I’ve always felt that I was pretty damn lucky. My cancer experience was a blip in my life. With catching it early and having positive people in my life supporting me, it was an episode that only lasted five months. Hodgkins Lymphoma is a well research cancer, so the treatment protocols are well known, and there’s a high success rate. But there are many other types of cancers out there that still have no cure.
So, in November, I decided to commit myself to running with Team in Training, which trains me to run a marathon, while raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. While LLS is dedicated to blood cancer research, I do this in dedication to my friends and family members affected by cancer, as I believe that any cancer research can cross any boundaries. I keep the following people in my heart during my training…
- Michele Arora
- Reshma Arora
- Venkat Meka
- Lakhpat Pujara
I am also doing this for myself. Noone knows what could have caused my cancer. So, my goal is to live a much healthier, more natural lifestyle. Running will help me achieve that goal. I hope to be a lot more fit at the end of this, lose about 10-20 pounds from my midsection, and do something that I can sustain afterwards.
Marathon training at this time of year in Colorado is quite different than when I trained in 2006 in the Bay Area. Not only do I have to contend with the altitude, weather can be an issue. The first long run I did was on the Highline Canal Trail on an early Saturday morning in December. It also happened to have been during a cold spell. It was in the single digits and it was snowy. Someone posted a video of the team in action that day. Since then, I’ve also been running in the evening when it was dark and just as cold and snowy.
Yes, I’m crazy. I definitely feel like a true Coloradan now.
I’ve committed to raising $3800 by April 24th. It seems like it’s a lot, especially with this economy. I don’t like asking people for money, as they may also donate to other worthy causes, including some of the fundraisers that I’ve already done prior to this. But, in all, $3800 is a drop in the bucket to what is needed to help those affected by cancer. So, I’m hoping that people will be as supportive as they’ve been in the past.
For those who want to donate, you can go to my team in training page. I’ll be writing about my experiences here on this blog during this time so you can make sure that I’m doing what I said I was doing.
Thanks to everyone for their support!