Twelve
Being open and stepping into the unknown.
Twelve years. Twelve teams. 213 everyday, unique, amazing runners coming through America’s longest relay run, helping me shape what works and what does not.
This weekend marks the completion of another year leading runners across the U.S. and I sit firmly at the helm, both leading it all and also witnessing in awe.
I can attribute the many accomplishments of this organization to one, singular moment when I decided to be open to an idea that dropped into my mind to run by myself across America for my mother and the MS cause. I think about that moment a lot – me on a cruise ship in Barcelona, running on a treadmill in the fitness center on the top deck of the ship while it pulled into port. In the early morning dawn, the harbor lamp-posts twinkled like cafe lights strung across the shoreline and the treadmill hummed steadily beneath my feet while my mind drifted from one thought to the next, then simply to this – to run across America for my mother.
In an instant I knew that the idea had been waiting for me to come upon it all along. And without thinking much about the details or what would come after, I blindly stepped into an adventure that would grow to be much larger than I ever imagined at first.
I have been called brave and fearless many times over. These are easy adjectives given the size of what’s been created. I don’t reduce the amount of work that goes into my role, but mostly I find that I am committed to imagining the best possible outcome, and that I have a willingness to see what I am made of in the process.
Within my organization – my Relay team, our programs, among my staff – I pass these attributes along as I see fear and the unknown bubble up from time to time. Oftentimes, all that’s needed is reframing and an unwavering focus on the next right task.
What if the best outcome does happen? What if it’s better than you imagined? What if you find that you’re more capable than your inner critic gives you credit for?
What once felt to me like an odd running event for charity has matured into so much more – a positive support group where we are collectively challenged to push ourselves into our next level of potential, all for the greater good of a cause.
If you’re inspired by this message and want to support, you can double your donation today and help us reach a $10,000 match by tomorrow by clicking here! If you’re in or around New York this Saturday August 17th, join us for a run meet-up as our final Relay teammate, Willy Valderamma (an exceptional runner living with MS himself) brings us into New York City!
More than anything though, my desire is that you explore your edges too – that you’re open to unexpected thoughts, events and people, and willing to imagine the best possible scenario while you discover and expand what you’re made of. In the case that that feels scary, maybe because you’ve never felt or heard this before, I want you to know that I believe in you. Truly, deeply. You are a grown-ass human with many gifts and talents, no lesser than any other person like myself that’s created something grand and inspiring. I’ve seen it again and again within my organization, and I know this for certain, you are capable of finding your way.
