26.2: The Reprise

It's exactly five months until I run my second marathon, the Kiawah Island Marathon in my home state of South Carolina. I was supposed to run this event last year, but got the flu the week before the race, so instead, I stood on the sidelines, cheering for over four hours as my friends in purple ran step after step, mile after mile, all in the hopes of finding a cure.

I ran my first marathon in March here in Atlanta. It was a really humbling experience, and I struggled with nerves, asthma and extreme nausea. But as I wrote then:

I made it to the finish line. Why? Not just sheer stubbornness, but because of the color I was wearing, because of the logo on my shirt, because of a cause I represent much larger than myself. I'd never been prouder to be a part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program than I was yesterday. Because five hours of a little physical pain is NOTHING compared to what cancer patients and their families go through day in and day out, without the medals or ceremony or fanfare. You don't get a t-shirt for dealing with chemo. Or a medal for being a survivor. For them, the finish line is a moving target, uncertain and fleeting.

Why am I racing again? Because the fight isn't over. I joined TNT about three years ago, after my good friend Sarah was diagnosed with lymphoma. She is now cancer free, but another friend, Rob, is just beginning his fight. And since I can't take his chemo for him, or hold his hand or explain to his two children why their daddy is sick, I'm going to keep running. It's the only thing I know how to do. And this, time, I'll have my husband, Tim, by my side--wearing purple for the very first time!

Why? Because we can. Since I've been a part of TNT, your donations have helped me personally raise over $10,000 for the cause, and the teams I've participated in have raised in the hundreds of thousands. Please keep those gifts coming. Even gifts of $5 and $10 make a huge difference in the lives of my friend Rob, his family and others fighting leukemia, lymphoma and other blood cancers.

You can follow my training on Daily Mile, Facebook, Twitter and my blog. Please keep Rob and his family in your prayers. See you in Kiawah on December 11!