Wednesday, June 3, 2015

National Running Day & Charity Running

So, it's National Running Day. That's exciting.

I had a 5 mile run scheduled this afternoon, because I'm training for the Chicago Marathon again. It's week one, day two of my training plan. Yesterday, day one, went well, a little bit slower than I would have liked, but that's how it goes sometimes. Today, I ran with my mom and still, was quite a bit slower than I would have liked, but it's a process, I suppose. (that's the point of training, right?)

As some of you know, I did not get into the Chicago Marathon this year via lottery. I was disappointed when I found out, to be quite honest, but my mind started running for a few weeks. I have been toying with the idea of running a marathon for a charity for a long time- several years. I've considered a few different charities over the years, but, most recently, I've really connected with the Alzheimer's association. There are a number of reasons for that, but it has all been pretty impacted by my grandma and her journey with the disease.

My grandma's journey started back in 1997 when she was pretty healthy, active, and only 51 years old. It all started with a stroke, then multiple strokes. Over the past 18 years, Alzheimer's has slowly taken over her brain. In the past ten years, since I went to college, it became more progressive. My Nana M went from being "silly" or "goofy" to clear signs of Alzheimer's. Now that I have moved back to my hometown, I've really been able to see the changes in her. It isn't easy, but it has really opened my eyes.

Anyways, so I decided a couple of weeks ago to run the Chicago Marathon on behalf of the Alzheimer's Association. The Alzheimer's Association is a charity that I STRONGLY believe in.

I'm looking forward to this journey, the training, raising the money, and running on behalf of the Alzheimer's Association.

But, beyond that, I'm really doing this with my Nana M in mind. (also, my Great Grandma Walter, and my Great Aunt Cathy) This disease is personal for me and has been a part of my family for a long time. So, yes, I'm pretty excited about this, but also pretty nervous. I think that I will train harder and hope to do better than I have for any races in the past.

Nana M & I at a race expo back in 2011

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