On Sunday I finished up the amazing 4-day, 100-mile journey that is Strides For Life. I ended up running 65 miles of it and worked aid stations for the rest of the miles. My emotions are still running high from this amazing event, and I feel like it's hard to put it all into words, so I'll start by breaking it down by day.
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| The group just before heading out on Day 1 |
Day 1:
Thursday was hot and sunny. I was actually sick with a fever the day before and had a rough night, which is why I chose to work aid stations during the 2nd and 5th legs of the day. It was so fun to see all my Strides friends together again though. Many of these people only see each other just these 4 days a year, but you would never know it. Everyone is just like family and picks up right where they left off from the year before.
Day 2:
I decided that I was going to try to run the full day and I made it! Temperatures were in the high 80's, but the frequent aid stations made it bearable. After leg 4 I decided to walk the last leg because it was a short one and I could tell I was dehydrated and overheated. I actually ended up catching a ride for the last mile because I could just tell that I was over doing it. Sure enough, I was nauseous and sick by the time I got home. I decided right then and there that I wouldn't run at all on Day 3 just so I could give myself time to recover and rehydrate.
Day 3:
Even though I felt much better, I knew I wasn't totally rehydrated, so I stuck with my plan to work the aid stations all day. I really like working the aid stations because it's fun to cheer for people, so I didn't mind it one bit! It was another scorcher with temps in the low 90's, so it was definitely a good decision to take it easy.
Day 4:
My goal was to run the full 25 miles on this final day, and I'm happy to report that I made it! The morning started off overcast and rainy, which for a group of runners that already had 75 miles in high heat under their belts, was a definite blessing! The absolute best thing about day 4 is the last little bit of the run. Everyone meets just a little way from the official finish and puts on their new Strides For Life t-shirt, has a popsicle, and then finishes the last bit of the 100 mile journey TOGETHER as one big group. It's powerful, emotional, stuff.
At the end there's also a picnic for all the runners plus their family and friends who have gathered to see them finish this epic journey. You would think that the greatest feeling flowing from the group would be relief that they made it through the 100 miles and they're done with it for the year, but something else that's actually quite remarkable happens. I can only speak for myself, but my most immediate feeling was that I was trying to hold on and savor every last second with this amazing group of people. I didn't want it to be over. Who runs 100 miles and doesn't want it to be over?!? These people. I'm not saying that everyone was ready to run another 100 miles right then and there (or even another 5!), but this group of people is truly a family. They refer to themselves as the "Strides family" in a non-nonchalant, off-hand way, but there is more meaning and conviction behind that than I could ever put into words. It reminds you what that family feeling really is- something that's hard to put into words and doesn't need to be put into words anyway. You can just feel that it's there.
This year at the picnic, a beautiful handmade quilt that was made by one of our runners was presented to another runner. The runner that received it lost his wife a little over a year ago to cancer. Every single time I think about this moment at the picnic I get choked up and tears immediately come to my eyes. His wife ran Strides with us 2 years ago- my first year participating- between her cancer treatments, so she was truly a part of the Strides family. At the time things were looking good, but a little over a year ago things took a turn for the worse. All of us had signed this quilt and when it was presented to him, the chair of Strides said, "We know it's been a tough year for you and your family, but whenever you feel like you need a hug, you can wrap this quilt around you and have a hug from your Strides family." I don't think there was a dry eye there. The pain of losing a family member- even if part of this unconventional Strides family was heavy in all of our hearts, but at the same time, we were all so glad to be able to be there for this runner and let him know that we're all here for him and we will all continue to fight back in his wife's memory and do whatever we can to change the cancer future.
I had the tough job of following up that emotional moment with a few words and I knew going into it that there was little chance that I would get through it without crying myself. Even though I've talked through my message several times before and I'd practiced it several times before, I still got emotional. To me, there's absolutely no reason
not to get emotional. My message was this: Current statistics tell us that 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women WILL BE affected by cancer at some point in their lives. To me, that means that my husband or my son will one day hear those terrible words, "you have cancer" and that thought just breaks my heart. I never want either of them to go through a cancer diagnosis. So if there is absolutely anything that can be done now to change that cancer future, it's definitely worth doing. It is because of people like these runners who participate in Strides For Life and raise money for the American Cancer Society that lives are being changed- lives are being saved. Sometimes it feels like there's so little we can do, but when we come together we are stronger than cancer ever will be. Between the funds raised and the bonds formed within this special group of people, we are sending cancer a strong message: We will not give up. We will fight back, and we
will change the cancer future.
If anyone is still interested in making a donation, please click here! We've already raised $20,000 and would love to continue adding to that total to save more lives faster.
