A stroll by the beach: The last half

With all this talk about Morocco, I have been remiss in telling you about my March race, the Wrightsville Beach Half-Marathon, which course covers many of the roads I run regularly with the WRRC. It is race no. 11, and is this Sunday. Yes, Sunday.

Why this race for March? First and foremost, it's local and by that, I mean that the RD is Tom Clifford, a fine runner in his own right and the owner of Without Limits, which does individual and group coaching for runners, triathletes, and youth runners. It's also a run that many of the WRRC folks run and it has a 1-mile timed fun run, which the Pumpkin Noodle was adamant about running.

So, this week, in addition to my regular training, I will be adding the 13.1 miles of this race to the mix. My paranoia? Getting injured. Thus, I will be running comfortably, no time goal in mind, but just to enjoy it, be with my running friends and complete another race start-to-finish.

Because who doesn't sit on the stairs for a photo right after a 10-miler?

The other thing that happened today that made my day:

I received this email from one of my No Boundaries athletes: "Felicia, I have a deep respect for all who have served in the military. My favorite uncle was a decorated US Army Major (Green Beret), and he is buried at Arlington. This poster hung in his study, and it is symbolic of his toughness, which I think you share. (Yea, I know the Marines are tougher than the average Army guy, but there are indeed some badasses in the army too.)"

The text reads: Dec. 23, 1944 - "Battle of the Bulge" - An entire U.S. armored division was retreating from the Germans in the Ardennes forest when a sergeant in a tank destroyer spotted an American digging a foxhole.

The GI, PFC Martin, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, looked up and asked, "Are you looking for a safe place?" "Yeah," answered the tanker.

"Well, buddy," he drawled, "just pull your vehicle behind me...I'm the 82nd Airborne, and this is as far as the bastards are going."

The athlete's words were generous, although I in no way claim to hold the above level of badassery. And in truth, for the personal success he achieved through the 10-week training program, he did all the work, pushed himself, and stayed on task - I just told him how far he had to go and shoved him out the door to do it.

As a friend recently told me, and I echo this sentiment, "I am just trying to do my part in this world, and hope it makes the world better." Boom.