Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans...

So... this whole marathon thing is turning out differently than expected...

I originally signed up as a gesture to support my friend Sara who was trying to muster up the courage to run a full marathon... so I made her a deal... if she trained to run the full I would train to walk the half... and she accepted the deal... and then her husband signed on for this adventure, thinking it would be a great way for us all to get active and be healthier... then I invited my sister to come up and do it because I knew she had been wanting to get back in running mode.... and also invited my friend Suellen, who has been a huge motivator and supporter of me during my recovery from surgery... then through a social networking website, a high school friend, Jaime, mentioned she wanted to do a half marathon, so I invited her to join, with the attitude of 'the more the merrier'... So... that was 6 of us... and as I have been training it has become more and more about me doing it, completing it to prove to myself that my knee is healthy... and I am so excited to finish it and to have that moment of 'I did it...I can do anything!'

I was also really looking forward to having this be a big social thing, a crowded dinner for all of us the night before.... and a lunch out the day of... all celebrating our success and determination...

In August Sara's Achilles tendon ruptured while playing tennis... and I am so bummed for her that her full marathon journey, at least for this race, ended... it made me want to do it more, for her... then.... slowly but surely, her husband's schedule got really busy and his time for long walks disappeared... and a couple weeks ago, he decided he can't do it... I get that. And he noted that the whole point of doing it was to just get us all being active, and it has worked... he has been active and has lost a lot of weight...

So... that put is down to four of us... then yesterday my sister called... she has a great opportunity to attend a training next weekend which will then allow her to be a Zumba instructor... very cool... very very cool... she lives Zumba as much as I do, and has toyed with the idea of teaching it for a while... so I can't be mad about her taking that opportunity... but it would be cool to finish something like this together, sisters... active sisters... but if she is training for Zumba instructing... she, too, is being active... and there are other half marathons...

So... the way that I pictured this in my head has changed a lot... but... that's okay... really what it is about, for me... is doing something I never thought I could do... even before PVNS began creeping into my life... so... even if I do this solo... I will do it... and it will mean a lot to me...