Unless Someone Like You Cares A Whole Awful Lot...

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better. It's not. ~ Dr. Seuss

As we look for our inspirations in 2012, I would like to tell you about my inspirations this year. Yes, my sisters Charmaine and Julie will always inspire me as well as my good friend Noreen but this year I want to tell you about three inspirations that have motivated me since before 2010 and the race: My F.A.B. 5k Team.

KELLY: She inspires me to be a better a runner. She checks in on me when I am missing my early morning runs. Makes sure I know when they are heading out at 515a (yes like most children the F.A.B. 5k was born at an ungodly hour) so that I don’t miss out. Gets me a new pair of socks to keep me running in the winter and shares her wisdom to keep me interested in the sport. These are the things she does for the F.A.B. 5k. She makes sure we are on task with our goals and plans. Double checks everything to make sure we are doing it the best we can; she dots the “i”s when maybe I forgot to cross the “t”s. When I need a little boost to get motivated again Kelly unknowingly sends an email that re-inspires me.

LESLEY: She inspires my momentum for running. She gets my heart rate up when she is talking about a passionate subject because she can’t help herself and I pant along trying to keep up so I can hear how the story ends. When I get behind she is always sure to check that I am still there, even if it is several blocks behind. She always makes me laugh especially with her traveling stories. Lesley gets the F.A.B. 5k up to speed especially when she has something exciting to tell us. She lightens the mood when things get tense. She offers to help when one of us might be struggling with a task. When Lesley is excited she inspires all of us to be excited.

MELANIE: Melanie inspires me to keep going especially when it feels too hard. We’ve suffered injuries on the running track at the same time. Hers being far more serious than mine kept me motivated because she kept moving. We have both recovered and can’t stop. Doctors have told us to take it easy but we can’t, we are runners and we keep moving. Melanie and I are kindred spirits having only started our friendship and running partnership right before our lives were turned upside down by the passing of my sister and her mother only days apart from one another. Sometimes, I think our friendship had a divine intervention. I enjoy sharing the positive and fulfilling cathartic journey of the F.A.B. 5k planning with Melanie. Her mother’s battle and my sister’s struggle with breast cancer will not be in vain because we keep moving. We are runners and thats what we do: keep moving.

I would be remiss if I also did not mention our husbands and our children as inspirations as well. These men & children know where they will be every second weekend in June. They are as dedicated as their wives and mothers and help out whenever possible and are the best cheerleaders when we need them. Our F.A.B. 5k team would not be complete without the love and support of Eric, Brian, Todd and Kevin and the helping hands and hearts of Owen, Finely, Jack, Charlie, Danny, Tyler, Reese, Hannah and Sammie.

My F.A.B. 5k Team inspires because simply they do care; they care a “whole awful lot.”