Unsticking Myself in A Moment
The Vegas Half is less than a month away (it's on December 7th! Yikes!) and although I made a commitment to The Best Damn Running Partners That Live Nowhere Near Me, Kerry and Jessie, that I'd be busting my butt, religiously training, I've fallen short of that goal. Life's been busy, I've been sick, but there's no excuse.
So, through the phenomenon of Facebook - I mean just about everyone and their (hi
p) grandmother is on this thing - I reconnected with my old pal Jimmy (now James) Leary. Jimmy and I go all the way back to the awkward years when I had bad hair and barely tipped the scale at 100lbs. He was either really nice or paid off by my friends (and possibly family) to take me to a dance. Good news was that I picked the right date who at 16, looked 13 and was still able to score a group of us an entire six pack of Budweiser! We were crazy teens on the brink....
Fast forward to 2008 and and Jimmy and I "friend" each other, or as my dear friend Norah M.T. (picture of Norah, AKA my sister, back in the 90's) says, "applied to be each others friends" and it's like no time has passed. What I learned was that Jimmy served in the Army years ago and recently took a leave of absence at his job as a policeman as well as leaving his comfortable life in the D.C. area and most importantly his 10 year old daughter. He did this so that he could return to the Army, train all over again and head to Afghanistan, where he is today. I asked him why he did it and without pause, he responded, " Because it's the right thing to do."
So, here I am, whining about the temperature and some fatigue...it's nothing compared to what Jimmy and his guys have been training for and what they're doing because they think it's the right thing to do. I fully believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion about the wars, but one thing I stand firm on is that no matter what that is, all of the men and women should be supported who have made this brave decision.
The bottom line is that Catholic guilt's gotten the best of me; I don't want to disappoint TBDRPTLNM; and I have a mere 3 1/2 weeks left to finish up my "training" for the race. Wow... So, it's time to get busy, time to get motivated, time to get running. Problem is, I'm stuck in a moment. It's cold, it's windy, it's rainy and it's dark. In fact, I'd rather run in the snow then what's going on outside right now. How did I get from highly motivated gal to this?! Man, I don't like being in this place. I asked Bono to write me a song and look, he did!
And, just like that - well that and a few people who have inspired me, I got a hold of myself and knew what had to be done.
If you've been reading this since the beginning (http://runavrun.blogspot.com/2008/06/first-time-i-got-high.html) you know that I started this plight to raise money for CF, honor Lindsay Briggs (check out her progress by clicking here and logging in to lindsayscarepage) and bring some awareness to organ donation. So even when I was feeling like I just couldn't run (http://runavrun.blogspot.com/2008/06/go-get-em-kid.html) I ran because I had a purpose.
And, just like that - well that and a few people who have inspired me, I got a hold of myself and knew what had to be done.
If you've been reading this since the beginning (http://runavrun.blogspot.com/2008/06/first-time-i-got-high.html) you know that I started this plight to raise money for CF, honor Lindsay Briggs (check out her progress by clicking here and logging in to lindsayscarepage) and bring some awareness to organ donation. So even when I was feeling like I just couldn't run (http://runavrun.blogspot.com/2008/06/go-get-em-kid.html) I ran because I had a purpose.
So, through the phenomenon of Facebook - I mean just about everyone and their (hi
p) grandmother is on this thing - I reconnected with my old pal Jimmy (now James) Leary. Jimmy and I go all the way back to the awkward years when I had bad hair and barely tipped the scale at 100lbs. He was either really nice or paid off by my friends (and possibly family) to take me to a dance. Good news was that I picked the right date who at 16, looked 13 and was still able to score a group of us an entire six pack of Budweiser! We were crazy teens on the brink....
Fast forward to 2008 and and Jimmy and I "friend" each other, or as my dear friend Norah M.T. (picture of Norah, AKA my sister, back in the 90's) says, "applied to be each others friends" and it's like no time has passed. What I learned was that Jimmy served in the Army years ago and recently took a leave of absence at his job as a policeman as well as leaving his comfortable life in the D.C. area and most importantly his 10 year old daughter. He did this so that he could return to the Army, train all over again and head to Afghanistan, where he is today. I asked him why he did it and without pause, he responded, " Because it's the right thing to do."
So, here I am, whining about the temperature and some fatigue...it's nothing compared to what Jimmy and his guys have been training for and what they're doing because they think it's the right thing to do. I fully believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion about the wars, but one thing I stand firm on is that no matter what that is, all of the men and women should be supported who have made this brave decision.
Jimmy, Happy Veterans Day to you and your crew. And, as I thank you today, I want to let you know I'm running in honor of you and your peeps on the other side of the world. I need a purpose and this seems like the right thing to do and I want you all to really understand the connection and support we all have for you back home. I promise to send you my updates and will need you to give me virtual ass kickings to keep me going...
Ok...game on. I'm off and running.
Comments