Virtual sherpa’s for 16 miles

A word of advice for any of you contemplating 26.2:

Surround yourself with sherpa’s.
(borrowing this concept from my dear friend Lindsay who is an incredible sherpa to the hubs!)

To say that I felt embraced and supported by my circle of sherpa’s on this morning’s 16 miler would be an understatement. I felt surrounded by love, encouragement, faith and courage.

From my sister (and M) who ‘virtually ran’ almost 8 miles of our 16 miler ‘with’ us this morning.

From Lindsay whose healthy bite creations were an incredible burst of energy for me at about mile 9.

From Heather who also ‘virtually ran’ 7 of our 16 miles ‘with’ us this morning.

And bestie Steph who texted me at 5:05 this morning to tell me she decided to get up and get her run done ‘with’ us, versus waiting until later in the day to get her workout in.

…virtual sherpa’s at their finest.

As if I wasn’t lucky enough to have such fine sherpa friends virtually surrounded me this morning, I also had the hubs by my side, the best damn sherpa that ever existed. I’d like to think I’m a fine sherpa for him, too. We swapped that role a few times this morning, actually. Me – opening the baggie of fuel, jamming a handful of gummi bears in Scott’s hands. Him – handing me my own baggie of fuel, even when I didn’t think I needed more, he knew…and automatically gave them to me. And both of us – offering words of encouragement, cracking jokes or telling little stories to break the silence now and then.

This morning’s run was far more than another PDR for me — it was a shining example, THE best example I can think of, actually — of why I run. Why we run.

It’s about experiences like these, bonding moments like this between Scott and I, but also bonding moments between loved ones — both family and friends — and also moments of faith, sending silent prayers yet again to Him a few miles into our run. Those words gave me the peace and calm that I needed to keep from getting too mental about the run.

Sure, there were moments where I had to battle a bit to quiet my mind, or when my joints would get a little achy and it made every step feel tougher and tougher. It isn’t all puppies and rainbows up in here. It was hard work. I was wilting by the end of it. But the bottom line is we made it. We made it together. And this run, these moments — well, I’m pretty sure I’ll cherish them always.

…who knew training for 26.2 would turn into such a spiritual, emotional journey for me, even more so than a physical one? I had no idea. But I love it.