Getting back on the wagon

I fell off the training wagon during the busy holiday season. The long days at the store with few (if any) days off doesn't inspire me to come home and run a couple of miles. So I gave myself permission to take the holiday season off to focus on the busy season, and now I'm back on a training schedule to take me through to October 8th.

The first week back was harder than I expected, largely because I normally run later in the day, and I'm trying to change my routine to do my runs first thing in the morning. I am not a morning person at all. In an ideal world, my day would start around noon, if not later, and would end in the wee hours of the morning. So getting up at 6:30 to run has been a challenge to say the least. But I'm doing it. Not only because I'm too stubborn to not see this through, but because this race has taken on an even more important focus for me.

I got a call early Friday that my mother had been admitted into a hospital back at home for some severe health issues. Without getting too deep into the weeds about her medical history, after many tests and doctor consults, we have a preliminary diagnosis that her cancer is back. Actually, the lymphoma has not returned, but it's common for Non-Hodgkins patients to develop a secondary cancer, and that's what has happened here. The new cancer is pretty aggressive, and while her initial treatment for the NHL wasn't easy, this will be considerably more challenging for her given her overall health condition, existing conditions, and the aggressive nature of this new cancer.

With that in mind, it's time for my first (of many) fundraising appeals for my marathon charity, The American Cancer Society. The ACS does a lot for cancer patients and their families, including giving rides to and from treatments, providing a wide variety of support information and assistance to patients and families, providing funding for cancer research, and so much more. If you would like to support my fundraising, please visit my fundraising page and give what you can. Any amount helps, and even as little as giving up your latte or lunch out for a day can make a difference. My fundraising page will be up until 2 weeks prior to the race so there is plenty of time to donate, but why not start the year off right by making a donation to help those who fight this horrible disease.