Finding Balance

Happy New Year and sorry for the delay since the last post; between graduating, holiday events, working, training and hunting for a career to start after the Hunger 500, my world has been hectic.  I have felt the need to center myself as the start date continues to draw closer.  I am not sure if it is the enormity of the mileage that I will cover on a daily basis, the logistical hurdles that continue to appear, or the pressure to make the event a success, but I have been feeling relatively overwhelmed in recent weeks.  I have found my needed balance in the support that continues to pour in.  The fact that friends, family members, classmates, coworkers, teachers, and even complete strangers are willing to support this event has kept me focused during the chaos.  Although much still remains to be solidified I am encouraged by the faith that others continue to place in me.  My training has been going well, largely thanks to Cody and my running mates from the Birmingham Track Club, who have accompanied me on some of my longer runs.  I ran the Rocket City Marathon in December with Bo, Troxell, and Andrea, and set a personal best of 3:28 for the 26.2 miles, despite not tapering for the event.  I will continue to ramp up my strength training and mileage in the coming weeks, before tapering a bit in late January and early February.  The Hunger 500 team has remained aggressive in our efforts to secure sponsors, participants, and media exposure.  Although it feels as if we are calling on deaf ears from time to time, it is vital to the success of the project to continue to push on these fronts.  If I have learned anything during this process it is that continued patience and focus is often rewarded.  I know the road ahead is filled with challenges, but I find strength to persevere in your support and thank you dearly for your encouragement.  As always, we welcome any advice or help in making the Hunger 500 as successful as it can be.