So I am working remotely this week because my flight was hideously expensive, which means I got to go to Wednesday night practice!! I was so happy and excited. Then we got Coach Mike's email that this week's practice was going to be "Up and overs" - aka run hard up a hill, run hard down the other side of the hill, then turn around and do it again - and I thought "speedwork would've been much easier..." :)
We used Harlem Hill for this workout, so it was extra tough, and as we ran the mile and a half warm up we were all strategizing about how we were going to get through it sans vomiting. It had been raining so it was gray and humid as hell and we were all pretty sweaty after just a mile and a half - this did not bode well... We started the work out, and it was pretty bad. I was breathing pretty hard, cursing my coaches every time I turned that stupid corner and saw MORE HILL ahead of me, but we all survived, thank god. AND, that was our last hill workout of the season!! This is partially exciting, because if I never see a hill again it'll be too soon, but partially frightening because that means we are getting damn close to the all-important race day. Dun dun DUN....
Today is also a very important day - even more so than race day. Today is Grandpa's 86th birthday!!! (As an early birthday present, he bought himself an iPhone last week. How bad ass is that?!) It's also Earth Day, which is very fitting because Grandpa has long been a champion for environmental issues. His progress in fighting the AML has been pretty good with the chemo treatments, but unfortunately this past month he hasn't been feeling super awesome. The chemo really takes a toll on the body and his kidneys are not doing great. I wish there were another way to treat the cancer without making him feel so bad. I'd give anything for him to be able to enjoy this time in his life, to just relax and do whatever makes him happy, rather than dealing with medication schedules, phosphorus and potassium concentration levels in food, weighing himself every day, weekly blood draws, weekly 6+ hour blood transfusions, 5 day hospital stays every month, and on top of all that, feeling like crap. It's frustrating and it's unfair that someone so awesome has to deal with something so awful.
Instead of whining about it (previous paragraph aside), I am once again trying to channel that energy into something positive. When Grandpa got the diagnosis, my 'something positive' was joining Team in Training. Today, in honor of Grandpa, I ask everyone here to do something positive for the earth. Get a Brita instead of drinking bottled water, recycle everything you can, plant a tree, turn off all the lights if you're not in the room, open the window instead of using AC, leave the car at home and ride your bike, bring your own reusable bag to the grocery store, or if you're feeling super awesome, do all of the above!!! If I've learned anything from the past few months, it's that one person can make a difference, so I hope today you'll all at least try.
Happiest of birthdays to you Grandpa, you are truly the best of the best <3
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