In three days time I’ll be lining up to run the Melbourne Marathon – no doubt full of nerves, excitement and a healthy amount of trepidation!
My training after the gastro, and then injury was going really well up until about three weeks ago – I got sick and my body was throwing out some weird ‘Hold on there, pull back’ warning signals.
I’ve had several ‘Do I keep going?’ moments of indecision, but even if I walk it, I’ll do it.
And here’s why – this is a picture of dad with Keira, at Christmas, when she was little. He’s wearing one of those horrible novelty seasonal ties because he was a dag like that. So is mum, in fact. That is their superpower – sourcing the kind of clothing that embarrasses their children. And we love them for it, of course. Only a few years later, a blink of an eye, really, and he was taken from us by Motor Neuron Disease.
I had no idea what it was before I took that awful phone call about the diagnosis. Now, thanks to the recent ALS Ice Bucket Challenges (MND is known as ALS in many parts of the world), many more people are aware of the disease, but even then most won’t have a clue about how debilitating it is, hard not only for the patient, but families and carers. I worry I’ll get it one day (not a healthy thing to ponder, especially considering it’s statistically unlikely, I’m sure, but I’m being honest here).
So that’s why I’m running now. That’s why I do anything I can, while I can. Because you just never know.
This post is my final request, or plea, for donations. My mother-in-law suggested that I get dunked by ice too, and I promised if I hit my target I would. And I did! Early last week! People are amazing!
This is the fundraising page again – if you’ve been meaning to donate, I would really appreciate it. Let’s see how high it can go!!!!
Another matter of housekeeping: thanks to the wonders of technology, and if you’d like to have a stickybeak (it will keep me motivated to keep running!) you are now able to track my movements via the internet on the day. Simply go to www.mapandrun.com, type in my bib number and I should come up. The site is accessible via mobile/smartphone devices as well. Bib number below.
