It was a cold day in February when I was looking over that week's CARA Connection, a weekly email of happenings in the Chicago Running Community and I came across a call for volunteers for a new program coming to the area, "Cancer to 5k". The program's goal was described as being "to reintroduce cancer survivors to being active". I had been looking for a way to give back and do so in a way that was exciting to me. Sure, I could have done any number of other things, but I love running (shock!). It's given me so much. What better way than to hopefully share that love with others.
For 12 weeks, save a few conflicts, I ran with a handful of survivors, our coaches, and a few fellow "sherpas". As a sherpa, my job was simple. Show up, run, encourage, and on race day just run with one or more of the survivors. Easy peasy. Except that those 12 weeks were frigid!!! Even when the weather started to break (like last week, LOL!) it seemed like for our runs, it would be cold. Some days it was a sunny 65 at home, and then 42 and windy on the lake. Our last training run was a balmy 55, if that.
But those 12 weeks were such a wonderful experience. Anyone trying to pick up running wonders "how can this be fun?!" and thus develops that sense of "crazy" that we come to share. But our survivors? They did that after and in some cases DURING their fight with that stupid disease. They did it to prove that just because they had incredibly bad luck, they could not just survive, but THRIVE. And they did it during that crazy weather!
Through those 12 weeks, I got to know this awesome group. Sure there was some talk about cancer, but we talked about weekend plans, trips some of us were doing, super important running stuff like the sub 5 Beer Mile, anything, everything. And we talked about that which they were all chasing, the finish line to their first 5k.
Well that day was Sunday. The race was the Northwestern Cancer Survivor's Celebration Walk and 5k. Race start temp: 74 degrees and 300% humidity. Yeah, it was hot. But what happened? They all finished. Minutes apart! One survivor even said how she had ran a 5k the day before to prove to herself she could do it, and then PR'd by 7 minutes on race day. I recall back to week 1 when I ran/walked with her at something like a 5 minute walk, 30 second run and she finished with probably a 14 minute pace!
Seeing anyone progress like this, is inspiring. Seeing this group do that was beyond inspiring. Each practice was a continual reminder that we ultimately are the ones that define ourselves. When life hands us something less than desirable, we can either play a victim and use it as an excuse for why "we can't". Or we can use it do something incredible. There were at least 5 cases of "incredible" left on that race course on Sunday.
Cancer to 5k is returning Chicago this fall with goal race being the Hot Chocolate 5k on November 1. Training starts the week of August 10. If you're a survivor looking to challenge yourself, go sign up! And if you simply want to experience 12 rewarding weeks, go sign up to volunteer!
http://ulmanfund.org/cancerto5k
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