Do you run? I do and I love it, most days!! People ask me why I run. “Is someone chasing you?”Why I run is clear some days, not so much others but this past Saturday December 3rd it was more clear than it has ever been. I ran the St Jude 1/2 Marathon!

Now for those of you that have completed that race, you’ll get this. Those of you that haven’t, well, you’ll just have to trust me. At the start line my running buddy Phil, aka Flash, ask me if I thought I would run again next year There were so many people, so much excitement I said YES of course!! He laughed and said, “Ok we’ll talk again at the finish line.”

Now, we, Phil and I, train together. We run a pace of between 9 and 10 minute miles. I’d say we are a little faster than average. Saturday we were above average. We ran the first 5 miles between 8 and 8:30! The adrenalin is unbelievable!! The energy does not compare to anything that I have ever been a part! There were people everywhere cheering! They were cheering for people they knew, people they didn’t know, they were just cheering! It was awesome and never ending. Phil had told me that after we ran through the campus the number of people cheering would thin out. Not this year! I was never alone on the course, not for one second.

But let me back up, you have to hear about the campus, the St. Jude Campus, that is. Another person could not have fit on the street through which we ran. It was packed. The fans were crazy. They were sure to be exhausted when all the racers had come through. It was wild. The thing that hit Phil and I the most was the first little girl we saw when we entered the campus. This adorable little girl in the cutest hat was sitting in her wheelchair holding a sign that said ‘Go Mommy’! That was it! At that moment I knew why I was running. You know her mommy is probably sleep deprived, worried, confused, very sad and everything else that must come along with a terminally ill child and SHE was running!! How could I not run? How could I not give it my all and finish as strong as I possibly could?! I’m sure everyone that ran has a story. That’s mine and will forever be the reason that I run the St. Jude Half Marathon.

BTW, I finished in 2 hours and 3 minutes, 5 minutes behind Flash!! Next year I will finish in under 2!