This title refers to only a small part of my Labor Day weekend but an important one to me. I committed to completing the Nike Human Race a month ago, before shin splints. The idea behind the race is to run the 10K on the same day as others all over the world. You have 3 causes you can run in support of, I ran for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Beacuse of my intense shin splints I thought about bailing (for about 2 seconds) and then realized I was running to raise money for people who are enduring things I can't even begin to imagine. So my motto became "Screw it, run through it". And that's what I did.
At 6 a.m. this morning I headed out and contributed 7 miles to the more than 3 million miles run across the world today....yes, I went a little farther than a 10K but what was I going to do, walk before I got to my finishing point just because I mis-measured the route distance? No. I won't sugar coat the run, the first 2 miles I was doggin it. However, just because your muscles protest doesn't mean you have to listen. But then the mental toughness of running that I so much enjoy kicked in and the remaining 5 miles were incredible. Chris and Jackson found me as I was wrapping up those first hellish 2 miles and cheered me on. Not soon after that my shins loosened up (or went numb) and my mental vacation began. My finish line was a coffee shop where Chris and Jackson were waiting for me to enjoy a post-run bagel and coffee.
This run surprised me. It came to mean much more to me than just another 10K challenge. I'm glad I could be a part of somthing with runners from around the world that lends itself to a good cause.
"If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, keep moving." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
At 6 a.m. this morning I headed out and contributed 7 miles to the more than 3 million miles run across the world today....yes, I went a little farther than a 10K but what was I going to do, walk before I got to my finishing point just because I mis-measured the route distance? No. I won't sugar coat the run, the first 2 miles I was doggin it. However, just because your muscles protest doesn't mean you have to listen. But then the mental toughness of running that I so much enjoy kicked in and the remaining 5 miles were incredible. Chris and Jackson found me as I was wrapping up those first hellish 2 miles and cheered me on. Not soon after that my shins loosened up (or went numb) and my mental vacation began. My finish line was a coffee shop where Chris and Jackson were waiting for me to enjoy a post-run bagel and coffee.
This run surprised me. It came to mean much more to me than just another 10K challenge. I'm glad I could be a part of somthing with runners from around the world that lends itself to a good cause.
"If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, keep moving." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
1 comment:
Way to go Shell! I am so proud of you for doing this run for such a great cause! I hope you didn't pay too much for the "Screw it, run through it" motto? Love Ya!
~Jen
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