“More powerful than the will to win is the courage to begin.”
Late last year, I was tapped to be the Head Coach of a new 10k Training Team that was formed as part of a new initiative aimed at getting specific communities more active, which was really part of a larger campaign to make Richmond, VA (RVA) the most active region in the country. Church Hill is a district in Richmond with lots of historical significance. It is the site of the Patrick Henry “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech. Chimborazo Park, also in Church Hill, was the location of the largest Civil War Hospital. Church Hill is also the birthplace of L. Douglas Wilder, the nation’s first elected Black governor.
Despite its rich history, the years have not all been kind to the Church Hill area. Like many neighborhoods in urban areas, it has suffered physical decline due to suburban flight, absentee landlords and high crime. At one point, Church Hill was even ranked as the 10th most dangerous neighborhood in the entire country. There were those who scoffed at the notion of us having a successful training team in that area. Some people even warned me about running in certain areas and questioned whether I really knew what I was getting into since I am not from Richmond.
The heartbeat of Church Hill remains strong though and our training team tapped into that vibrant history and fighting spirit and made it the backdrop of our entire experience. We called ourselves The Church Hill Crushers because every week we showed up and crushed all excuses, expectations, obstacles, barriers, fears, doubts and anything else that was going to keep us from reaching our goal. We had one team member who caught the bus there every week. We had another team member who got off work at 3am and came back at 8am ready to walk. We had a team member who got off at 7am and was still ready to run with us at 8am. We had a team member make a life changing decision about taking control of her weight to better herself for her family. We had several team members lose weight over the course of the ten weeks. All of the team members juggled family and work obligations to be there week after week after week. We had team members that had to miss Saturday group runs/walks, but made sure they got their workouts in during the week. We had some team members that missed their workouts during the week, but never missed a Saturday with the group. We had team members in their 30s, we had team members in their early 60s. We ran and walked in the cold and blustery days of January. We ran and walked in the wet and windy days of February. We ran and walked when March came in like a lion and even as it went out like a lamb.
This past Saturday, we put all of our commitment and dedication to the test as we set out at the starting line of The Monument Avenue 10k. In some ways, this was going to be like any other Saturday because we had already covered this distance once over the course of our training…but yet, it was different. This was the culmination of ten weeks that we had spent getting to know each other, becoming a part of a team after starting out as strangers, getting to know a city that some of us grew up in but were seeing for the first time in a new light. For some, this was to be the first time participating in an event of this magnitude. For others this was to be the start of a new way of life, a new level of activity, or just a kick start to consistency. We started the race spread out amongst the other 40,000 participants…united in spirit, tethered virtually by Facebook posts and check-ins and rocking our blue “Church Hill Crusher” t-shirts. Although we all crossed the finish line at different times, we all ended up together because as each person finished, our team stood and gathered together, waiting and cheering for as the rest of the team came in. As each person finished, I was struck by the sense of accomplishment and pride that I saw on their faces. And as I watched their expressions of relief and joy, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude that I had been able to share in their journeys.
I saw this on a friend’s Facebook page the other day and I read it over and over again because it accurately summed up my thoughts on what these last eleven weeks have meant to me:
Our mission, should we choose to accept and become it, is to bring people to life; whether it be by the vehicle of our gifts and talents or by the breathing and transfer of our spirit into theirs. And the people should be revived, refreshed and renewed well enough by your presence to try living again and again!
Coaching this team has truly been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. To be a part of helping someone step out of their comfort zone and try something new, or reach a goal that seemed previously unattainable is humbling beyond measure. To be surrounded by a team of assistant coaches who were there whenever I needed them was invaluable. To have team members tell me that I inspired them, when in reality, they inspired me was both amazing and exciting.
The training team is done, but the Crushers are not. We will continue to strive to be the best in our daily lives and with our fitness goals. Our mission is clear. #CrushersCrushAtAllTimes
