For the past year, I have been working toward a goal that very few people knew about. Originally, that goal was a half marathon as I shared before. This was an original goal and something I was training for before I got sick and something that I always knew I wanted to do as I healed. So I started walking.
One mile at a time. One week at a time. One step at a time.
Then, in August, as y'all know, life threw me an unexpected curveball. While hiking, I took a serious fall that sidelined my training and forced me to postpone my original half marathon plans until the spring. It was disappointing, but I told myself there would always be another race and another opportunity to continue the journey.
Then, just a few months later, our family received news that mattered far more than any race ever could. Over Christmas, as y'all know, mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Suddenly, calendars, training schedules, and race goals took a back seat to doctor's appointments, treatment plans, trips to New York City, and simply being present for someone I love. Like so many things in life, the plans I had carefully made didn't unfold the way I expected.
But somewhere in the middle of it all, mom and I kept dreaming and believing for healing and the future and I found myself thinking about that goal again. Not the half marathon. Something bigger.
The Honolulu Marathon.
A Different Kind of Finish Line
Perhaps it sounds strange to choose a marathon after a season that has felt physically and emotionally exhausting. But in many ways, for me, that is exactly why it feels right. The past year has been a reminder again that none of us really know what tomorrow holds. Plans change. Circumstances change. Life changes.
But sometimes we are given the opportunity to choose what comes next.
For me, that choice is Honolulu. Not because I expect it to be easy. Not because I expect it to be fast. But because after watching my mother face surgery, radiation treatments, and the uncertainty that comes with a cancer diagnosis, crossing a finish line feels less about athletics and more about gratitude.
It feels like a celebration of health. A celebration of perseverance. A celebration of simply getting to move forward. And perhaps there is no better place for that celebration than Hawaii.
For years, Hawaii has been one of those places that lived quietly on my travel wish list. The turquoise water, the mountains, the spirit of aloha, and the slower pace of island life all seem like the perfect backdrop for a challenge that is as much about the journey as the finish line.
The Honolulu Marathon begins before sunrise and carries participants through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. There is something magical about the idea of watching the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean while taking on a challenge that once felt impossible.
Walking for Education
As I prepared to register for Honolulu, I knew I wanted this journey to be about more than crossing a finish line. Education has shaped nearly every chapter of my life.
It has taken me to earning graduate degrees, teaching students across the country, creating educational resources for classrooms, and pursuing opportunities I never could have imagined as a young student. Because education has given so much to me, I wanted this marathon to give back.
That is why I am partnering with Pencils of Promise and committing to raise $1,000 in support of their mission to expand educational opportunities for children around the world.
As both an educator and lifelong learner, their mission resonates deeply with me. Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and dream about what their future might hold. Every training walk now carries an additional purpose. Every mile helps support a cause I believe in. And every donation helps open doors for students whose lives may be changed through the gift of education.
If you would like to support my fundraising efforts, you can visit my fundraising page HERE:
Together, we can help make education possible for more children around the world.
One Step at a Time
One of the things I have learned over the past year is that most worthwhile journeys happen one step at a time. Recovery happens one day at a time. Healing happens one day at a time. Cancer treatment happens one appointment at a time. And marathon training happens one walk at a time.
Right now, my training is far from glamorous.
It looks like early morning walks. Evening walks. Walking Adirondack roads. Walking through small towns. Walking while listening to podcasts or thinking through blog posts and lesson plans. Prayers for those that I love, dreaming of the future, and healing from this past year.
But perhaps that is why I love it.
There is something beautiful about ordinary steps adding up to something extraordinary. Twenty-six point two miles feels overwhelming when viewed all at once. But the next step never does.
So between now and December, I'll keep taking the next step.
And then the next.
And then the next.
Until, those ordinary steps carry me all the way to Honolulu and raising $1,000 to help provide educational opportunities for children around the world, that finish line will mean even more than I ever imagined.
THANK YOU so much for all of your excitement and support of this incredible adventure!
If you would like to support my fundraising efforts, you can visit my fundraising page HERE!
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