How did I start running?

When I was a kid I had vivid dreams about a park. It was a park in the woods with a long, wide trail. In the dream I would be walking down the trail and arrive at a certain point where the trees draped over the trail making a beautiful, shady space. As an adult walking down a long, wide trail in Atlanta, I reached that space. I'm not kidding. It was so familiar to me and I knew the very first time I was there that it was the place I dreamed of. It's a 5K balloon trail along the Chattahoochee river north of Atlanta.
I started walking there pushing Lucky in his stroller when he was a few months old. I would listen to This American Life on my ipod and spend an hour shuffling along. I walked there pulling Lucky in a wagon when he was a year old. I started to jog a 1/4 mile at a time. Eventually, I worked up to jogging the entire 5K. I was motivated to run!
A year ago, I ran my first 5K race and I loved it. The energy of the other runners, the mutual participation in such a healthy endeavor so early in the morning was inspiring to me. I've run a total of three 5K races and a 10K race. My longest distance is just over 6 miles and I've distanced just over a hundred miles since September.
Most of my training for the marathon will be done at the park along the Chattahoochee. It was meant to be.

I'm training for a marathon?

I've never been a "runner". You know, one of those people who have been running for years. They are super fit, healthy, dedicated commitment types who eat oatmeal and oranges for breakfast. They've been running since track in fifth grade and have the latest running gear. No, that's not me. It took me six years to get through undergrad. I'm kind of a commitment-phobe and have trouble finishing things. I get to the very end of a movie and turn it off, read three quarters of a book and set it down, wash the dishes and leave a spoon and a cup for later...
I'm ready for change. I'm ready to make a big commitment and see it through 26.2 miles down the path. I'm running the Kalamazoo marathon in Michigan the weekend of my 30th birthday.