I promise I'm not the only one who is crazy enough to run 6-16 miles every day for 49 days this summer across the country. When I saw the Instagram ad for 4k last year, I immediately sent it to Bree with the words "WE HAVE TO DO THIS!" I knew if I was going to take on the journey, I would want to experience it with her. I couldn't have asked for a better friend to train with. Here's her story to why she decided to run across the country with me:
"When I first heard about 4K for Cancer, I decided right away it was something I needed to be a part of. Without any hesitation, I was ready to jump right in. Well, that reaction lasted a total of ten minutes. Following these ten minutes was a swarm of thoughts about finances, time away from home, possible summer internships, and everything in between. Reality had hit me right in the face. I decided I would sleep on it for a while, not wanting to acknowledge everything that could potentially stop me from following through on this idea. So, I let myself keep the idea on the back burner for the next three months. Well, more like safely hidden away, behind the milk in the refrigerator, still defrosting. But still, it was there. In May, the application was released. This sparked another ten minutes of courage and I decided to sign up for an interview. A few days after the interview, I got a phone call saying I was accepted, and an email would be sent with a registration link. This was real. The milk was long gone now. The fridge was open, and this was now sizzling in front of me on the stove with high heat! Cassidy and I clicked the link at the same time, registered and everything became official. When I was talking to my parents about the run and what it would mean for my summer and even my spring semester, my dad said something profound. He said, “A major part of being a leader is taking action, then believing the right people will show up to help out.” Watching my dad, this is exactly how he lives. He is such a strong man who hardly says no. Many times, he isn’t fully equipped to do whatever he is agreeing to, but he knows himself. He will learn and lean on others, so later he can be the strong post they can lean on twice as much. Running across the country is an amazing opportunity for me to exercise my dad’s lesson. It is day 150 of training. I have had to sacrifice a lot; my time, my energy, my sleep. But I have done intense training before with the Annapolis Ten Miler, the Virginia Rock and Roll Half Marathon, the Bay Bridge Run, and so many more. But this run requires something more. The fundraising aspect was, and still is such a challenge for me. I have never had to raise money like this, and I am still learning how to actively involve people in my training. So, taking my dad as an example, I leaned on Cassidy. She is an amazing fundraiser and has such a heart for helping people. She raised the required $4,500 before I even came halfway to that goal. She inspires me so much and I knew I needed her help. We now meet every Tuesday to debrief and go over our next fundraising move. Every week after leaving that meeting, I can’t help but feel so thankful for her. In her selfless nature, she gives up her Tuesday nights to help me because we are in this together. In these 150 days, I have learned that Cassidy is my sturdy post and she keeps me grounded and moving forward in this amazing life changing journey."
2 Comments
Natalie Gomez
2/16/2020 07:46:35 pm
Great story, so glad you will be running together and you will experience this opportunity. So much to see and so many memories. Be careful and have fun
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Jen Gomez
2/17/2020 05:52:57 am
We are so grateful for you, Bree! You are Cassidy’s post too sometimes. So glad you are doing this together.
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