Fall Runs Begin

I hope you are having a great October.  Mine has started a little rocky.  I lost two family members, an aunt and cousin.  Oh, and my husband has his sister in ICU and may not make it.  Seeing my mother cry and be so sad for her sister made me really think about death.  Cancer sucks!  I know that cancer kills and there is no cure.  I know that people get it, fight it, but guess what?  It always comes back and gets you anyway.  It's a horrible way to go and I've seen it too many times with my family and friends.  I often tell myself, if I ever get this horrible disease, I'm not sure I'd want to fight it.  Is that selfish?  I know what it does to your body and not sure I want to go through all that crap!  My husband is a firefighter and sees death all the time, and tells me, "You are a fighter and will fight it if you ever get it.  Do it for your boys, and do it for me."  Knowing me, I won't go out without a fight, but I rather face death another way and not see my family see me suffer like that.  I pray, I live a long, healthy life.  I pray that I'm still able to run as an old lady in her 80s.  I have faith and know that only God knows when it's your time.   I'm good with that.  I don't worry about death and I live in the moment, for tomorrow is not guaranteed.  So make sure you cherish every moment with your loved ones and tell them you love them every chance you get.

Okay, moving on to a more happy note.  Dash and I ran our first half marathon this month.  It was a race called "Pups and Pints" and people could run with their dogs.  Dash hasn't ran more than 10 miles since July because it was so hot during August here in Texas.  This was her first long race.  We stopped at every water stop and she drank when she was thirsty.  I ran at her pace the whole way.  Well, guess what?  We placed 1st overall and super excited on how well she did!

October is when it starts getting cool for fall arrives and it's my favorite time of year!  Marathon training becomes more enjoyable and love running with Dash.  She's finally able to run long distance runs again with me.  She helps me train and push me when I don't feel like running.  Long distance runs are my meditation time and brings me peace, especially during a time of grief.  I was able to go to Boston for a small getaway with my friend Stephanie and it was nice to experience the fall season there.  We met new friends and shared some laughs together.  Friendships are so important when you go through tough times in life.  I cherish my friendships and know who I can talk to during hard times.  I hope you have friends you can turn to during hard times.  Wherever you live.  Get out and enjoy cool, crisp, fall weather and work on your fitness outdoors.  Keep on running!