And so it begins...

I was never a runner. I was never even slightly athletic. In high school, we were required to either be in athletics or in the band. I chose the band. The fact that I was not athletic never really bothered me. In fact, as I got older, I used it as a badge of honor. I'd tell people "I only run when chased and even then, I would probably just turn and fight."

My husband, Brian, and his sister, Amy, were always athletic. As kids they would play tennis together and as adults, they both took up running. When they took up running, I took up cheerleading. I was an awesome cheerleader. At races, I would strategically map out my cheerleading locations, it was a personal contest to see how many times I could see them on the course. I had that part down pat.

I was totally content to be the cheerleader in the family. When Brian and Amy decided to run the Walt Disney World Marathon in 2010 - I was in ... as the cheerleader, that is.

Then Amy got sick.

She had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer in March of 2008. She did everything right. She undertook all of the usual treatments and did all of the things a 38 year old woman with breast cancer should do. In the fall of 2008 we received the wonderful news - Amy was in remission! At that point, she and Brian made their decision to run the Disney Marathon in 2010 as Amy's "I Beat Cancer Marathon."

Fast forward to two months later, we received the devastating news - Amy's cancer was back and it had spread. Sitting there at Christmas we all talked about the marathon and Brian decided that he would run it for Amy. The hope would be that Amy would sit Disney 2010 out and together they would run Disney 2011. As I sat there next to my sweet sister-in-law I made a decision. If Amy could battle cancer, I could get off the sidelines and run this marathon for her.

I WOULD RUN THE DISNEY MARATHON FOR AMY!

Amy passed away from her battle with cancer on March 9, 2009. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of her and miss her. Several weeks before Amy died, she told me "When you run, think of me. With every step, tell God to get this cancer out of my body."

When I run, I think of Amy and with every step, I honor her.

This is my journey from the sidelines to the race field. I have put my mind to this. I will run 26.2 miles and it will not kill me.