My Friend

So you know HOW I started running (remember the five pavement squares?) but what you do not know is why I kept it going. Back five years ago when I first started putting one foot in front of the other in a slightly quickened pace I was looking for running advice. I started to think of myself as this great athlete OFF the road while on the road I was still struggling to go further than a mile. Like everything else in my life that I start, I wanted to know everything about running. I went to the running store but I was overwhelmed by the amount of choices. They had running clothes for every weather condition, sneakers in every color, size, shape and running type. They had water bottles you wear around your waist, which at the time I wondered why you would need that. I was fine drinking after my run of one whole mile and would not want to have to strap that thing on and carry it with me. For goodness sakes, some days I felt like ripping off an arm and leaving it at the side of the road so I did not have to carry its weight, never mind add more. They had a bunch of gadgets that told you how fast you were going, how far and would even yell at you to keep up your pace. I decided to run for the door when I saw they even had running socks; why would you need special socks that cost more than a pedicure!

Stumbling out into the streets dazed and confused about what I needed other than my desire to run, I went home. Next, I did what everyone in America does when they need information. I turned to the internet. That was like the running store times 10 million. Something else came up in my Google search too: running stories. Some were great inspirations, but others were scarier than a sci-fi horror. Talk of shin splints without proper running shoes, pulled muscles, twisted ankles and even toe nails that fall off! Gee I like my toe nails right where they are thank you. Finally, I e-mailed a friend in Florida who I grew up with and was a marathon runner and tri-athlete. I knew she would have the answers, and did she ever. She was so sweet and gave me all sorts of advice on attire, as well as training. She encouraged me to go a little further and push a little harder. She told me that I could do it and she did so in a way that never made me feel like I was only doing a mile or two. She always took every milestone I hit as a great achievement. She also told me about her struggle with breast cancer. At 29, she had been diagnosed with the disease and was going through chemo and radiation. She was not able to run marathons at that time but she was still running 5 and 10Ks. She wore a sign on her back that read “3.1 miles and 5 treatments to go.” She lost her hair, she got physically ill and yet she kept running.

All I could think about was if she can do it I have no excuses. If my friend can go through all of this and still run, I have no reason in the world that I could not get my healthy body to do the same. So I signed up for my first 5K and I trained and trained. I wanted to give up many times but then I thought of her. I completed that first 5K with pride and exhaustion and I e-mailed her that day to tell her. She was so happy for me and so proud. For the next couple of years we stayed in touch through e-mail as she encouraged me in my running and I in her remission.

Until the cancer came back. At the age of 32, my friend lost her battle to the horrible disease. She was a fighter, there was no doubt about that, but the enemy was just too great. One of the last e-mails she sent me right before she died was to keep going and never give up. To push harder when you feel like giving in, and to always remember she would be there watching. Last year I ran a half marathon, and even though I trained for it the best I could and used all my inner strength to stay upright most of the time, it was my friend who got me to the end. Her words, her encouragement and her spirit pushed me. And even though I had to run that race for me, I did it with her.