While I'm away this week, I have asked some of my closest bloggy friends to write some guest posts. This helps me do a couple of things - fill some space on my blog AND introduce you all to some of my favorite people in this world.
Today, my very first guest blogger is Anna - the whole reason I started running. She is an amazing woman and has been a wonderful and supportive friend to me for the last 9 years.
Follow Anna: Blog | Twitter | Pinterest
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How Running Healed Me
by Anna Turner, www.annasantidotes.com
My adventures in running started to heal me
long before I ever got sick at least in the physical illness. Running has
always been a gift that I have held close to my heart and tried to share with
others.The benefits, the peace and the
running community are amazing.
I started to run in March of 2000 and my
very first race was the Forzani’s Mother’s Day Race. I raced with my daughter
and a colleague and we were both hooked and have had many running adventures. I
did not own a digital camera, so there are no selfies. Just a great memory of an
endorphin rush and a rose.
I had run four marathons and was seeking my fifth - this was in 2008 - and I was busy training for the Vegas full with my daughter Vanessa and my best-est
running friend April , when I was feeling really
super tired. Not going to lie - I wondered if I was just getting too old for
this running game. Perhaps my body’s way
of saying drop the distance and then you will recover your energy. That was the hope though, in my heart of
hearts, I knew it was something bigger.
I started the search for a diagnosis and
dropped to the half distance.I then
found that the half distance left me exhausted as well, so I thought "I will
walk". All of this just left me exhausted and so sad. A week before leaving with
my running gang and our entourage I had a biopsy done and was awaiting the
results.Bottom line: I didn’t have the
energy even to pull off a reasonable 10km walk. The hardest thing for a runner is to cheer on other runners when you want to
run. There were many tears and unspoken fears that Sunday morning.
I came home and found out I was in Stage 4
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and then I started the cycles of navigating a new and
very scary world.I started chemotherapy treatment in January 2009 - every three weeks. This went on for the next 27 months
in different and various time windows.
I missed running. I missed the way it left
me feeling complete. I was missing my companionship that I had with my
running community.
So, at my third
treatment - with tears in my eyes - I asked please (I actually think I may have
begged) for the go ahead to let me resume running. I am guessing not the first
question my oncologist was expecting. My husband supported me as long as I
wouldn’t run alone. I have kept my word.
Here are some of my amazing
supportive friends who helped me heal.
Enter in the couch to 5km app and the
support of April by my side. I worked super hard at this and I was slow, but by
August I was ready to a 10km race in Edmonton with April and Cori (well, actually, Cori left me in her dust). You can see in the photo below of the three
of us.. I was the only one exhausted. I was super proud to cross the finish
line.
April and I followed the Teamin Training group to San Fran to the half. This was Cori’s first Team in Training race and Vanessa’s second. I did
finish - super slow but pleased to cross and get a second Tiffany’s necklace. (I
had a chemo treatment the Monday before the race.)
A celebration like you could
imagine occurred literally and very spiritually for me.
I then decided to earn some fundraising
money to help others with blood cancers so I trained to do the Goofy with some
of the most amazing people in the world. (I did this 10 months after completing
my treatments)I ran some,I walked some, I cried some, and I laughed and
continued to smile for an entire weekend.
I am blessed with the love and support of so many.
I wonder how running healed you? … was it from a broken heart, bereavement,
illness or does it just complete you…