Marathon Weekend!

Happy Dallas Marathon Weekend Everyone!

I know - to most of you this Sunday is a real pain in the patootis. Anywhere you drive in downtown or east Dallas from 7am - noon on Sunday will be wrought with delays and detours. Hmmmph.

But let me try to paint a different picture for you.

Until last year I was the proud coach of the beginner's program for new runners wanting to run a Half Marathon (13.1 miles.) In all I coached 446 people from their very first step as a runner to the finish line. The MOST rewarding thing I have done in my life.

While you see a bunch of crazy people clogging the roads and causing you delay, I see thousands (yes, thousands) of people achieving their goals and living their dreams. During my years as a coach I saw women leave their abusive spouses, I saw brothers run in honor of their slain family members, I saw husbands and wives redefine their entire relationships - all because of running.

I know it sounds crazy - you put on a pair of shoes and run up and down the street a few times (and sweat!) but there's more to it. Sunday is the culmination of anywhere from 6 - 12 months of hard work, 5 am training runs, bowls upon bowls of pasta, sore muscles and more tears than can be counted. Imagine spending an entire year, 4 - 6 times a week pushing your body to its absolute limits all to achieve a goal...and every moment is worth it.

You see this marathon is not so much about running a race as it is celebrating success. Each peson is running for a reason. For some it is to achieve a goal. For many it is to prove a point to themselves, their friends, their family. For most it is to prove self worth.

Unfortunately this weekend is going to be very very warm in running terms - we tend to prefer 32 degrees at gun time - so the runners are going to need alot more support.

Sunday morning take your kids out to the course (the map is easily found on line and in the paper) and cheer on the runners. Let your kids see what dedictation and success look like. And let them see what it is like to cheer on a perfect stranger, to support those who are striving to make their own worlds better.

So stand and cheer and do not dare honk your horn because you are delayed. This is THEIR day - let's all support our runners and our neighbors.