Well, I am starting to write this post for a second time. I accidentally deleted the original finished product which ties into my them of "suffering". Lets see what I may be able to recall.
This morning was cold. the temp outside when I checked weather.com was 15 with a wind chill of -2. I did not want to run this morning. However, I thought about a few things: 1) who I run in honor of 2) the volunteers and 3) my fellow Team In Training mates. Three very good reasons to stick with the program and suck up being cold and achy.
First, I run in honor of Jane Spellman; the sister of my best friend Tom Belinsky. She, I will remind you, was diagnosed with myeloma cancer a couple of years ago. She is married with three children. Her mom died of cancer about 5 years ago. So, things have not gone smoothly. Jane received a kidney transplant after the myeloma caused her kidneys to fail, but thankfully, she was able to stop dialysis after receiving a kidney transplant. She is why I run. I believe if she can endure her daily sufferings and treatments, I ought to be able to endure a few discomforts from running. Don't you agree.
Second, the volunteers make running with Team In Training endurable.They plan our routes, help us with exercise and nutrition tips, and prepare the planned water stops to get us through each workout safely. Today, I stopped for a refreshment at Kendall's water stop. The Gatorade was so chilled by the cold air it was like drinking a slurpee. Boy, it hit the spot. While stopped I chatted with a few other runners and discussed what type of energy items we have used, i.e. goo, jelly beans, and the like. My vote is for jelly beans. As Tony the Tiger says, 'They're great!" These volunteers like Kendall wake up early to make us comfortable. They wake up to encourage us at each water stop. They freeze and lose valuable time they could have used fr something else.
Third, the other runners. Our coach, Maureen sacrifices a lot of time for us. Doing everything from coordinating the volunteers and the route planning beside running alongside us. The mentors who support Maureen run with the groups and share ideas for raising funds to meet our personal goals. My mentor is Tim. Although he was sick, he was there. That is important. All the runners and walkers who make it out there to achieve a goal inspire me to be more than I can be.
Pulling it all together is the concept of shared suffering. The boys and girls, men and women who have been diagnosed with blood cancer all suffer everyday. They and their families hope for someone to rise up and to discover a cure. But, to find a cure takes a) awareness b) money and c) commitment. All three are indispensable. My role is to run, to raise awareness, to raise funds by fulfilling my commitment. So, you and me share in temporary suffering. We ask and you give. Our suffering is not long-lasting, its fleeting unlike those who suffer cancer; for them its long lasting. So, suffer with me. Step out of your comfort zone a join us by making a pledge on my Team In Training donation page: http://pages.teamintraining.org/cny/rnr090 and make a secure online donation.
No donation is too small and all donations are tax deductible. Your donation will be remembered by me, Jane, and her family. Your support forces me to do what is necessary to accomplish our goal. That's right. The goal is yours and mine. We can only do it together.
Thank you for reading my update. See you on the road.
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