Planes, Trains, and Running Shoes

Last night, I went to Jack Rabbit Sports because Ali was having an event to fund raise for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. I also needed new shoes and knew that 15% of all proceeds from the night would go to Ali's fundraising efforts, so it all worked out perfectly!

Holy Blogger party! There were so many amazing girls (and guys!) out tonight supporting Ali that it just reaffirmed everything I've ever felt about blogging being such a great community. I spent most of the night chatting with Celia and Christine and also chatted with Theodora and Susan. It was so nice to spend the night talking about running, blogging, traveling, summer vacations, music, boys, whatever!

I love my friends. I really, truly do. They've been with me through everything. My friends from college? We reminisce about old memories. My friends from high school? We talk about their babies and kids and husbands and what people from high school are up to. My friends from grad school? We talk about current events, women's rights, child trafficking, and the economy. It's always nice to catch up with old friends but in New York? I feel like I can't have a conversation with someone without it turning into issues in international affairs. I truly love what I'm studying but sometimes, when you're out drinking with friends, you don't want to talk about those things when you've spend 8 hours at work, 3 hours in class and 2 hours studying them.

Last night? I talked about running. Something that I'm proud to say has taken over my life. When I was in high school and I was performing in 2 or 3 plays/musicals a season, I had a t-shirt that said, "I can't. I have rehearsal." That was always my excuse and I loved it but I spent so much of my life on stage transforming into other characters so that I didn't have to be myself.

Today, I'm wearing a new t-shirt.

Ali's I <3 Sweat shirts were on sale last night

When you're in the middle of a 10 mile run and it's 90 degrees outside with 75% humidity, you can't be anybody but yourself. If running has given me one thing, it is the self-confidence to be 100% myself 100% of the time. In the last year and a half since I started running, I've become so much more confident and sure of myself and when I'm in a room full or runners, that feeling of confidence just radiates from every single person in the room. Tall Mom wrote an amazing post yesterday on what it means to be a real runner. The short answer? You are a runner if you run. That's it. That's what makes you a runner. It's just so simple and I love it.

I love running. And I love that I got to spend my night last night with runners and new friends with whom I can talk about running, get advice about running and more importantly, with whom I can run.