A Gift

It's important to remember that each footstrike carries you forward, not backward. And every time you put on your running shoes you are different in some way than you were the day before. - John "The Penguin" Bingham

In the last few weeks, I’ve been working on a “40 things to do by the time I turn 40” list. I finally finished it, and one of the items on there was to raise $10,000 for Team in Training. Let me explain.

I’m trying to get myself back into my training for my half marathon in October. Since my first half, it’s been difficult for me to get back into the swing of things, mostly because school, work and illness have been contributing factors (especially that whole being exhausted thing). It’s been semi-successful – I’ve actually been going to training runs (good) and trying to get up in the morning but failing to do so (bad).

Today, I missed going in the morning, but brought my bag with me, determined to go during lunch time. I put the 2 miles on my training schedule on the treadmill, pushing myself a little bit by keeping the speed up.

And my mind wandered while I was out, prompting this post.

I thought about where I was a year ago, before I had even really heard of Team in Training. I thought back to the beginnings of a dark time for me in September that culminated into a very rough ending to 2012 and a rough beginning to 2013.

I found Team in Training after I’d been running for an entire 7 months or so. When I first talked to Vicki at the national office, I wasn’t sure it was something I wanted to do. We talked about options, which included the Nike Women’s Half in D.C. and the Paris Marathon (yes, that Paris). In the end, the fundraising felt a bit daunting, so I opted for the less expensive race in D.C., with hopes that I’ll one day do the Paris race.

At that point, I was excited and nervous. What the heck had I gotten myself into?

Over time, I ran lots of training miles, raised over $3,700 (minimum was $3,200) and completed a 13.1 mile race in Washington, D.C., where I had never been before. I ended up shaving my head because of a fundraising challenge and donating my hair to be made for wigs for children.

Whoa.

But that wasn’t what I was really thinking about. What drifted into my mind today is how much Team in Training has given me. It was my salvation when I felt cast out and needed to do SOMETHING. It’s a place I can go and feel safe regardless of how slow I am (still slow, that hasn’t changed). It’s given me my health back. It’s taught me that there are more important things in life than being accepted by people.

I received so much by putting in the miles on the pavement, getting up early in the freezing temperatures and dealing with aches and pains. I realize that I need this time for myself to de-stress. It’s given me confidence that I might be able to do a full marathon one of these days. These things got me through a very difficult time in my life and I will be forever grateful for all Team in Training has given me.

The journey has been incredible so far, and I look forward to participating in more races and more TNT events in order to raise $10,000.