Anyone Can Do It!

When I was a kid, I hated running. I always felt like my lungs were going to explode, and usually felt like I was going to die. Needless to say, I was not very athletic. I tried to avoid running at all costs at all times.

I never was an exerciser, and didn't really think of it as important until it dawned on me at the ripe old age of 20 that I could possibly use it as a means of being able to eat more of what I wanted with less dieting involved. And so it began. My friend, Amy, seemingly had come to this same conclusion and so we began to run together. It was great to have a partner with which to share the pain, so that habit stuck for a while. Then she graduated and moved away. And I got married.

Throughout my adult life, exercise was an endeavor I pursued in fits and spurts. I would get it in my head to "get healthy" and "be skinny", so I would start on the exercise track again. Being married to someone with similar exercise habits didn't help. He would quit, so I would quit, or vice versa. It wasn't until I really started doing weight training about 10 years ago that I really saw physical changes that made me want to continue my exercise regime.

The last five years I have been pretty consistent with my training. Even though I went through my divorce a couple of years ago, I kept my exercise habits up. Last year, for the first time, I completed the longest running challenges of my life. A friend and I ran a 10K, then I tackled a half-marathon.

And now for the motherlode. Training for the Seattle Rock n' Roll Marathon in June is going to be the most difficult undertaking I have ever experienced. However, doing it through Team in Training makes it one of the most exciting opportunities I think I have ever had. The fundraising efforts will be exhausting, but since I have an intense fear of rejection, this should help me in overcoming that fear. I am already enjoying my long run days, and know that the physical part might prove to be easier than the actual fundraising part. However, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society provides assistance to families and individuals struggling with blood cancers. One never knows what might befall his or her family or friends, and finding a cure for these diseases is necessary and worthwhile.

It is kind of funny to me that people who haven't known me very long think I have always been into running and fitness. My family and friends who have known me forever know this isn't the case. I guess that's what makes it important to me to succeed. It's the knowing that anyone, no matter how much they hate to exercise, can makeincorporate it into their daily life. It can become something that you actually enjoy and look forward to. Anyone can set fitness goals, no matter how small, and accomplish them slowly and steadily. Before you know it, you'll be on the track to bigger and better goals for yourself, in fitness and in life.

**If you would like to donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, visit my donation site on the web at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/mid/rnrseatl09/mpetersaay . You can donate easily online.