Why Running a Marathon Will Change Your Life

Lessons learned along the trails, paths, and marathon courses:

Strength and Selflessness:
One of the lady's who I ran with little daughter had cancer. She was a cop and always seemed positive. One day while we were running she told me what her days were like when her little daughter was going through chemo-she admitted when no one was around she would just cry and cry. She would go away to a place and just be by herself because she didn't want anyone to see her down. I thought a mother, a full time worker whose occupation was stressful, and going through a parent's worst nightmare would remove herself from her loved ones because she didn't want people to feel bad for her, she didn't want the pity, but above all she didn't want her own daughter to see her cry...

I really thought that is the true selflessness of a woman and a mother but above all a female's greatest strength.

Gratitude:
Every Tuesday was 5:45 am track practice. One of the ladies was complaining about having to get up at 5 am and thats when our coach came down her and said:

"What do you mean you "hate" getting up early. Do you know that right now someone is fighting for their life, do you know that there is someone is a wheelchair that if you told him or her they were going to be able to run @ 6 am how they would just jump out of bed-so every morning you wake up, I don't care how early it is you just better be thankful you got a body that moves and air in your lungs"

The Power of Love:
One of the ladies who was diagnosed with terminal cancer came to track practice to give Team and Training a check for cancer. She came against doctor's orders. She had no hair, she had tubes coming out of her and her little son had to help her walk over. Even in the face of piling high medical bills she came to deliver us a check for our fundraising. 2 weeks later she passed away but let me tell you her legacy & spirit lives on.

The Beauty of Life:
I have ran 4 marathons now. And along the courses what you will see will touch you in away you never could imagine. You see people in race wheel chairs, people running for loved ones with a photo of them on their back, families that have signed up to run into together, little kids cheering for their parents and oh the signs they make are so cute, and the list could go on and on. And when you cross that finish line there is just something about accomplishing a feat that involved a lot of time, sacrifice, and even pain(everyone hurts the last 6 miles of the marathon). The marathon is just a reminder that all good things in life take a lot of work and may even bring on a little pain but man it always ends up to be all worth it in the end and you always walk away a little stronger.

I don't run for time. I don't run for the Boston Marathon. I run to see humanity at its best.