18 miles down, 6 weeks to go and a purpose at last….

It’s been a little while since I’ve blogged and I’m sorry for the lapse.

But, hey, like Melanie Griffith, I’ve been a working gal. Two weeks down and about 30 more years until I retire!

I’m actually super happy with my job as Events and Marketing Partnerships Coordinator for Healthworks Fitness Centers for Women.  (www.healthworksfitness.com) Repeat that six times! I spend my days working on partnerships, figuring out how we can be part of events and benefits and connecting with strategic  products, restaurants, businesses, etc.

I get to work on  swank-eee Newbury Street, a stone’s throw from H&M, 98 million salons and my favorite cornbread. Life is pretty good right now.

So, onto running. I bet you think I am going to write ANOTHER post about how much I hate running, how I am over the marathon, how I am counting the 42 days until April 19 has come and gone, blah blah blah.

Nope. I actually have POSITIVE stuff to say today.

I ran 18 miles yesterday. And I actually liked it!

I will attribute the strength and (relative) speed of my run (way slower than in years past but way faster than the past few training runs of this season) to a few things. During the past week, I’ve gotten a few kicks in the ass from various people and somehow the words are starting to sink in. Mind over matter. I knew I have the muscle memory to run this race but I started to to reset my thinking and make a few mental shifts in how I was approaching Marathon Monday.

Then, on March 2, came the real kick. I got this email from my dear friend and running buddy Gail:

I had a very sad day.  You know Jillana, the young teacher for whom I ran my marathon last year?  She just died today.  I can’t believe it.  She was right around your age, with her whole life ahead of her.  She ran the New York marathon in 2008, just a few weeks before she was diagnosed with brain cancer.  What a tragedy.
 
Do you have somebody in particular that you are running for in Boston?  I would like someone to run for Jillana, with some kind of sign on their singlet or arm.  I would be happy to give you another donation if you could do this, and if you could send a short note to Jillana’s family to say that Bob and I made a contribution to Dana-Farber in her memory, that you will run to honor her memory, and that her name will go with you through all 26.2 miles of the marathon.  Would you be comfortable with that?

I read the email just before bed and again in the morning before I replied. I thought. Would I be comfortable with that? (As my Grandma would say in her thick Polish accent, Vhhhhat a question!) How could I not do this, for Gail, for Jillana, for me?

I wrote back:

WOW. i am sooo soooo sorry to hear this. it is hard to believe and process that someone so young could be gone. i remember reading her blog last year, that really makes us stop and breathe and put everything in perspective. i am so sorry. how are the kids taking it? did you tell them? when is the funeral? will you go?

it would be my honor and pleasure to run for jillana, god i am starting to cry as i write this. my 10th marathon is not about me in a million ways and now it can have a purpose. no additional donation is necessary and i would be happy to write a note to her family and mail it — please pass on their names and the address and i can do it this weekend.

we can talk about what to put on my singlet or or my arm — or i can attach ribbons for her or whatever you think is best.

again, i am so sorry.

And Gail wrote:

Thank you.  You have made me cry.  But thank you.

And I wrote:

you made me cry. and thank you for giving me some focus for 4/19. i will dig deep on sat for 18-20 miles.

I am a woman of my words. I put everything aside and I ran the 18 miles strong on Saturday for Jillana. For someone who can no longer run. While I am writing life is pretty good right now, a family is mourning the loss of another 33-year-old. How is that fair? I can’t stop thinking about this.

I mailed a note on Friday to Jillana’s family in New York and told them she will be with me on April 19. I don’t expect a response. I just wanted them to know that I am doing this for her, for them. That I’ve taken for granted my ability to run, my legs that work, my lungs that pump.

As I breathed in the almost-spring air and took in the amazing country scenery on Saturday, I put my head down and I ran my heart out.

*** To date, I have raised $5376.27 for Dana-Farber — more than halfway to my goal of $10,000. If you haven’t donated, there’s still plenty of time. Check out my fundraising page at www.runDFMC.org/2010/judithf. Thanks a million times over for your support!