First of all, thank you thank you thank you for all the support you all showed regarding the Fitfluential Ambassador application! It really means the world to me! Thank you!

But today is all about my weekend at the Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon. Team Challenge training finally reached it’s peak and it was go big or go home time.

I wasn’t really sure how to approach the recap, as it’s really hard to put into words the emotion and effort that goes into race weekend.

So since I am always honest on the blog, I thought I’d give you my own personal coach’s perspective. A completely honest and raw recap.

Despite it being my first time as a Team Challenge coach, I was 100% confident when the Vegas race came around this past December. I was healthy and confident in my training. But this time was completely different.

First of all, I was terrified of how my IT band was going to hold up. Second of all, I was terrified because I hadn’t been training because of my IT band injury. Could I even run this race and keep up with the participants? Thirdly, I had come down with a horrible sore throat/head cold the Wednesday before we left. This left me totally questioning my coaching abilities as we drove to Virginia Thursday morning.

I’d like to say that as soon as we got to the hotel and started running into our teammates that my self doubt quickly disappeared. I had my game face on, but my head was constantly questioning my coaching. I remember looking around at the coach’s meeting Friday morning and seeing one of the coaches with a Boston Marathon jacket on. I doubted myself even more and almost cried. I kept thinking that I didn’t have any business being a coach.

I even ended up at the CVS minute clinic Friday afternoon due to my sickness. Talk about bad timing.

But I didn’t have any time for self pity. This weekend was not about me. It was about these amazing people who donated their time and efforts into training for a half marathon (with some of them never even running a 5k!) in order to raise money to help cure crohn’s and colitis. It was time to man up and get the party started. Half of the job is making sure the participants have a good time and that race weekend is an “experience”. Luckily, I genuinely care about every single one of them so they made this part of my job pretty easy.

Besides the actual race, my most favorite part of the weekend is the inspirational pasta party the night before the race. I get to be silly and cheer on participants as they enter for the party.

I’m really good at this part of the job. It’s easy bein’ cheesy.

Plus, we got to hear about the amazing fundraising that took place (2.3 million dollars this season – hollaaaar!), with the top 3rd fundraiser actually coming from our team! It’s quite the experience and a great way to get the participants (and coach’s!) revved up for race day.

I left the pasta party feeling energized. When the coach’s were recognized as a whole, our team gave J and I a standing ovation. I can’t even put into words the emotion I felt at that moment. It really put everything into perspective. I was going to do this. And I was going to be good at it. Period.

I went to bed that night nervous, excited, worried, and almost sick to my stomach. But having this guy…..

(bahahaha!!!)

……at my side (and a little help from some Nyquil!), helped calm me down and I slept like a baby. Things were looking up.

Big race day post coming tomorrow!!

Do you ever doubt yourself? If so, do you fake it til you make it like I do??