The last time I attempted a marathon was in 2009… that race didn’t end exactly how I’d planned. Short story… I fell, split my chin open, DNF‘d and got stitches. I’ve wanted redemption ever since… but life just got in the way. I dealt with ED recovery, I coached several seasons of Team Challenge and kept myself busy with other things. And having a child added more difficulty to the picture. I know there are women that train for marathons with very small babies but that just wasn’t in the cards for me. I thought A would be closer to 5-years-old or so before I would get a chance to attempt a marathon again.
But then something amazing just fell into my lap and I had to say yes.
I am going to be part of Team Stonyfield and run the 2015 Boston Marathon!
I’m super excited, a little bit scared and completely flattered to be chosen for this adventure. Stonyfield is the official yogurt sponsor for the Boston Marathon. I have been feeding A their yogurt ever since she could eat yogurt. And she usually grabs one of their pouches of yogurt at the store and asks for it as her special treat. So I’m familiar with their products and it’s something that I have willingly purchased long before this opportunity. That is important to me.
Training for a marathon is hard, that’s a given. It will be even harder this time around because I have a child. And the bulk of my training will come during my husband’s busy season. (He’s a CPA, he works ridiculously long hours January through April – the race is April 20.) Last time I trained for a marathon, I could do my long runs then come home and leisurely take an ice bath, chill with my legs up the wall while I read a magazine or listened to music, take a nap if I felt like it… that’s all going to be different this time. I’ll still get up super early to run big miles, but when I return home I’ll have a 2-year-old running around wanting to jump all over me and play with me. (And she’s cute… how could I not want to play with her?)
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I’m looking forward to the opportunity to getting to know my teammates more:
- Angela Bekkala from Happy Fit Mama
- Tina Haupert from Carrots n’ Cake
- Rachel Steffen from Running Rachel
- Janae Jacobs from The Hungry Runner Girl
- Laura Peifer from Mommy Run Fast
- Bethany Meyer from Another Mother Runner and The Huffington Post
- and our coach Megan Searfoss from Run Like A Mother
I will be sharing stories from my training here for the next several months. I’m truly humbled to be given this opportunity and can’t wait to start this journey!
Jill Will Run 