Sorry that I haven't gotten a chance to post about Saturday until today! It has been a crazy week. I'm going to attempt to post some pictures this time, so you'll have to forgive my formatting if it doesn't work out.
For anyone reading not in Nashville, we got snow on Thursday night!
Friday, I was lucky enough to get an early Christmas present - a trip to Fleet Feet for some new kicks! I now have a pair of New Balance walking shoes that are fitted especially for me. My orthotics fit in them perfectly, they offer amazing support, and the shoelaces are all scalloped so they stay tied. Best shoes ever! Thanks, Santa! They're all decked out with my "Minnie Pearl" emergency contact shoe tag, and we're ready for some serious mileage.
After my shoe fitting on Friday, I went out for dinner and drinks with a friend. Even though I wasn't out late, 5:45 am came early on Saturday! To make it even harder, it was really really cold. In fact, I think it was somewhere around 25 degrees. Luckily, I was really excited to see my friends that I've been walking with, and knew that once I got moving, I wouldn't be feeling cold. Plus, I couldn't wait to see how my new shoes felt! (You can sing the Paolo Nutini song now if you want...)
I made sure to wear plenty of layers. Of course, after learning my lesson with the socks, NOTHING cotton at all touched my skin!
Luckily I had checked my directions the night before, because all that I saw was that we were going to the Stones River trailhead. My first thought, being a former 'Boro-dweller was that I was heading to Murfreesboro. It turns out that there is a Stones River trailhead in Hermitage! I would have been very sad, and very alone in the Kohl's parking lot in the wrong county!
I donned my fabulous skull cap (the rasta hat kept falling off), got in the car and watched the sun rise.
Then, at 6:45, I found myself standing in the parking lot, freezing my ass off, screaming, "I'm an endurance athlete!!!!" at the top of my lungs, believing every word of it, and not minding being cold or being awake.
After a short meeting, we started moving. I walked with the same group that I've been walking with for a couple of weeks now. There is one woman who I call "my mentor" who has been a huge help to me. We were chatting and in the middle of the conversation, she said, "when my husband was dying of cancer". I tried not to act floored, but it was yet another reminder of why Team in Training does what it does. Sooner or later, everyone is touched in some way.
We continued on, and had a fantastic walk! Some slick and icy patches slowed us up a bit, but we got in an easy 4 miles. The scenery was beautiful and the conversation was fantastic!
Tonight, one of the other walkers and I wrapped gifts at Borders for donations. We got fantastic support, and I loved getting to meet all the people that I met! I got the opportunity to meet a woman who was shopping for her grandchildren, but just lost her husband to cancer 2 weeks ago. She had such an amazingly positive attitude! Another woman left me a huge donation for wrapping just one gift - that is something that I'm so grateful for, and I hope that she sees this. I also got to meet a couple who is involved in TNT - in fact, the husband, who is a former runner and friend of one of the coaches is one of the top fundraisers! It was great to get to talk to them about the training and all it entails.
Now I just need to take the money to the bank so I can turn around and make the donation to myself instead of mailing in the cash.
I have been slacking on the fundraising because I've been too focused on getting used to everything else. Soon you'll be getting either an e-mail or a letter talking about the fundraising effort I'm undertaking as well as the physical effort undertaking. If you're feeling froggy, or unlike me haven't overdone your holiday budget, you can always check out http://pages.teamintraining.org/tn/cmc09/jlevins. (Of course, I feel the need to say that I appreciate your emotional support just as much, and none of this money comes to me!)
If I don't post again before Christmas, have a great one!
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