Motivation on the HSC Marathon Team: "I've got thousands of little supporters giving me that extra push!"

Today we have a guest blog from Michelle Miller, a member of HSC’s Marathon Team.This year, the HSC marathon team will run in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on 10-10-10. To learn more about joining the team, click here or contact Alicea Miller.

I've been a runner for many years and have completed several marathons. Each and every one of these has required commitment and motivation. I've found this motivation many ways: I've run to prove I could actually finish a race that long. I've run to erase the memory of that painful first marathon. I've run as an excuse to travel to a new city. I've run to qualify for Boston. I've run to set a new personal record. I've run to keep a friend company. But until last October, I had never run for charity.

When I began to search for a cause that I believed in, Healthy Schools Campaign immediately drew my interest. I am a school nurse, so my day is filled with trying to improve the health and wellness of schoolchildren. I work for healthy schools, healthy kids, and a healthy future so why not run for healthy schools, healthy kids, and a healthy future?

I already received their monthly newsletter highlighting efforts to ensure that all children have access to healthy food, regular physical activity and a safe environment. So I knew how hard HSC was working toward these goals. I wanted to help them reach those goals.

What I didn't anticipate was how much this would help ME.

During a months-long training program, I often have periods when my motivation lags. Some Sundays, it's just hard to get out of bed for those long runs. Sometimes after work, I just feel too tired to run those intervals. I'm pretty disciplined and I usually manage to get myself out there -- but when I'm running for HSC, it's like I've got thousands of little supporters giving me that extra push!

I just imagine all of those children who are benefiting from every single mile that I cover. Now, it's hard to think about running a marathon and not doing it for charity! Whether it's for HSC or another worthy cause, running for charity just gives the whole process added significance. So if you've never tried charity running, I'd strongly encourage you to give it a shot. And what better recipients could there be than our youth?

To learn more about running as part of the Healthy Schools Campaign marathon team, click here or contact Alicea Miller.