Last night we had our Kick Off party for the new season of Team Challenge.
The Team will be training over the next 14 weeks for the Las Vegas Rock & Roll Half Marathon in December. They’re going to be raising money for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America and building their mileage so they run the Strip at Night!
I love this program… we have so much fun and it is amazing to watch these people build up to finishing their first big race or improve upon past performances while doing something for a good cause. And while many of the participants think that we, as the coaches, are helping them a lot… I don’t think they realize just how much they help us at the same time.
Life is so much more satisfying when you are building relationships and helping your fellow (wo)man.
I’m ending with a new video put out by CCFA. It features Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready. A lot of footage was shot at the Napa race earlier this summer. At 2:46 in the video there are a couple of runners from my team and at the end when the large group cheers “Challenge, Change, Cure”… that was at our inspirational pasta party the night before the race.
In that top photo, I am wearing a wristband that says “Crohn’s and Colitis are Crappy Diseases” (a fundraiser from a past participant), a beaded necklace made by Cristina a few seasons back and my SOMband that says “Fear is just a state of mind.”
Jill Will Run 
I love your CCFA bracelets! Where did you get them?
Two seasons ago, one of our runners ordered them from some online source and sold them as a fundraiser. They’re awesome… I’ve worn mine to every Team Challenge event since. I’m not exactly sure where he ordered them from though.