Who is this for, exactly?

(I'm a bad blogger, I know. School's getting crazy, our mileage is increasing... But I will do better, I promise!)

So here I am, in my standard uniform of Nike Tempo shorts and high-school era t-shirts because, well, nothing fits me! It's a wonderful, fantastic, amazing problem to have, don't get me wrong, but it's still kind of a problem. My jeans fall down, my dresses are all too big, my t-shirts are baggy as all get out, my yoga pants won't stay up, and I put my shorts on that I practically lived in last summer... They FELL off of me!! It feels so amazing and wonderful, except for a few teensy factors. 1) I'm having to do more laundry to keep the clothes that stay on me in decent condition. 2) I have to belt the hell out of my jeans to keep them up in my labs. 3) My sports bras are included in this... I don't think I need to say anything else on that topic. I'm holding off on buying new clothes until closer to spring break, so that I'll get more use out of them before I go down to the next size (!!!!!!!!!!!!), but new sports bras are in my VERY near future.

Okay, back on topic. So I'm sitting here watching "I Used to Be Fat" on MTV as a study break, and a girl who lost her father to cancer when she was six just said that she wants to run a half-marathon to honor his memory. That got me thinking... exactly who am I running these half marathons and full marathons for, anyway? I've pondered this before, but was never actually able to come up with a definitive answer... It could be for any of my family members who suffer from or have died from lung diseases, or it could be for a dead relative, or it could be for no reason at all. But tonight, it finally came to me.

This marathon, this experience, this hobby, whatever you want to call it, it's for me. It's because I deserve to live a healthier, more active life than I have been living. It's because my body can handle the challenge. It's because I enjoy breaking through barriers that I never knew I could. It's because I want to do this to prove to myself that I am mentally, physically, and emotionally tough enough to finish not only 26.2 miles, but the almost 1000 miles that it's gonna take me to get there. Hell, when I started this, I couldn't run a half mile. Saturday, I ran four miles. In a row. I keep amazing myself, and it feels so, so fantastic. (It could also be the endorphins, but we're gonna go with the inspirational option. Work with me here.)

What feels even more fantastic is when people tell me that what I do is not only impressing them, but inspiring them. This experience is becoming something more than me, and being able to inspire others to push harder, work harder, and be stronger definitely helps keep me going when my runs get tough. It's pretty freaking cool when people you don't really talk to or know all that well bring the training up. (Come talk to Sara Ann and I about it, please!) I'm gonna speak for both of us and say that we'll be more than happy to share some stories from the frontlines of battle, and we love to hear people say "hey, we saw you running!!" It makes us feel like badasses. And between the aches, pains, blisters, and chafing, we need a little boost in badassness.