Practice #3: Fifty Minutes

This week we were set to run for fifty minutes. But we did our little meeting first. I won a raffle for a donation from teammate Ana, but I won because I was the only person who sent in honored teammate information. So . . . yay me!

Let me preface this picture with the fact that I am not a morning person and I'm usually struggling to come to full awareness during the meetings in the morning. Hence my confused face and atrocious posture.

Next came the mission moment. Erin shared her dad's story. Luckily, he is a survivor and she gets to run in the hopes that, someday, a little girl doesn't have to go through the horror she did at learning her dad had cancer. We got to add his name to our collection of ribbons.

Mid-Week Practice: Conditioning #2

For the second night of conditioning, we got to do two reps of all the leg lifts, bridges, planks, lunges and all of that fun stuff.

I was a little intimidated since I was the only "participant" who showed up. Everyone else was either a coach or a mentor. But luckily - I've said it before and I'll say it again - the TNT staff are the most welcoming and supportive and fun people I've met. It usually takes me ages to be as comfortable with a group of people as I am with them. So, needless to say, it didn't feel at all uncomfortable once we started going.

We did two laps around the track as a warm up (yes, my shins ached a tiny bit while I tried to overcompensate my strides to match Scott's and Gaily's) and then it was down to the exercises.

Some stretches came easier than the last week. Some even felt good after all the running. The duck walk in particular is lovely for the shins.

But some...

I will curse planks and bridged leg lifts until the day I die.

Practice #2: Pace Groups

Big shock: I was put in the last pace group. I'm beyond the point where I feel bad about being slow. At least there's nowhere to go but up, right?

We started with the usual update and mission moment from Coach Gaily. I love the mission moments and the fact that we wear ribbons for each person's story we hear. When I feel like what I'm doing is impossible or I'm feeling sorry for myself, I look at those ribbons and remember the cause I'm running for. Cliche, I know. Or when I ask Katie (my honored teammate) why I'm doing this, she tells me it's because I love her. It's nice to get those reminders when I need them.

After that, the owner of Run With Us in Pasadena spoke to us about gear we need for this journey. (If you've never been to the store, go. They know their stuff. And they're super nice!) I had been to see them a couple months before so I could get a pair of running shoes that fit my gait. Next thing I know, I'm adding a second pair of shoes and a water belt to my mental list of things I will need before the season is over.

On the walk from our meeting place to the Rose Bowl loop, I was trying to keep pace with the front of the group and a teammate I was conversing with. I could feel my shins start to ache. In the back of my mind, I heard a little voice berating my need to push myself, but I shushed it and continued on my way.

Mid-Week Practice: Conditioning #1

Tuesdays are much better than Saturdays.

For now.

For the month of February, our Tuesday night practices consist of conditioning. What is this "conditioning," you ask? Let me give you an idea:

Practice #1: Pace Assessment, Also Known As Hell

I know, I know. I'm behind on my posts. But I do have a good reason! Basically, Facebook marked sharing my fundraiser page as spam and disabled my account. I've spent the last two, almost three, weeks sending at least five "Contact Us" forms a day since just emails can't get through, nor is there a phone number to reach because Facebook is such a "small" company that their meager number of employees can't handle dealing with users on a personal basis. I kid you not, that is their reasoning. Hopefully everything will be sorted soon.

So what does a Saturday morning practice look like?

Well, it starts with me rolling out of bed at 6:30 in the morning. That in itself is a miracle because I am not a morning person. Still, I made it on time to the Rose Bowl and proceeded with all that fun first day, meet everyone, finalize everything stuff.

Now, every morning has a similar structure. Everyone checks in and then we gather around to discuss what needs to be discussed. The first week, it was meeting the staff, who were all once participants like us. Then, we hear from someone on the team who and what their connection to the cause is. After they share that, we all get a ribbon with the honored teammate's name on it. And we wear them all season. The idea is that we have more and more reasons to fund raise for cancer research and to keep running. These moments have never failed to bring tears to my eyes and wearing those ribbons truly does remind me why I am doing this. I can't wait to have all of them at the end of the season.