When I went to bed on Saturday evening, I had stretched out my body from head to toe and had visions of sand bags and fire in my head. Now you're asking yourself, "What is wrong with this chick? Sandbags and fire?" I'm only just a little crazy - I was prepping for my first Spartan Sprint.

For those who don't know, Spartan Races (whether Sprint, Super, or Beast) is a mentally and physically challenging races that take place all over the globe. It's a team sport now televised on NBC on Sunday nights, so maybe you've heard of them from prime time television. In order to compete, I signed a waiver that protected Spartan Race, Inc. against a lawsuit if I was to die during the race. I did not intend to really hurt myself, but I was prepared to go to hospital if I really screwed up. I had a choice to push my body to its limits and injure myself, but I woke up to the tragic news of the Orlando shooting and the death 50 people who had no say in the danger they wound up in.

I have been to more gay weddings than straight weddings in my life. I have close friends and family members who are part of the LGBTQ community, and I consider myself an ally in every sense of the word. I was heartbroken as I got in the car to drive to the race and heard horrific reports of what had happened as I dreamed of this day. I asked myself over and over again how there could be such hatred and violence in the world, and certainly tried my best to distract myself until the race was over. I had lost faith in humanity and faith in myself.

I was shaking at the start of the race. How was I going to climb 10 foot tall walls and carry a sandbag up a mountain and crawl over rock under barbed wire up a mountain? The only thing I knew for sure I had a long race ahead of me. Little did I know the next 2 hours would change me forever.

The faith in humanity that the Spartan Sprint restored for me is immense. Nobody ran past someone in need without making sure they were going to be alright. Nobody climbed over the wall until their whole squad had a strategy they could execute. Nobody got left behind.

There were hundreds of competitors at the race, and there was one shooter in Orlando. Hundreds of people were spreading team spirit and motivational words, but one person was incredibly hateful and violent. Look how this country has reacted: vigils, concert dedications, award speeches and so much more are being dedicated to the victims of the Orlando shooting. The LGBTQ has seen incredible support since the tragedy.

It is incredibly hard to remember the proportion of good and bad in the world. Seeing the big picture is nearly impossible, but I was reawakened after my race. It wasn't the adrenaline that kept me smiling, it was everyone's positive and loving attitude that reminded me no matter the bad, there will always be good.

I believe this country needs to wake up and revisit gun control laws and continue to support and love the LGBTQ community, but without getting political, I want to reassure you of the unstoppable resilience of people, from athletes to victims, in reaction to such tragedy. Let's remember the Spartan spirit of teamwork and no man left behind - REGARDLESS OF WHO YOU LOVE. Love is love is love is love.