To The Beach, To The Beach!

A vacation I'd like to take this year is to the beach. It's the one item I wasn't able to cross off my bucket list for 2011 but more importantly is where family is AND where a race is held.
Nonna, Papa J, and my brothers are all down in the panhandle which makes a trip to the beach even more exciting, being with family is important, it reminds you of who you are, where you came from {it helps me to heal to see similarities between me and my dad, to understand how he influenced me}, and builds memories for the little ones to hold on to.
And...there's a race there that I've been thinking about for over a year now. I ran the Gate to Gate back in 2010 and I'd like to run it again. I ran it with my brother, Josh, and I've replayed that day over and over and over again when thinking about running. I want the chance to take those steps again. I want the chance to run those hills again. I want to know that I've spent my time and energy training for something, preparing my body for something that will require a great deal of effort. It's not just a time for me, it represents a collection of moments that would have been put together to represent a goal/dream I have. I fear once this baby gets here I'll be too exhausted to focus on myself, on my running and that I'll let fitness and my goals slip away. I don't want that...I want to run again. I need to run again. I need this race so that I can know that I'm not lost, that even with everything that goes on in my life I'm still able to hold on to a certain part of my identity. I'm still me. I can still be me.
So here's to the beach, to family, and to self....

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