The first step of a 1000 mile journey

I stress out easily. I'm the first to admit it. My comfort zone is extremely small....two steps in any direction, and I am already out of it. So basically anything outside of doing laundry or running errands in suburbia makes me a little bit nervous. Luckily, I have a good sense of humor, and a secret desire for adventure, or I'd be extremely boring. So how did I decide to run 1000 miles and marathons in multiple cities when I'd never run a race over 8K? Still not sure, but here's my story.

In February 2010, I was flying 1500 miles to Austin, TX for a medical appoitnment for my 7 year old son with autism. He was having some lab tests and I was stressing out. Not about the actual procedure, but about the disappointment I would feel if this treatment didn't help. Or even worse, I was afraid that it would help, and of the frustration I would feel about living too far away to actually follow through with it. Major emotional storm brewing. I was also terrified of bringing my son on an airplane for the first time, with visions of being escorted away by the TSA for one of his emotional outbursts. So I did what works for me: distraction.

I registered for the Austin half marathon the day before our doctor appointment, so I would be focused on the race up until the last minute possible. As my husband would tell you, my brain is incapable of multi-tasking, so I wouldn't think of anything but the running until it was over. No room in my brain for stress. The perfect plan. And that's why I ran my first distance race. My friends and family were so proud of me for finishing, and many of them asked if I was running for autism. "Uh, sure!" I said. I wasn't going to say no! I went online to figure out how, and that's how I stumbled upon Train 4 Autism at http://www.train4autism.org/. I looked across the room at my son, who was laughing hysterically and jumping on the king size hotel bed. Surely, if I could fly him 1500 miles for a doctor appointment, then I could run 1000 miles for autism. Yes, I could.

Running has always been my perfect antidote to autism. It is quiet, peaceful, focused, calm, and no matter where I run, I always make forward progress. When I first learned of my son's diagnosis 5 years ago, I truly wanted to run away. I would never consider doing that, but staying put didn't feel like such a good option either. Running started off as an excuse for me to get away for a few minutes of peace and quiet each day, but over time it grew into something much more: the chance to feel strong, successful, relaxed, focused, disciplined, and to finally be back on an even playing field with everyone else. My competitors may have more time to train, but no one has more mental discipline than a warrior mom, or a bigger heart. Hardship creates discomfort which creates the desire for change. Autism changed me into a runner, and for that I am very thankful.