January 31, 2009

Due to icy conditions, we were back at Rock Creek Park for our run on Saturday morning.  For the first time in a couple of weeks, all 7 of us were able to come together in the freezing cold where Jessie still insisted in wearing shorts.  

The cold weather requires performance outerwear, hats, spandex, and gloves.  When someone realizes they lack any of the above, they improvise.  Note: Brian and his creative substitution for missing gloves.  His better half also had glove problems and wore one black glove and one white glove.

  

As for the Mission Moment of the Day:

    I was running and reached the half-point mark which was on top of a hill.  There I stopped for a minute to stretch out my hip flexor when two middle-aged men ran passed me and said hello and yelled quickly "What race is this?" I responded quickly "We're with Team-in-Training!"  After a minute stretch I headed my way back down the hill and caught up with the men again.  They looked at me and asked "What are you guys running again?"  I explained that we were all training for various marathons or half-marathons all raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).  I was just about to say have a good day and run ahead but then one of the men looked at me and said "Thank you.  My daughter was born with Leukemia and after months of treatment she's doing great now and living a normal, full life.  The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society helped our family so much through everything so you are doing a great thing."  

     I told him that was wonderful and told him he just made my last half of the run a lot easier to finish.  That encounter and the old Tai Chi (thank you Dr. Hancock) "Breathe deep. In with strength...Out with Pain" really got me through the run despite a hurt hip flexor and bad shins.  This run reminded me once again why we were all doing this and of course, renewed the spirit.

Unfortunately, at brunch afterwards, the lackluster 0-0 match we watched (not surprising as it was Arsenal) reflected the moods of the "Group of 8 actually 7."