14 miles and whaddaya get?

Sore sore sore knees, thighs and calves is what I got. I can honestly say that this is the first time during my training that I felt as though someone had beat me up! I spent Saturday night icing my legs, drinking Gatorade, and pretty much being miserable...


So, I was reminded the other day of the time I volunteered at Arkansas Children's Hospital. I mainly worked in the play area. You would think that running and raising money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society would have jogged those memories, and it has, but I haven't let myself REALLY go there until recently.

It was a very fulfilling experience, but something that could often be draining. So many kids were there with many different types of illnesses. They never let us know what conditions the children had, and we weren't ever to ask. Their time in the play area was supposed to be one where they wouldn't have to think about any problems.

What I'm remembering most are the chemo patients. These little kids would come in, during their chemo treaments. They would be hooked up to the i.v.'s and machines that was pumping the live-saving chemicals into their blood. They played as if nothing was wrong, dragging the stands as far as the electrical chords would allow. Running as fast as they could, laughing and playing, acting as though they had no care in the world.

It was tough in that you got to know some of these kids, but then you never knew their outcomes. Did they go on to survive and be active, robust teenagers and adults? Did they lose the fight, even after all of the treatments and surgeries they went through?

Let me tell you, volunteering in that way is something that can be very fulfilling, and I would encourage anyone to give it a try...

So, fast foward to last Saturday. It hurt. Hurt bad. Especially the last 2-3 miles. Oh my gosh, did it hurt. It hurt all day and all night. 14 miles is a little over half the distance of a marathon. I'm not gonna lie, I had about 1 minute of doubting that I can do this. But it went away. So what if I hurt, so what if it hurt for a whole day? It's still not near what cancer patients go through. If they can take the pain to save their lives, then I can certainly take the pain it takes to run this marathon... and help raise money to find a cure.

Mandi

P.S. If you can guess where I got the title from... I'll give you a cookie!!! Here's a hint: I should have waited until the 16 miler to use that title, but it's all I could think of Saturday night...