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| Taking a break for a quick photo before hitting Heartbreak hill during Saturday's training run with Steve and Elaine |
Fundraising Update
I like to start with a fundraising update because this is why I am logging the many miles. I run to honor my friend Matt’s nephew Josh and so many others who I have come to learn of their stories and in support Dana Farber’s ultimate goal of a world without cancer. As of today, $9,447.45 has been posted to my fundraising page. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This is $545 more than when I did my last blog post three weeks ago and this is only $552.55 away from my initial goal of $10,000. My hope is to hit $10,000 within the next week or so and then in the spirit of pushing capacity raise it once again. Last year we raised $15,585 and if the truth be told, I would like to at least hit $13,100. In all honesty, this has been a tough season on all fronts and I have not been as good this year at sending out fundraising letters and reminders. So stay tuned, I will be sending out more requests in the upcoming weeks. I do believe we can keep pushing. After all, a world without cancer is only possible if we continue to work to make it happen. Research requires money. It is that simple.
Embrace the Flaw
Embrace the flaw. These are three simple words and yet are so hard for many of us to do. This training season has given me many opportunities to practice these three simple words through action. The idea that perfection is found in imperfection is a concept that I appreciate, but when challenged to walk the talk, it is not always so easy. I am getting better at it. This is not just a challenge in training for a marathon; it is a challenge for me in my everyday life. Like the weather in New England, life is often filled with uncertainty and as much as we try to anticipate and plan for the unexpected, reality reminds us that we are not always in control even if we think we are or want to be with all of our might. Even when we do all we can to prepare, sometimes life throws us the unexpected. We are sometimes quick to say “this is unfair” and we find ourselves stuck or we accept that the conditions are not always on our terms and struggle with the challenges of the unexpected by embracing the flaw. We learn to see that perfection actually exists in the midst of imperfection.
When you run for the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge Team you have the added reminder and perspective that most challenges we face in training and in our day-to-day lives pales in comparison to the many challenges cancer patients and their families face who on a daily basis experience just how unfair life can be. They do not need the reminder. They live it every day. This perspective has really helped me to embrace the flaw this season. Perhaps it is because so many of us are running to honor those who lost their battle and for the many patients and their families who continue to fight that makes even the most imperfect days seem perfect. You see, we have the day and that is a blessing in itself. I have found that recognizing the powerful purpose of our efforts makes having to figure out how to get in your long runs after 8-10 inches of snow has fallen, having to deal with fighting the flu and being sick, pulling muscles, experiencing fatigue or any other challenges that we face, are just part of the journey.
This training season has been anything but perfect. This winter brought the challenge of snow fall on many weekends which made outdoor running in New England more than challenging. However, we adjusted. We embraced the flaw and found our way to treadmills. Like many of my teammates, I also had bronchitis and the flu which has made the idea of a perfect feel good run a distant memory or a dream. However, we adjust. We learn to listen to our bodies and balance the need to rest and to get back at logging the miles even when we may not feel up to it. We accept that most runs are not perfect. Sometimes adjusting the expectation of a perfect run actually makes room for the imperfect run to feel “as good as it gets” and that is enough to have the run end with a smile because in spite of the challenges, the miles were logged. I also started a new job that on many days demands more hours than there are in the day. I have accepted the fact that there will be days that I do not get the runs that I should and that I have not done as much as I would like to for fundraising. I have done what I can and this is ok. For me, embracing the flaw is learning to see what is accomplished in spite of the challenges and the unexpected rather than focusing on what may not have been achieved because things didn't go exactly as planned.
This past week I logged an 18 mile run with my DFMC teammates on the Boston Marathon course. While many of us talked about the realities of this season’s challenges and how this is testing our confidence, the excitement that we all feel when we come together coupled with the encouragement we feel from our many supporters is what makes the impossible seem possible. In a months time we will be lining up in Hopkinton to make the 26.2 mile trek to Boston. Running for a world without cancer makes one strong in spirit, even when the conditions are less than ideal. We embrace the flaw and then put one foot in front of the other and mile by mile dollar by dollar we move towards our goal. The idea of a perfect run or ideal training season is more about perspective than reality. I am once again reminded of the words of Pat Summit. “It is what it is, but it will be what you make it.” Cancer is ruthless disease that knows no bounds. It is what it is. However, as we log our miles and raise funds even when it is imperfect, we are holding on to the hope that the world one day will be “what we make it”- a world without cancer.
If you have not had a chance to make a donation, I would ask that you consider doing so. If we want a world without cancer, we have to be willing to do what we can to make that happen. Every donation makes a difference. If it is $5, $50 or $500, it all adds together to fund innovative research that is driven by a desire to make a world without cancer a reality. Research requires funds, it is that simple.
With gratitude,
Kerry D
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