Finding My Stride

by Leigh Ann Cannady, founder and artistic director, Forsyth Academy of Performing Arts

I am not athletic. In high school, for example, I joined the soccer team for a year-and even when my team was losing 9-0, the coach still kept me on the bench.

But in 2010, I entered the lottery to run the New York City Marathon.

I'd never run a marathon. I'd never even run a 5K. So why did I do this? Because I needed a big goal. I was in a difficult stage of life, with young children and a failing marriage, and I wanted something to strive for. So on a whim, I submitted my information into the lottery-the process by which a small number of people are randomly selected to enter the marathon. Most people work for years to qualify. Me? Somehow, my name was drawn. I was in.