I run because I dream....

I was a soccer player. I wasn't a runner. I didn't know anyone who did this. Then, I ran ten miles. Doors opened.

I couldn't find my distance. I struggled with the 400. The 800 wasn't clicking. The mile wasn't for me either. Then, I won a race. The doors opened wider.

It had been years since I had done any real running. I was older. I doubted my body would comply.

My coach always thought I'd be a great marathoner. Forget great. Just run one. 26.2 miles later, Dreams took root.

Qualifying for Boston is the dream of countless runners. I was on the threshold of it. I had done the work, but nothing is promised.

This was a dream I wanted desperately. The stomach complained. The ankle buckled. I gritted my teeth and finished. More dreams emerged.

Breaking three hours for the marathon seemed almost mythic. But, I had come close in my Boston qualifying effort despite a litany of challenges. If the stars aligned, maybe one more dream could come true. I crossed the line and dreamed on.

I wasn't happy. I was going through the motions. I couldn't continue this way. I couldn't see myself a year from now let alone five, ten, or twenty.

I dreamed of doing something I loved and getting paid to do it. It was a pipe dream, but I had lived a few dreams already, why not one more?

It started with an ad in Craigslist. I didn't know if I could pull it off. It was a long shot.

I conquered a marathon. I qualified for Boston. I broke three hours for the marathon. I pushed forward. All dreams start somewhere.

A year later, I was swimming in credit card debt. I couldn't run. There was little hope to be had.

I had been to dark places many times before while running 26.2. I had battled back from the brink before. I got back on my feet. My dream wasn't done yet.

I had come so far. I had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. But, I didn't know where else this dream could take me.

I didn't know where else I could take it. I didn't know how I could go farther. I did know I wasn't ready to wake up yet.

Creating an event takes money I don't have. It takes resources I don't have. It takes knowledge and experience I don't have.

It's daunting. It's intimidating. So is the marathon and I made that dream a reality.

There are thousands of books out there. There are thousands of writers who are better than me. There are countless who have tried this and failed.

I do the only thing I know how to do. I write a page. I write another. I remember a marathon starts small. It starts with a mile. I dream on.

It was all a dream ten years ago. It's no different today. I run because I dream.