Celebrating Seven Years in Style!

Exactly seven years ago today, a doctor told me that I had a large mass in the middle of my chest. This turned out to be Hodgkin lymphoma.

Yesterday, the very last day of the seventh year since receiving that news, I celebrated good health while at the same time giving back to others by participating in the Country Music Half-Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee. This was my fourth event for Team in Training since 2005, and it felt great to be able to do this once again. It was also my first half marathon after three marathons.

We had a great team from Virginia, including many teammates that we met for the first time from other parts of the state . They were a wonderful group of young people.

I am so proud of my mentees who were there, two of them first time marathoners and the third doing her third TNT event. More importantly, they have raised a ton of money for the mission of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

It was a very hot day, reaching a high of 87. While I was out there, it probably only reached the low 80's but in the sun you felt like you were in an oven. Dozens of participants were taken to hospitals and at least one tragically collapsed and died at the finish. That was so sad to hear.

My time of just over 2:44 was slower than I had hoped for but in the heat it was important to slow one's pace a bit and just finish and survive. So for my first half-marathon, and also running this much in a race longer than a 10K for the first time, I am happy with it. I ran most of the first half but by the last 6 miles could only muster about half running and half walking.

Mostly I am just so grateful to be on God's green earth seven years after getting that grim medical news, and to be healthy enough to do something like this again.

Over the coming week or so I will post more details and lots of photos from the trip.