My Yogurt Addiction

Good morning friends!!!

As if the title of this post doesn’t already give it away, I am so excited to announce that I SIGNED UP FOR MY FIRST EVER FULL MARATHON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That’s right people, 26.2 WHOLE MILES and there’s no turning back!

Now that I have done my job of exhausting the use of capital letters, bolded font and exclamation points (!!!), here’s a little more info on the what, where, who and why of the event itself.

The Marathon

I am registered for the 2013 Maine Marathon!

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Where?

The Maine Marathon features an out-and-back course for all three races — marathon, relay and half marathon. The spectator-friendly course starts and finishes along our beautiful inner bay — the Back Cove. The first and last four miles are mostly flat. All three races are together for the first six miles before the half marathon heads back to Portland. In between, runners enjoy Mackworth Point in Falmouth (just north of Mackworth Island), a short but gorgeous detour off Route 1. The course then returns to Route 1 and turns onto Route 88, where runners pass many stately homes. The marathon course features a mixture of rolling hills and flat sections between Miles 5 and 17, and is mostly flat or downhill for the final nine miles.

Who?

I will be running this race as a member of Team in Training (TNT) in order to help raise fund for the The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). The funds that I raise will help find cures and better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma.

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Along with running for Team in Training, I will also be running alongside one of my BEST friends, Jillian.

Jillian has been my good friend since freshman year of highschool  (10 years!). Not only is she a great friend, but she is also a very inspiring individual. In the past, she has run in several races including a variety of half marathons, marathons and half ironmans. This summer Jill will be completing her first FULL ironman and I couldn’t be any more proud of her! Go Jilly! I can’t wait to share this journey with you!

Why?

Running a marathon has been a life long goal for me. I’ve been obsessed with this idea for a long time, but never thought I could actually do it.  I’m finally turning this dream into a reality because I feel that I’ve reached a level of mental and physical strength required to take on such a challenge.

I also feel more comfortable with the situation since I will be training with a number of experienced coaches and staff. In the past, fear of injury was something that was holding me back from signing up for a marathon. I’ve since realized that there is no use worrying about that right now. I am going to focus on the journey and deal with any hiccups as they may arise. I’m not trying to break any records here. I just want to finish the marathon and have fun!

I chose the Maine Marathon for several reasons. First because Portland, Maine is only a few hours drive from where I live. Although I would have loved to make the Disney World, Marine Corps or a Rock n’ Roll marathon one of my firsts, having to deal with traveling a far distance, on top of a full time job and other activities would have been another challenge in itself.

Secondly, the date and course had a lot to do with my decision. As much as I love to run, running in the winter is just not something I am a huge fan of.  The Disney World Marathon is January 12th, which means that a lot of my training would be done in the freezing cold Boston temperatures. Thanks, but no thanks! Disney is still on my radar, but I’m leaning towards another race, that would not involve lots of winter training.

Along with the Maine Marathon being during the right time frame, the course is primarily FLAT, with only a few rolling hills. Actually the last nine miles are mostly down hill. That makes me happy!

Lastly and probably most importantly, I chose the Maine Marathon because Team in Training is affiliated with the event. I told myself that if I ever got to the point of actually going through with running a full marathon, I would without a doubt do it to support a greater good.

Unfortunately, many of us know someone who has been affected by cancer. When I think of the daily struggles that these people go through, it makes training for a marathon seem like nothing and raising money for the LLS that much more important.

I am specifically running this race in memory of my grandfather who passed away from lymphoma a year ago and my other grandfather who is battling leukemia today. They are two of the strongest and most influential people in my life, and greatly impact my motivation to complete this race.

So this is where I need your help.

If you regularly enjoy reading My Yogurt Addiction please consider making a donation to my Team in Training Fundraising Page.  Even the smallest amount will make a difference and help lead us that much closer to finding a CURE for this horrible disease. Please DONATE HERE.

Of course I will be documenting my whole journey here on the blog, so be sure to stay tuned!

Thank you so much for your support! I couldn’t be anymore excited, wish me luck!

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Have you ever run a marathon? Will you? Do you think I’ve gone nuts?