T R U S T

The way my blogs went for the Austin Marathon were a little different than they are a present time. It was my first marathon, I was nervous, excited, anxious and running was kind of new to me again. I am not a running veteran by any means now, but there's only so much one can talk about a 7, 10, 15, 20 mile run without feeling too redundant.

One thing I have really tried to work on over the past couple of years is learning to trust again, and trying not to give too much trust to those who are not deserving. It can be tricky as I seem to wear my heart on my sleeve and enjoy letting those I care about know how much they mean to me. On the other hand, sometimes I can reveal too much without allowing others to prove they are trustworthy.

With the last marathon, I put my trust into a various groups of people and they came through with flying colors to help with this fundraiser. In my personal life, I have started to let down walls that were pretty thick due to a death and divorce within a month from each other because I felt my life was on the right track again. I wanted to share my happiness... the joy that came from talking about Ryan, giving back to our troops, finishing a 26.2 mile run, and managing Lupus.

But as my personality goes, I can just build those walls back up the minute I feel I cannot trust someone. So, going into this next challenge, I want to work on the ability to better judge when I am giving too much too soon, or not being trusting enough. This applies to work, this fundraiser, and friends. I am thankful for my family because they are who I turn to whenever I may be in doubt.

As flaws goes, it's one I plan to tweak a bit. And now for that run---7 miles tonight---on the trail, with a slight breeze to keep the temperature pretty okay for Austin---76 Degrees

Regretfully, I head to bed, as it's way too late!

You Never Know

Today was great. I spent the day with Max, enjoying a Saturday with a walk around Town Lake, kicking the ball around a bit and entertaining the ducks. From time to time we grab lunch at a restaurant we both enjoy and today was one of those days. There's a really nice guy who works there and he's always pleasant to Max and I and we usually have a little conversation as we have seen him several times working at this restaurant.
Well, the conversation lead to family talk, and because he told me he didn't always live in Austin, I asked him, something about his parents maybe living here? He said, no my parents are dead, they were murdered when he was a young boy. I was stunned and he told me a little about that time in his life and I just didn't know what to think. It just had me thinking for the rest of the day about the different people we meet and their backgrounds. This guy is super kind and always has a smile for his customers, seems to enjoy his job and he went through such a tragic experience...he witnessed the event.
It was just one of those days when you really appreciate that everyone has a story, and that you especially may never know what someone has been through because behind a smile and a pleasant personality this person had been through tremendous heartache.

Before we left, we were laughing and joking around again, as he has children and is always great at entertaining Max when we visit. That's the part of his story I appreciated the most...that he still is able to share happiness with complete strangers.

2010 ING NYC MARATHON CHALLENGE

Have you ever had one of those moments when you just snap inside? I don’t mean in a bad way, but more like, “oh yah, I need to wake up and get charged up again” type of a moment. Well today, out of the blue, it was like someone went “ping” on my head with a little hammer and a miniature me was sitting on my shoulder saying, “Psst..Sarah, when are you going to start going again”? I thought, yah, it’s about time to get in the zone again and try my best at this next challenge.

I am very blessed to have an entry to the 2010 ING NYC Marathon. I did think about doing Chicago, but NYC marathon is one month later, so more time to get ready for this one. So, I am going to count this as my first day of training for NYC Marathon which will take place on November 7, 2010.

I had great support from Austin, my family and friends, and Face book and Twitter. To those who helped out before, I will try not to bug you as much this time around, but if you could spread the word that we are raising goal amount to $26,200 for NYC, I would appreciate any amount you are someone you know can donate (including business/company donations).

You can donate directly online at http://www.runningforryan.com/ and click on donate link, or make a donation payable to: Running For Ryan

and mail to:

Running For Ryan

c/o Sarah Shay

P.O. Box 300766

Austin, TX 78703

Donations made to Running For Ryan help cover costs to keep the fundraiser going as well as given back to the Wounded Warrior Project.

email: runningforryan@gmail.com for information

Thank you for all your support!

April 7, 2010

I have been blessed to receive a spot in the NYC Marathon this fall, and that just got me thinking about the 13,000 additional dollars I promised to raise after the Austin Marathon. I will know soon enough if I get the green light to go ahead with this event! Stay tuned.



P.S.
UPDATE: I AM NOT RUNNING THE CHICAGO MARATHON. IF YOU WISH TO RUN FOR RYAN, YOU HAVE TO ALREADY BE REGISTERED FOR THE RACE. I DO NOT HAVE RACE ENTRIES FOR THIS EVENT. THANKS! Sarah