Camp Woodland Blog
Took the Back to School Challenge & Became a Better Friend!
Lee @ Shamrock Marathon
Hello everyone! We hope you have been enjoying all the articles we are posting in our Camp Woodland blog. We are posting inspiring alumni stories, camp events, cabin photos with favorite camps memories, and much more!
It is also fun to read back through all the summer posts that you may have missed, because you were having too much fun enjoying camp! I especially loved the post that Kim wrote about setting goals and challenging yourself at the beginning of each school year. I was so inspired, I took the challenge and got back into running with a few friends. I started running an hour each day, just like practicing an activity for an hour at camp. It was so much fun, that I soon built this confidence I could run a marathon again, yes 26.2 miles! I have marathons in the past but it had been a long time and 2 children ago.
Lee @ Grandma’s Marathon
I got through all of my long and excruciating weekend runs, but just 3 weeks before the marathon, I got injured! I was so bummed because I had the “I can, I will, and I am going to do it right away” mantra engrained in mind. Every time I was thinking about giving up, this mantra came screaming into my head. This is also the same mantra we tell campers when they think they can’t do a challenging activity or pass the next level in an activity. I tried and tried but my injury was not getting better and had to tell my running friends and supporters that I would not be able to compete in the marathon. Just as I was floating into the depths of despair, I remember something Kim also wrote in the Back to school challenge…be a team player and help a friend. So I did. I turned my despair around and I drove my friends 5 hours to the marathon, shuttled them to the start line of the race, cheered them on at different parts of the 26.2 mile route. I even ran the last 6 miles with one of my friends that just needed a little TLC when she thought she was not going to finish. But you know what??? She finished (sprinted to the finish line with her head held high) and so did all my friends racing that day. I have to admit helping others achieve their goals was even more fun than running the race. So even though I did not achieve my goal (but soon), the friends I supported along the journey were worth it!
Lee supporting her friends @ steam town marathon
Take a leap and try something new…..You never know the story you are going to be able to tell later!
Save the Date: Chicago Camper Reunion
Date: November 23, 2013
Location: Chicago Area (TBD)
Time: 3:30 – 5:30pm