Haus of Jacula : Brother Bear

Best Friends

I don't come from a large family. Growing up, it was just me and my brother, Tyler. It took a little while for us to become close, but I blame that mainly on our 7 year age difference. Over the years, we have grown together, laughed a lot, shared in great accomplishments and also great tragedy. Recently, Tyler started running. Not surprisingly, he has already made considerable gains. ( he is a Smith after all) Aside from losing 20 pounds in the past month, he is now able to run 2 consecutive miles without stopping. On the day of the Broad Street 10 miler sign ups, Ty had texted me about his recent weight loss. I was so proud of him and I remembered he wanted to start running. What better way then to throw yourself into a 10 miler in the city of brotherly love? I asked him if he wanted to run with me and my cousin Amanda this year. He said yes, and without hesitation I signed him up. Since the sign up, he's gotten to experience the thrill of the pavement, and also the joy of our local running store. He is now the proud owner of Brooks sneakers and I can tell he already craves the thrill of adding on mileage to his weekly running totals. When I look back on my short running career I get overwhelmed with how far I've come. Its incredible what you can accomplish when you are determined to achieve a goal. I am so excited to watch my brother achieve his goal and run his first 10 miler. I cant wait to cross the finish line with him and take part in this awesome milestone. Today while I was at the gym, I started a new 8 week work out plan. During a few points, I thought seriously about giving up, and throwing up, but I didn't. I thought about my brother a lot today and how determined he is to reach his goal. I couldn't help but smile, mainly because I am so proud of him. I know he will kill this race, and I will be right by his side the entire time. During my marathon, he ran along side me slamming a cowbell and screaming my name in a blaze of glory. His face was overwhelmingly excited and I knew he was proud to see me race. I cant wait to give back to him, what he has already given me. Endless love and support and above all faith. Faith, that you will succeed, faith that you can achieve your goal and faith that you are indeed strong enough to do this. Running is such a great way to bond and grow as a person. If you asked me 10 years ago if I was going to be a runner, I would have laughed in your face. I never really thought of the Smith's as runners, but look at us know. We are. You can call my brother Tyler, but to me, he's my Brother Bear- a runner and bad ass extraordinaire. Team Smith. See you at the starting line.