything I have gone through.  I love the person I have grown to be and every experience made me what I am today.  With every step on every run I feel stronger, I think of where I have been and what I have learned and where I still want to go.  I think of my amazing family and how much I love them.  Most of all I just feel Happy and Grateful.

So this weekend when I line up on the starting line of my crazy races you may be standing right next to me in the race but it is not you I am competing against.  I run for me, I run to be STRONGER.