"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great." - Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own
It is going to take several days and many posts to even attempt to get down all I want, or rather need, to about this past weekend. There are so many aspects, epiphanies, people, thank you's, memories, moments, messages of love. I'm beyond grateful for the fact that I have this week off, because I have no idea how I would have been able to so quickly resume normal life. This extra week gives me a buffer, allows me time to even try to digest it all.
Throughout the whole experience, starting months ago before I even knew I'd be running as part of this year's team, I have been completely taken with the incredible amount of support from my family and friends, both close and extended. There were several times throughout the run where I literally had no words - cheers from the passing RV, my #1 cheerleader camped out along the course and jumping out to run with me, the constant support from our incredible moralers, mail call letters that brought me to tears - I honestly just put my hands over my heart. There were, and still are, no words for the overwhelming gratitude I feel. With both teams, Hope Express is compromised of 23 runners, but it is SO much more than that - it is a dozen drivers who are ON for a full 24+ hours; it's the incredible moralers who never stopped cheering us on; it's the family and friends who came out to support us along the route from Hershey to State College; it's the literally hundreds of people who supported us with their donations, their mail, their kind words and well wishes.
I can't help but think of how magical life would be if we all worked together like that all the time. When a group of people come together for a common purpose, it is quite magical. For me, running represents commitment, hard work, and challenge, and the 140 miles we covered from Hershey to Penn State consisted of all of that. Our course was brutal, but the way everyone supported one another made it possible. I was in awe of my teammates and how awesome they were, and while I was terrified leading up to the event that I wasn't good enough, wouldn't be able to do my part, the amount of love and support I felt from so many important people in my life - people I've known for years and people I just met - helped me to do my part.
No comments:
Post a Comment