Anyway, back on to the point of THIS post - the TNT update. The Team met at Stones River Greenway in Donelson at 6:45 am on Saturday. Yes, VERY early on another cold morning. There were many of us there, but most decided to stay in our cars until the very last minute. It was only when Coach Carey appeared that we finally extricated ourselves from our warm cocoons and gathered at the trailhead to check-in. I don't think I've mentioned the check-in before. It's just a sheet with all of our names on it. We're supposed to check-in and out. I'm good with the checking-in...it's the checking-out that I seem to forget. I really need to remember that. I certainly don't want any search parties going out for me!
Right before we started, Sammi (from LLS) stepped forward and told us about her race last weekend. It was a 100-mile ultra, y'all. Yes, you heard right - 100 MILES. And I think signing up for a marathon would be crazy - here she is running 100 miles. Ugh. She's a rock star.
Sammi also gave the Mission Moment for the week. She told the story of her grandmother, who was Sammi's best friend, and her battle with lymphoma. While Sammi was talking, she passed around a photo of her grandmother, which is something that she carries at every race. I don't think there was a dry eye in the group. Sammi told about the monetary worries her grandmother had while battling the disease, which eventually took her life. I knew that LLS did many things, but I thought it was more on the research end, but I didn't think about them helping patients with insurance and other monetary concerns. But they do! And my fundraising helps that. Very cool.
After the Mission Moment, we got started with the run. The route was a simple out and back. Remember how I mentioned Nashville has so many awesome places to run? Well, this is another one and I don't run it near enough. It's part of the Nashville Greenways system, and runs along, you guessed it, the Stones River. What's great about this particular greenway is how long it is. If you turn left, you'll eventually meet up with the Shelby Park Greenway, which is where I frequently run with the East Nasties. And if you turn right, you run to the Percy Priest Dam, which is a Nashville landmark.
Parthenons, dams... what else do you need in a city?
We went right. I had only been out this way on my bike, never as a runner. It's much hillier as a runner. There are also a lot of bridges on this greenway and we had to watch for ice. Fortunately, it wasn't too bad and we all got back in one piece. I did kind of wuss out on the way back going up the biggest hill on the greenway. I got about 1/2 way and just said "forget this" and started walking. My excuse was that I still had to run AFTER this run because I needed extra mileage for my NOLA race. But I was really just lazy. It happens sometimes.
And now the big news. Last week I said I wanted to break $2,000. Well - I did. And more. I'm now at $2,320! AMAZING! Seriously. I'm blown away. I'm also currently the #1 fundraiser for Tennessee Team in Training. So now I have THAT to defend. No pressure. Because if you know me at all, you'll know I'm not competitive. At all. ;-) So here is the new Runner Girl Chart! Dun dun DUN! (That was supposed to be dramatic music, but it doesn't really come off like that in blogland, does it?)
Almost halfway! WOO HOO!
Remember - I'm still giving away the J. Alexander's Dinner for Two on February 4th. One more week to go! The more you donate, the more chances you have to win! Thank you everyone for your help! Click here to donate! http://pages.teamintraining.org/tn/nikewhlf13/kmylls
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