I woke up when the alarm went off which was an achievment in itself! I dragged myself up and out the door in enough time. The run was at Lake Chabot so I should know what to expect right?
I was the newbie as most of the team had been at this for seven weeks already! We started around 8.18. Some were set to do 6 miles and others were up for 8 miles. It went without saying that I would be in the "We will be lucky if I make 4 miles group".
Each session starts out with shout outs "in memory" and "in honor" of survivors and those who did not make it. I made my silent shout out to my friend Jeff who decided to go back home back in April. They asked for honorees to speak and I joined another survivor called Louis to say a few words. I don't quite remember what I said because I was full of emotions of inspiration and gratitude to be there.
This long run was called the hills. OMG!!!. I have done Lake Chabot countless times but I must have "pimp walked" it because the first 2 miles were the longest 2 of my life! As you go, team members give you encouragement with "Go Team". The first few times, I could respond back with smiles and waves but by that 2 mile mark, up the steepest hill in the world where I swear I saw Jesus, Mary, AND Joseph, I could only grunt back. We turned back and made it passed the start post, out and back ... making it 6 miles. I did a lot of walking with my running and was amazed to realized that I felt at peace, relaxed and was having a good time. My legs were aching by mile 4 so I did not push it because I didnt want to risk any injuries. I aim to train 2 more weeks with 6 miles, 2 weeks with 8 miles and the final 2 with 10 miles. We'll see!
At the end of the run, we had 2 more honorees speak: Joe and Justin. Justin is going through treatment now and is scheduled for a stem cell transplant next month. This is what it is about! The money raised not only goes to research for drugs but also the care for survivors.
Oh! I forgot to mention the rain.... Now if it was raining when I woke up, maybe I would have rolled over and gone back to sleep. It started getting heavy after the run and so I could not feel my legs and arms at one point AND I was freezing. I made it home showered and at 1 pm on Saturday afternoon I am about to take a nice long nap! Good Night.
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