It's that time of the decade again...

It's been 10 years, so it's time for me to run another marathon!

I did my first marathon in 2003 because my doctor told me to get some exercise. I had just turned 40 and thought it would be pretty cool to be "that old" and do a marathon. And then I ended up pairing with a 65-year-old man* for training. Took the wind right out of my sails, I tell you what! ;-)

But, we spent six months training together every Sunday (almost), and we got healthier and faster, but we were still training at a very slow pace, 17 min/mile. When we ran the race in Baltimore, they let us start 30 minutes before the rest of the race because they knew we, and several other charity runners (meaning we were raising money for charity, NOT that they were letting us run as a charity thing!), were so slow we might not make it the whole way before they had to roll the streets back up. We made it to the half-marathon mark (13.1 miles) with less than a 14 minute mile, which was fantastic, and we felt great! But miles 17 & 18 were straight uphill, and my running partner's knee started bothering him, so we ended up walking a lot and it slowed us down.

But, we kept going... Step, step, jogjog, step... aaaand repeat! When we ran through Camden Yards on Eutaw Street, we were thrilled to see REAL bathrooms and to realize that we had made it to 26 miles! We only had .2 miles left! So we dowsed ourselves in the sinks and I finger-combed my hair (he didn't have any), then we joyously jogged the last .2 miles to the finish line! AND WE DID IT! It took us 7 hours and 26 minutes, but... WE FINISHED!

And I made myself a promise: I would keep training and get faster, so that I could do another marathon when I turned 50. My dream was the Marine Corps Marathon, which I wasn't able to do in 2003 because I was too slow.

So guess what? 

I turned 50 in March, and now I am participating in the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon. Yay!

The MCM sold out of registrations in record time again this year, so I've decided to raise funds and awareness for Fisher House Foundationin exchange for a bib and a lot of good feeling. I've always been a fan of Fisher House because they provide "a home away from home," a warm and welcoming place where families can stay and support their loved ones at no cost while the patient receives specialized medical care at a military or VA medical center. These homes allow families to be together to focus on what's most important - the healing process.

SO - please go make a contribution to Fisher House through my donation page to support me and to  say "thanks" and provide support to the members of our military and their families.  If you would like to donate by check, please contact me directly through Facebook messaging or in a comment below. 

Thank you for your support!

http://www.teamfisherhouse.org/goto/DRSmith

Donate with Confidence - Fisher House has received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator 9 years in a row!

*p.s. My running partner for the Baltimore Marathon turned out to be Nora Roberts' brother. Now, isn't that weird?