As a child, I grew up on hog farm in a small town in Michigan. I remember always looking up in the sky when a plane would fly by and my dream was to one day become a flight attendant and travel the world. I worked very hard and never lost sight of my dream and I was able to achieve that goal. Dreams do come true, they require effort and most importantly a belief in yourself.
Another dream of mine came true on Jan 19, 2014 when I completed my 10th Houston Marathon in a row to earn the Houston Marathon Veteran status. Being a marathon veteran doesn't give you any special super powers, but I did receive a really cool, totally awesome long sleeve shirt with 10 hash marks on the arm sleeve.
The Houston Marathon weekend starts out with the expo on Friday and Saturday and the race on Sunday morning. There are plenty of vendors selling everything from shoes, clothes and gear to multitudes of running knickknacks and baubles. Bring your credit card and stay awhile for your gear shopping dream. There is plenty of information available about upcoming events around the country. The local running groups are also represented, so you get to catch up with people you haven't seen in a year. That is always fun because of the shared crazy passions for running. This year was my 11th Houston Marathon so I finally got to wear the special veterans bib preprinted with my name and the 10 years as a participant. 
It didn't help me run faster but it did give me an extra smile for the effort. Sunday morning at 4:30am my friend Kevin showed up at our doorstep to drive my husband and I downtown to the Convention Center for the start of the race. A benefit that is greatly appreciated and a treat not to have to deal with traffic and parking. Another huge hug and thank you Kevin! It's a tradition he has done with me every year that I have participated. It should also be pointed out that Kevin is not really an early morning guy! It makes his efforts that much more special. He also follows me around the course to 5 or 6 different spots cheering me on with his great enthusiasm.
I ran the Marathon this year with a fellow runner and the founder of the Snowdrop Foundation, Kevin Kline. He was pacing a young lady, Lisa, who flew in from Michigan to run her very first marathon and they asked me to tag along for awhile. We all ran together and got to know each other a little better. Around the halfway point I gave them a few more words of encouragement and left to run ahead. This was a training run for me, getting some good work in for my big goal race in Destin. I did make my required stops for a beer at the Michelob Ultra beer truck at mile 21 and at mile 25 for another beer with the Harley Davidson group. WooHoo! Traditions make everything better. I always feel a special excitement seeing so many spectators along the course cheering the runners and calling out their names. Wow, very inspirational! I saw and ran next to some of the other veterans who were wearing bibs that had 26, 30 and even 35 years of running. Very Cool! Maybe some day I'll get there too, dreams and passions are amazing to have, just believe in yourself. When I crossed the finish line a volunteer put a finisher's medal around my neck and congratulated me on a great race. I picked up my finishers tech shirt, a commemorative etched mug and got my picture taken. Number 11 complete!! Can't wait for next year. Sign me up, I still have a ways to go to get to that 30 year Bib!
A very special Congratulations to Lisa on completing her very first marathon and to Kevin Kline for pacing her and allowing me to be a small part of her experience!
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