Skip to main content

Marine Corps Marathon

The MCM as it is so often referred holds a special place in my life.  It was my first marathon.  I did it with my sister.  I ran on a stress fracture that turned into a broken tibia or your shin bone....yes I have always been this stubborn.  And the training schedule held my life together when I was about to fall apart.  I was getting divorced.  I don't deal with emotions very well and definitely not my own.  But the training schedule and plan gave me something to do, even when all I wanted was to sit home and feel sorry for myself.  The best part was my girl friend Jennifer met me in Crystal City at about mile 21 to run the end with me.  If it wasn't for her, I know I would have given up.  But she kept me talking and going.  So the year after, I had a dear friend who had turned his life around by picking up running and was running the MCM that year.  I offered to run the last 6 with him.  So my sister and I cheered runners on until I saw him and then I hoped up and joined the race.  He was in that same miserable spot I was.  So I just kept him talking.  What was friends became great friends over next 6.2 miles.  I learned all about where his life was at, and became a shoulder for him to lean on over the next 6 months as he separated from his wife.  And then an unexpected email.  Shawn had passed.  He had taken his life while on business travel.  It shook everything I knew.  I had talked to him just the week before.  There was no indication of that level of desperation.  Id been there, I knew what to be aware of.  Or so I thought.  I questioned whether I was even paying attention to my friend.  Did I miss all the signs that he was in trouble? Someone said something to me that finally put me at ease.  There are two points in suicide 1: the cry for help and 2: nothing can stop you.  I had to let go that my friend was in a happier place.

I still think of him often.  But Im thinking of him this weekend as I will be running the end again with my dear roomie Jenn.  She has trained her little butt off.  Her parents are here.  And we will be finishing the marathon as hurricane Sandy approaches.  I have no doubt our already great friend ship will be cemented over those last 6.2 miles and am looking forward to it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Untitled

So I have thought about this for a while.  Do I actually write this post?  Do I put my dirty laundry out there for everyone? Or the handful that read my blog.  And if I do, what do I say? Do I slam those involved?  Do I take the high road?  When is a “good” time to put it out there?  A few days under my belt and there is probably no better time. So no secret, my ex-boyfriend was my coach.  That worked out mildly well while we were together but add a breakup and somehow it just doesn’t work out as smoothly.  Add a few of the worst things a person could do to another in there and disaster doesn’t even begin to describe.  But I have this eternal belief that I can make any situation work.  That I can fix things.  It’s what makes me good at my job.  I’m an eternal optimist. But it’s what causes me to not be so good at my personal life.  Even when things are clearly not good, I still think I can fix it and make it right...
1 comment
Read more

Weekly eating

The struggle is real.  Between working and them finding time to eat some thing other than takeout pizza, do my physical therapy, spend time with the baby and the husband it is seriously hard to fit it all in. Oh and sleep.  The older I get, the more sleep becomes non negotiable. We are also trying to eat with McKenna so she sees us eat and follows suit. It also allows me to give her things off my plate, which she definitely is more interested by.  This has actually been a huge struggle as our window in the evening is so limited with her, I don't want to spend it cooking and not spending time with her.  So the goal is to keep our meals simple and do as much ahead of time as possible. The downside to this is the Husband and I usually spend time chatting and relaxing during our meals as it’s always been our alone time together. But sleep. So I came up with a plan for the week and cooked the majority of our food on Sunday.  I really only made salsa because my freez...
Post a Comment
Read more

Defensive eating

I like to think I have complete control over what i eat, how much and when. It's my body, who else would have control? Over the last week, I have realized the level of influence the person you live with can affect it. I have lived for a while with someone who has no self control and thus sees a package of cookies on the counter and eats the entire thing or eats an entire 1 lbs bag of PB M&m's in one sitting. So instead of eating just one of my favorite cookie, I would eat 3 or 4. Yes I know cookies will not be gone forever but in that instant I become territorial and eat more than I normally would. It makes me wonder about the strange behaviors those in large families must have about food. Clearly our parents define a lot about the relationship we have with food but this realization brings to light a whole new level of influence on my eating. There has been a package of cookies on the counter that's been there since Monday and is still half full.
1 comment
Read more