Lonely Road

This morning I ran a maintenance run without Zoe for the first time.

It was pretty lonely . . . at the start anyway.

Without Zoe and her distractions, it's just me out there . . . my only company being the sound of my feet hitting the pavement and my little Gremlin yammering away.

As I've mentioned before in this blog, that Gremlin can often be nasty and hard to shut up. But as I ran along, my thoughts about how lonely I am out there began to turn around.

I started thinking about those who have helped me get where I am in this process - either financially or emotionally or both.

My family is really terrific about supporting me. My mom and dad have been to almost all of my races and contribute many dollars on my behalf. Sadly they can't be in Chicago this time, but I know they'll be thinking of me. There have been times I've had to "make-up" some miles when visiting my parents and my father has hopped on his bike and kept me company. I can't count the number of times he's figured mileage out for me in their hometown!

My siblings and their families have been terrific, too. My brother and nephew run with me at the beach, during Thanksgiving, or Christmas if we're together. And my brother and sister have been very generous donating in the past, too.

There's Absolut #2 (remember him?) - he gave me my first pair of running shoes to marathon train in 7 years ago. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the shoes (it's part of that long story) I am so grateful for those shoes! And he continues to donate money to this day.

Of course there are my friends from Galloway Group and Team Tegla. They helped me reach the finish line my first marathon and my last.

And I can't forget The Lawyer, my dear friend from Galloway Group who trained with me for all the marathons in-between the first and last. Where would I be without him?

My old Housemate helped me throw a kickin' Luau to fund raise on one of the HOTTEST days of the summer. And she cooked and decorated all day for me. AMAZING. And of course so many great friends came to that Luau and parted with their hard-earned money.

There are the women from the acting class I used to teach who continue to support me with e-mails and checks. They say I inspire them, but really they inspire me.

Ah yes, don't underestimate the power of an e-mail. I got an e-mail from an old Folger colleague not long ago who generously donated some money. After receiving a thank you note from me, she e-mailed me to THANK ME. Huh? As it turns out, both of her parents battled blood cancers - her father sadly lost his battle, but her mother beat it and is with us to this day. I got the names of her parents and made a little mantra of them I could chant as I run. It helped me today as a matter of fact.

Another friend sent me this article explaining it was why she didn't run. It made me laugh (yes, I have a sick sense of humor - and that woman MUST have been a trophy hunter in a previous life) and realize how lucky I've been with my running. Never had a collision with a deer or anything else - not even a bike on a busy trail. But I've seen a lot of deer and other wildlife along my routes.

And then there are those who keep up with this blog . . . and comment along the way. Those comments make me laugh and smile and remind me how many people are rooting for me.

And finally there are those who actually make it to the race and root in person. I've had friends surprise me along the way (I know I've written about it, but bear with me as I remind all of you and myself). There's PhD-to-be who not only showed up to cheer me on one race, but actually stepped onto the route on my command and walked with me a short way. Then there's the Acupuncturist and ER Doc (married friends of mine) who, after nearly finishing an entire race without a friendly face along the way, shout at me 100 yards from the finish line and then run me in. What a thrill. And the World Traveler stomped part way up Capitol Hill in boots to support me. Each time I'm inspired by these people.

And finally, there are the Hula Ladies who really go the distance. They went all the way to Honolulu with me . . . and cheered me on at several points in the race. Some would say it wasn't much of a sacrifice, but I disagree. It meant spending hard-earned money and vacation time to spend a day cheering for me. These are women who could go ANYWHERE with their time and money and they CHOSE to go with me.

And they are doing it AGAIN.

Yes, they are meeting me in the Windy City to once again, support me and my crazy endeavor. How blessed am I?

So, I may miss the company of my faithful canine companion, but I have the company of all of my friends and supporters (all of YOU) to boost me up. And in the end, the road isn't lonely at all.