I've stared at the cursor for what seems like an eternity trying to figure out how to encapsulate what I should say.  Jim has returned home early to San Diego to be with his family.  Unfortunately, his prognosis is not as positive as first thought.  He's decided to spend time next to his loved ones who are more than happy to welcome him home with open arms.

As Jim returns home, I pack my bags to leave.  I will keep him constantly in my thoughts as I pass over the atlantic.  I look forward to meeting him when I come home for Thanksgiving and I know every step on my marathon will be for him and anyone else struggling with cancer.

My training this year has been so much more than just for a marathon, I can't express just how much I've learned about family, friends, life, and myself, along this journey.  When you're getting close to the finish line people use the phrase "home stretch" to explain the last part of the race. At first, this stretch can seem like the most difficult, but there is something so special about those last few strides.  You'd never think you'd have it in you to make it to the end, yet somehow you find the power within to push a little faster and enjoy your path along the end of the race.  It's a special place to be in, the "home stretch", that is where your own strength and the strength of everyone around you is the most apparent, when you're almost home.

Hi All,

As I'm prepping for my big 20 mile run this weekend and the training season is winding down I'm realizing what a crazy past few months it's been.  When Angela called me the first time she got the news my heart shattered for her.  She is so close with both her parents and I knew Jim's journey ahead would be a tough one to say the least.  So when Jim needed a caregiver for a few months in Seattle, Angela packed her bags, said a temporary goodbye to Harrah (her doggie), and left her life in San Diego to be there for her dad.  As a friend she shines as an exemplary human being!  One thing I can say about Ang is she is always there to help and is always thinking of others.  I am so proud to call her a friend.  

Angela recently posted this photo to Instagram -

"This man and I have been through quite a bit together over the past few months! Our relationship has grown beyond compare and although we're here under unfortunate circumstances, I couldn't be more thankful for the bond we've cultivated. I can't believe I'm leaving a week from today but I know that my father's continued health will be a beacon of light to push us forward in the months to come."

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I am so happy to hear about Jim's progress!  I'll be keeping him in my thoughts and can't wait for him to be 100% in the clear!  I'm nervous about the 20 miles tomorrow.  I know it'll be tough, but I've got to stay strong and focused.  It's been a crazy few months but what I've taken from this experience is priceless.  The team in Santa Barbara have become a second family to me.  They are all the most kindhearted, wonderful people ever.  I'm constantly reminded how precious life is and how we can all make a small difference.  So, I'll keep running for you Jim!  Step by step, breath by breath.  <3 

It was actually a little hard for me to sleep the night before last Saturday's run.  I was nervous.  A lot of things happen to your body when you begin pushing past ten miles.  Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.  It's expected that it will, at some point, hurt.  So, yes, of course I was nervous.  

People always say that running is mostly a mental hurdle to surpass rather than a physical one and it's true......  mostly.  Your body will hurt, my right knee starts to strain, aches and pains begin to surface and as you round corners at mile 15 you realize that you just have to keep going because if you stop, you don't know how you'll find the strength to start again.  So there is a physical aspect to get over.  You have to listen to your body, listen to your breath, and know when the pain is just pain and when the pain is actually harmful.  But most of it is just pain.  Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

So, I woke up on Saturday morning after a few hours of nervous sleep and I ran.  It's weird but the first mile is almost always the hardest for me.  Once I got past that and the several hills on the course, I broke into my stride and just let myself do what I could not, run 18.1 miles and finish with a smile on my face.

Training Update #5,764 -

Looks like I needed to stop gambling with the state of my feet and start being a responsible adult (after a lot of pressure from my coach) and get me some new shoes.  During my 15 miler my feet started to hurt... badly.  Everytime I laced up it wasn't pleasant.  I couldn't understand how or why my feet, which had felt pretty comfortable all season, would feel so bad albeit I hadn't purchsed new shoes since maybe, I dunno, 2008?  Yeah.  YEAH.  For a runner this is like a cardinal sin.  Shoes should be replaced every 200 - 600 miles depending on the runner and the shoe.  Considering I trained and ran a marathon in the same shoes five years ago, plus all the hikes, runs, and workouts since.. it was time.  

I begrudginly dragged my feet (sans my old shoes) to SB Running and gave them to the sales rep who kind of looked at me funny when I handed them over. "Whoa, what are these?  Pegasus... wow, these are old." was the first thing out of his mouth.  "yeah...." I replied quietly.  He looked at the pattern of wear on the bottom, mentioned that I'm running flatly on them and recommended just upgrading to the newest addition.  He brought out the pinkest, brightest shoes I've ever seen but I think I gave Cinderalla a run for her money.  Pun intended?  Because it was like angels flew down from heaven and placed them on my feet.  They are about a pound lighter than my last pair, yes that is the scientific measurement I'm not overexaggerating at all... and are wide fit and loose enough for my stupid high arches.  So far, they've been great.  Not only great, they are so fun to wear that I find myself making up excuses TO wear them.  I've been doing more of my strength exercises at home so I haven't needed to wear shoes but I left my house to do stairs just so I could wear them out.  That, plus they are like build in reflectors, I feel like no car or person can miss me in these things.  

Besides my brand new kicks, training has been going well minus a few aches and pains.  Fundraising is going so well I raised my goal to 5,000 dollars because I'm about to surpass the 4,000 dollar mark and have a few more fundraisers left still.  I made almost 400 dollars with the charity tap at Figueroa Mountain Brew Co. and they've asked me back to help with their Figtober Fest this Saturday from Noon - 6pm so come out!

Fundraising is going well, training is going well, everything is coming up.... well, you know the rest!  15 miles down this Saturday and I sure felt it on my run.  Surprisingly, I am NOT as sore as I thought I would be, I took coach Christy's advice as kept myself moving on Saturday which included going to the beach to do the ice bucket challenge as well!  You guys rock and got me to my half way point!

As for Jim's progress, here's a great update from Angela -

"Chimera," according to Greek mythology, is a hybrid creature composed of the parts of three animals – a lion, a snake and a goat. That same word is used in the medical profession to mark the mixing of cells after a stem cell transplant, being that two different people are now comprising that person's DNA. Essentially, it's percentage marks the amount of healthy transplanted donor cells compared to the original, damaged cells of the recipient. Being that our goal here is for my Aunt's stem cells to eventually take over my dad's immune system in time, we were told that at this stage (just over 1 month post-transplant) that anything above a 50% chimera would be good news. MY DAD'S CHIMERA IS 91%. We all knew he was responding well to treatment, but the results of his bone marrow biopsy confirmed that he's grafting better than any of us could have ever anticipated. We couldn't be more happy with the results. God is good.