26.2 for my 26th

A best friend of mine pointed out last week that I’d be running 26.2 miles the day after my 26th birthday. It got me thinking about numbers, about how many hours I’ve spent running, about how many miles I’ve run in preparation for Philly (548 if you want to get exact about it). That same friend sent me the most amazing birthday package today in the mail- she even wrote “26.2 for your 26th” on the package!

Casey thought of the little things, like my insane obsession with Whole Foods gum drops. The closest store from Lewisburg is 156 miles away… so she supplied me with my winter stash. Now the real obsticle is not eating them all before the marathon 🙂 She thought of the big things, like my job. Casey works for an insanely popular, LA fashion rockstar, Claire Vivier. And so, she gave me a monogramed business card holder. It just was perfect and meant so much to me. I’m 3,000 miles from my boyfriend in San Francisco and 3,000 miles from one of my best friends in Los Angeles (damn you California for trapping all my favorite people!) For a minute opening up the package it was like I was back in SF and we had just finished up at the gym, or grad school, or trying a new restaurant and making fun of all the people we went to grad school with 🙂 The card was the best; co-signed by Casey and Taylor, two people that always support me… always encourage me… and really have been two of my biggest cheerleaders though this entire process.

Opening this wonderful gift got me thinking. I’m lucky… I mean I really, really lucky to have the people in my life who support me and not just because it’s my birthday or because I’m running a marathon, but because they care all the other 364 days of the year, too.

A few days ago I read a post from Annie. She’s a runner who is coming back for her second year at the Philly Marathon. I’ve kept up with her blog mainly because she’s not a professional, she’s an honest runner who shares her breakdowns, breakthroughs, and persistance. Annie’s latest post, I’d Like to Dedicate this Race To made me want to follow in her footsteps and dedicate every mile of the race to someone who has supported me through my training… and my life. For some, I picked them to be at a certain number because of a relevance they hold in my mind. For others it’s simply my way of thanking them and keeping them with me during a lonnnnng ass run!

I’ll keep it under the sole of my shoe… and I tied the string from Casey’s gift through my laces. She began her training for the LA Marathon on Nov. 13th- go get em girl I’m bringin’ you with me for this ride!