​The 43rd Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) and MCM10K are fast approaching. The MCM is an iconic race, drawing 30,000 people to the start line. There are no monetary prizes for the winners. This is “the people’s marathon,” where everyone is welcome and included. I spectated the MCM long before I ever ran it myself. I love that marathons prove there is not one speed that makes a runner and there is not one body type that makes a runner. While runners come in all shapes and sizes, we do have one commonality: we all have heart. 

The marathon, 26.2 miles… I don’t know how or when or why I first ever thought of running a marathon. I do know that even before I was a runner, while I was picking the position in sports that involved the LEAST amount of running possible, I had a dream of one day crossing the finish line of a marathon. 

I had the chance to make that dream come true with my fellow Stroller Warriors back in 2010. Stephanie, Sarah, Jenna, Kit, and I decided we were going to travel from Camp Lejeune, NC, to run the MCM. I remember talking to my husband on the static-ridden, voice-delayed satellite phone. When I told him I was going to run the MCM he said, “I hope you know (very long pause) by signing up for one (another long pause), you’re actually signing up for TWO (lots of static). You can do a marathon without me, but you’ll have to do a marathon WITH me too.”

Yes, my husband was deployed and I was the sole caregiver for our daughter. Yes, my friends’ husbands were also deployed, but we didn’t care. We weren’t going to let our lives stop because our spouses were momentarily not physically there with us. We were going to bond together, find happiness in the little things, find fulfillment in reaching for goals, and work together to make that goal—that dream—a reality. 

​I remember the joy of tackling my “longest run” every weekend while I was training for my first marathon. I remember when the miles got lonely, I’d imagine my husband’s boots pounding the pavement right alongside my sneakers, his feet keeping pace with mine, and mine with his. We were miles apart and yet, in that moment, we were in sync. I faced a lot of unknowns that year, and I met a lot of firsts. 

Marathon running can teach you a lot about yourself. It can teach you a lot about life. All of us are far more resilient than we give ourselves credit for. I learned a lot about myself during my first marathon. I hadn’t trained for any hills (there are some). I broke the rule of not trying anything new on race day (and ran without my water bottles). I got swept up in the day and forgot to follow my nutrition plan. I bonked early and I bonked hard. I remember when a good friend jumped onto the course to chat with me, I was in tears, asking why I was doing this. She replied, “Who are you and what did you do to my friend?!” In spite of everything that went wrong for me on race day, I knew in my heart of hearts that I was going to cross the finish line. If he could do eight months in austere front-line conditions, then I could do 26.2.
 
During that race, I had the pleasure of running with a friend, Kitt, a Marine Corps captain who had already taken on the MCM before and decided to run it again in support of her husband and his unit while they were also deployed. That year her goal wasn’t based on time. Her goal was to prove she could run a marathon in vibrams and hang out with me along the way. After I fell apart for several miles (while also attempting to refuel as best as possible), I decided that I just needed to get over myself and get the job done. Yes, there would be pain. Yes, it would be hard. But I could do it, especially with the help of my friends. It helped too that my husband and his command were miles and miles away watching all of their runners move as dots across the map on the wall as they tracked our progress along the racecourse. I crossed the finish line of my first marathon nine months to the day after I started to run. 

​The people we choose to surround ourselves with directly shape the path we follow in life. I have been very lucky to lead a Stroller Warriors life. There is something special about the Stroller Warriors. Maybe it’s because we get the endorphins that come along with running. Maybe it’s because we have giving hearts and work to better our world and support our community. I don’t know why we are the way we are, but I do know that after being a proud member of now four Stroller Warriors chapters, we are the most supportive, honest, genuine, helpful, kind, hard-working, funny, and FUN people I have ever been around. 

We also are very good at what we call “positive peer pressure.” Usually it involves convincing friends to sign up for a new race, thereby forcing them to tackle their first 10k or half marathon—or even full marathon. It could be convincing a friend to “test fate” and sign up for the lottery for the MCM. (Why not let God decide?) Or it might be pushing fellow Warriors to QUICKLY sign up for the 1775 race before it sells out so that they can skip the lottery process and have a guaranteed entry into the MCM.

Whether it’s because of positive peer pressure or fulfilling a lifetime goal, for the past nine years the MCM has been the most popular marathon our club has bonded over together. This year is no exception. This year we have an estimated 161 Warriors running the 10k and marathon, representing 15 of our chapters.

For the past several years, we’ve offered a commemorative shirt to help our Warriors unite and bond as a worldwide team. The goal is to help members recognize each other while out on training runs or at the expo or even on race day. This year, a quote by running legend Deena Kastor inspired the idea behind our shirt. Deena said, “Some days the positive path is harder to find and we have to be relentless in its pursuit.” This quote rang true for many of us military spouses on the SWHQ team.

​Some days the positive path is harder to find. Some days you don’t want to get up out of bed (much less at O’ dark thirty). Some days you don’t want to have another ground hog day when everything feels the same as the day before. Some days it’s hard to be positive and find the brighter side of your new duty station (and consequently your new life). Some days it’s hard. Life is hard. But that’s not a reason to give up. That’s a reason to fight harder. 

We have to be relentless in the pursuit of happiness—in the pursuit of a goal, whether it is a 5k, a 10k, a half marathon, a full marathon, or even an ultra. When you’re relentless in your pursuit of a goal, your mentality shifts. You focus in on the goal, and you get up early even when you don’t want to. You get your runs in. You do the best you can with what you have. You rehab from your injury. You continue to push and reach. And along the way you meet new people and make new friends, solidify old friendships, see new sights, tackle new mileage, and learn (or relearn) that you are far stronger than you ever gave yourself credit for.

