Friday, August 1, 2008

Personal Motivations for SFM

26.2 Reasons Why I’m Running The San Francisco Marathon

  1. Because I love to run and want to share that passion with several thousand of my favorite fans, oops, I mean friends!
  2. Because I’ve never done a marathon so far away from home before.
  3. Because I’m not afraid of goofy speed bumps, even if they are bigger than normal
  4. Because I run best when my brain is not yet functioning at 5:30AM and I’m on automatic pilot.
  5. Because I love running in San Francisco.
  6. Because I dig the feeling of being alone…in a pack…of people who can relate to my every emotion.
  7. Because it’s my birthday and I want to throw the biggest birthday party I’ve ever had.
  8. Because it’s my birthday, but no one who’s running will know it but me.
  9. Because I love NYC too, but can’t stand the heat and humidity during the summer.
  10. Because I can’t wait to say “Oh yeah, while you were sleeping, I ran a marathon this morning.”
  11. Because I want to meet and greet some running friends.
  12. Because I’m too terrified to run across the Golden Gate Bridge by myself ever again (after my last misadventure there).
  13. Because to watch the sunrise while running a marathon is magical beyond belief
  14. Because three hours and change is a long time to reflect on the past and think about the future.
  15. Because I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be exhausted, but truly happy.
  16. Because my battle is not with a bandanna, but with myself.
  17. Because I want to emulate the spirit of the athletes who will be competing in the Beijing Olympics in 5 days.
  18. Because I’ve trained long and hard for this and it’s time to claim the prize.
  19. Because I want to get to the after-party as soon as possible. (Wait, there is an after-party, isn’t there?)
  20. For my bloggy friends who’ve supported and inspired me so much the past year.
  21. For my real life friends and relatives who are proud of me even though at times I wonder if they know exactly what they’re proud of.
  22. For my Flyer teammates who I’m grateful to have gotten to know even if there’s still heavy contention between us on the definition of ‘fast’
  23. For my parents who will run miles with me even as they complain about what it’ll do to my knees…someday.
  24. For my brother, who doesn’t consider himself a runner, but is trying ever so hard to run a sub 7:30 mile time.
  25. For my sister who I know is proud of me for all I’ve done with my running.
  26. For myself, because yeah, I’m a runner, and THIS is what I do best.
26.2 Because I can’t wait to be done!

20 comments:

Wendy said...

Good luck and HAVE FUN!

Ax said...

Good luck this weekend, and have a happy birthday!

Mel-2nd Chances said...

well said, good luck and happy birthday!

C said...

Good luck! I will be awake when you start running. I'll be thinking good thoughts for you. Go Lam!

Anonymous said...

Go Lam! I'll be thinking about you.
Also, this post is inspiring me to make my own 26.2 reasons for running a marathon.
Thanks for the brilliant idea!

Pilarh said...

Good luck!

Run For Life said...

Those are all wonderful reasons - good luck. :) Have a fun and unforgettable birthday while you're at it!!

Felice Devine said...

I hope you have 26.2 miles of strong running fun! Have a great time and happy birthday. I'm looking forward to the race report!

Nancy said...

AWW Lam - I've missed you so much!! You have no idea how many times I've thought about the clinical dehydration post (yeah, that bad!) lately. It's been something trying to catch up with the blogs since my trip. I'm sorry you won't see this before you run but I'm thinking about you, I think it's about 8:30 am right now. You are probably in the final kick!!! Hope you feel the good vibes.

This was a GREAT post. Loved it. Hope you are having the time of your life and a wonderful birthday.

Nancy said...

HA HA - got to the results site and found you, all ready to see your amazing finish and it is tomorrow. hee hee.

GOOD LUCK, LAM!!

Meg said...

I got to this late, since according to Nancy's post you've finished, but what great reasons and I hope you had fun. Happy Birthday!

Meg said...

oops I misread Nancy's post and realized the race is Sunday...then GOOD LUCK! :)

Laura said...

Good luck!!! You'll be done way before me but hopefully you'll still be around the finish so we can meet up. And yes, there IS a post-race barbecue! Happy birthday :)

audgepodge said...

Happy Birthday and have a great marathon!!!

Frayed Laces said...

Way to go Lam! I just saw your results...I won't spoil it for everyone, but great job, and HAPPY FREAKIN BIRTHDAY!

you continually amaze me.

Laura said...

Lam, congratulations again! Was so glad I managed to find you after the race. Have a great last few days in SF and I look forward to reading your full report!

Nancy said...

GREAT RACE, LAM!!! Happy Birthday, too. Hope you are celebrating....

P.O.M. said...

Those are awesome reasons. Can't wait for the full report... do we get pics too?

thebets said...

Great post! Thanks for sharing...I got all misty eyed. I'm so glad to hear that you have so much support from your friends and family. You are truly blessed to have that!

sRod said...

Yeah, I'm a bit late...but this is a great. I wanted to give you a heads up that I will be stealing this format for my next pre-race entry.

 
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