When people change your life you remember who they are

Last weekend I visited Whidbey Island for the first time with my friend Amelia (who lives there). The island is very lovely and on our trip back to Bellingham we drove through the marathon course, more or less. We started driving from the finish to the start so I made note of doing everything opposite of what we were driving. We drove up several hills and I let out a sigh knowing that I'd be running down them. That was the last sigh I let out. I felt like the majority of the drive turned into us going down hill after hill. Blerg. In spite of the hills surrounding me, the views certainly made up for the intimidation. I will never grow tired of the views in this state. However, I guarantee I'll grow tired from those hills. 

 Last weekend was a weird/disappointing/not worth discussing one for running. Sorry I didn't recap but you would not have wanted me to. It's a new weekend and today was a daunting day. I woke up early to run 18 miles. Honestly, I was pretty nervous. Last time I tried to run 16 I could not even do that. When I woke up, I actually felt like it would be a good day. Something in the breeze...

I headed my normal route and added some extra mileage in order to complete the full 18. I thought a lot about school. It's a busy week. I thought about every one of my roommates sleeping away.  I thought about what I'd be giving up for Lent and yes, running did cross my mind. You have to humor yourself out there...no one else will. I ran every hill I confronted and mentally gave myself a pat on the back. Eventually, I found myself back on my street as if I had just left. Eighteen miles later, I let out a sigh.

Today's Dedication: Community Health Cohort

Eighteen miles. Eighteen incredible women. Today I'd like to discuss some of the most inspirational and hard-working women I'm blessed to know. Our major is small, clearly. The cohort is made up of such unique personalities, ideas, stories, and backgrounds that make it an absolute pleasure to go to class each day. Sure, there are days when class sounds tiring, but I find such comfort knowing that I'll walk in and see the same beaming faces. I found myself thinking about these ladies during my run because we've had such a time consuming quarter full of work. We're all exhausted. I was exhausted running. But the quarter is almost over and all of our hard work, time spent, sanity lost, and exhausted laughter will come to an end in no time. Training is almost over and the marathon will come and go just as this quarter did. I'm thankful of this reminder because sometimes it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We may have an overwhelming week and a half to go, but we'll all make it. There are only 24 hours in a day, right? We have a good thing going in Community Health. Everything will be beneficial. After all, these women are going to do big things with their lives. I'm glad I know them because I can't wait to watch them lend their helping hands and make an impact in this world. How did I get so lucky?

           Best,
                  Anne