Dreams Really Do Come True

Where to begin? I guess I could start off by apologizing for not blogging since September! Sorry, I know it's no excuse but life really got a little crazy there for a while. So tonight I sit here ready to blog my final blog. I will admit I'm not really going to miss blogging, it has honestly been one of the more difficult parts of my training. Unlike my cohort Julie, I'm not a great writer! I struggle to blog about my true feelings without sounding like I'm whining. What I will miss is the feeling I get when my community or Friends come together to support such a great cause!I can't thank you all enough for your support over the past 23 weeks!

As I sit here tonight, the night before we fly out, I remember back to 3 years ago this Fall when I enrolled in ELM's Boot camp program on Vancouver Island. I joined the program 40lbs overweight. I was running still at the time but not as much as I needed to be. During the program we spent some one on one time with Sarah. She did all the NASTY measurements and then spoke about the importance of setting short term, long term and dream goals. She made me spend some time with her writing down my goal. I want to share with you what I wrote:

Short Term:
Add 2 short 30-45min. runs into my weekly routine.
Eat smaller portions of carbs and larger portions of veggies.
Drink 1-2 litres of water each day.

Long Term:
Loose and min. of 10lbs in the next 6 months
Compete in a 10km race for the first time in 3 yrs.

Dream Goal:
To run a Marathon. (which at first was a half marathon, but i was told that was too easy.)

I'm happy to say today, 3 years later, I am 40lbs lighter, completed four 5km races, two 10km races, 2 official half marathons, 1 unofficial half marathon, numerous sessions of boot camps, healthy eating (most of the time) and now in 2 days time my dream goal... the Nike Women's Marathon!!! Now don't get me wrong I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, I want to point out how valuable goal setting truly is! It has been 3 years in the making but I will officially complete MY DREAM GOAL!!!!! Holy crap, is all I can say! I never thought I would see this day. When I set that goal I wasn't even close to believing I could run a marathon, but there it sat on paper and in my head. With every race I competed in and every training run I endured the more determined I got to accomplishing that goal. Baby steps, that's all it took. There was no deadline to accomplish it, just motivation to challenge myself and push myself that much farther.

I need to acknowledge a few key people who have helped make this dream a reality. First, Sarah Seads of Equilibrium Lifestyle Management. Without your encouragement to set the bar high I would have never of had this dream. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! To my dearest running partner and friend Julie Patterson, oh gawd, where do I begin! Thank you for every long and many times even longer early morning runs, thank you for putting up with my smelly self even when I couldn't even stand the smell of myself! hehehe. Thank you for encouraging, motivating, challenging and setting me straight when my head got a little too carried away! Together we will CONQUER THE MIND! LOL. You are a true friend and I am so lucky to have you in my life! To my friends and my community of Clearwater, YOU ROCK! I know how difficult theses times can be and you have proven how supportive, strong and vibrant our community truly is! Many of you have taken it upon yourselves to organize fundraisers to help us reach our goal. Thank you! Together we have raised $11,279!!! My words can't thank you enough! To Cory, thank you for being an inspiration, for fighting as hard as you fought. Heaven has gained and we have lost, but I know on Sunday you will be looking down and cheering us on.

Last, I need to thank my family! Thanks for being my support, for cheering me on to push myself farther and believing I can do it! Jamie thank you for picking me up when things got rough, for making sure I got the time I needed to run or just zone out, for encouraging, motivating and kicking my butt out of bed when I didn't wanna move. Your love has been unconditional! Kaleb, Emma and Maya I hope I have taught you to chase your dreams and that nothing is impossible it just takes hard work. Mommy promises to"Get Sweaty" and kick butt in San Fransisco!

One of our coaches Romana sent us an e-mail this afternoon wishing us luck on race day as she won't be joining us. Her e-mail ended with a statement that I have adopted as my mantra for those grueling 42.2km...

"Pain is only temporary, finishing is forever!"