Hi, my name is
Rebecca (aka the Appalachian Trail Hiker) and I am a newer
member of the Essex Running Club. First off I wanted to thank all of the
members that I met over the past month for making me feel so welcomed at
the meeting and on Sunday's long run.
As runners we all have different reasons why we run, even though there are
days when we do not want to go out in the rain, cold or snow, we still find
ourselves trudging along. I thought I would take the time to share a story
that
showed me how important running was in my life, especially when in a single
moment that can be taken away from you....
The alarm goes off and I toss and turn deciding whether or not to go out for
the run. I find Mondays harder than any other day to get out of bed
and lace
up the running shoes. After my cat says his hellos to me I get out of the
warm
bed, go out and brave the cold of the morning air and savor the dark of the
morning skies. This day starts no different than any other, after coming
back
from my run I am now ready to take on the day.
After grabbing my coffee and heading out the door for work, I have no idea of
the turn of events that are about to follow. Driving up the block I get to
the
intersection which has always been tricky and as I proceeded across it.
A
car was coming around the bend and in an instant I was in a major car
accident. My car ended up hitting the oncoming car, spinning around
180
degrees and then the back end of it hit a telephone pole. While the other
car
ended up on the lawn of a neighbors house with its back door taken off by the
front right side of my car.
Luckily the three people in the other car and myself able to walk away, tells
you something about wearing seat belts, with only a few sore muscles and
very shaken up. As I was filling out the police report the officer
turned to me
and told me I could go, looked at me and said, "Try, I know it is hard, but
try to
have a good rest of the day."
That thought lingered with me the rest of the day, as I tried not to go to sleep
because of the possibility of a concussion. I was able to really think and
be
thankful that no one was majorly hurt, or more importantly killed. I
was able
to really think of all the things in life I was grateful for: My loving
family, my
supportive friends, and my passion for running.
I believe that because I ran that morning I was able to remain at ease during
the events of the accident and it also gave me a great sense of calmness to
the situation.
The thought of my ability to run being taken away from me that morning made
me see just how important that short part of my day is, and how much I truly do
enjoy my morning runs. I am grateful to be able to keep on running and I
will.
I just goes to show that you never know when your life can take an
unexpected turn. Live each day to the fullest potential and count your
blessings. Most importantly...
Keep on keeping on..
Rebecca