Lovin some Runnin

If you know me even just a little bit you know that I have this undying love for Michael Franti. If he is in town, or even in the state, I will go and see him just for the energy he builds in the crowd. Even if you are not one to dance it is impossible not to when there is a little Franti playing on the radio or in person. What I love even more is what Michael Franti stands for...

So Saturday morning I woke up at my usual time 6:30 a.m., took Dukie out for a short stroll and then headed up to Worthington High School for my first Marathoner in Training (MIT) workout. I was sitting on the bleachers taking in the scene before we started running and found the same type of energy building as I always feel at a Franti concert. You see if you talk with people at a Michael Franti concert you will sometimes hear faithful fans asking other concert goers how many times they have seen Michael Franti in concert, if the answer is none the faithful fan will follow that up with any combination of the following lines:

Oh man, you are a Franti virgin, he is amazing live!!!
You are going to love him!!!
Get ready to dance your butt off!
This will be the best concert you will ever see (until next time of course)!

As the mass of people were gathering at the MIT training yesterday I noticed that all of the veterans were chatting it up with their running friends, the new folks were hanging out trying to figure out the flow of the morning, the coaches were having a quick meeting on the field, people were signing in and dropping their keys off. I was looking around trying to figure out where I might fit in and that is when I realized I already did fit in. The energy was contagious; it was like being at a Michael Franti concert. People were excited to get their first run with this group under their belt, I found in that moment my love for running!!! It was the best feeling and because every memory/moment can be matched with a song, I thought I would share the one that took over while sitting in those bleachers yesterday:

Comments

All in a Day's Work

I don't even know how to begin this post... Several months ago, my sister had this bright idea to do her first half iron distance triathlon. I have always wanted to do one so I told her if she did it I would do it too. Next thing I know I was clicking register now on the registration page of the Highcliff Triathlon in Wisconsin. You can read about some of the reactions I received when I announced to various friends that I was going to do this race here . Over the months my friends have taken on the challenge of being supportive and cheering me on along the way. This was no easy feat as I was on the training roller coaster. As the day approached, I thought about all of the possible things that could go wrong and right. I had visions of myself standing on the side of the bike course with a flat tire, me holding on to a lifeguard boat, dreams about wearing clown shoes for the run, and on and on... I also day dreamed about the finish line, what it might look like, who would be the...

I Have Multiple Sclerosis

One of my favorite bike rides ever! I have debated whether I was going to make this public for quite some time, however there really aren't any significant reasons why I wouldn't share. It hasn't impacted my life dramatically, and if I'm lucky, it never will. I also don't want to be a poster child, nor do I require or want any special treatment simply because I have MS. The thing is, I know more and more people who are impacted significantly by this disease and I feel compelled to help the cause. So for one purpose only, I am outing myself. Here's the brief story. Two years ago my tongue went numb, my arm went numb and I though I slept funny or had a mini stroke. I brushed it off as sleeping funny day after day, after day. Then my eye started twitching, among other symptoms. I decided I was simply crazy... After a while all of these symptoms became so infuriating so I went to the doctor. While at the doctor, he chalked it up to stress, but after a closer ...

Jumping the Gun!

This is a 'total' bonus post for the week. I highly recommend reading my previous post, to better understand where I am coming from. You can check it out here . I am not going to go into details but my name and grandma have been used in a sentence TWICE the past two days. Seriously? Do I look or act that old??? I must... Perhaps it is all the pie making! I am a woman of my word (for the most part, we all falter from time to time) and I mentioned in my last post that there was a chance I was jumping the gun with my dramatic flare related to being sidelined! Well, sidelined I am, but maybe for less time than I initially anticipated. The doctor will tell me my plan in three weeks. The overarching goal? The Chicago Marathon! While running the Columbus Marathon, last year, I was blessed with amazing spectators and also running companions during the race. One of my companions was my sister. Somewhere near mile 25 she took a picture of me STILL smiling. It isn...

Couch to ATHLETE!

Search This Blog