Three Cheers for Friends!!!

Joy here...Okay, I've been sick, which means that I've taken not one, not two, but THREE days off running.  Ugh!  And when I was feeling particularly down and low about myself and my running, beginning to think that I'm a big, giant loser who will never finish this 1/2 marathon and probably shouldn't have signed up for it in the first place, I read a really great comment posted on one of my recent blog entries that really made my day.  I'm reproducing some of the comments here, because I think that more people should read them (and I hope she doesn't mind!).

Lulu, our friend and erstwhile blog reader and novice runner herself wrote:  "that's fantastic joy! well done! 21k in less than 2 hours!!! incredible! you and nomi are my idols!"  Thanks, Lulu, you have no idea how I needed to read something like that on a day when I was feeling sick and uninspired.  

Now a little bit about Lulu, she's Nomi's friend and started running this past year.  I ran with her and Nomi a few times when I was in Malaysia in May.  Lulu worked herself up to 10km distances over the summer and is signed up for her first ever 1/2 marathon in December.  Here's what she wrote about a recent run she completed:  "i ran a 12km race last sunday called the 12k Newton Challenge. and what a challenge it was! the route was extremely hilly and for some reason the organizers decided to start our run at 7am!!! as you know it gets really hot at 7.30 in malaysia - and boy, was it hot that day!! even worse there was no cloud or tree cover, so all of us were trudging up and down these hills, getting sunburned and narrowly avoiding heat stroke/hospitalization/death!!! but i managed to finish the 12k and in a time of 1:24:35 :) i know its not even close to you or nomi but i'm really pleased with that. i ran at an average pace of 7min/km, which is usually the pace i run on flat roads on cool mornings :) and i managed to place 24th in my category (women's veteran....ahem). it's really amazing what races bring out in you - the adrenaline rush, the competitiveness, the camaraderie, all combine to create an experience which i'm incredibly privileged to have!"  I really couldn't have said it better myself, and so my hat's off to you, Lulu!  Congratulations!  

There's no stoppin' Lulu!

And just as I was starting to feel uplifted by Lulu's encouraging words and tireless enthusiasm with her own running, I received another cheering email from AK, a friend of mine.  Here's what she wrote:  "I see from your blog that you're feeling under the weather -- hope that you feel better soon. I always found that when I got to a few weeks before a race, my body would crumble temporarily, either through illness or shinsplints or extreme lethargy or some other fun complaint. But don't worry -- it always rallied!"  Now if she says that her body pulled itself together before a race, then I'll take her word for it and stop beating myself up for being sick.  To put this into perspective, this friend of mine is an AMAZING runner.  I mean, she's run 3 marathons - ahem, one of them being the freakin' Boston Marathon! - and I think her personal best time for a marathon is around 3:38 (which is damn fast).  She's also run a few 30 km runs, and basically she's just really inspiring when it comes to what she's done as a runner.  But then last year she had her first child, and she's grappled with her running since then.  I really feel for her.  I can't imagine how it would feel to know that you've run marathons, but then to feel that your body is not your own and won't let you do things that you know it should/could be able to do.  Talk about frustrating!  And even though I know that she's been frustrated this past year as she's struggled to manage being a new mom with getting her career and running back in order, here's what she says:  "On the running front, I pulled the trigger and signed up for the Oktoberfest 10km. It's on the 17th, so I've got a few weeks to get some good practice runs under my belt. I have yet to broach the 10km mark since my daughter was born, but I'm feeling optimistic about it."  Her 10km race is the same day as my 1/2 marathon, so we'll be running together (at least in spirit)!  I couldn't be more proud of her and excited for her!

Can't keep AK down!

So thanks to all my great friends for being encouraging, supportive, enthusiastic, inspiring, and for downright caring that it matters for each and every one of us to get our butts out the door and our feet off the coffee table and into our running shoes!

Over and out, 

Joy