This training cycle, I have been incredibly inspired by the Stroller Warriors around me. I’ve been running with Kaylee, who started out with a Stroller Warriors C25k program, then ran a 10k, then a half, and now is tackling her first marathon. She’ll run the MCM eight months from when she started C25k. I’ve run alongside Amy, who trained up for the Air Force Marathon that was cut short this year due to unsafe course conditions, and while she received a medal, she didn’t actually get to run 26.2. So she snagged a transfer bib, and in spite of a nagging injury, she will be joining in on the fun to run her first full marathon. I’ve been running with Lindsay, who trained last year all through a brutal summer, never missing a run, only to learn just days before the MCM that the pain in her chest wasn’t a pulled muscle; she had pneumonia and would be unable to race alongside her training partners. Too late to get a transfer, she swallowed this devastating blow and lost a good amount of money in the process. She has trained hard again this year and is ready for a comeback race. These are just a few of the stories of the Warriors who will be at the MCM. Everyone has a story, and all of them are motivational and inspirational. 

​Me? I’ve trained and I’m ready again for my third MCM. I’d love to get to five so I can be in the MCM Runners Club. This year is extra special because I will be making good on a promise I made in 2010. I was told that by signing up for one marathon, I was actually signing up for two because I needed to run one with my husband. My husband and I have both run marathons and ultras, but we have yet to run a marathon together. My parents will be watching our four kids, and we will have the pleasure of a race date. Just like life, we will be sticking together all the way along the course.  

Warriors, this weekend as you toe the line with your fellow Marine Corps Marathoners and 10k runners, I want you to be relentless in your pursuit. Push hard. You’ve trained for this moment and you’re ready. Our nation’s heroes will be standing at the ready to support you. How often in life do you get to have a real-life hero put a medal around your neck? A medal you’ve earned with sweat, tears, and maybe even a little bit of blood. Trust yourself. Trust your training. Stick to your hydration and nutrition plan to try to ward off the wall. But if you do run into the wall, put one foot in front of the other. Remember this mantra: “Relentless forward progress.” You are, after all, a Stroller WARRIOR, and you’ve got this! 

Happy Running!

Your CEO, 
Kelly

by Kim B.
​
I have always been afraid to fail. I have always wanted to impress people. Failure was huge for me. So much that I wouldn’t even try.
 
I guess my motto of “do what scares you” really started when I met a friend who is an ultra-runner. She ran trails and did 50Ks and 50 milers. She was an incredible inspiration to me. I was always amazed at what she could get her body to do. She was getting ready to move and I had run my first marathon and my first trail race months before when she encouraged me to run a 50K ultra she was organizing from her house on base. It was going be small, just several of her ultra friends getting together to 'party' and run.

​Well, she kept asking me if I was going to run it and I kept trying to ignore her. I was terrified to fail! She finally talked me into it after telling me that everyone was going to be extremely encouraging and available for advice. Plus, another SW was going to be running it as her first ultra too. So, I started to train a little bit more since I had already done a marathon and was mostly ready to tackle some higher mileage. I ran some extra-long runs and even went out with fellow Stroller Warriors on the weekends. They kept asking me what I was training for. I would never tell them. I didn’t want people to know I was running it because, what if I failed? About a week before the race, I let it slip that I was running my first 50K. Well when the race came, there were several Stroller Warriors there. We would come back to the aid station and there would be another two warriors waiting to run a leg with us or they were there to cheer us on. It was amazing! I felt so silly worrying about whether or not I was going to fail at this because even if I didn’t finish I had the best support I could ever imagine. Well, I ended up completing that 50K. I had no idea that a 50K would inspire me to take on so much more in my life. Removing the fear of failure has opened up the door to so many amazing adventures in my life. 

​It hasn’t all been successes.  The summer of 2015, I decided I wanted to go back to school for my masters.  I loved the idea of becoming a special education teacher.  The hours would work for my kids and I could fulfill my dream of working with children with special needs.  To paint you a picture I will just say it was a crazy summer. Hank was gone on deployment and I had to take a general knowledge exam.  I’m not a test taker!  I mean major anxiety! I have never been a good test taker! 

​This exam had algebra and junior high grammar rules.  I won’t age myself by saying how long it has been since I had done these things, but let’s just say it’s been a long time.  So, I spent the entire summer studying by the pool while the kids played.  The day of the exam I was nervous, but I just knew this was the right path.  Let me just say I bombed it.  I mean I failed 2 out of 4 of the exams.  It was devastating.  I couldn’t understand how I had failed this badly after missing out on fun memories with my kids and studying so hard.  That failure was hard!  I had a few pity party days and then decided I needed a new plan.  It turns out, that failure was the best thing for me.  Because of that failure I found my way to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and have never been happier. 

​Because I was able to get over my fear of failure, I have founded a Stroller Warriors chapter at MacDill, started a new career, started grad school, ran three more 50K with one of them in the Everglades (can you say hello alligators and snakes?!) and another one alone. When I left MacDill, I told my fellow warriors to do what scares them. Don’t let fear of failure stop you from trying something new. You don’t realize what you were capable of until you do something out of your comfort zone. In my life I have missed so many opportunities because I was afraid to fail. These days I realize that might not have done it perfectly, but I did it! Your friends and your family are there to support you. Try it! Do something that scares you!  Get yourself out of that comfort zone and find those amazing adventures.