Milestones and mile markers: running with intention

Tomorrow morning I will wake up way too early to run way too many miles.

One year ago I woke up early and walked out the front door of our apartment building to watch the runners of the 2011 Buenos Aires Marathon pass by kilometer 4, only the first 10th of the full marathon. I had watched marathons before and they have always inspired me, but something about our move to Argentina and that rainy morning inspired me to finally go for it: to train for a full marathon like I had thought of on and off for several years since I ran my first 1/2 marathon.

Since the start of my marathon training, I knew I wanted to run it in honor of my parents. They have always encouraged me to be active since I was 5 when I joined my first soccer team in the city's original community soccer league that my dad co-founded. From walking, biking, swimming, hiking, running, playing soccer and basketball to working out with Jane Fonda and The Firm VHS tapes- even our super early morning family trips to the YMCA! -all of their encouragement and leading by example reinforced the importance of daily physical activity. For me being active felt good, kept me healthy, made me stronger, helped give me confidence, and taught me such important life and social skills. I feel so grateful that I learned the importance of being active so early on in my life.
Now that my dad is in the advanced stages of Parkinson's disease, I am especially aware that we never know how long our bodies will cooperate and give us their best. So now I push myself physically because I can... and because he can't. I run for my dad and to support his fight with Parkinson's. I run for my mom who supports my dad every single day as a caregiver and cheerleader of me and my efforts. When the going gets tough as the miles add up, I think of them and it helps keep me going.