I have been a runner off and on since I began college in 2006, and have become more serious about it within the last couple of years. At first, it was very hard for me to stay motivated to run and after a few gun-ho weeks, my determination would fizzle out and I would be left back at square one.
Running continued to intrigue me, however, as I was exposed to be it very often. My father is a runner and more than one (or five) of our family vacations growing up centered on a running event (Disney Marathon, anyone?). I wanted so badly to like running, and it took quitting and restarting about a half-dozen times before I finally "caught the bug."
I ran my first half marathon in 2008. It was the 500 Festival Mini Marathon in Indianapolis, IN. My dad ran with me the whole time (save for about miles 11 and 12, as we got separated) and my husband Matt (boyfriend at the time) also ran it as his first half marathon. During that race, I was tested. I felt immense highs as the supportive crowd cheered and clapped as I ran by. I felt lows when my legs started to cramp, the sun was strong, and I was tired and dehydrated. I "hit the wall" at mile 6 when I stubbornly refused to take any sort of during-race nutrition and had to run sluggishly around the Indy 500 race track. I "bonked" again at mile 12 and thought that there was no way I could run the remaining 1.1 miles. I pressed on however, and nothing can describe the feeling of crossing the finish line, having the medal placed around my neck, and the sense of accomplishment that came from that 13.1 miles.
Since then, I have run eight other half marathons, one full marathon, and numerous shorter races. I have logged countless training miles both outside and on the treadmill, and even some biking miles when I was sidelined with injury. The Mini Marathon will always be special to me, however, because it was my first half marathon.
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| After my first Mini Marathon with Dad and Matt! |
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| Determined to crush my first 13.1! |
This year, the Mini Marathon will be my 10th half marathon. To celebrate, I am "running for a reason." I am running to raise money for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, where I have worked as a registered nurse for the past four years in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. I have always been a fairly healthy person and thankfully have never been hospitalized, but I imagine that my first Mini experience is similar to what some of the kids at Riley feel. They experience ups and downs during the course of their treatments and stays at the hospital. We treat kids from all over the state with both acute and chronic conditions, and the hospital is a non-profit hospital, meaning that a lot of our programs are supported solely from donations.
I have seen some of the most miraculous things in my time as a Riley nurse. My goal is to raise $500 for the hospital that treats these amazing children so that they can continue doing great work for the kids.
Here is my personal fundraising page. Please consider donating. No amount is too small, and I can tell you first hand that the money will be well-spent! And even if you cannot donate, prayers are always appreciated :-)
http://donate.rileykids.org/goto/staceydraper
Thank you for reading!
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