On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of meeting my new team. I arrived at the meeting apprehensive, and didn't feel any better walking into the room with all these athletic looking people. I was hoping to find someone who looked less prepared than I was, or at least someone more terrified. While I did not find anyone fitting that description, the positive side was that I may have been that person for someone else!
I sat down at my table, labeled "run" and dug into my packet, feverishly looking for the workout schedule. I passed by nutrition, fundraising, shoe clinics, and more to finally arrive at the sheet which would be my bible for the next few months. WHAT? I am supposed to run 5 miles this weekend? Are you kidding me? I am just meeting my team, just coming off of the high of my 3.7 mile accomplishment, and you want me to do what? I guess the look on my face showed my concern because someone across the table said, "Don't worry, you can do it," followed by the dreaded, "how far can you run now?" I replied, somewhat sheepishly (yes, I can be sheepish), "3.7 miles". I was sure they would laugh me out of the room, but I was so wrong. My new teammate said," Well, if you can run 3 miles, you can run 26.2!" From that point on, I decided I would no longer worry about my 13.1, and knew that my new teammates would be there to support me (or tell me huge exaggerations of the truth) from this point forward. I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
The rest of the evening was filled with laughter and tears. I was introduced to my new running buddy Colleen, and we discovered that she had previously worked at the same firm I do! We also met our honored teammate, who was diagnosed with Leukemia when he was 21. Now 30, he was able to share all of the incredible programs LLS offered him during his journey, and his experience as a TNT alumni. While incredibly inspiring, his story still reminded me of Casey and I had a hard time fighting back the tears. They were tears of power though, and I am positive that they are making me stronger. I ended the night by sharing all of my information with Kenny and showing off my new tshirt!
On Thursday night, we boarded a plane for Tampa, Florida and took off for Jenn Dohner and Vince Elizarde's wedding on Anna Maria Island. I was certainly looking forward to the weekend of fun, sun, and romance. I just love weddings! We arrived at 12:45 am and after some giddy banter with the bride and groom-to-be, we settled in for the night. In the morning, we had some breakfast with the Dohner's and the Elizarde's and unpacked our sneakers and running gear. After a bit of apprehension, we set out for the dreaded 5 mile run. We took it nice and slow and for the first time, I experienced "conversation pace" running. All in all, it took us about an hour to run it, and at the end, I felt like I could have done even more. It still seems somewhat surreal. How was I all of the sudden able to run that distance? Where did it come from? Perhaps it was the anticipation of the camp girls arriving, or the distraction of the clear blue water along the Gulf of Mexico. Whatever it was, it was perfect. I finished the run with some stretching and a Corona on the beach.
The rest of the weekend was spent celebrating, kayaking and walking on the beach. The wedding was beautiful, and it was so nice to catch up with my girlfriends. This week holds a few big meetings, and late nights, so the workouts will be tricky, but I have a new sense of confidence which is sure to get me through the next miles.
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