Crazy Summer

I can't believe how quickly those last few months went by! I had, in a word, a crazy summer.

A few days after my last post I got a phone call. The worst phone call. It was news from home that a close friend had been in an accident, and his chances of survival were slim. I didn't hesitate for one second, just packed up my things, made a few phone calls, and drove straight home.

I won't get into the gory details, but, thankfully, my friend did survive. He has since been moved from the ICU to the regular hospital, then from the hospital to an inpatient rehab facility. The doctors and nurses at the hospital call his recovery a miracle. Myself, his friends and family are just elated that he is going to be OK, but needless to say its been a rough couple of months for everyone.

When this happened I was knee-deep in marathon training.  While I was home I tried to keep up with my schedule, but I spent a lot of time at the hospital and the rest of my time asleep. When I could finally return to "real life" at the end of July, I was way behind on training, but committed to making up lost time and preparing for October 9th.

But, here's the thing: I can't do it. I won't short change myself on my first marathon. I won't kill myself to be able to run 26.2 in 3 short months. Most importantly, I won't do this unless my heart is really in it, and right now, its just not. School starts this week, I just started a new job, and I'm still driving home every chance I have to support my friend. I can't make that many commitments, and at the moment, running has to be a lower priority than other things in my life.

All funds I've raised still go right to Team in Training, and I'm proud of every dollar! I'd like to say a BIG thank you to those of you that supported me through my short TnT journey. I plan on making another attempt at TnT when I'm in a better place to do so, and will definitely be blogging about it when the time comes.

Here We Go!

I've sat in the same place I am now - at my desk, staring at this screen – many times, trying to find the right words to get this little bloggy started. After so many failed attempts it’s time to say something, anything, even if it’s not the right thing. So, here it goes!

I'll get to a more complete introduction later, but here is a little about me: I'm a 20-something graduate student with a passion for health care. I'm a former college athlete just getting started in what I hope will be a long, fun running career. An Athlete (Again) is my way of documenting this transition. 

Right now I am ready for a challenge. A big, new, exciting challenge. So, I decided that I would get serious about distance running and complete my first marathon. As I was researching races I came across Team in Training, and everything felt right. So, I signed up to run the 2011 Chicago Marathon with TNT.

Team in Training is an AMAZING part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Its mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. So, you ask, where do I come in? As a Team in Training participant I commit to train for and complete the Chicago Marathon as a means to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

I have so much to talk about! Like WHY I thought it would be a good idea to run a marathon in the first place, WHO I’m running for, WHAT the &#%@ I’m thinking, and HOW I’m getting from 4 miles to 26.2 without dying. And yes, all the gory details. But for now, suffice it to say that I am super excited at the chance to run my first marathon at an elite race like Chicago, all while making a difference in the lives of cancer patients around the country.