Week Three and a Half

You may be wondering why this first post is at week three and a half...Easy. For the first time in three and a half weeks, I am able to move my body (including fingers) without soreness...hooray! But let me step back and tell you how this all started....

About six weeks ago a local radio station was having a contest giving away 12 weeks of personal training to six lucky listeners. I jumped at the opportunity (along with 300 other people) and spent days working on what I thought was a pretty darn good resume of why I should be picked. I just knew, I was positive I was going to be chosen for this once in a lifetime chance!
Well, I wasn't. And boy was I bummed about it. I sulked for days about not getting picked--I really wanted to change my body, improve my health, and just be physically fit for once! I walked around the house thinking why not me?! I totally need this! I should have trusted in my firm belief that everything happens for a reason. And I was about to find that out in a big way.

The very next week I was still sulking at how the winners of the contest had begun their workouts and probably had already lost their first ten pounds. And then I got the call. The call that ranks up there with the calls you never want to receive in life. My nine-month old nephew, Landon, had just been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis.

It was agony. I cried. I was angry. I didn't understand why this had to happen to my family. I think those things are very normal to feel, but eventually those thoughts were replaced with, "Okay, now what can I DO about it." After pouring myself into CF research, one conclusion always came up: Money buys research and research saves lives. Okay, so what does that mean to me? I thought I could have a fundraiser but no bake sale or garage sale was going to make the difference I wanted to make. I had to think bigger...much bigger!

I thought about all the things I could do, but then I started to think of all the things I thought I couldn't do. I don't ever want Landon to not believe in himself--I want him to know he can do anything he puts his mind to. So, I came up with the ultimate challenge to raise money for CF research: I was going to complete a half-marathon.

Some of you might not think this is a big deal. But as someone who is overweight, out of shape, and can't run to the mailbox without feeling like I'm going to pass out, this is a big deal. I am dedicating 11 months of my life to do something I never thought possible...to gain as much support over those 11 months as possible...and to find a cure for a disease that was never thought possible. Because ALL things are possible!