The Gift of Running
The night before the P.F. Chang’s Phoenix Half Marathon, a little summary:
Tosha – Sprained ankle.
Wendy – Broken rib (likely 2 broken ribs).
Aleks – 2 outdoor runs since the marathon (November 26th). Right hamstring problems. Has not exercised since LAST SATURDAY!
So I can’t help but think, what was I thinking? On top of everything, not getting out to exercise all week?!?!? The race will be tough for most of us, factor in the 32 degree weather we’ll be getting in the morning (and that’s actually Fahrenheit, not Celsius). But as I looked around at our dinner tonight, I couldn’t help but smile and think about how blessed I am, about the gifts that running has brought into my life.
Two years ago I was in University and the extent of the diversity in my life was a bunch of Polish family members and the large Asian population that I went to school with at Waterloo. Today I looked around the dinner table and was surrounded by 9 beautiful women of different ages, races, religious beliefs and backgrounds. Mothers, daughters, sisters and friends, we are so different, and have all overcome so many obstacles in our lives. It has been such a treat to listen to where these women have come from, and what their daily lives are like. So tomorrow, nothing else will matter. Not the aches, not the lack of training, not the cold… only us, doing something we love, as a group.
At the end of the day, I still can’t help but feel how lucky I am that last year at this time a half marathon was just a dream. Now I believe, that no matter how I feel, I can cover 13.1 miles with the support of my friends. This seems to be a recurring theme in my posts eh?!?!?!?
Goodnight all, I will post a race report tomorrow. Oh, I use the word “race” lightly… when I signed up 3 months ago I wanted to just make sure I kept running after the marathon. My estimated finish time when I signed up was 2:25 (much different from the 1:57 I ran at my first half in June). Speed was never the goal for this run, but keeping active through a busy holiday season and not giving up on a sport that has given and taught me more than I could have ever asked for.
Tosha – Sprained ankle.
Wendy – Broken rib (likely 2 broken ribs).
Aleks – 2 outdoor runs since the marathon (November 26th). Right hamstring problems. Has not exercised since LAST SATURDAY!
So I can’t help but think, what was I thinking? On top of everything, not getting out to exercise all week?!?!? The race will be tough for most of us, factor in the 32 degree weather we’ll be getting in the morning (and that’s actually Fahrenheit, not Celsius). But as I looked around at our dinner tonight, I couldn’t help but smile and think about how blessed I am, about the gifts that running has brought into my life.
Two years ago I was in University and the extent of the diversity in my life was a bunch of Polish family members and the large Asian population that I went to school with at Waterloo. Today I looked around the dinner table and was surrounded by 9 beautiful women of different ages, races, religious beliefs and backgrounds. Mothers, daughters, sisters and friends, we are so different, and have all overcome so many obstacles in our lives. It has been such a treat to listen to where these women have come from, and what their daily lives are like. So tomorrow, nothing else will matter. Not the aches, not the lack of training, not the cold… only us, doing something we love, as a group.
At the end of the day, I still can’t help but feel how lucky I am that last year at this time a half marathon was just a dream. Now I believe, that no matter how I feel, I can cover 13.1 miles with the support of my friends. This seems to be a recurring theme in my posts eh?!?!?!?
Goodnight all, I will post a race report tomorrow. Oh, I use the word “race” lightly… when I signed up 3 months ago I wanted to just make sure I kept running after the marathon. My estimated finish time when I signed up was 2:25 (much different from the 1:57 I ran at my first half in June). Speed was never the goal for this run, but keeping active through a busy holiday season and not giving up on a sport that has given and taught me more than I could have ever asked for.
posted by Aleks @ 9:06 PM
4 Comments:
At 9:44 AM,
Wes said…
What a beautiful post, Aleks. I hope you had a great race today.
At 10:01 AM,
In the sky, above the clouds said…
Aleks--
You have an amazing group of people behind you! Friends make everything easier...you are blessed.
Can't wait to hear how the race goes!
Can you even imagine where you will be at this time next year?? Running an Ironman?? You never can tell.
Smiles!
At 5:18 PM,
Jodi said…
What a great post! Sometimes it's great to step back to see how fortunate we all are for our friends, family and health.
Hope you had a great time out there!
Jodi
At 11:56 PM,
Kate said…
I'm going to comment now and say "great post" before I read the negativity ahead :-)
I am so happy for you that you have found such amazing friends through running- I have some great running pals, but nothing like the bond you princesses share!
Reading your story (and Jess's) has made me remember why I run- I love it. It's given me the courage to shoot for a marathon, and to train to finish, not to finish fast.
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