A message for Valentines day... A real one!

So my last Valentine's day post was a joke, but today is a real one. Tomorrow is a day we either celebrate our love for one another or wear black, yell "Fuck Love!" and eat and drink and cry. So many hate this lovely day. Personally I love the fact I can wear pink and red together and not be miss matching. I think Valentine's day is a great day to celebrate friends, family and loved ones. Plus did I mention the color for the day is my two favorite colors. What girl doesn't love Pink!
To all those who were recently dumped or are sad they are alone I have a message for you guys. Sometimes that's the best gift of all. My running came from a broken heart. I felt rejected and unwanted. I was extremely depressed and had pretty much hit rock bottom. I couldn't see any light at the end of any tunnel. All of the passion for life had been sucked out of me. My heart was shattered into a million pieces and I felt that there really wasn't much to live for. I was crying everyday, starving myself and looked a hot, crusty mess. I truly believed that I would never get married and have what so many others received. I felt I wasn't worthy of ever finding happiness because I believed that's where happiness came from.  Running at first was a way to shed the weight and then became my savior.
In being alone I discovered just how strong I could be. I found that I could do the impossible. When I started training for Boston I truly had no clue if I could even finish. The farther I ran, the more it changed me. It wasn't easy and I pushed myself harder than I ever had. Even now, running isn't easy. You have to push hard and be comfortable with being uncomfortable. I would get out there and just keep trying to prove to myself I was worth something. In the end what I realized is that happiness has to come from yourself first, love has to come from yourself. Not from someone else. Once you learn to love who you are than you start to not care. Love becomes an amazing accessory rather than a need. You never actually need a Louis Vuitton, but it's nice to have (real or fake).
From loneliness, I found my strength and that's way better than an being stuck with an idiot! As the saying goes "I would rather be alone than stuck with this psychopath for the rest of my life!" Love that quote, have it on a magnet. I found a new passion and that I could achieve something only 1% of the population ever achieves once. I've done it 3 times and preparing for a fourth round in less than a year. Actually 1% is a lot of people considering there are billions of people. So many marathoners have stories just like my story. It's an honor to be amongst some amazing people.
LESS THAN 2 MONTHS until I descend on the most romantic city in the world. Maybe I'll meet a great French guy and this blog will change to "American runner in Paris.. Forever!" Honestly if there is anything I've taken away from this experience is that I don't need a man, I just need some Nike's and some spandex:). If the right one comes along great. If he doesn't I'm still going to have the most epic adventures running around this big globe, also known as Earth! to Paris with love. So no need to fall off the wagon eating chocolate, just go for a run and hug your friends!