Support - Knowing what you need and what you give

Synonyms: Encourage, boost, assist, promote

* To bear the weight of; keep from falling, sinking, or slipping

*  To keep from weakening or failing; give confidence or comfort to:

* To act in a secondary or subordinate role to (a leading performer).

* To offer help or advice

 The biggest job of a friend is to support. What does that really mean? It depends on the friend, it depends on the day, it depends on the situation.......it can be really tough to figure out sometimes. 

Things have been pretty heavy over here lately, so I thought I'd write a meaningful post with some humor. Hopefully it reads to you as awesomely as it sounds in my brain. I have a lot of supporters in my life. I could not do it without them.....well I could, but it would not be nearly as comfortable. Comfort is a word that I need for support, if I am not comfortable with you I'm not going to accept or ask for much support. That's just how I roll. The comfort I need is much like a good sports bra.

* Feels like a warm hug. 

*Hard to get out of.  In a sticky situation that support is around  no matter what.

*Keeps me contained when shit gets real.

* Hides nothing - they are so honest. 

*Comes in a variety of styles.  

*The good ones can be hard to find and are irreplaceable

These will do the trick - which one are you?

I need strong people. I need listeners. I need people that will calm me down and help me see another perspective. I need people that can make me laugh at myself and situations. You know what else I need? I really need people that know sometimes I just need to spin.....sometimes I am just venting. I don't need you to solve my problems, I just need you to acknowledge that they suck and it will get better. 

I absolutely love the cute strappy sportsbras. They are like the friend that is fun to go out with, is hilarious on facebook, and serves their purpose as a fun friend. Sorry strappy bra, I'm not running to you when I need support.

Who is this supporting? No one, unless those straps are made out of steal cable

  

I have learned that to get good support you also have to give good support. My husband has spent years teaching me how to hug. Yes. Teaching. I didn't grow up with much in the way of hugging, just didn't really happen. Now I am complimented on my hugs and THAT feels good. Who doesn't love a good hug? Even my 8 year old knows that a one-armed hug is bad. Careful, he'll call you on it too. I have also learned to be a listener. It can be hard, but it's such a great skill to have. So many times people are just looking to say things out loud. They may not need a solution, they just need to hear it. So listen. Smile. Nod. Listen. 

Think about it. Figure out what you need. Be present and find your support strength. Are you a great listener? A great hugger? What do you need back? Do you have people that can give you that? 

Go out there and tackle this Monday!!!!! 

Uber Pride

Last night we went out for our anniversary. 10 Years. Can you believe it?!!?!? I cannot. In true Sam fashion he got an Uber black car to pick us up - yes, we are FANCY. I always feel uncomfortable making small talk with the driver.....but never fear. Sam LOVES to chat. So he did. The whole time.

Mindy is hilarious. Sam talks a lot. Perfect pairing

The driver was nice. Polite. Giggly even. Then Sam noticed his 13.1 and 26.2 stickers. Game. On.

Agha, our driver, quickly went from a nice 7 on the energy scale to a 15! 10 point scale, obvi. He was so happy, excited, thrilled to talk marathon. Agha is from India. There he ran his first marathon at the age of 21. He almost died. He did manage to squeak out a 2:32 finish! Very little water available to runners. Temps in the 115's. Pollution. He collapsed. He lost vision. He was so dehydrated. He described the horrors of his 26.2 mile journey in a way that made you want to get out there and do it too. I mean, 115 degrees can't be THAT bad......right? He actually wrote to India after his first US marathon to tell them how bad his experience was in India and great it was in the US.

Agha went on and on about his love for running. He let us know that he is in a running club. The 50 states Marathon Club. Yep. 50. He is currently sitting pretty at 36. That's a lot of t-shirts!

His favorite? Marine Corp. Hands down. He said that he runs it just to see if they mess anything up - but they don't! They never slip up - the organization of a Marine is amazing!

His least favorite? San Fran. Those hills. He said the last 3 miles were up hill. Was he pissed? Nope. He laughed about it.

Next up? Hawaii

Agha went on to talk about how he cannot believe how American he felt running the marathons. He said he feels like he was born in this country - water at every mile, the spectators.......just amazing. When he runs in India he cannot believe the lack of support for runners. "I was born in this country, but they do not treat me that way".

I could not see his smile (he WAS driving) but I could feel it. Ear to ear. His laugh was contagious. He was so proud and happy to talk about his passion. I have run my share of half marathons and 1 full marathon. I don't think I will do another (you never know) but talking with someone who is so passionate about it sure did make me think about it. 

I truly hope that when I talk about the things I do that I inspire people. I hope that people can feel how much I enjoy Crossfit, lifting weights, my family..........my goal is for that to always come across. 

Thank you Agha for sharing your passion!

Team Hardman: The begining

How did Team Hardman come to be? Glad you asked.....

I moved to Va in 1992 and so did Sam and his family. I was in 7th grade, he was in 8th. We were both At Robinson Secondary School and I could have never guessed we would have ended up together.

Sam has a brother that is my age. We had almost every class together - they did all scheduling alphabetically. Are you ready for this? He is Hardman (duh) I was Harmon. Yep. Wrap your brain around that one. Wedding day? Hardman Harmon wedding. People thought we were cousins, there was a typo, and we were really related. Hahahaha

So, we met in 1992 - were friends, but didn't hang out that much. We had alot of the same friends, Sam dated one of my best friends in High School. He graduated and went to Coast Guard boot camp and made a series of moves that landed him in Florida. I graduated and went to Longwood University in Farmville (yep, real place).

Winter break my sophomore year Sam had moved back to Virginia - our parents now lived in the same neighborhood. Summer break Sam's car spent most of it's life in the shop. Paint, body work, all kinds of "custom" stuff I don't understand. We now had the same group of hang out friends and we spent a lot of time together. He didn't have a car and I was forced to pick him up daily to get him where ever the fun was.

I was a lifeguard that summer and Sam started bringing me snacks, sodas, lunch - just the "stopped by to say hi". He was in love. :)  It took most of the summer for me to realize how great he is and that I needed to stop playing hard to get. Our first date? A wedding for his family friend. It was so fun - and we've been together ever since.

He supported me through college, graduate school, two kids, weight watchers, marathon running, triathlons, and now Crossfit.  He's a pretty great dude.

Now, I get to support him. He found out last night he got into George Mason University!!!! I could not be more proud.

Finish at Reston Olympic. He went back and found me so we could finish together

Our first wet suit swim at Lake Anna

Mother's day 1/4 marathon

Best Dad ever

After I love the Tavern Tri

Theme Party

Chris Cooley's breast cancer awareness event

My Fav. After the marine corp marathon

7 year anniversary

Morning of Sam's first 1/2 marathon

Cherry Blossom 10 miler

After Sam's 1/2 Ironman