Six Months to Go Until Los Angeles

It’s hard to believe that the Los Angeles Marathon is a little less than six months away. Oh how the time has flown by. When I started this blog in June, the most I could run was 3 miles. My legs were weak, my stamina non-existent, and my confidence was shaky. Fast forward to today; I’m running 10 mile races, stamina has improved, and my confidence is increasing every week. Training for a marathon is like the race itself --- long stretches requiring patience and perseverance. Last Monday during my weekly workout with Anne the personal trainer and physical therapist extraordinaire, I realized just how much progress I’ve made --- my 800 meter times were dramatically faster than even a few weeks ago and I felt refreshed rather than totally exhausted. Clearly I’m making progress.

While the training has gone well and progress is evident, it hasn’t been easy, not by a long stretch. I’ve had moments of impatience where I’ve wanted to run longer and faster, but my body wouldn’t respond. I’ve had moments of frustration where I finished races in times far slower than in the past. And I’ve had moments of doubt where I’ve wondered whether I’d bitten off more than I could chew by trying to run a marathon. Through it all, I’ve had incredible support from you --- my family, friends, and colleagues. You’ve let me vent my frustrations and provided the encouragement I need to persevere and keep going. Without your support, there is no way in the world I could make this comeback.

Most gratifying, however, is the outpouring of support I’ve received with my fundraising efforts to support pancreatic cancer research. My goal when I started this journey was to raise $2,000. To date, contributions have totaled $2,795, most of which came within the first month of the fundraising campaign. Wow! I am grateful and appreciative beyond words. This kind of generosity and kindness is a rarity in today’s world. Thank you for you contributions, generosity and support of such a worthy cause.