How I win the marathon

People think I'm nuts. They wouldn't be far off.

It was 90* this afternoon when I planned to get my 7 miles in. Normally, I run on the bike path near my house but it's sparse with the shade so I decided to run my 7 miles on the treadmill at work. I get off an hour before most other folks so I was pretty well into things when the 5 o'clock whistle blew and the masses flooded past the work "gym". I got quite a few odd glances, some pointing through the glass at the treadmill no one thought worked (no one ever tried it before). I saw one guy who had come down an hour previously to hit the vending machine.

"She's still running!" he said, probably still picking the cheesy poofs out of his teeth.

Yes, I'm known around the office as "that girl who runs". They don't really know why I'm running all the time, other than the fact they think I've completely lost my mind when I head to the bathroom as soon as I clock out to jump into my Asics and hit the road. They look at all of my gear and wonder aloud how much everything cost.

"Sheesh," they whistle. "You spent how much on that watch?" pointing to my Garmin.

Monday mornings, I like to parade around in my latest race t-shirt, varying in distances from a 5K to a 1/2 marathon (so far).

"How long was that marathon?" they ask with a nod towards my t-shirt.

For a while, I tried to explain my passion. For a while, I tried to explain the anticipation for a race I trained so hard for over many months. I tried to explain the butterflies in my stomach every time I think about the next race I have planned. I tried to explain how a bad run can totally shatter my confidence or how a good run can make me feel invincible. How awesome running for the sake of running can be and how it tests my mental and physical limits daily. How I'm amazed at what I am so blessed to be able to do. I see the changes running has made in my life and I wonder why everyone isn't running.

Another confused look and I shrug my shoulders.

Now, whenever anyone asks how my "marathon" went, I smile and say "I won."