Memories

Since it's been almost 3 weeks since I've run, I don't have a lot to blog about in the area of my personal running. So I would like to take this opportunity to mention some important people in my running life. I'll do this chronologically.

Anna Kartalia (now Ferguson) - Anna and I took ballet classes together for years. We were good friends and I still consider her to be one of the funniest people I know. The summer before we started high school, she asked me if I would go out for cross country with her. Now I have to say that I've never been what is considered to be a natual athlete. Anna, on the other hand, came from a running family. Her older brother was already a star runner in high school. But I figured that even if I couldn't keep up with her, at least I'd be able to play a high school sport...and not have to worry about cuts...because everyone knows that no one gets cut from cross country! It is all thanks to Anna that I ever started running.

Ned Coslett - or Mr. Coslett - as I called him. Mr. Coslett was the father of a family that lived outside of Philadelphia and had a summer house in Betterton. Mr. Coslett was a runner and even though he suffered from various health issues in his life, he always ran. I can remember his unique running form. He amazed me with his determination to run no matter what. Mr. Coslett passed away several years ago, but I think about him often. When I am facing a particularly difficult mental barrier, I try to remember Mr. Coslett and his determination. During a mental struggle in the Salisbury Half, I was running by the University's fields and Bruce Springsteen started playing over the speakers. Bruce Springsteen was a favorite of Mr. Coslett's...so I took it as a message from Mr. Coslett and it gave me the boost I needed. 

Lisa Long - After knee surgery in college, I stopped running. In 2009 I met Lisa and started working out at her gym. She is completely responsible for getting me back into running. All it took was her asking me to run in a 5K that she was putting together. I've blogged about that race before. It was an immediate spark. The whole atmosphere was magic to me. I loved running (although I was so out of shape that I walked a large portion of the race), I loved hearing the age group winners (a year later I was one of them!) and I loved seeing the other runners. I was hooked. I went from struggling to run a half mile to running a half marathon...all with Lisa's encouragement and training. 

Colleen Denston - my running buddy, my workout partner, my friend. Colleen and I first met at Lisa's gym. We would work out together every day at ungodly hours of the morning. We would run together and talk about everything under the sun. When I moved back to the Baltimore area, I can say that the biggest change was not having Colleen to keep me motivated. She always says that I'm the one who is a motivator for other people but in reality having her with me was a huge motivational value. I love that Colleen and I are still in touch and still running together. I can't wait to run the next race with her!

Abby Glassberg - Abby and I have known each other for 13 years. She is an amazing runner. She has done ultra-marathons, the IronMan, endurance events and numerous "regular" marathons. The greatest thing about Abby is her encouragement. Whenever I've asked her for her advice on any event, she has honestly told me her thoughts and opinions. Abby was so helpful in providing me with some of the accessories I would need for the triathlon. She is such a good resource and I enjoy picking her brain...if I can keep up with her thought processes!

Everyone at the CCR Training Group - Instead of doing a full paragraph on each one, I just wanted to mention the entire group.  Meghan is such a fun person and I love the workouts that she puts together for us. I have felt extremely prepared for my races even though I haven't followed the training program to a tee. Erin, Andi, Heather, Glenda, Clarese, Denise, Katy, Margaret, Cassandra...and I'm sure that I'm forgetting someone...but these women have gone from complete strangers to friends in a very short period of time. I love running with them and miss seeing them since I've been sidelined with my knee issue. Every single one of them have reached out to me to see how I'm doing physically and mentally. Thank you guys!!!

I've been cleared to "jog" this weekend. Lookout! I'm hitting the streets this weekend! Of course I'll report about it here.