Guess what? I made it through my first ever double-digit run! Yes, that’s right, I ran 10 miles on Saturday, and survived… even felt pretty good after! Thanks to our awesome teammates, and the many Team in Training water-stop volunteers, I finished 10 miles smiling, and excited for more!
Like all good things, though, that adrenaline-induced euphoric feeling that can only come from a good hard workout quickly came to an end. When I immediately went to the High Museum after my run, and then tried to go out on the town for a friend’s birthday, my dizzy head and aching feet brought me back to reality. I had run a crazy long distance, and it really did take it out of me!
Still, though, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment (Facebook-status-worthy accomplishment, even). Double-digits, and for the first time I have real confidence that 13.1 miles is within reach. Yay!
On a much less happy note, after a few days’ experiment walking on her own this week, Lindsey’s pain came back, and Dr. Dad ordered her back on crutches to continue resting her injured IT band.
This whole twist in our training story has been an incredible test of poor Lindsey’s patience, and a lesson for both of us that life doesn’t always work out the way you plan it. The last thing I would have imagined when Lindsey first drug me to the information session for this event was that I would end up running it alone, while Lindsey cheered from the sidelines on crutches. No fun!
It is amazing, though, how sometimes the timing of things seems strangely appropriate. Within this period of frustration for us, I have been reminded several times of the real reason for our efforts. A friend from school lost her mother to leukemia just a few weeks ago, and within a few days after receiving that news, I learned of another young person here in our community who has just been diagnosed with leukemia. About one week later, I opened the morning newspaper, to find a story about a child in Atlanta who died of the very same disease. It was a harsh reminder of all the work still to be done in the fight against blood cancers.
In light of these sobering events, I have come to feel even more strongly about the cause I am running to support. Ultimately, whatever happens to us over the course of this training experience will be inconsequential, when compared to the incredible accomplishment of raising $5000 to help move toward a cure for blood cancers… and if Lindsey ends up postponing her running to another event, later down the road, I hope we can all see it as one more opportunity to stand up and make a statement about the importance of funding research about diseases like leukemia and lymphoma.
Thank you one more time to those of you who have helped us in this effort. I know we say it a lot, but you really have no idea how much it means to us to scroll through our list of donors, and see all your names there. I find myself truly overwhelmed by your generosity and support.
For those who haven’t had a chance to contribute yet, it’s not too late! Visit our website. It’s super easy to do, and really means a lot to us, and to all the people whose lives your donation will someday touch.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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