My husband is generally very encouraging of even my wildest schemes. When I announced to him that I would be attempting my second 5K for the Avera Race Against Breast Cancer, he didn’t even bat an eye. But he did raise an eyebrow and ask, “Run?”
You see, I’m what you would call a “bench warmer”. I’m one of those people who has less than zero athletic ability. So, it is an understatement to say that I’m not an outstanding runner. I get winded just thinking about running. When I run, I grit my teeth and try to ignore the protests that my uncoordinated body makes. (My body would rather be parked on the sofa stuffing itself with Little Debbie Snack Cakes than learning first-hand what oxygen deprivation means.)
So you may wonder why a bench warmer would even contemplate running a 5K, even if it is for a good cause.
I’m running because being a bench warmer taught me many life lessons at a young age: how to fight for something that I want, that I can’t have everything I want, that life is not always fair, and to make do with what life gave me. It also taught me thankfulness for what I have.
I am running in the Avera Race Against Breast Cancer because I am thankful for having the ability to run; something that I came surprisingly close to losing. In 1995 when I was 19, I found a lump during a monthly self-exam. Like most college students, I ignored it for a while. I was busy and it really couldn’t mean anything serious. When I finally called the doctor’s office, the nurse assured me that I was too young for breast cancer but that I should come in for a checkup for my piece of mind. My doctor bustled into the room and again assured me that at 19, I was too young for breast cancer. But, her assurances became fainter as she studied the lump. She finally said that I should see a specialist but again, not to worry; I was just too young for cancer.
The following week at the appointment with the specialist, he bustled in with the same assurances. I was just too young for cancer. Again his assurances became fainter as he proceeded through the exam. Each test he performed came back with positive results. He finally decided that I should undergo a biopsy within the next 48 hours. At that point, no one stated that I was too young for cancer.
I was lucky. During the biopsy they were able to determine that it was a benign tumor. The surgery was fairly minor, so I went back to work the next day.
I am running in the AveraRace because I am thankful and lucky that I can run, if not all that well. I am also running in hopes that my daughter, Alanna, will not have to worry about breast cancer because there is a cure. I don’t want her to even have to go through the tests that I endured.
Thank you for visiting my Avera Race Against Breast Cancer Extra Mile page. I will be participating in the race on Saturday, May 8. Please join me in the fight against breast cancer by supporting my participation in the race. Go to http://www.averafoundation.org/netcommunity/running-on-empty.
Thank you for your support!
