Despite a nasty little virus that threatened to take me as its next victim, {having already claimed two of the kids} I ran the half marathon on Saturday. It was stunningly cold for the first hour, but the sunrise was beautiful, the turnout respectable and the cause inspiring.
The race was held at one of my favorite local spots, Schnepf Farms, and wound through the working farm. We passed bales of harvested cotton, canals filled with water and curious cattle and horses. I thought I was doing great until I reached mile 11 and realized that it wasn't the finish line. {I blame my terrible eyesight!} After that, I couldn't help but notice the rocks in my shoes and the heaviness in my legs.
My pace was terrible {which only solidifies my determination to concentrate on speed this year} but I loved the experience. London's Run is held in memory of London Solomon, who lost her battle with cancer nearly 7 years ago, and benefits local families fighting similar battles. The route was marked with flags depicting the faces of those children and their families. I have to admit, I got pretty choked up several times.
It made me think of my grandmother, who died of breast cancer when I was 4 years old. I ran in her memory, even though she wasn't a child when she had cancer.
Apparently, this was the last year for London's Run. I'm sad-- it was such a wonderful cause and an event I could totally see myself participating in annually for the next decade or so. I'll miss it. :(
Now, to work on my speed....
6 comments:
I'm always amazed that you can do these runs. Even though I consider myself sort of a glutton for physical punishment, distance running has never been easy. I think I would struggle to finish a ten k, let alone a half or full marathon (running it on a farm might help). And, forget having any empathy for a cause while doing so.
Anyway, well done, and wish you success in improving your time.
k, see ya, bye.
What an awesome run for an amazing cause - way to go! I've still never pushed myself to do more than a 5k - maybe 2012 is the year!
So happy to read that you were able to participate in this race despite what you feel was a slow pace. Such a worthy cause to highlight and support; I try not to hate but I really hate cancer. I hope you will be able to find another race to replace this one, one that will also support a good cause. You're a winner in my book Melancholy!
Good Job! I did that race too. I ran for my mom who died of cancer 7 yrs ago. It doesn't matter if you're slow or not. Alot of people wouldn't attempt a race like that.
By the way I'm girl that stopped you at the Gilbert Days race. My husband teased me for days of looking and sounding like a stalker. Oh well now you can read my blog and see if I'm a stalker or not.
Oh that makes me so happy and chocked up to see Grandma's name on there! Someday, during a family reunion, I want us to all participate in a breast cancer walk in her honour. I think that would be very emotional. And I can't believe you complain about speed, lol. I still remember the day you passed my mile and never looked back :)
Running. Oh, how I wish I could run!!! Well, run well and not like a chicken with its head cut off!!
Chandra
http://MoMoMod.com
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