In spring 2007, Mary Kay Robinson decided to complete her goal of running a marathon.



Having just accepted the position of Executive Director for the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra, she saw an opportunity to pair her goal completion with raising funds for a music education; a cause close to her heart.



But she wasn't content to leave it at that. Training for a marathon would be an entirely new experience, one that she felt many would like to read about. So she proposed writing a weekly column in her community newspaper to chronicle her training and, ultimately, the marathon experience.



This is an account of one woman's journey through the education, pain, discipline and joy of preparing to complete her first marathon.