Corporate Challenge

Well well well... I ran the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge for the first time and completed what I consider my first "official race".

I was kinda nervous for sure. I mean, my teammate on the AIG Investments team (and softball teammate) has won the men's individual title for the last 2 years in a row - and there were many other accomplished runners in our company.

Since I've been training, I've been training alone, now that I was with a team, it was an odd dynamic for me to know what to do with myself... so at one point I just said - okay, I'm gonna go run a little, warm up and I'll see you gals either at the start line or after the race. I wound up meeting up with 3 women that I didn't know originally - but one of whom I wound up really hitting it off with, and she encouraged me quite a great deal. After the race she told me that she never passed me (we lost track of each other because of trying to run between people) and she said she was impressed with how well I did (she's run 1/2 marathons and been running for a while). So that was pretty cool - just the criticism and comments in general. Where I could always gauge myself in performing, how I did, the effort, etc... I always feel like running is hard, and I look like I'm dying from it LOL...

I finished in decent time, averaging in by the time we actually crossed the start line (because we were so far back) I think I ran it in about 34 minutes (a little slower than the day before when I ran it in the 33:50)... but it WAS raining the entire time, and the crowd was crazy. Makes me wonder what the beginning of the marathon is going to feel like. As much as I'm dreading it, I'm so completely excited to be in the midst of it all.

Have been emailing with Coach and he's giving me some good information... doing the 8 mile run tomorrow morning... wish me luck. I'm feeling a million things.

Life has been getting a little easier, great friends taking my mind off happenings as of lately.... and just trying to have hope for the future and think about this marathon. But in the words of the Coach "you run. i think. that's it".....

So, I run.... and then I run again. And I look forward to celebrating my friend Wack's birthday tomorrow with Leslie & the Lynch's and friends :) I'm lucky to know some great people in my life and these are by far at the top of the list... also mapped a route by Lisa's house and she said she would roller blade possibly while I skate (she's trying to get in shape, so great to have people to suffer with! hahah) So it's really cool to have support, even while going away for the weekend and staying at a friends house...

Here's to succeeding in something you want to do this weekend... NO MATTER WHAT it might be :)

Running on full,
Curly
xoxoxo