Mission Moment

Last week our mission mentor Kimberly asked me if I would speak at practice for our mission moment on Saturday. This caught me off guard - and I am incredibly honored and humbled. 


This season means so much to me personally and I feel like I am doing this for something so much bigger than myself - it is about John and being able to preserve his memory and all he did not only for me personally, but also for so many others, and to be asked to share that with the team is really important to me. 


I was talking to someone last night about TNT and he asked me what my minimum was and I told him that it isn't about hitting a minimum - it is about saying thank you to John and helping JPC raise as much money as possible so we can give back and honor everything that he did for LLS and for us. And as cheesy as that is and may sound - it is so important to me because he never knew what an influence he had on me and my life.


I've been doing TNT for years now and I have always admired and had a great respect for those that have shared their stories at practice - and it is hard for me to explain how I feel about why this season, above all the others means so much more to me. 


There are so many different reasons why I started with TNT - I have connections in my family to blood cancer and who are we kidding - it isn't like there is a society for folks with blood clots - so in a very oddball and roundabout way, blood cancer is about as close as I think I will get to blood clots (If you want to know the story behind the clot - here is the link). 


But really, I signed up for TNT because mainly I wanted to get over a fear of running so I could eventually do a triathlon. I spent my whole life thinking that I couldn't run - even at one point with the ho, my doctor said that I should "kiss my marathon dreams goodbye" - which at the time I laughed at him and thanked him for telling me that I wasn't going to be able to run anymore. Anyway - regardless of the many different (and obviously oddball) reasons as to WHY I signed up for TNT, I didn't know what I was about to get myself into and because of the experience of that first season, I continued to participate. 


As the years have gone by, the meaning of TNT in my life has changed and developed, just as I have, and this year, the reason behind the season is something so much larger than reach a goal of fundraising or finishing a race. It is about honoring John and his life, and what he meant to not only me, but to every other person that he reached through Team in Training and LLS. 


A minimum with my fundraising is not enough. And finishing is not enough. This is by John and FOR John - and as I am training and working everyday to get to this race, I keep in mind that this one is for him. (SHAMELESS DONATION PLUG: so if you haven't donated already and you are reading this blog - please donate)