11 days, 12 hours...I will get there

With less than two weeks to go I find myself constantly googling nyc marathon and reading tons of blogs and facebook posts about the race. I'm taken my obsession to a whole new level and can't contain my excitement! I had a 5 mile run on my calendar for today so I decided to switch up my normal route. I ran a lap and a half of the resivior then ran south on east drive from 90th, I went down cat hill, around the lower loop and up that last hill to what will be the finish line. I stopped for a few minutes to look at the bleachers and tent they've already put up and started to visualize what it will look like in a few days. I still had half a mile to go so I jogged north toward home then walked a bit as I made some phone calls. 

I loved this run. I felt strong. My pace was faster than usual and I'm not tired or worn out. I feel so great that I'm actually considering heading to the gym for a bit but I know I'm suppose to be taking it easy so maybe I'll just curl up on the couch instead. 

One of the wonderful posts I read was "I'm not running to win, I'm running to honor" written by a member of Team Up! with Autism Speaks who is the father of a child with autism. This sums up what so many people in the autism community feel and struggle with. I especially loved these two points:

I’m running to acknowledge children at all ages who, like ours, spend months/years learning how to simply hold a fork, or speak a word or learn to put on their clothes by themselves.  The 5 hours or so it is likely going to take me to complete the 26.2 miles is nothing next to the 40 hours of therapy my son needs every week just to fight for bare basic skills. If these kids can do that, I can push myself to the limits to do this.

I’m running for parents whose children with autism are now becoming adults with autism. Between now (when my oldest son is 9 years old) and when my family faces this transition, today’s parents who are addressing this will have done so much to benefit families like mine and I want to honor them now, and always.

I’m running because the human body is not meant to run 26.2 miles but autism makes us go beyond our limits.  I’m running because it’s hard, because it takes me out of my comfort zone, because I feel awkward doing it, because it hurts, because it takes leisure time and sleep from me: all things that our families face every day and it is a small gesture by comparison.

Please check out the rest of his post and cheer on all the Team Up! runners on race day!