Saturday was the last Team in Training run before the half marathon event. We met that morning at Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville. For the Whidbey Island Half/Marathon runners we ran for about 80 minutes. Our Nike half marathon counterparts had their longest run that day.
Everyone gathered at the Sammamish River Trail that runs behind the brewery. We started our run with a very powerful, and emotional mission mile. The mission mile is a Team in Training tradition. The first "mile" has photos of loved ones, friends, and LLS patients posted on opposite sides of the trail. We start out in a silent walk to honor those we know who have lost to blood cancer as well as survivors who are here because of treatments funded by LLS. I only took one photo because I thought it was really awesome but was also trying to be respectful of the tradition.
It was another very real moment for me that this isn't about the physical endurance and breakthroughs I'm making in my training or even the fundraising. It really is being a small part of something bigger- saving lives and giving hope. Below is another photo of the trail. The start of the run was very emotional, yet serene and beautiful at the same time.
Towards the end I had to stop running. I was sobbing uncontrollably, embarrassed, and frankly stunned how much mission mile had made this real for me. One of my team mates Valerie and I stood hugging and telling each other how proud we were of the team, our fundraising efforts, and training. To date our Spring team has raised over $150,000!
Every dollar makes a difference. If you haven't yet donated please take a moment to make a generous donation on my fundraising page.
My next blog I'll be sharing real time updates from my half marathon this weekend at Whidbey Island!
Everyone gathered at the Sammamish River Trail that runs behind the brewery. We started our run with a very powerful, and emotional mission mile. The mission mile is a Team in Training tradition. The first "mile" has photos of loved ones, friends, and LLS patients posted on opposite sides of the trail. We start out in a silent walk to honor those we know who have lost to blood cancer as well as survivors who are here because of treatments funded by LLS. I only took one photo because I thought it was really awesome but was also trying to be respectful of the tradition.
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| Mission Mile at Red Hook Brewery |
I hit the turnaround point (about 40-45 minutes in) and began making my way back to our starting point. The mission mile the run was just as powerful as the beginning. The captains wrote inspirational phrases on the trail and the faces of the cancer patients and survivors still lined the trail cheering you on.
Towards the end I had to stop running. I was sobbing uncontrollably, embarrassed, and frankly stunned how much mission mile had made this real for me. One of my team mates Valerie and I stood hugging and telling each other how proud we were of the team, our fundraising efforts, and training. To date our Spring team has raised over $150,000!
Every dollar makes a difference. If you haven't yet donated please take a moment to make a generous donation on my fundraising page.
My next blog I'll be sharing real time updates from my half marathon this weekend at Whidbey Island!
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