Miles and Milestones

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." -Steve Prefontaine

If there is one thing I have learned in these few short weeks of training, it is that when I think I am just about done, I can usually find a little more in the tank. It happened again today. We went to Cooper River to "run" the 3.7 mile loop. For me, this has always meant running the first two or three miles and then walking back to the car to complete the loop, exhausted. Today, however, I dug deeper, checked my tank, and as I crested the bridge for the last mile, I felt something incredible. I felt MORE. Suddenly, I had more spring in my legs, more air in my lungs and more courage in my heart. I veered off the path and onto the road so I could really stretch my legs and pick up my pace. It was amazing . . . for about .5 miles, and then, the spring and the air disappeared, and left in their place was pain and a faint weeze. Fortunately, however, the courage and determination remained, and like Kenny always told me, the only way to get where you're going is to put one foot in front of the other. So I did. And for the first time EVER, I ran the entire loop.

This milestone was preceded by several others this week, which leads me to believe we CAN do anything we commit our minds and bodies to. Kenny ran for 6 miles! in 45 minutes for the first time since his high school track days and I tallied a 10 mile total week for the first time ever. I am looking forward to building miles, seeing more trails, and spending more time with Ken.

I meet my TEAM on Wednesday night and I am anxious to see who I'll be training with. Will they think I'm too slow? Will they laugh at my excitement over 3.7 miles? After everything I've read about TNT, I am sure this won't be the case, but alas, I am still me, and will still be nervous. Then again, since I am me, I will probably leave the meeting with a pile of new best friends!