Why Grandma’s? And, Running.
Of course.
I swore I’d never do it again. No need to tax your body that much. No need to take that much time out of your
life to train. Half-marathons. Now that’s where it’s at!! Long enough to
really be a challenge but short enough to not consume your life and wreak havoc
on your body.
I’ve done two full marathons in my life.
The first was Chicago in 1999. Trained for it while planning
my wedding, getting married, and honeymooning. Ran it all wrong, finished in
4:47 and then didn’t run again for ten years.
I ran a 10k in 2010 and was surprised how fast I did it, was all set to
do some more 10k’s (the other perfect distance), and then BOOM. Pow. “You have cancer.” This was shortly (3-weeks “shortly”) after
Boom. Pow. You’re divorced. Blech.
After finding out I had non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on the summer
solstice in 2010, the first thing I said (after hyperventilating because I thought
I was going to die at 41 and leave two boys, six and three, motherless) was, “Damn
it, if I survive this, I’m going to have to run another marathon.” Because I knew of the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society (LLS) and Team in Training (TNT).
Sure enough…Summer 2011, I started training for the full
marathon in Savannah, GA with TNT.
Raising money for an organization that most certainly had significant
impact on the success of my cancer treatment. In the midst of my training two things
happened. First, my grandpa died exactly
92 years after he was born-of lymphoma.
His memorial contributions were directed to the LLS, via me and
TNT. No going back now! I had to, had
to, had to, finish this race. Even if,
and this is the second thing that happened, a month later I was diagnosed with
early stage breast cancer, underwent two lumpectomies one week apart, and 6 ½ weeks
of radiation. I had my last radiation on
a Thursday morning and then got on a plane to Savannah that afternoon. I finished the race in 4:50. Twenty minutes
slower than my goal. I hated every step
from mile 15 to the end. Pain in my
knees, my hip, and cursing for 11 miles.
Sometimes I can’t even believe I finished it. I was swearing for 11
miles that I would never, ever run a full marathon again.
But I AM running another full marathon. Less than three years after Savannah. It’s a popular race called “Grandma’s
Marathon” that takes place along Lake Superior, near Duluth, MN. This time is different though. Just one reason is that I have run several (a
lot actually) 10k’s and half marathons since Savannah. When the Grandma’s Marathon’s race director
sent an email asking for stories about why participants are running Grandma’s,
I couldn’t resist submitting mine. I
love stories. Here’s a passage I love
from a novel I read a few months ago:
“Stories
are people. I’m a story, you’re a story…your
father is a story. Our stories go in
every direction, but sometimes, if we’re lucky, our stories join into one, and
for a while,
we’re
less alone.”
From
Beautiful Ruins, by Jess Walter
But, probably the most
important reason I’m running Grandma’s this year is for my brother. The only time I have ever been in Duluth was
with him and my dad for Father’s Day 1991.
Twenty-three years ago in June, my dad, brother and I road-tripped to
Duluth from Ames, Iowa, spent the night in a hotel, and then meandered all the
way north to Ely. It was the only trip
we ever really took with my dad. He was
elated to share with us the beauty he saw in the region. The region him and my mother honeymooned in
1967. My dad, then 48, died suddenly the
next summer while I was backpacking in Europe.
After a very difficult year, my brother is
(re)learning about the significant healing power of running. The power of having a goal. And, the power of long runs with his
sister. Long, bonding runs in below zero
temperatures with ice and snow, in the pouring down rain, and in the relative
heat. Culminating in a bonding summer
vacation in a cabin by a lake.
Oh, and 26.2 miles.
