Remember

What am I?

I am a runner. I enjoy running because it has led to so many positive changes in my life. Anyone can run, anywhere and at anytime – you don’t have to be an athlete, look or feel a certain way to run. You can run alone, with friends or with a training group. Running is one of the most primal activities we experience as human beings. You just run. Running has not only helped me to get physically healthy and take care of myself, but helped me to regain self-confidence that I had previously lost. Through running, I have learned to respect myself and my body for what it is.

Why do I run?

I run to remember my Mom. My mother was my biggest fan – in everything I did, but especially in running. She always believed in me, even when I did not believe in myself. My mom was many things – kind, caring, comforting, beautiful, smart, a great cheerleader, a Disney fanatic, a great cook – inlcuding a runner. I am learning to live my life without her one day at a time and miss the runs we shared together. Sometimes when I am running, I feel that she is still there right beside me and it comforts my heart to remember her in that way.

I run to raise awareness of the dangers of blood clots and to remember the 1 out of 3 people who did not survivie it’s occurance. Running is as much about giving back to others as it is about improving myself. If I can help just one person avoid the devestating pain and effects of a blood clot, then I will keep running! I didn’t know the symptoms and am lucky to be here to run today, I want to make sure other people don’t have the same thing happen to them.