Why

13 more days left. Lucky 13.

It's amazing to me that just 9 months ago, I could hardly walk one mile. Now I'm at the end of my marathon journey. It's hard to believe that 2 weeks from today, we'll be on our way home with our medals and the satisfaction of knowing we have achieved a goal a few achieve in a lifetime.

Mark's blog got me thinking about why I will finish Chicago, why I will endure thru the fatigue, the aches and pains, and the discomfort so I can finish the marathon.

So here are my reasons why I will finish the Chicago Marathon.

1) Because I CAN.
So many people in this world can't do it because of medical/physical conditions. I am healthy and capable, and so I will finish for those who can't.

2) For my kids, Candace, Braden, and Cade
I want my children to know they can achieve anything they dream of. All it takes is determination, and hard work.

3) For my niece Lillian.
She is an angel sent to our family so we could be reminded that God is always with us.

4) For all the CFC children in this world and their families.
They have touched my life, and I'm honored to run this marathon for them.

5) For my grandfather.
I miss you, Abuelo.

6) For my cousin Jose.
Jose died 7 yrs ago, of complications related to his diabetes. He was 33. He was my brother, my friend, and I miss him very much.

7) For my mother, Amelia
She has taught me to never give up on my dreams.

8) For my sisters, Iris, Joyce, Glenda and Indra.
They are the rocks that support me, and they believe in me, even when I don't believe in myself.

9) For my entire family back in Panama.
Even though we don't see each other often enough, they are such a big part of my life. Distance can't sever the bond of family.

10) For my niece Stephanie
She has brought such joy to my life, I couldn't ask for a better role model for my daughter.

11) For my niece Aurora, and nephews Jesse and Jon-Luc
So that they will know that anything is possible.

12) For my husband Claude.
You are a gift from God, your love, your support and your patience mean more to me than I can express. Thank you for being there for me always, for believing in me, and for supporting me in every endeavor.

13) For myself.
So that I can always remember where I came from, how far I've come, and how much I have yet to accomplish.

14) For all the MM runners
Thank you for being there for me thru this journey. This experience I will cherish forever.

Restless sleep

Am I the only one having trouble with their sleep? I haven't had a good night of sleep since Saturday night. I have no problem going to sleep or staying sleep. The problem is I am not getting any rest. Let me explain. It's like I'm dreaming all night long. I can't remember the dreams, just that I had them.

And, of course, after I wake up, I feel like I haven't slept at all. *yawn*

I'm going to have some chamomille tea tonight and hopefully that will help. I know it's the excitement and nervousness of the marathon. That's how it usually goes when I have something big coming up. I can't sleep for days, except this time I really need to get some rest!

Lessons

I guess there are always lessons to be learned, aren't there?

We now have a double jogging stroller, in addition to our regular stroller. Since I am a marathoner, I figured I can now take the twins with me whenever I need to train during the week. That's the whole purpose of a jogging stroller, right?

So we head out into the streets of the neighborhood. Here I was, feeling pretty confident after Saturday's run, and thinking running with the twins will be a piece of cake after doing 20 miles.

WRONG! I forgot to take into account running 20 miles alone is NOT the same as running while pushing over 60lbs in front of you. The kids are about 23 lbs each, and the stroller weighs another 23 lbs.

Talk about a humbling lesson! I just couldn't do it. And the questions "Am I ready for Chicago?", "Can I really do a marathon?" came rushing into my head.
I had to remind myself that I will not be pushing the twins in Chicago, and that I am ready to do this.

So here we are, one day closer to the big day.