The home stretch...

Well, it's almost over... less than one week to go. I know I keep saying this, but where did all the time go?

Friday night I had a fundraiser at Cold Stone with a couple of the girls from my team. Erica & I worked behind the counter, scooping up ice cream, while Adrienne & Chatna handed out flyers to anyone & everyone outside. Unfortunately, it was a slow night & we didn't make much money, but we had fun. Afterwards we went out to dinner & had a great time. Tomorrow is our last fundraiser... a crawfish boil. It should be a lot of fun. (Thankfully I have almost all of my money now, so I'm not really worried about how much money we raise.)

And then there was today.

Today was our last practice. We were only going 6 miles, so we started a lot later than usual... at 6:45. It went great. I was a little sluggish at first because I was so tired from being out late w/ the girls last night, but eventually my endorphins kicked in & I felt great. I finally figured out a way to regulate my breathing & was able to run for a much longer distance. I was SO happy about this, cuz this will definitely help me make up time. I finished the 6 miles in about an hour & 20 minutes!

As I was running along the track (a 3 mile gravel loop around the park), I kept seeing the new batch of TNT members running in the opposite direction. This was maybe their 3rd practice of the season. It was sort of like looking back in time... back to 4-1/2 months ago when I was 1st starting out... seeing them struggling to run, looking so tired after only about 2 miles. I remember that feeling... wondering "what the hell was I thinking? I can't do this!"

And look at me now... about to run 26.2 miles!!!

I can hardly believe it!

As each person passed me by, I smiled a little more & felt a little stronger. I wanted to stop & tell them all not to worry, that it would get easier, that this was one of the best things they ever could have done, & that it will be SO worth all the pain, sweat & tears.

After practice, about a dozen of us went to breakfast together one last time. One of the teammates busted out a bottle of champagne & made peach mimosas for everyone. We raised our glass & toasted to the end of the season & to Alaska. Sitting at that table, I realized what an incredible group of people I had before me. I thought back to all those days out on the trail & how much they helped me & everything we've all been through together & I almost started to cry. I felt that huge lump in my throat & I had to force myself to think of something else.

3 of the coaches had to leave early, but the rest of us hung out for a while on the deck. The last coach to leave was Bill... the granddaddy of all coaches & one who wont't coming back to coach next season. He & his wife pulled up next to the deck in Bill's brand new candy apple red Corvette convertable. We yelled at him to put the top down, which he did, then snapped a few photos. We yelled, screamed, cheered & waved as he turned the corner & peeled down the road (as per our request) & drove off into the horizon. It was a fitting good-bye for ole Bill.

Soon we were joined by 3 of the "newbies" who had just finished their practice. We explained to them that we fully expected them to keep on with the tradition of the post-practice Saturday breakfast... that we were "passing the torch". It was a sweet, funny moment. We left them to finish their breakfast & we all parted ways. It was weird... even tho I know I'll see some of them tomorrow & again in Alaska, it was still a sad moment. This was it... the last day.

This has been the most incredible, not to mention hardest, thing I've ever done in my life. And ya know what? I'd do it all over again in a heart beat. In fact, I'm planning on doing just that. We were already deciding what races we want to do next time around. But for now, I just can't wait to get to Alaska!!!