I leave in a few days for the One Run For Boston relay. I am flying from Sacramento to Boston to run the last 4 legs = 26.5 27 miles of this relay across the U.S. that started on June 7th. This will be the longest I will run at one time, although there may be small breaks in between each leg. I am going out there by myself, with no friends or family to accompany me on this trip. I am actually really nervous.

This trip and run wasn’t on my agenda for the year. I already had set plans for my next half marathon and marathons the rest of 2013. It is a whirlwind of a trip, but my heart led me to this. However, it does come at a great time early on in my training for Berlin, so I have time to recover.

I think the fact that I am flying by myself, having to make my way to Hopkinton by myself, and even staying overnight by myself (in a hostel, no less) after what I think will be a great celebration when the relay is over, is hard for me. It’s not that I am afraid to be alone or anything, it’s just I am used to having friends or my boyfriend there for support along the way. Having someone familiar greet you and celebrate with you after completing a race or run is always a great feeling. So this will be very different for me.

I won’t know anyone there, so I hope to meet some incredible people who are there for the same reasons I am. We all have a reason and a story as to why we chose to do this.

I think I will learn a lot from this experience. I will learn about myself and my capabilities. I will learn about solidarity. I will learn about inspiration, dedication, selflessness, bonding, and much more. I do know I am going into the unknown though. This might be up there with the AIDS Ride I did twice in ’97 and ’99…500+ miles from SF to LA on my bike. You learn a lot when going on a journey as an individual AND when on a journey with like-minded individuals. But, I am up for the challenge and adventure. I will have a story to tell. I am sure of that.

It will be a great story.

You can donate toward my trip by going to this link: http://www.gofundme.com/39c3cg

www.onerunforboston.org