March to October 2008

Dear running/walking friends,

On Sunday, March 9, 2008, I wrote an email titled "10 Reasons to Call Me Crazy" and sent it to you. It was about 4am and I was pretty sure I would regret sending it once I was a bit less sleep deprived. In it I listed 10 reasons why you could finish the Nike Women's Marathon and why it was even a good idea. I was positive that while one or two of you might entertain the idea, it would never really happen. You're all busy wives, mothers, working inside the home, outside the home and training for a long distance event is quite a commitment. Plus, we're not runners! I mean, a few of you ran a bit in college but most of us weren't running as a regular part of our current lives. This was a ridiculous idea and since I wasn't even sure I wanted to do another marathon, I was banking on the fact that you would call me out on my insanity and ship me off to the nearest treatment center, therefore, allowing me to avoid another 26.2 mile race. Phew! Close one.

Except that's not at all what happened! Your responses started coming in and they read something like this:
"Call ME crazy, but that actually seems like a really neat idea, Amy."
"As I was out for a walk yesterday, I was thinking I will consider it."
"It's actually kind of tempting."
"Ok. I am crazy....I'm considering too. Holy cow what am I possibly getting myself into??????????"
"I think I'm interested. Maybe. I'm interested. I think."
"I'm in."

What was going on? Who were these people I thought I knew? They were supposed to laugh at me, question my my mental health, anything but agree to take on this challenge. Then the voice of reason appeared like an angel from heaven:
"WWWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTT??????????!!!!!!!!!! I'm rubbing my head in disbelief... I hate running. Hate it...So how on earth would I find the motivation to get my butt out the door and train? What the-- You guys! The pressure!!!"

Surely, this one loud and convincing voice would rise above the rest because after all, most of us "hate running." Eventually, we had heard from 10 and all were seriously considering it, well 9 were considering it and 1 was hoping to withstand the peer pressure. I had one last hope."Sorry I'm just writing now... I must admit, when I hadn't checked e-mail for 5 days I knew that I would have quite a few e-mails but not THIRTY (from just you Houghton girls!) It's been great fun reading through them all and even the thought of running a marathon and/or h-m sounds incredibly crazy, but fun!, with all of you in SF!!:)" That was it. Even the above mentioned "angel" reluctantly gave in as she said, "OH YOU GUYS!!!!!!! I love/hate you all in a very twisted way." There was nothing more I could do but accept the fact that there would indeed be a 2nd marathon in my life.

The following weeks prompted debates about whether or not childbirth was more difficult than running a marathon and discussions about how many benefits there could be to actually following through with this: smaller butts, practice of discipline, enjoying a weekend with the girls, overall health and of course, actively supporting our friends and family who had faced cancer. Then as the reality of this commitment began to set it, words like terrified, scared, and overwhelmed began to appear as did training schedules and tips found online. You were all very proactive despite the understandable fears that existed. Some decided they couldn't join us (and one found out she was pregnant!) but in the end 7 of us signed on the dotted line and officially committed to conquering those fears, to training for the next 6 months and to raising collectively over $28,000 for blood cancer research and patient support. Remember how frightening that felt?

Well, here we are, one week from our departure to San Francisco and 9 days from the Nike Women's Marathon/Half Marathon. We've spent countless hours running, walking, stretching, cross-training, building our physical/mental strength and endurance and encouraging each other when we weren't sure we believed our own words. We've faced injuries, mental hurdles, doubts & fears. We've done it. WE ARE READY. On October 19th, we will join 20,000 other athletes and embark on the final leg of this particular journey.

Over the next week, in addition to list-making, packing and making sure you are well rested, nourished and hydrated, take some time to reflect on how far you've come. Whether your longest distance has been 9 miles or 20 miles, I bet you didn't think that was possible last March. You know everything you need to know to have a successful race. You will cross the Nike finish line on the Great Highway!

There's one finish line we've already crossed and that is the fundraising finish line. Again, last March, raising $28,000 for any cause, no matter how worthy, was quite daunting. Well, final funds are still being calculated but we've raised over $29,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

Of course, we owe so much to the generous people in our lives that stepped up to join us in this important work with their financial contributions, encouraging words, baby sitting offers, running partner offers, the list goes on. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

It wasn't easy but we did it! You did it! I'm so proud of you all and can't wait to see you in San Francisco to complete the mission! GO TEAM!

With love and admiration,
Amy