Marathon Mommy?

So three posts in one day, eh? Not too bad for someone who has slacked off for the past two months (notice again, no coincidence on the timing--Cooper will be two months tomorrow :) ). I have wanted to post about this since I saw the "Spirit of the Marathon" movie. I have always wanted to run a marathon (BTW, Chris, it was on my list of qualities for a future spouse that we run a marathon together; it was lower down the list, as in, not a necessity...but maybe something to consider for you too! :p).

I ran long distance in junior high and high school. I wasn't ever great (my biggest accomplishment was taking 6th place in the 800 meter at Alpine Days and feeling quite proud of myself). I never really put a ton of effort into it; I did go to practices and worked hard during the season, but running was not a way for life for me. I don't know if it ever will be, but I would like physical exercise, especially running, to become a bigger part of my life. And for my family, my kids. I am not sure when it will happen, but I would like to have some races to work towards; things to motivate me to get out and run again.
Val is trying to convince me that this is the year to run St. George, but I am not sure if this is the right timing or not. We are entered in the Runners Series, so as long as we run two races in St. George before May, we automatically get a place in the marathon. But um, I haven't run since April 2007 and am just barely getting to the point in recovery and less sleep deprivation, where if time (and Chris's schedule) would permit, I could head over to BYU's indoor track and start building up again. I also need to save for a double jogger (which Cooper cannot be in while jogging until he is 8 months old--kind of a problem for training in the meantime...that and training while nursing, which I have heard is possible...). But anyways, my point is this is something I want to do someday...whenever that is...and until then I really want to make running a bigger part of my life because I think it would help me to feel better and be happier. That and I am realizing I need to be planning for and looking forward to things; enjoying life now, but also having things in the future to get excited about. I know training for a marathon will take a lot of time, commitment, and physical and emotional energy; I am masochistically looking forward to the time when I will take up the challenge! St. George is on the list for sure. Maybe Chicago? Chris said the other day that if I decided to run 'em, we'd just visit places where I was going to run. Sounds pretty fun! (I guess I would have to run the 26.2 miles, not just go to sightsee!)
Which brings me to--if you want some motivation to get into running or resurrect that desire to run a marathon, you need to go see "The Spirit of the Marathon". Chris was a sweetheart and watched the boys on 1.24.08 so Val and I could go watch the one-time showing at the theater. There is now an encore performance for 2.21.08 if you have any interest in attending. Go to www.marathonmovie.com for more information about the movie. It truly was inspiring! It helped me realize it is a ton of work, but doable for ANYONE who commits to it! Right now the idea of a marathon may just be a dream, but it is now something I am putting out there and planning to do. It is a neat feeling to have something to look forward to and plan for!