One of Steve’s ultra-running friends is a Team In Training coach. Team In Training is a running organization that helps new runners through coaches to run any distance they want to. Scott is an extraordinary runner. The 100 mile Steve ran in under 23 hours (which I still find amazing and am so proud of him) Scott won first place, ran in under 17 hours. He does some long training runs with Steve on occasion.
He is also a “home brewmaster”. So that’s the first three, right? Running, Beer and the Leukemia and Lymphona Society. Saturday night Scott hosted a fundraiser for one of runners he coaches for Team In Training. Hannah is also an ultra-runner, she ran the same hundred mile race above in about 31 hours. Awesome job, she’s a great lady. Her cousin lost a baby to leukemia. This is her way of showing she cares. And she found out she loves to run.
We went to the fundraiser and sampled beer even though we are not beer drinkers. After three samples that we tasted and gave to one of the gentlemen there, we simply enjoyed the food and the company. It’s a room full of runners. What’s not to love?
I did sit comfortably
And the discussion on which grand slam of ultra running each of them want to do humbled me immensely. (Grand Slam is four 100 mile races that if you register to run all four and register with the Grand Slam group you get a special award. Currently there are two, the original grand slam, but one of the races is hard to get into, it’s a lottery. The Midwest Grand Slam which Steve wants to do next year is two 100 miles races in June, one in July and one in September. And then the third ultra grand slam is tri-state of Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri. This includes two Steve has already run which makes it enticing because it’s the devil he already knows. That may be 2014?)
I looked at the women in the group and compared myself. Since I don't know any except for Hannah, personal trainer at Genesis health club and 100 mile runner and Jennifer, marathoner, lawyer, president of the Women's Business Association in Wichita, I got to feel pretty inferior, and the other women? I didn't have anything other than appearance. BAD PATSY. BAAAAD! Don’t ever do that. Compare yourself to women you don't know. Or do know for that matter. No matter how much you like yourself, you are asking for trouble. A little bit of self flagellation, not even going to share how pitiful I was.
However, after 3 hours with them I began to realize that most of them were more insecure than I am. I won't go into details, but it was evident. I'm really not insecure. I realized this week in spite of the heartache I've experienced this last year and how broken I feel I am more at peace than I've ever been. I have looked hard and long at myself and realized that I like myself. There is nothing wrong with me. We don't always get what we deserve, good or bad. Sometimes things happen to you that you didn't do anything to cause. When you walk through the dark times and find peace, when you realize you are loved by God first and foremost, loved by your husband, your children, friends, etc., (and they all have pretty dang good taste in people, so I must be special, right?) how can you compare yourself to others and say God made you wrong?
And number four, tornadoes...
Then all the iphone meteorologist began talking about the storm that was coming. So Steve and I decided to head home before it got to Wichita. We walked out the door as it started to rain. We are good at that. We were about 5 miles from home on the highway when Steve even reacted to the weather and slowed down. I had been hanging on to the overhead hand rail with my eyes closed and teeth clenched since we got on the highway. Night driving in storms brings all kinds of anxiety on me.
We made it home safely and waded down the sidewalk to the front door. We had localized flooding in less than half an hour. BUT no tornado at hour house, no damage at our house, we had power, etc.
The tornado did hit my place of employment and I got two unexpected days of vacation. Which is okay if insurance pays for it, but if I have to use vacation, I’ll be short for my Colorado and South Dakota trips. Small things. Will deal with that as it happens.
I was one of the group called back to work early because the ceiling of the warehouse that houses my material caved in. I'm most likley going to have a rough month or so getting caught back up.
Fortunately, in the 97 tornadoes that were in Kansas Saturday night, there were no fatalities. Some lost property, but no one died. And that is a blessing that can't be argued with.
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