14 Miles

14 Miles... it's the distance from my house to my place of work-- Oswego to Naperville. Or the distance from Union Station in Chicago to the center of Park Ridge. It's a little longer than the island of Manhattan... and a heck of a long way to run.

But we ran it-- in the brutal summer heat, with knees popping and IT bands squishing, and cramps attacking our insides-- we did it as a team.

And I knew I would learn about the limits of my will power (which I suspect may be limitless...). And I knew I would find out about the strength of my body (which hates me just a little right now). But I did not expect a lesson in stoicism-- and I did not expect to hear it second hand.

As we pummelled forward on the pavement I pulled our team as best I could. With optimism and with leading by example, I trudged forward and asked them to do the same. They did wonderfully. When the run was over, Gabbi told me about a little conversation she had with Cameron, who had remarked how she couldn't believe I was still going. Gabbi told her, "believe me, she's in as much pain as we are, she's just pushing through it."

To which Cameron said, "that's what makes her a good leader." And that struck me as quite a compliment.