Shout Out To All The Dads...Especially This One...

I still feel like all of this blog stuff is new to me.  I'm quickly approaching my one year bloggerversary.  I actually started my 12/12 before I started blogging.  I was just a week out from my second race and my friend Lindsay said 'you've got to blog about this'.  Her blog was the only one I knew about.  I was doing the 12/12 as a challenge, for fun, and for something I could call my own.  I had no idea that anyone else would even care. I quickly found out that it would give me a chance to make many new friends and even create an amazing new support crew. I can't tell you how much I've appreciated all of the support along the way. It's been so great sharing this (for all the ups and downs) with a group that truly understands this addiction healthy lifestyle we all share. So with that..THANK YOU...to all of you. When that bloggerversary arrives, I will go on and on with more gratitude. :)

So, back to when I started the ol' blog....one of the first things my husband said was, 'Don't talk about me.  Seriously.'  Ummm.  Okay.  So I respected his wishes...until today. Father's Day is obviously this coming weekend and it feels right to use that excuse to break my promise. 

There is NO way, zero, zilch, nada...that I would/could have even imagined doing something like this past year without him. 12 marathons in 12 months...well...how do I even explain it?  He is my rock in all ways possible.  He has always been completely supportive throughout all of my races throughout the years.  The training, all of the Saturday long runs, all of the complaining of how sore I was and how tired I was after whatever workout I had just completed.  When I told him about my idea of 12/12, the first thing he asked was, 'Well, do you think you can do it?' and I said, 'uhh, yeah' and he said, 'Then do it...we'll make it work.'

I'm the 'Big Ideas' person between the two of us.  I'm sure as soon as those words floated out of my mouth, he instantly thought about logistics, time, and of course the money it would take to begin a challenge such as this.  He never discouraged me, he never questioned me.  However, he always, always worried and took the very best care of me.  More importantly, he never doubted me!  A weekend away every month was not an easy task.  Seriously, I could not have done what I did without him! 

If it were just him and I, it would have been a little easier but..umm...we have five children. When asked if he runs races himself, his quick reply was always 'Yeah, I run 5K's everyday...' ;)  5 kids is a lot of work.  It's time consuming. For those of you who have children...well...'nuff said. It is Crazy fun, Crazy busy, Crazy 'wear the crap right out ya' and all sorts of more Crazy.  I usually fit my workouts in around the kids' homework and various activities.  I workout early mornings, late nights, and even late into the night after the kids are in bed.  By far the hardest are the long runs that take up most of our Saturday.  I am gone 3 hrs or more most Saturdays and am not always my most energetic self for the rest of the day.  He puts up with it all.

He's an amazing DAD!  Our kids put up with me, but they LOOOVVVEEE DAD.  Sports runs in the family.  We're all constantly playing or doing something active.  The girls love to dance and the boys love sports with football and basketball at the top of their list.  He loves to hang with the kids, he loves to teach them, and even jump in and play with them...sometimes to even humble them when they get too cocky about their so called 'skills.'  He takes them to movies, the arcade, and  midnight 7-11 runs way too many times during the week.  I LOVE our family.  I wish we could freeze time and enjoy this stage for a bit longer.  I know that every stage is different, exciting, heartbreaking, and of course challenging in many ways. I am extrememly grateful to have the family I have and especially blessed with the man that chose to marry me.

So with that....



I Love You...Thanks for putting up with me during my 12 in 12, and all the the time for that matter.  Happy Father's Day.  You are the best.  Ever.