Phew, I did it.
After coming out of the closet, so-to-speak, about my recent foray into running, I took my running shoes to the streets of Salmon Arm on Sunday for the Terry Fox Run.
I started to run, somewhat clandestinely in the early morning or under cover of darkness, mostly because I didn’t want other people to see how slow I might be going or the look of anguish upon my furrowed brow as I huffed and puffed up just about any hill.
My mantra became, “It doesn’t matter how fast you are going, you are still beating everyone who is sitting on the couch.”
This past week I was feeling a bit discouraged because I caught the first of the back-to-school viruses from my children, and was feeling pretty congested and wondered what I had gotten myself into. Then, funnily enough, I was watching TV and saw a clip of Terry Fox dipping his foot in the Atlantic and felt somewhat sheepish when thinking of comparing my nasal congestion to his determination to run miles through constant pain to help fund cancer research.
“I just wish people would realize that anything’s possible if you try; dreams are made possible if you try,” Terry Fox said.
And once I arrived at Blackburn Park, there was another person to admire. Howard Overend has run all 33 Terry Fox runs, ever since the start of the Marathon of Hope in 1980. But what is truly remarkable was to see Howard out in his shorts and Tilley Hat, ready to run this year – at age 94. No, that was not a misprint. Truly, Howard embodies Fox’s spirit.
And then there was Zachary Watkins, the five-year-old who now joins my twins in kindergarten. He was still in diapers when he was diagnosed and endured surgery and chemotherapy. Sunday, Zach rode his bike in the 2-km and gave me a high five before the start. He’s a survivor.
It was also heartening to hear organizer Cliff Evans speak about how, when Terry began his Marathon of Hope, his chance of surviving his form of cancer was five per cent. Today, that prognosis has jumped to 85 per cent. It is advances in cancer care, which have come from years of study and clinical trials, that have made the difference. But research doesn’t come cheap – and it is the support of average citizens, all of whom, I think it is safe to say, have been touched in some way by this terrible disease, that has helped make that difference.
While running four kilometers has not exactly been a lifelong dream, it was something I didn’t believe I could do – until I tried. It feels good to know that my efforts, along with others across the country, generated funds to support the continuation of Terry’s dream. Not only did I jog the course to the finish, but I also managed to surpass my fundraising goal. I know it will be money well spent.
Thank you to those who supported my personal fundraising drive and to all those in the Shuswap who donated to the cause. An initial count shows $6,100 was raised locally.
Hope to see you there next September.
