After the birth of my second child, I felt a need to strengthen the focus on my health.

Published: April 24, 2018 | Updated: March 10, 2023

Running a marathon has long been on my life list. It’s been one of those things that I have, for a long time, laughed-off as a “Yeah, right” kind of to-do item. Over the last couple years, and two children and a third on the way, I’ve put a strong focus on leading a healthier lifestyle. Part of that lifestyle change included dusting off the running shoes and hitting the path again.

Over the course of a few months, I started to remember how much I enjoyed running. During some of my runs, and as I started to get my legs under me, the thought of running a marathon would creep back in.

With the big 4-0 right around the corner, I thought that if I’m going to do the 26.2, the sooner the better. In a moment of weakness, I closed my eyes and hit the “Confirm” button on the Kentucky Derby Festival full marathon registration page. At that moment, I realized there was no turning back.

Weeks into a rigid and dedicated training program, I was still trying to figure out what I was thinking that January day when I hit that button.

I have recently lost a significant amount of weight, and the Norton Sports Health training program has helped with the ongoing maintenance of keeping the weight off. Beyond maintenance, it is helping me prepare to check “running a marathon” off of my bucket list.