How appropriate I write this on my birthday - and no, it isnt' a significant one (one that moves me into a new age group). However, age has everything to do with why I run.
I'll never forget the look on Oakley's face or the words he spoke as I walked in the door. "Pack your suitcase - your brother called - your dad had a massive heart attack and isn't expected to live through the night." How could this be? He was only 62! Oh, it wasn't completely unexpected. Heart disease runs in our family, and the calls had come before. First my uncle, then my grandfather - both stricken by fatal heart attacks at fairly young ages. Then the call four years prior when my dad suffered his first heart attack, although mild, it served as a wake-up call.
The eight hour drive to Colorado allowed trime for reflection. My first race was a 10K, and no, I hadn't ran as far as six miles prior to that day. I went to the start line with one goal - to finish. Then I amended the goal to finish without walking. Before the starting gun I had amended the goal to finish without walking in under an hour. Lofty goal. Well, I did it in 54 minutes. I was really pumped as I drove home. It was only natural I wanted to share my new-found success with my dad, so I called him. His first question was regarding the mechanical condition of my car, "You ran six miles when your car is fully functional?" Ah, a typical Dad response. But he was proud of my accomplishments and followed my running successes throughout the final 11 years of his life. And I know he was with me as I ran my first marathon. I "talked" to him throughout the run and received strength from him.
I never shared with Dad the heart murmur they detected during my first pregnancy. And he wasn't around when the doctor detected a change and sent me for an echocardiogram. And the results from that warranted a trek to a Cardiologist. The results really have nothing to do with our family history of heart disease, and the fact that I am a lower risk because I am female doesn't matter much either. Ultimately, I run because the risk factor still exists.�
Granted, running justifies those other increased risk factors in my life: Diet - what good is a long run without the "Harrier treats" at the end? Stress - I don't spread myself too thin by taking on additional committees, board commitments, or special activities as long as I still have time for a run. The run allows the stress to vanish through the bottom of my feet. Plus running provided me an additional social life - just what subject haven't we discussed on those long runs?
So running really is my end-all, cure-all. And ultimately I don't plan for my girls to receive that dreaded phone call anytime soon!