Fundraising Update:
Each week I do like to start with an update on fundraising. After all, raising money to support Dana Farber’s Ultimate goal- a world without cancer is why I run so many miles. Each week I continue to be filled with such gratitude for the support I have received and for the difference I know we are collectively making. Yes I am getting tired and sometimes even cranky from all the miles. However, each time I feel tired I am reminded by so many who are dealing with cancer just how important this is. So while I do not like asking people for money, this has been different because I am not just asking people for money. I am asking people to contribute to an effort that will make the world better for all. This is something that I believe we all should be doing. So, again please accept my deepest gratitude for your support. Also, I thank those who may not have been able to contribute to this effort, but who are contributing to making the world a better place in other ways. The key is that we all do what we think we can and perhaps sometimes push ourselves to stretch to do a little bit more.
As of today we have $14,361 posted to my fundraising page. However, once the checks that have been mailed in are posted we will be at $14,836. This means we will be $164 away from hitting the ultimate stretch goal of raising $15,000 to support cancer research. WOW! This is pretty amazing. While I am certainly someone who sets the bar high and works like a crazy person to reach the goals I set, this has only been possible because of the incredibly generosity of all of you. My initial goal was $5000 however it was friends, family and colleagues that very quickly showed me that the bar was not high enough. Last week I wrote about the power of community. Well, the success we have met with fundraising has only been possible because of community. Thank you for being part of a community committed to a world without cancer.
Learning to Stretch
Sometimes it is the final steps of a journey that are the most challenging. I have been pretty lucky over the last 17 weeks and have not experienced any major set backs during our training. Who would guess that after last week’s 15 mile tapering run that my hip and knee would start to bother me. Yes, that is right after getting all these miles logged my knee and hip started to hurt quite a bit. I very quickly started reading about what type of strain it could be and how I could fix it-quick. From a quick review of running websites I guessed that my ITB band was probably tight and acting up a bit. The discomfort moved from my hip down to my knee. It was nothing terrible, but it was enough to raise my level of concern. The answers I found were to stretch, ice and rest. At this point in the game I was not taking any chances. I took it really easy and did a lot of stretching. As the week went on, it really felt better. Now I have to be honest. I know stretching is important but it is not something I have ever done regularly. My muscles get really tight and to even attempt to stretch usually does not feel like I am stretching so I usually skip it.
Here is where the concept of stretching became my lesson for the week. It made sense in so many ways. First, on a very basic level the physical act of stretching is something that helps relieve our tight muscles. It is something we know we need to do, but I am sure I am not alone when I say I often skip this. It is also something that requires consistent effort. This is something that should not have been unfamiliar to me as I logged so many miles. Also, stretching is something that we improve upon in small increments. I shared that I often do not stretch because I feel as if I am not flexible. Well, we become flexible through stretching. I saw this happen this week. The first day I attempted to stretch I looked more like I was standing with a slight bend. The more time I spent and the more I stretched the farther I could reach and the better my hip and knee felt. Here is where the act of stretching moved from a physical exercise I was engaged in to a meaningful metaphor.
Stretching as a Metaphor
As I stretched a lot this week, I was reminded that “stretching” has really been what this last 17 weeks has been about. All aspects of this journey have been about stretching to reach beyond what at first seems impossible. For me, I was not sure I could run 26.2 miles. I certainly did not imagine we would raise $15,000. Yet, I wanted so badly to honor the memory of a little boy named Josh who lost his battle with cancer 2 years ago on April 16th and running with Dana Farber on the anivesary of his passing seemed like a promising way to do that. Still I was not sure this was within reach. However, one step at time, one mile, and one donation at time has brought us 10 days out from the marathon and I am so ready. A dear friend sent me a quote today as inspiration and it is very fitting here. Joan of Arc said, “I am not afraid, I was born to do this.” While I am not sure I was born to run marathons, I am certainly not afraid, I am ready and I am strong! So on marathon monday I will summons the strength of so many and Joan of Arc has been added to the list(Thank you Kathy). I have run 469 miles and together we have raised almost $15,000 to support Dana Farber’s Ultimate Goal. If that is not evidence of the power of stretching, I am not sure what is.
I would like to share a brief video that I find incredibly motivation and I think in many ways connects to the metaphor of stretching. The video is done by a motivational company and this is just a quick clip. 212 degrees is the temperature where water turns to steam. Here it represents a sort of attitude that embodies going that extra step. The brief video shows that it is often a small distance that separates those who win and those who take second place and a degree that can power steam engines. Again, I am drawing on the metaphor rather than the intensity of winning first place. The elite athletes have nothing to worry about. I start almost 40 minutes after they do. I am totally kidding. I do start at least 40 minutes after them, but even if we started at the same time they could probably run two marathons in the time it will take me to run one. However, the message in the video is to push yourself that little bit further than you think you can. Sometimes things are not so far outside your reach.
I will add complexity to the metaphor. Sometimes the metaphorical degree which separates the hot water from boiling water is the hardest degree to stretch too. While in science a degree may be an equal measurement, in training and life the space that exists between our personal milestones are not always equally measured and if the space were equal, the effort required to cover such ditance would not be. In fact, I would argue that sometimes it is the final push to a new threshold (the space that moves hot water to steam and powers engines) that requires the most effort. Here I will return to a place of gratitude for all those in my life that have supported me on this journey. It is your generosity and support that has fuelled my motivation, my fundraising and my running. In many ways you are my 212 degrees. While you may not think one donation can lead to a world without cancer, I believe it can and it will. One degree makes a difference and can power steam engines. I like to think the same of one donation. Thank you for being part of an effort to support Dana Farber’s Ultimate goal- a world without cancer. You are the difference that our world needs.
With Gratitude,
Kerry D
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