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| From 365 |
Team Diabetes Bluenose 5k: Race day
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(Click for Part 1)
Sunday morning was upon us. I have not been training due to my chronic pain. B has not been training because she’s simply a really busy kid. I’m confident we’ll be fine, we have no time goals, we’re just going to have fun.
Auntie Dana arrives in time to head out for the races with us. She, Ian & Payten will volunteer with Team Diabetes at the final aid station at the finish line, handing out water to the finishers. After pee breaks we make our way to the start and watch the ~1000 marathoners start. It’s truly a remarkable site, all of those runners in one place. Next up are the half marathoners, then we make our way to the Team Diabetes gathering spot, get a pre-race photo taken and wait for our turn.
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| From Family 2011 |
The 5K is truly a fun event to participate in. There are runners & walkers, and while waiting for the start there are photo-ops, including with the race mascot Myles. A pre-race warm-up with something like 1500 runners/walkers all attempting to follow an impromptu aerobic routine certainly got everyone into the spirit of things.
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| From Family 2011 |
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| From Family 2011 |
Breanna was nervous about the race, but she did fantastic. She ran a pretty steady pace most of the course, with only a few breaks to walk or stretch out a tight muscle. She and another Team D participant played tag for the duration of the 5K, whenever one passed the other, leap-frogging along. With just enough challenge to make it feel like a personal accomplishment, we were so happy to have been a part of the Bluenose on behalf of Team Diabetes and my sister. The icing on the cake was having Dana there with Ian & Payten to congratulate us at the finish line!
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| From Family 2011 |
Running for a cause with one of my most precious
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It’s amazing what one can bring themselves to do when it involves a cause one believes in passionately. I have run for Team Diabetes twice before. My involvement was prompted by my sister’s late-in-life (relatively speaking) Type 1 diagnosis. She was 30, her sugars 31. Within two months she began having seizures. It’s been a very difficult battle, with many, many new health complications. All of which interact and effect the other. I signed on with Team D when I was at a complete loss to support her while living on the opposite side of this vast country.
Last year my ten-year-old told me upon finishing that she wanted to run for Team D herself next time. Next time, was this past weekend. Much of the fundraising I was able to do simply by setting up our donation pages and posting frequent details about the event, motivation of our participation, and how to pledge. Everyone expressed their support for her extraordinary drive. Breanna took her pledge sheet door-to-door all by herself and collected donations from the neighbors that she knows. I was proud of her for being willing to step outside her comfort zone and do that all by herself.
Then we were invited to share our story and our “why”, the story behind our support for the cause. We spoke briefly at the pre-race pasta dinner, and as scared as B was, she overcame her nerves and shared a few details about four people she knows who have their own battles with the disease, most importantly her auntie. I probably rambled for too long. I did not prepare notes as it felt like it would be more impressionable if it came directly from the heart. I had to compose myself a few times, but I managed to keep it together and share some of the biggest challenges Dana faces, as well as my desire for people to know how much impact Diabetes can have on a life. So many people have no idea what it can look like.
This was a really great lead up to the race and helped both of us to feel more connected to the larger movement.
(Click for Part 2)
