5/10/14 A Meaningful 5k, and a Difficult 1/2 Marathon

I ran a 5k this past Saturday called iCureMelanoma. I joined a team with a friend. Her friend, Laura, is a melanoma cancer and a breast cancer survivor! She is in the pink shirt on the right. I told her the story of Paul and Ruth and that I would be wearing my shirt with their picture on it during the run. I was willing to pose for group shots in her shirt and show solidarity for the team, but I wanted to run for Paul and Ruth. She was more than understanding, she offered me the opportunity to release the team dove in memory of my brother Paul and his wife, my sister-in-love, Ruth! As soon as she offered I started crying. I couldn't even talk in response. I was overwhelmed by her love and generosity to me, a stranger. She had just met me!! But we were bonded by this common thread, melanoma cancer. A hideous and aggressive cancer. Before the dove release ceremony she said she wanted this other gal to join us and name her Dad as well., which of course I had no problem with. Laura came up too and named her cousin that passed away, I named my brother and Ruth, and the other gal named her Dad and then I released the dove. It was a beautiful and peaceful moment. I was in tears all leading up to that moment, but at that time I didn't even shed one tear. Strangely amazing.

The 5k was even more meaningful to me than running the LA Marathon in Paul and Ruth's memory and raising over $1450 for the Melanoma Research Foundation. I find that amazing. All that hard work and toil and suffering, and this little 5k event was making more of an impact on me! I think it was seeing all the teams walking around in their matching shirts, to honor a loved one they lost, or to support a loved one that was battling melanoma cancer. At one point all the survivors got on the stage for a photo, one lady barely had any of her nose left! But there she was, alive! Fighting this horrible cancer and winning! The young man that won 2nd place in the competitive 5k was a melanoma survivor too! It was wonderful seeing him standing there, strong, vibrant and alive. He had caught the melanoma early enough and was there living a full and healthy life, encouraging others to get their skin checked regularly. Early detection is KEY with this cancer. We need to be diligent in checking our skin every six months and report anything suspicious to our doctors. Like my brother use to say, "When in doubt, cut it out!" If its suspicious just get rid of it! Don't wait! Once its in your lymph-nodes and gets to your internal organs it is like liquid death! In Ruth's case she never got a melanoma removed from her skin. It just showed up in her brain! And less than three months later she was gone... just like that!

Here is a picture of Paul and Ruth. They were both fair skinned with reddish brown hair, he had light eyes. She had lots of freckles. Those things are all factors in increasing one's risk for melanoma. But it can happen to anyone, of any color. I remember him bugging her to get some spots checked out. She seemed to not want to bother with it. I don't think she ever got any skin check ups. Unfortunately. She had the sweetest spirit about her. He was all spit and vinegar, but had the soul of a poet. They balanced each other out well. She wouldn't take any guff from him AT ALL. Which he needed. Someone to put him in his place, but love the dickens out of him anyways.  

I decided last minute to run a 1/2 marathon the day after I ran the 5k. It was the same one that was my first 1/2 and many friends of mine were running it. Actually one of my friends I run with all the time, and PR'd with at another 1/2 back in October last year, was running it. So I decided to try to run with him and repeat that experience! Well, it didn't quite work out that way. I had been sick the week before and was on antibiotics and taking essential oils and vitamins to try and kill it off before the weekend. Even though I had been doing all his long runs with him my body did not want to cooperate with me and keep up with him this time. The one in October felt effortless. This one I was struggling to keep the pace with him. I just wanted to stop. It was only mile 3 and I kept asking him if he was going to stop and walk to take his Gu. But he said, next water stop. Then that came and went and he was still running. I asked again, "Are you going to stop and Gu?" He said he would at mile 4 and then slow his pace a bit too, we were heading up a hill and he wanted to get that behind him. (A "Gu" is a energy supplement runners often use during long runs.) I told him I wasn't feeling that great and I may lose him. He said he would try to do half of the race together before we separate. But as that hill climbed and he pressed ahead I felt him slipping away. I just couldn't do it. I felt a need to stop and hydrate. I had worn my water back pack and had put my electrolyte tablets in it, since it was over 80* out that day. So, I let him go and stopped to drink.

As I pressed on I listened to my body, when it said "Stop and drink!" I did. I felt the Lord was there guiding me again, as He had done during my marathon. I decided to listen up and do what I needed to do to survive this race. I was feeling like Forest Gump, that moment in the movie where he stops running in the middle of the desert, turns around and says, "I'm going home. I am done." But I thought, "No, I need to keep going." I thought about the inspirational posts from a group of runners in the #MegsMiles Support group. Many times runners have moments where they don't want to lace up and get out the door, or they have overcome weight challenges, or they have pushed themselves and surpassed a goal. Those inspirational posts on Facebook reminded me to keep moving, to not give up.

At one point I heard a lady behind me say she was thirsty, I had a bottle of water in my pack that I was carrying for my friend. I told her she could have it. I explained my friend was ahead of me, and that I had packed it for him. She laughed and said she had some Jolly Ranchers on her if I wanted one. Her boyfriend was with her and we all joked a bit back and forth about passing out in the heat, and if I passed out I said to go ahead and grab the water and some electrolyte tablets and keep running. She said she would pop a Jolly Rancher in my mouth and keep going. Hahaha. They said they had seen me in front of them for most of the race. I had seen them a couple times too, they stood out with these cute little mini Cinco de Mayo hats on their heads. I told them about the picture I pinned on the back of my backpack, (the one that is above). I told them about Paul's perseverance through the pain and how that kept me going when I had to dig deep and get through a tough run (like that day). I also ended up sharing the verse I had above their picture. Romans 5: 3-4 says, "...suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

Well, the man ended up using my water bottle after all. We stuck together until mile 10 and I told them I was going to stop, walk for a minute, and take my Gu. They said, "See you later!" But I never caught up with them after that. Mile 10 brought another grueling incline with it, and more walking. But I pushed through the heat, the tiredness, and the desire to give up. I made it to the end. I finished in 2:32:26, my previous PR was 2:11:23. But that's okay. I was alive, I was doing something many people would never think of being able to do in their lifetime, and I made some friends along the journey and shared my story and my faith. Overall, another successful run.