Blog - Ready to Run?
Hello Friends! Happy 2024!!! It is hard to believe we are already one month into the new year. How is your training coming along? Is your spring race calendar set in stone? If so, tell me what you have planned. You know I want to hear about your goals, if this is your first race, a fun run, etc.
Looking back at the last six months:
As I type this, the Chicks (formerly Dixie Chicks) song ‘Ready to Run’ keeps playing in my head. I have written three different blog pieces for today and hopefully have landed on what I wish to say. So much has happened since we last met. The Air Force Marathon, fall expo season, Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler, and the launch of the new Armed Forces Series Challenge have occurred. Some very personal things happened as well, which is why I have been silent for a long while.
Grief is an ugly beast.
I lost the will and ability to run. My running partner passed away quite unexpectedly while I was down at Cape Canaveral training our amazing volunteers. After getting home, it took all I had to get out of bed and function, let alone want to lace up my shoes. Everyone handles grief different, or so I have been told hundreds of times, and mine was almost paralyzing. Taking walks was a huge effort. After a solid 6 weeks, I was ready to try. It was short and fast and I did not collapse so a huge win. Slowly progressing and working to get back to where I was is going to take a lot of time and effort. I started by signing up for a race to run this spring. Not pace, not have a goal time (but we all know I do have one), just run. I’ll allow myself walk breaks if needed. But the reason I started to run 13 years ago came back to me and feeling the road beneath my feet was the most welcoming feeling.
Rising from the ashes.
One of the things I learned rather quickly was those who showed up when I was at rock bottom are the ones I have spent hundreds of hours and thousands of miles with along the way. If ever you doubt the bond you form with others while ‘enjoying’ the frozen temperatures, the downpours, the 100% humidity days, stop. Those are your people and they will come through for you in ways you never could imagine.
Ambassadors- It’s your time!
The Air Force Marathon and Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler are more than races. They’re teams and they’re family, and they’re amazing events for a plethora of reasons. If you’ve joined us for any of the events we put on each year, you have hopefully experienced this. Your stories make our team strive to do better and be better. We have groups within the community who choose to represent the Air Force Marathon and tell everyone else why they should join our races as well. All of this leads me to the announcement that we’re opening the Ambassador Applications on February 1st! You’ll have until February 15th to tell us why YOU would be a great Ambassador. Our team will read the submissions and choose by March 1st who shall make up this year’s Ambassadors. Things will be a little different than they were last year. Those who are chosen will not only promote the Air Force Marathon events, but help spread the word about the Museum Mile, and Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler. We truly want to see you more than one weekend each year. If this piques your interest, be sure to check our socials pages for the application link on February 1st. The post may be a little later in the day as a good portion of the team will be at the Running USA conference…please be patient ?
It’s your turn! Fill me in on your goals. Send an email so I can cheer you on through training and celebrate you crossing both the start and finish lines! Jill.huffman.1@us.af.mil
Lace up and be well! I will chat with you next week!
-Jill