She Works Hard for the Money

Have you ever spent two hours on an arc trainer or three hours on an elliptical machine? If so, were you ever tempted to quit? What kept you on the arc trainer?

Last week was an emotional week for me. I spent most of my after-work hours "resting" at the gym. Once I stopped limping from my peroneal tendonitis, I jumped right back into crosstraining.

Before my DFMC days, running would give me the opportunity to think about "me." It was a complete and total stress relief. I would reflect on my day and plan for new days ahead. In the last few months, however, my mind has too preoccupied to focus on "Katy." I actually found my eyes watering during one of my recent indoor workouts. I don't remember the name of the song that came on my Ipod, but the lyrics reminded me of my patient partner. The music moved me and I found myself pedaling as hard as I could possibly pedal on that machine -- for Jazmine.

I've still never met my little friend, but she is with me during every single run and every single workout. I've made several attempts to connect to her family over the telephone, but all have been unsuccessful. The most interaction that we've had together is through her photograph. Never has an image had so much meaning in my life. I take it with me whenever I go to work in the morning, and I see her picture whenever I'm on the arc trainer. Sometimes, I envision crossing the bridge just before Kenmore Square and meeting Jazmine for the very first time during the 2008 Boston Marathon. She is my strength and inspiration, and she is going to be with me on Marathon Monday -- every step of the way.

I was originally going to use this post to blog about another image that kept me motivated at the gym the other day. Some little hooligan decided to etch "She Works Hard for the Money" into the big picture window at my gym. Oh, the fundraising irony!