One of our Half Wits who shared this week that her niece was having brain surgery really got me thinking. The good news is that I was told the surgery came out OK as the tumor was benign.
One of the great things I have seen with our running community over the past several years is how supportive other runners are as we go through the travails of life.
Runners are great at encouraging other runners out there on the course during training runs or races, but runners are also there when life throws us a curve.
My father passed away last April 1 (I think it was his way of making us chuckle, by dying on April Fools Day!), the night before the 2005 Lincoln Memorial 1/2 Marathon. He was 79 years old, a WWII veteran, a great husband, and a father of seven kids, but he finally succumbed to a long battle with prostate cancer. Luckily, I was able to spend a lot of time with him over his last few months, something I will always cherish.
I showed up at the LM the next day and was greeted by many running friends who consoled me. Tim McCaughey (the race director) was even nice enough to have a moment of silence right before the start of the race in honor of my father, something I certainly didn't expect.
My father's visitation was in Peoria that week. People from the running club actually carpooled to drive up for his visitation. And not just a few, there were many SRRC members who went up for it. They did not know the man at all, but they all came up to support me. It was certainly awe-inspiring to see so many of my running friends show up that evening. That show of friendship is something I will never forget.
The support even continued after that. I was overwhelmed by the number of sympathy cards I received from runners. I lost count.
Many SRRC friends also contributed money that was used to purchase a tree in my father's honor which is planted in Lincoln Park. The blue spruce is just past the 5-mile mark on the Abe's Amble course, east side of the road. As I run through Lincoln Park all the time, it serves as a wonderful reminder of my dad.
That's just a little story of support that runners show each other. I am aware of so many stories like this, and it is a great thing.
All runners share a bond in our choice of excercise, and it is something that goes well beyond the physical activity of our sport.
This bond is also something that helps us all get through the training for an event like a 1/2 martahon. If we can run a 1/2 marathon, a lot of things in life just don't seem that tough!
Susan, thanks for sharing your experience and our thoughts and prayers are with your niece. Hopefully she has a long life of running in front of her!
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4 comments:
Tim is right. A few years ago when I lost my job running was the only thing that keep me sane. And my running friends were there to support me. It was great to turn 6 weeks out of work into some great training. And I went on to run my first marathon that year. Let running help you turn setbacks into personal growth.
I couldn't agree more with Tim and Wendy. As much as I love running, the greatest gift I have gotten from running is the friendships. I have been a runner for 2 1/2 years. In those 2 1/2 years, I have seen so many runners rally together to help others who were dealing with injuries, coping with death and struggling in life. As a great friend once said, "It isn't about the running. It is about setting goals. And the character that is built and the relationships that are formed along the way."
I've found running to be a new form of "therapy", in that for an hour of so, I can turn my focus inward and sort out some of the craziness in my life. But what I am finding is that the little accomplishments, from getting to the top of a hill to coming across a finish line, help to put a lot of things in perspective. I've also found in talking to others at Panera is that many of us have similar experiences to share with one another - whether they be the death or illnesses of loved ones, job and family issues, or health issues. Those barriers that would normally be up all around us come down when we share common ground - especially on an icy morning...
Why It's Worth The Effort
"If you are new to running, you may find that a distance that once seemed impossible now seems easy. If you are more experienced, you may find that your long runs and speed work are yielding tangible results.
But these changes are not the ones that are the most important. The changes that matter most are the ones going on inside, where you can’t see them. I'm not talking about the subtle increases in the strength of your heart or lungs or legs. I'm talking about the very real changes in the strength of your resolve and your spirit.
Each day that you invest in yourself, you are becoming more of what you want to be. By giving yourself permission to dream of new PRs or completing a 5K, you are making sure that there is hope in your life. Instead of looking backwards to the good old days, you are assuring yourself that the best is yet to come.
At the heart of the matter, the real changes are in how you think about yourself. By discovering your limitations and then overcoming them, you can learn to be your own hero. And that, for most of us, is the biggest change of all."
http://www.waddle-on.com/HTML/become.shtml
Wow Tim, that was well said. I also was amazed by the support of your running friends at Dads wake. I live in Naperville and am blessed to have the same support from my swimming & tri friends. The phenomal support of our athletic communities defines what family is all about. Keep on runnin!
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