In the Fall of 2007, I signed up to mentor the next season. Mentors are the fundraising coaches for Team In Training participants. The cheerleaders who give you ideas and share their experiences to help you believe that, you too, can not only complete the endurance event you’ve signed up for, but also complete the fundraising, which for many is just as daunting as putting the training miles in.
Not long after that, I got the bug to coach. An opportunity presented itself, when the walk coach for the following season let us know they would not be coaching going forward. I volunteered to be the walk coach, went off to certification and started the next season as the leader of the walkers on the team. If you think running a marathon is hard, try walking one! From that I became a run coach and then found my true passion in triathlon and set my sights on becoming a triathlon coach…here I am today!
As I near the end of six years in the world of endurance
sports, and in the world of Team In Training, I find myself very thankful for
the people who have entered into my life through Team In Training and through
endurance sports in general. And even
more thankful that I have the opportunity help fund cancer research and that I
get to train.
A year ago, Becky, a mentor on the Team In Training
Galveston/Lavaman team, helped to motivate the Team by reminding us that “we
get to”. As the winter months approach
(let’s be honest, we’ve had a pretty tame Fall) the dark cold mornings and
evenings will soon settle in around us.
The alarm will go off at 5am, and we’ll realize we’ve cocooned ourselves
in our down comforters and didn’t quite turn the heat on high enough to make it
comfortable to get out of bed. Or we’ll
forget our jacket at our desk and walk out of work, realizing it’s stunningly
cold outside. When this happens, we have
to come up with something to get us out on the trail or into the pool. Every time that alarm goes off, have the
first thing that goes through your head be, “I get to”. When that brisk winter air hits your face as
you walk outside, remind yourself that “I get to”. And be thankful for that.
Although most of what I train and raise money for ties into
cancer research, I was recently reminded of just how lucky we are that “we get
to”. A good friend’s 29 year old son had
a stroke. 29 years old, yes you read
that right. This happened the morning of
the Honored Hero Run. While I, my
friend, and a lot of his other friends, were frantically running around
finalizing the pieces of a race that raises money to help save lives, his life
was struck by tragedy. There were a lot
of unknowns, for what seemed like a long time to me, and probably like an
eternity to him and his family. His son
was at his daughter’s wedding a couple weeks ago. He’s responsive and interactive, he’s come a
long way in his recovery, but he still has a long way to go. Right now, as much as he wants to, he doesn’t
get to and that is no fault of his own.
For those of us that have found a true passion in endurance
sports, be thankful. Thankful that you have the means to purchase the gear you
need to complete your training and events, no matter how fancy that gear
is. Beyond that, be thankful for the
fact that you can log the miles on the run and/or bike and the meters or yards
in the pool. It’s not easy, this
training thing. But come event day your
hard work will pay off.
I challenge you, every morning you wake up or walk outside
to a blast of ice-cold air smacking you in the face, to remind yourself that “I
get to”. I guarantee that if you do
this, you’ll start that workout with a smile on your face.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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