#358: Starting the climb towards $1000 and 13.1 miles

One for the Five is going great! We're almost half-way to our $1000 goal, with 53 days to go. Here's a link, just in case you don't know the story of The Five, We were all diagnosed with cancer last spring. Four of us are gone, but I am left to continue the battle. You can join me by sponsoring my run in the Iron Horse Half-marathon, my first 13.1 mile race. Just click this link to make a contribution. You write the check, I'll run the miles.

And the miles are starting to add up. I've been averaging 15 miles a week, and that number will start climbing as the October 23rd race day approaches. Yesterday, I ran intervals for a couple of miles. One minute rest, one minute hard. Really hard. These workouts are designed to build strength and get your legs used to turning over quickly. It worked. I actually peaked at 7:00/mile. Of course, that was down-hill and only lasted a very short time. This kind of a run wears you out, and I confess, I wasn't much good in the gym yesterday. I really enjoyed the flexibility cool-down at the end of the day, though.

Sweating on Mum after the 2011 Midsummer Night's Run

I'm doing my part. So jump over to Crowdrise and pitch in. Every cancer fighter should get a chance at a night like this...

Peace,

Pennsy

#333: How Far Can I Run?

Could it be?

I made a new connection on Twitter yesterday. The name is HomeRunHalf and it is the twitter page for the Home Run Half Marathon in Louisville on October 30th. I'm tempted. I'm more than a little tempted.

I told Mrs P I was considering a long one. "You'll do it," she said, without hesitation. What a woman!

Now look. I'm a 50 year old Fat Man with a handful of 5K's under his belt, and I'm contemplating running 13.1 miles. Half a marathon. And you know what comes after that. It just seems like a little too much, you know? I mean, I'm training for my first 10K in about six weeks. Do I really want to try to run more than twice that distance four months later? I'm really tempted.

You don't just buy these...

Here's the thing about Jeff Galloway's Run/Walk/Run technique. I feel great while I'm running. I don't hurt myself. I feel great when I'm done. I can't wait for my next run. Somehow, I can't help thinking that these miles are making me a better man, though I can't really put my finger on what that means just yet.

It wasn't long ago I was blogging in celebration of the first time I ran a mile since cancer. Today, I wasn't really even warmed up until I had run a mile and a half, and I ran each of my three miles faster than the last. I could write a long time and not be able to describe how that feels. It's a feeling I like. It's a feeling I want. What would it feel like to finish a marathon? How I would love to have one of those "26.2" stickers on the bumper of my car someday.


You have to EARN them.

Is it because I want to be able to brag? Yeah, of course. I have a huge ego. You know that. I always have. I love it when people praise me. But there's more to it than that. I'm a cancer survivor. I made it through a journey that kills most of the people who have to take it. My life is a miracle. The fact that I, a person of no special skill or character can not only live through cancer, but come out the other side stronger, fitter, wiser, and kinder than I was when I went in is something I want my sick brothers and sisters to know.

It's something I want everyone to know. Don't give up on yourself! Are you sick? Are you fat? Are you addicted to drugs or booze or tobacco or porn? You can beat it. You can. You are worth so much more than any of those things. Did a lover break your heart? Did your friend die? Did a parent disapoint you?? Those things don't have to destroy you. You can live. You can love. You can create.You can run. As long as you're breathing, you have a chance to try. You've survived, too. YOUR life is also a miracle.

We can run. We can do it. We will do it.

Dammit. I'm more than tempted. I'm gonna run a half-marathon.

Gulp....

Peace,

Pennsy