Fabs - The Underdog

Of all of these wonderful women partaking in this once-in-a-lifetime event, I am probably the one person who ten years ago NO ONE would have thought to be running a full marathon. See, I was the chubby kid growing up. Laugh all you want, because it is funny now. But as a kid, I was overweight and therefore LOATHED running. I despised it. I hated it. I wanted to vomit at the thought of it. But now, here I am at 26 years old and cannot imagine a more freeing experience than running down a quiet road as the breeze blows gently by. Running is something I have come to love, actually. I ran my first mini-marathon 2.5 years ago and found it thrilling. Since then, I've ran several 5 and 10k races, subscribed to runner's world, and even bought running tights! When I run, I feel the power and strength I have gained both physically and mentally through it and I am grateful for it. There are times that running is purely for the excerise, but then there are those times when it becomes something more - something spiritual - where I find myself and find God. It provides peace in a world of anxiety, a sense of control when there is chaos, and pride in the accomplishment of a new PR or a self-motivated run when I really just wanted to eat another cookie and watch late night reruns of Full House. After finishing my second mini, I really thought 13.1 was enough for me, but hearing the excitement about a full marathon from my awe-inspiring friends helped me realize that this is another chance to prove to myself that I can do this, I can overcome yet another obstacle in life. And better yet, I can do it right alongside some of the most amazing people I have come to know.