Bayside Runner is proud to support South Shore native Sarah Moquin for her second Boston Marathon run in support of the American Liver Foundation. Sarah will be sharing her thoughts on the training for the next few weeks for the 2012 Boston Marathon. She will be talking about the products she uses, the runs she completes or just practical training advice. Please follow Sarah’s blogs and donate to her cause by clicking here. Below is Sarah’s introduction and first blog.
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Hi There! I’m Sarah Moquin, and I’m currently training for my second Boston Marathon with the American Liver Foundation’s Run for Research team. I first learned about the team as a college senior who thought that any marathon that didn’t involve the MTV show ‘The Real World’ was just insane. Even more insane was the friend I watched trudge up heartbreak hill that year. What was she thinking? Five years later I was surprised to find myself among those insane people, and absolutely thrilled about it.
Growing up, running the Boston Marathon was always one of those crazy, unattainable dreams, right up there with “live on the moon” or “meet the New Kids on the Block”. Playing sports during my years at Silver Lake High School, running for the sake of running was almost always a punishment. It wasn’t until after I finished college and found myself on a very limited budget without the cash for a gym membership that I decided to give it a try. Before I knew it, it became part of my routine, and then an all out addiction.
Countless 5Ks, a few 10Ks, and two half marathons later, my mind started to wander back to the marathon. I decided that maybe it wasn’t such a crazy dream after all; maybe I could really do it. It was around this time that I started to see Liver Disease popping up all over my life. Friends, Family, co-workers… no one was safe. With over 100 different types of Liver Disease out there, it seemed to be lurking around every corner. I thought back to that April day, watching my friend in her bright orange Run for Research singlet, and I thought “why not me?” I knew that this was a cause I needed to get involved with, so why not run? The next thing I knew my application to the team had been submitted, and I was wondering just how much trouble I had gotten myself into.
Now in my second year, I can honestly say that joining this team was the best decision I have ever made. It has given me an opportunity to combine my dedication to raising money for the American Liver Foundation and my love of running. More importantly, it has allowed me to share everything I’ve learned from both. Particularly when it comes to running, I’ve learned a lot of lessons the hard way, like what kind of pants to avoid when race day comes and it’s a torrential downpour, or why voluntarily eating a jelly like substance called “gu” is actually a good idea sometimes!
