An Old Memory...

Have you ever been day dreaming and an old memory pops into your head?  It hits you out of no where.  It's not a bad memory, just very random.  Something you have not thought about in years.  I was driving home from my run this morning and an old memory popped into my head out of no where.  I wonder what made me think of it?

About five and a half years ago, I was working as an accountant for a hospital group.  This was the first time I had really become interested in fitness and losing weight.  We had a gym in the basement at work.  It was a really nice gym with the latest fitness equipment and cardio machines.  Every single day, I would sneak down to the gym around 11 am and do 45 minutes on the elliptical.  I would go down at 11 am because the place was completely empty at that time.  Other people did not start to trickle in until 11:45, so I usually had the place all to myself.  Back them, I hated working out around other people.  There was this group of runners, men and women, who would meet outside the gym and usually run outside together. I did not know any of them, other than what I overheard from them.  Sometimes they would run on the treadmills.  I was always in awe of them!  They seemed to me like the most fit people I had ever met in real life.

One day in October, they ran inside because it was pouring outside.  I remember them chatting about how the day before they did the Baltimore Marathon together.  I remember hearing them talk about mile markers, hills, water stops.  I was even more awe of them after hearing they did a marathon.  I did not know how  long was marathon even was at this point in time!  This did not make me want to do one though.  To me, a marathon was something only super human people did.  It was not something that I ever, ever would even consider doing.  Marathon's were meant for super fit, super skilled, super people.  I certainly was not one of them.

I don't know what made me think of that moment on my drive today, but wow! It would be years until I decided that I would do a half marathon.  How far I had come from when I was that person.  The thing is, looking back--I really was in decent shape back then.  I was in a lot better shape than I gave myself credit for at the time. I guess the lesson to me from that flash back it to believe in myself.  I was in such awe of that group of runners.  They were marathoners for goodness sake!  I would see them running on the tread mills and think--wow, I never could do that!  I would hear them talk about running a marathon and be completely mesmerized. The only difference between the me I was back then and the me I am now is confidence.

Do you remember the first time you heard of someone doing a marathon?  What were your thoughts on it?

A dream is a wish...

--Amy