Jenny- Racing and why you're friends are running.....

I'm about to sign up with a bunch of friends for a race in September.  None of us are professional runners.  We're a group of wonderful women who support and love each other.  So we're going to run, to celebrate each other, to celebrate that we're all survivors.  We're going to the finish line together, in this race and in life....

So you might be thinking that running is crazy.  That racing with loads of people is not something you are built to do.  But I just wanted to explain the appeal of racing and my firsthand experiences. I had never run a race even though I was a pretty accomplished runner in college.  I could not fathom how anyone could run a Marathon.  But after my open heart I had a new appreciation for getting the ABILITY to run.  When you can't run or move it's all you think about.  Seriously, my name is Jenny and I had Forrest Gump running dreams every damn day. You never take moving for granted anymore. After I had open heart they pulled out my chest tube and I walked 2 miles in the Cardiac unit.  Sometimes you have to dig deep and find that strength all of us possess.  The strength you don't think you have.  But I'm here to tell you that's just not true.  Believe in yourself.    SO even though everyone thought I was crazy I signed up for my first 5K, 4 months after I had open heart.  This was the starting line..

So what's the appeal?  Why should you gather up all your friends and try it?? It's this....10,000 people all running for a joint cause... You can HEAR the Energy in the air, you can FEEL it.  The unbridled passion for running, for moving, for being free to run on normally busy streets filled with cars.  And you go.  Like you ran when you were a kid.  Way before you worried what you look like in spandex! You run because everyone else is running, you smile laughing as kids jog past, as NUNS jog past in full Habits...Yep, that happened.  The priest and the nuns all running together as you jog past. Yes, of course I turned down my gansta rap.  It might be the only time I've turned it down...

SO MUCH FUN.  You see people holding signs telling you how far you went.  They look so darn proud of you... YOU KEEP GOING. Then you lose track of how far you have left but NO MATTER WHAT you are going to finish this thing.  Just because you NEED to finish it.  Plus, you have to get back to your car.  Seriously, this was one of my training tips when I was an avid runner.  Run away from your house because you have to get home eventually, even if its walking! Don't quit on yourself.  If you don't believe in yourself how is anyone going to believe in you?

I knew that I would not finish quickly and I had to be careful.  I had not anticipated that it would be hard to run with so many people.  You have to listen for them and be careful when you are running.  I knew that if I got injured I couldn't workout and I need to workout everyday so getting hurt was not an option. But if I could bottle what I felt running that day with all those people I would have the secret to happiness.  It's adrenaline and the joy you feel when everyone unites for the same thing.  Unbelievable.

Yes, I took pictures while I was running. I had to document it and Perky and Monique sent me texts to keep me going!!! So get your friends together and instead of getting together for dinner and drinks go for a run.  Get up super early in the morning , when you can hear the birds singing, when you feel peace in your heart and go run.  DO IT BECAUSE YOU CAN RUN.  DO IT FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO WILL NEVER RUN AGAIN.  Be at peace with yourself.  Your time isn't that important.  But THAT YOU FINISHED is important.  You get to run through the finish line. You feel accomplished. You did that.  You did what you set out to do.

Then you can send the people who supported you the whole time this picture. You all sweaty.  But proof that you are a badass warrior with bad hair.  Proof that even though you spent months in bed, unable to move, you did this. You had open heart, you let them collapse your lung, You fought your way back and you did the damn thing.  You finished.  Now go find a race and sign up!!

Everything worth doing is hard.  It's a phrase I tell myself constantly.  Nothing worth doing is easy!

Jenny