Good luck Tina!

Of course I am up at this early hour in the morning for no great reason....and aside from the fact that I went to bed super early last night (working is just so tiring!), I think I just be really excited for my boo TINA, who is running her first half-marathon this morning in Baltimore for the American Cancer Society. wow wow wow is all I can manage to get out right now! I am so excited for her...and may actually head out for a run rather than get back into bed (it's still undecided, because bed is still calling...but if nothing else, a run will be weaved into my day somehow in her honor). GO TINA!

now and then//135 miles FTK!

For about three weeks now, I've "enjoyed" (I do use that word very loosely) the aftermath of the half-marathon, allowing my body and mind to unwind and relax. While I've tried to not detach myself from my routine completely, it certainly has been busy and my running sneakers have remained in the closet more often than not. Nevertheless, I think it's important for me to stop and digest still, rather than keep going without getting it. When I look back at my post from the day of the race, and I still think, "Did that really happen?"

My time-out is drawing to a close, however, and I'm SO excited about it. Last week, I was selected as an alternate runner for the Hope Express (fka Thon Express), a 15 person relay covering the 135 miles from Marathon Avenue at Hershey Medical Center to Penn State's Dance MaraTHON, the largest student-run philanthropy in the WORLD! THON raises money, year-round, for the Four Diamonds Fund, which funds research and serves to battle and CONQUER childhood cancer. Each runner will run three 3-mile legs and the event will take place in the 24 hours leading up to the start of THON, February 18, 2011.

I'm so excited to FINALLY have the chance to be a part of Hope Express. With my half-marathon behind me, I feel it's a challenge I'm super excited to take on....especially since, as an alternate, I won't know if I will be running until possibly right beforehand. The idea of preparing for something that could not happen would have originally FREAKED me out (re: commitment? forgetaboutit), but if this year has taught me anything, it's that I can do it. Just after learning the news that I will be part of the team as an alternate, runner's world so appropriately sent me this quote (I just love them and their timing!):

"Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you were meant to be." - George Sheehan

THON was a huge part of my undergraduate experience at Penn State, and I am thrilled to be involved in supporting the Four Diamonds Fund again by being a part of the incredible Hope Express team.

detox

No, I haven't forgotten about you bloggy boo. I think this time apart is important. At times, I'm worried that we're over, despite the progress we've made in our relationship, but today, as I was finally working on my thank you notes to all the amazing people who supported me during my training (I hate that my appreciation is so delayed...no reflection of how fortunate I know I am!), I realized how amazing not only race day was, but training overall. Just because we're taking time apart doesn't mean I won't come crawling (or running...but more likely crawling) back. I recently received two really awesome quotes, one just before the half-marathon and one just after...

"The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself - the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us - that's where it's at." - Jesse Owens

"Obstacles are those frightening things that become visible when we take our eyes off our goals." - Henry Ford

Even now, it's hard to remember, to believe I reached what was once just a goal of mine, and that sums it up perfectly. I think we all too easily get overwhelmed with the idea, scared of failing. It's important to keep our eyes on the goal, even if the goal is simply making time to just run at all, and not get distracted or overwhelmed by all the other things.