Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Thinking back...

Sorry I skipped a week but here I am. My last two weekend runs consisted of one 10 mile run and then a long run that was half steady and the other half consisted of sprints which my coach Jack (Boston winner) would be very proud of me for. His training plan is to get me to my goal so I am following it closely...most of the time. ;) Notice I'm not mentioning the snow flurries I ran in last Saturday!

I'm going to veer of course from running for a bit to tackle the events of last week in our world. I'm not one to talk politics or bash our leaders because really I don't know enough about any of them to do that but what I can say regardless of who does what and who hurts who I am saddened mostly because of the lack of value of human life. My dad put this into perspective for me tonight when he said it's hard to be at the other side of your life knowing that your daughter and most importantly my grandson (the new apple of his eye) will be left in a world where people seem to be disposable. He then went on to rant which if any of you know my dad personally I'm sure you know what he was saying. We don't see eye to eye on a lot of things but he has a valid point here. What he did go on saying is that everyone should just be sure to help others. So I challenge all of you reading this to make a difference in the lives of others whether it be signing up for a walk to help an organization, volunteering at an event, paying it forward at a coffee shop, shoveling a driveway, donating blood or platelets, whatever you can think of...do something for others. If anything you will have made a difference in someone's life.

I couldn't watch the news this week because the look in the eyes of the little bit that I saw of worry and fear and shock brought back terrible reminders of the 2013 marathon. There is a pit that you get in your stomach for that moment when you don't know if your family is okay as well as friends that were in front of you running or near the finish line. It's a moment I will never forget and one I hope to never be apart of again. It's not something I talk about. I often think about the lives of so many people in the world that live with that fear every single day. I can honestly say that mile 25.8 of the 2013 marathon will be etched in my mind forever. Every year since the 2013 marathon when I start to train my mind starts to wander back there but on the other side of that the celebration of the 2014 marathon is where my heart goes now. That finish will be one I will never forget.

Then there is last year. Being able to see Cailtin's dad, my family, and Nolan's family at mile 25 was amazing. It is all of these moments that get me fired up for another season. It's hard to believe that this will be my 17th year. It's hard to believe because of so many people who have been a part of a cancer story have supported me and have helped me raise over $100,000 since I started almost two decades ago. I can't be anymore grateful and blessed than I am for this. I am attending my first group run of the season with my DFMC team in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to see my "family" because that is what they are for myself and my own family. My parents, Chris, Owen, and I are so lucky to have an extended family of 500 people on a journey for one common goal. Last year our team raised over 5 million dollars! Thank you all for being a part of this.
Run on...

I leave you with this photo which is one of the many I have from the 2014 marathon but one that I treasure. It captures the love on the face of the many volunteers who came to the finish line that year to celebrate the spirit of Boston. I don't know who this man was but when he gave me my medal and most importantly a sincere hug with tears in his eyes I knew that it was just as important for him as it was for me. That medal then went on to Nolan at Boston Children's Hospital so it was in very good hands!

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