We're half way there!

The beginning of the week was incredibly hectic, with deadlines at work, miles to run, and laundry seemingly taking over our entire home. Tuesday night was rough on the treadmill, trying to stay focused, but another amazing message from my dear friend Claudia made me realize that I am certainly not alone on this adventure. I queued up my IPod, to start the 4 miles and was on my way. About 2 miles in (approximately 6 songs), I got bored and distracted, and as I started to slow down, something incredible happened. We Are Family, by Sister Sledge came on, and I was transported to the Race for the Cure. My mom is a 5 year breast cancer survivor and in previous years, we had done the race together to raise funds for cancer research. We Are Family was our team name, and also, our family mantra for many years. So now, I was running for yet another reason. My mommy. The joy and excitement from that song got me through the other 2 miles and Tuesday's workout was now in the books.

Ironically, this was not the first time there had been divine intervention with the shuffle feature on my IPod (yes, I think God controls my IPod). It happened when I first ran all the way around Cooper River (Do You Feel Like We Do, Peter Frampton), and again when I ran my first 5 miles on the treadmill (I'm Alive, The Hooters). It's amazing how a familiar song, and a big smile can help you push through.

Thursday was even better, with a great line up of television on at the gym, I was completely distracted and the 5 miles went by quite quickly.

And then came Friday. I had been gravely concerned about the distance my team had been running together in my absence. That, combined with the looming deadlines at work, malfunctioning computer (because it only doesn't work when you have a deadline), and even larger piles of laundry, made Friday just awful. I could not seem to get out from under anything. For every positive step I took, there was some counter action that made me sink deeper and deeper into self doubt about my capabilities. Great friends made the day bearable, and an incredible husband calmed my fears about the looming 7 miles ahead for Saturday.

Also, keeping it all in perspective helped greatly. Claudia's mother in law (Kerry's mom) was in surgery nearly the entire day for open heart surgery. Our thoughts stayed with her, and reminded me that every minute I have is really a gift, and would best be spent enjoying what I'm doing, instead of worrying about it.

So, after a bit of a sleepless night (I can't tell my subconscious not to worry or not to give me running nightmares), we woke to a cold (26 degrees) morning and got dressed for the big run. We met the team at the River, and as the coach said "who's running 7 miles today?", my hand sprung up like it was on voice activated release. My mind and my body were ready for this challenge. As we set off, I began chatting with some of my teammates and was comforted to find out that they were also nervous about the distances, and sometimes struggling during the week. I believe the coach said it best " Misery loves company", and we all certainly loved each other . .. for the whole 7 miles. That's right. We ran SEVEN miles!!!!!

In 3 weeks, Kenny and I have more than doubled our distance and now find that we are more than half way to our goal, both in miles and in fundraising. We have had the pleasure of meeting so many committed people, and the joy of truly training our bodies to do something new. The support we have found in the strangest places has helped us to push through the pain and stay focused on our mission. So, with Casey in our hearts, and blisters on our toes, we look forward to the next week, the next challenge and the next milestone.