Baby Chariots of Fire

I'm lucky enough to be married to one of the sweetest, most supportive and loving husbands around. He has always encouraged me to take care of myself so that we can enjoy being active, even in our old age.

When I first met him, he was big into running. He had recently run a marathon and usually ran a few miles every other day to keep in shape.

I can't really say that I enjoyed running, unless it was toward ice cream. But Jon encouraged me to try it and under his guidance, I ran my first 5K before we were married. We ran a few more 5Ks after that, and I have always felt that this was a pretty good accomplishment.

But I have to say, finding the motivation to run after a hard day's work was always pretty difficult. The last thing I wanted to do, after dealing with the stress of an office, was pull on my running shoes and pound out a couple of miles.

Now that I am staying at home with JD, working out has become something I do every day. We go to Baby Boot Camp most every day, except Sunday. It is a chance for me to get fit and JD likes playing with the other kids. The instructor's daughter Margaret and JD seem to be cut from the same cloth, even though she is a couple months younger. But they play and talk with each other.

I've been working out now for almost exactly one year and I can really tell a difference. I feel healthier, and I have more energy, which is a requirement with an 18 month old boy.

So when our class decided to put together a team to do the White Rock Lake Marathon Relay in December, I thought that this was something I could do. The relay is broken up into legs of 6.2 miles, 5 miles and 4 miles. Even if I do the 4 miles, it will be the longest I have ever run!

We started training this week, and so far I have done two 20 minute runs with JD that ended up around 1 1/2 - 2 miles. Then last night, Jon, JD and I went for a LONG run. We actually ran at the park where Jon and I got engaged (talk about going full circle) with a few more from Baby Boot Camp. Our distance was 3.3 miles.

And it was hard and we were tired when we got done. But I'm feeling good about how this is going so far! I have 2 and half more months to train, but I am going to stay positive. This is most likely the closest that I will ever come to running in a marathon, so I am determined to get there, even if it seems like an uphill battle at this point.

At least I won't have to push a stroller during the actual relay! I'll just get to see JD and Jon on the sidelines cheering me on instead!