National Running Day- Part Deux

What better way to round out my National Running Day celebrations than with the DetermiNation Marathon kick off party? For those of you that don’t know, DetermiNation is a group of athletes that runs to raise money for the American Cancer Society. I’ve been running with this group basically since I started running so I know how terrified all the new runners are at the thought of training AND fundraising. This year, I’m acting as a mentor to the runners to help answer all their questions about fundraising, group practices, etc. It was great to see so many new people so excited about running a marathon, and most of them for the first time. It made me a little nostalgic. Just a year ago, I was one of them, all giddy and nervous and wondering “Why the hell am I doing this?” Our first group practice is Saturday and I’m super excited to run with them again. I love running for a cause. It makes me feel like my own hard work, physical pain, and discomfort is for something greater than myself. It makes me almost want to run another marathon this year…almost. *SIGH* I’m going to save that for next year. Chicago 2012 better watch out.