127: Will Run for Fudge

I took the day off from work today to get a jump on the 4th of July holiday weekend. Woke at the crack of dawn, did 5 loads of laundry, cleaned my apartment and went running. Who is this girl? Not the same girl I was a year ago. That's for sure. This girl is happy. This girl feels authentic and connected. This girl notices all the light around her. This girl loves her life. Yes, I love my life.

You think I'm going to say "It's the running." Well, I am. To be more precise, it isn't the running, it's what happens to the rest of your life when you are running. People and opportunities that seemed invisible before are suddenly knocking on your door asking if you want to play. Yes! I want to play.

I'm in Martha's Vineyard now as I write this. Sitting on the deck, listening to the sound of the Atlantic a few hundred feet away, gentle waves crashing. The air is cool and breezy. Bruce is playing on someone's iPod inside, the men are talking World Cup, and I can smell the pizza we have heating in the oven. There is wine. A lot of it. There are hydrangea. Blue. I love hydrangea. A firefly floats across my extended legs and - BLAMO - gives me the sign - he's on FIRE - and he's here to play. We're both here to play! I can't wait to see how this weekend unfolds.

One thing I'm excited for is the 5 mile race I'm running on Sunday. My friend Christina found it for me. Her heart is so big it could make you cry. The race is sponsored by a fudge company. You have to love Martha's Vineyard!!! We signed up. And then others signed up. We stopped at the Nike outlet store on the drive here today and everyone went bananas suiting up for the fudge run!

I surprised myself at the Nike outlet. I bought a bunch of shorts, some tops, and a slew of discounted winter gear.

Think about that. It is July and I bought winter running hats and gloves. I guess my perception of where this is all going has changed. Maybe I'm not just training for the 2010 NYC Marathon. Maybe, I'm a runner, and I'm just doing my thing... and I'm beginning to see that November 7th isn't the end of this journey but the beginning.