Because of a foot injury, I hadn't been able to run much in a couple of years.  In the fall of 2011, my foot improved and I started running.  At the same time, our oldest son, Will, was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the USMC (August 2011).  Having been very impressed by his physical training and wanting to honor his service, I decided to train for the Marine Corps "Historic Half" marathon in May of 2012.  Because I wanted to support a cause that helped service men and women, I looked into joining a charity "team".  Happily for me, the Semper Fi Fund was near the top of the list, it had room on the team and I joined on.  I thought I was done with training when I completed that race, but NO!  About a month later, our daughter, Mary, told me that she and three friends had signed up to run the MCM.  Without telling anyone for quite a while, I signed up through the SFF team and started training.  I never in a million years had contemplated running a marathon.  But having done the half, and knowing that Mary was running, I thought to myself, "If not now, never".  As the training ramped up, I began to tell people about my goal.  As I ran longer and longer distances, my family and friends responded incredibly generously to my fundraising appeal.  I was going to do this!  The 18 and 20 mile training runs were low points (as they apparently are for many people...don't get discouraged!), but the race itself was amazing. Very emotional.  Very inspiring.  I ran for Will and all of the great young people I've met who are serving.  I ran for our wounded servicemen and women and their families.  And I ran to prove something to myself...I could do this!!  I ran (albeit slowly) the whole way, I didn't stop once and I raised a significant amount of  money for a fantastic organization, The Semper Fi Fund.  Now, I am hoping to run one more...if a badly sprained ankle heals up and cooperates, I hope to slowly start training soon and I really hope to see you at the starting line (AND the finish line!) in October...stay strong...if I could do this, I guarantee, you can too.