Teamwork

Before our trip last year i wrote a blog from the rookie perspective. In the case of running a half marathon, I am actually not so much of a rookie. I ran a half marathon in April of 2009 kind of by accident. I had been running 5ks and some women in my office were signing up for the More and Fitness half marathon in central park, I said I would do it with them and before I knew it I was "training" for my first half. I had some knee issues in the past and it became an issue during my training last year and I let it get in the way in a major way. Then race day came along and it happened to be an unseasonable 92 degrees. Basically I gave myself some excuses to not run as fast as I probably could have.

Training with the group this year has made all the difference. I never enjoyed running with people before, and definitely would never think of running without my ipod to motivate me. Now I can hardly imagine a long run without some of my favorite people by my side. I had some knee and hip problems along the way but knowing I had people waiting for me every Saturday morning for long runs was all I needed to get out of bed and run through the pains. The team work we pull together for our common goal for the kids continues to shape my life in so many ways. The motivation everyone has given me has even encouraged me to sign up for another half marathon in September! The kids in Jamaica and the Hoboken Cares team constantly push me to be the best person that I can be.

~ Jordan