Guess what?! I’m running the Eugene Marathon again in 2019!

I ran the 2018 Eugene Marathon with an injury and didn’t do so hot.  Live and learn!  2019 will be my year! Running a marathon becomes a lifestyle. I mean, you devote at least 18 weeks to a training plan.  That’s a third of a year.  Over four months.  126 days.  Every one of those 126 days is one day closer to the marathon.  That is why I want to be involved in the EMbassador program.  I am already deeply involved. Being an EMbassador will just make the experience even richer.

I am a pretty new runner.  I began, like so many, with a weight loss goal.  I made up my mind to run a 5k in 2016.  The furthest I had ever run until then was the freshman PE mile.   After the 5k, I just kept piling on the miles and ran my first marathon in 2017.  There are so many runners from so many different backgrounds.  I can really identify with the new runner crowd.  The crowd that sees the marathon as an impossible goal.  I’m talking about the not-even-on-the-radar goal.  The can’t-even-say-it-out-loud goal.  That’s the crowd I want to reach.

Something I didn’t expect with running the Eugene Marathon was running through my old stomping grounds.  I mean, I knew I would be running in that area, but I didn’t expect the emotions I would get from seeing the sights from my youth.  Places like The Humble Bagel where I used to go with my mom and brother, South Eugene HS where I played within the Junior Orchestra,  Springfield HS stadium where I marched on the football field in marching band, and the North Bank restaurant where I went to dinner for prom, all brought back so many memories!  I ran through Alton Baker Park.  I ran on the bike trail.  Valley River Center! Since moving away from Eugene/Springfield, I haven’t been to any of those places. It was truly special.   I have roots in Eugene and Springfield.  It’s my home town.  I am fairly certain that if it wasn’t for the place I was running and the crowds that cheered me on, I would have quit the marathon due to the pain from my injury.  Eugene got me through the race.

While I am a novice blogger, I am fairly active on Facebook.  I teach a few group fitness classes, so I am always promoting them.  Plus, I have started a group walk/run at the track on Saturdays.  It has gotten off the ground by social media and word of mouth. I would love to have a more active blog, but it has been on the back burner.  Until recently, my main activity on Instagram has been just keeping an eye on my kids. I have to admit, I may be hooked now. I am on it now nearly as much as Facebook.

I would be an amazing Eugene Marathon EMbassador because I have a passion to help others become more active and reach their fitness goals.  I know that if I can run a marathon, so can they. Running a marathon is a life changer.  I would love to help others have the same experience.