So if you have been following me on social media or know me in real life, you probably know that for the better part of 2019, I have been pushing myself physically to, I guess you could call it training, to run the Spartan Sprint, a 3-4 mile trail run basically, with 20 obstacles sprinkled in. I never thought I would or could do something like this but I made friends with a fitness instructor (Hi Fawn!) and in a moment of weakness or rather strenght? I signed up for the Spartan Race. But what I gained in the past few months is more than just the accomplishment of running a race, or muscle mass lol, I have a lot more to show for it than just that.
So in 2007 I signed up for the Susan G Komen 3-day, 60 mile walk, raised the money and did it on my own. I made some friends along the way that weekend, one that I actually still sort of keep up with on instagram and what I'll always remember from those couple of days together is that we did something that was physically challenging (walking can be challenging when done in 20 mile chunks yes) and it bonded us together because when you do something that makes you tired and feel like quitting, having support there makes all the difference. We literally cried when we finished the 3-day, probably in part because we were so tired but also that we had done something that we felt was amazing. It will remain a vibrant set of memories in the bank in my brain for those reasons.
The reason I bring up the cancer walk and Spartan in the same blog post is because this first Sprint will have the same lasting effects in my memory. Some members of our team I had been regularly doing classes with at the gym, and we were friendly, talking about our kids and such, but once we started training for this race, we definitley kicked the friendships into high gear. Some members recruited other members, which widened this new friend circle and when it was all said and done, I have a bunch of new friends, who I am so proud of and who inspire me and yes, made me a little teary eyed on race day. When we look back on our lives, it will be the people and experiences that mean the most. Yes, that is cheezy but I am a sucker for some sappy memory making and getting mushy with people I care about... and guess what, this Spartan team is full of women I care about.
Our team effort wasn't without some snags, injuries and bumps in the road, but we supported eachother through the training, the days leading up to it, the race itseldf and now our group text is still all a buzz about the Spartan Fenway and the team we're creating for next June (where we're expanding our circle and some husbands might be hopping on board). We're real bonofide friends now, the hugs after the race were like F*&% Yeah we did this! It was really such an awesome feeling, one that has lasted me the past two weeks. I haven't felt so strong physically in a long time but really, that's just the icing on the cake. Sometimes when I think about the things I have experienced in life, I feel so lucky and you can add this one to the list of lasting impressions that will stand the test of time.
To Fawn, Val, Ali, Courtney, Marietta and Andree, Thank you for being the best and most supportive first Spartan race friends a girl could ever ask for! I look forward to our next adventures and perhaps creating new memories together in the future... and to the red headed man who boosted me over that wall, sir, I will never ever forget you, because you saved me from doing 30 burpees, which is apparently a love language.
*A huge thanks to Marietta's husband Nick who literally followed us as much as he could on the race trail to take more pictures than we could ever have hoped for, so much so that GIFs were able to be created. The memories were documented well and I can't stop being impressed by us!
Want to join our Spartan Teams for either Fenway in November or New England Sprint in June? Shoot me an email primandpropahgirl@gmail.com and I will send you an invite!
Very nnice blog you have here
ReplyDelete