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| Photo taken after Saturday's team run in Wayland-16 miles logged |
I cannot believe that I am typing this, but once again we have hit our stretch goal! As of today, we have $13,261 posted to my fundraising site and I have sent in another $290 in checks that have not been posted to the page yet. This means that once these donations are posted, we will have raise $13,551 to support cancer research!! This is absolutely amazing and I am so incredibly grateful for the generosity of so many friends, family and co-workers. I am not sure you know how inspiring your generosity is for me. Each dollar donated is a reminder of why I am doing this. It also reminds me the power of a generous spirit in making a difference in the world in which we live. Yes, it will be incredibly exciting to run the Boston Marathon. However, it is even more exciting, knowing that collectively we are making such a strong and powerful statement that we believe in the promise of possibility and that includes a world without cancer. One step at a time, one mile at a time, and one donation at a time we will get there. Possibility’s promise is delivered when we all work together to make it happen. Thank you, thank you, and thank you! Our great fundraising success is only possible because of you! We will continue to stretch our capacity. We still have 5 weeks to go!
If you Think You Can’t Seek Inspiration and Do it Anyway
In Stopping by the Woods on a Snowing Evening, Robert Frost writes “these woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.” Although we have had very little snow this winter, I find this particular line in Frost’s poem speaks to this time in our training. It is especially significant given that we are now entering a time of longer days and more light. You see, many of us have been training for many weeks and have logged and continue to log many miles. While in the woods we are appreciative of our journey, at this time it also feels dark and deep. We are excited yet exhausted. Training has become more of a chore than a choice. We are resilient yet our bodies crave recovery. We are almost there, yet we have promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep. So we balance meeting the demands of training while also keeping ourselves healthy and our spirits strong.
This week I really found myself recognizing the power of inspiration in my training and quite honestly in my day-to-day living. I feel like I am one of those lucky people that experience inspiration all around me. Perhaps, I am surrounded by incredibly inspiring people or maybe we all are and I have just learned to recognize it. I think both are true. Inspiration is something that not only motivates me it sustains me in all I do. I experience inspiration when someone shares his or her personal story. I experience inspiration when I witness someone responding to the need of a stranger not because they have to but because it is just the right thing to do. I experience inspiration when I encounter a person with a generous heart. I experience inspiration when I encounter someone who talks about the problems in our world with a sense of responsibility for working towards solutions. I experience inspiration when I witness a person who may be faced with something that seems like an enormous challenge and in spite of feeling like or being told they can’t, they do it anyway.
This week I have been reminded that whether we are training for a marathon or we are engaged in our own daily challenges that we need to seek inspiration to feed our own spirits. In training and in life, we get tired. There are times that we feel like we can’t do that one extra task or run that extra mile. While there are times we need to be kind to ourselves and skip the extra task or the extra mile, most times we must find a way to do that “one more” even when we think we cannot. It is only by stretching our perceived capacity that we grow and experience the potential of our capacity. This week I did a little of both. My body was tired, so I did skip out on some of the mid-week training miles during the week. This ended up paying off because I had a great 16 mile long run on Saturday. I will share some of what inspired me this week.
Dana Farber Saturday Team Run
Prior to each of our long runs we are reminded of the important work that is being done at Dana Farber by having research impact statements read. We recognize fundraising milestones made by teammates and we also hear stories of those whose lives have been impacted by cancer. This particular week we learned of a woman who had been diagnosed with cancer. She was a runner. Very soon she learned her leg would have to be amputated. When she learned of this news she responded, “I will need to get a wheel chair because I am going to start competing in that division.” I am just paraphrasing the story, but you get the sense of her relentless spirit. Wow! How can you not feel inspired by that? Whoever, you are…I am sure I am not alone when I say knowing of your experience and story helped me run stronger yesterday so thank you!
Terry Fox-Perseverance Personified
Here is a quick 2 minute video clip of Terry Fox. If you do not know of Terry and his story, take a moment to watch it. After watching and thinking about Terry Fox and his relentless spirit, I could not helped but feel inspired to run that extra mile and to strive to raise as much money as possible to support cancer research. It is time we had a cure for this horrible disease. Jack Burke-The Power of One Family
Jack Burke is the son of a friend of mine from college, Jake Burke. Jack has neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder causing tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. In spite of all that his family has to deal with, they have been deeply committed to raising funds to support a cure for NF. Jake and his wife Elizabeth Burke (and of course Jack), are raising money for Children's Tumor Foundation with the inaugural Fore NF Golf Classic April 16. I am so inspired by all that this family is doing to make a difference. As I am running the Boston Marathon in hopes of a cure for cancer, they will be hosting a Golf Tournament in Atlanta
Joan Benoit-Just Do It!
The last source of inspiration I will share from this week is a short video clip of Joan Benoit. One of my friends from Rugby posted it on facebook this week and it was just want I needed to see. Thank you Sara Flemming! It is a Nike ad from the early 80’s. This ad is on 30 seconds and is definitely worth a quick look. I think it is a great example of that moment when we look at something and think “I don’t know” but in this ad, Joan reminds us to “just do it.”
This week I have learned, or at least was reminded that when I think I cannot, I must seek inspiration. Inspiration is everywhere. I just need to recognize it, internalize it, actualize it and do it anyway.
With Gratitude,
Kerry D
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