Friday, September 25, 2009

running

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."
~Arthur Ashe

So I have been running. I have to say I have a new hurt in my legs, I did not think possible and my knees, well they may never be happy with me again. However, I am up to running for a minute and a half solid for a mile and a half. That is big, since I have not run since I was in high school and then it was mostly up and down the basketball courts. One would think that with all of the cycling I have been doing that my legs would be strong and have the strength needed to run without the soreness. WRONG!

Like I said, my knees hurt, I hobble now every now and then and standing out of a chair takes me a few minutes. I do not mind though and here is why. You see, I started this blog back before spring hit, as a way to tell my journey through completion of a LIVESTRONG Challenge and sharing in my experiences with cancer. Though not a survivor or someone with cancer myself, I have had a lot of experience around cancer with many friends and family. I remind myself when it gets tough that I have had friends to have difficulty getting up to go to the bathroom to get sick off their chemo or even to help feed their children. I have had friends unable to hug their children. So I may hobble from time to time, but it has to do with working to help end cancer.

I am not a good runner, I recognize that I run with friends that leave me behind as the bop off along the greenway. One friend just joined and thought I had a limp. No, I said, it is my funny little stride with my achy-not use to running knees. I walk for a minute and a half and walk for one and repeat for the set destination that day. I remind myself repeatedly, that sometimes it is not about me or the end, it is about the journey. The LIVESTRONG Challenge journey changed my life and gave me a new set of eyes. I see now more than before the different ways we get out and go do. We may not do it the same as someone else or as well as someone else, but we are doing it.

I hope you join me on this next journey! On Tuesday you will see the next phase of "More Than A Ride". I will still be working toward ending cancer and you are going to enjoy where we are going. I am goig to invite you out of the blog! In the mean time, visit http://starcitystriders.com/ to find a couple of 5K races to participate in and register. Set a goal to get you out and moving, find friends and talk to your physician about your new athletic goals. One I have joined as a walker, but will instead cheer for the participants is "The Drumstick Dash" (http://www.rescuemission.net/ddash%20info%2009.htm) which is Thanksgiving morning here in Roanoke, VA and has become a tradition in our family. It is a lot of fun! This money also goes to another great cause that I believe in, because we never know when we may need to knock on their door for services.

It is important to do what we can, to make a difference in this world.

Changing the world one revolution (of sneakers now) at a time!
-Rhonda

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