Originally Published on October 14, 2013
Hello my little butternut squashes!
I am fresh off my weekend in Chicago cheering on my dear friend, Lindsay and her boyfriend, Will, at the marathon. They looked and felt strong -- and finished hand in hand with the biggest smiles! What a stunning day with absolutely perfect weather!
It had been awhile since I had been to Chicago. I had visited just once outside of the freezing winter and a work environment, so I was ready to frolic around. The city has such beauty and elegance – layered with some magic. Meg and I experienced that magic as we ran our 18 miler along Lake Michigan this morning. <photo attached of the “runrise”!>
Last year I wrote a few times about Lindsay -- and how she and another dear friend, Michelle, inspired me to begin my running journey. When I was first diagnosed, Lindsay and Michelle were searching for ways to support me and cope with the news. They found the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training, fundraised and trained for 6 months and ultimately ran the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco. Neither of them had run a long-distance race before but it was an endeavor they were excited to undertake. Since then, Lindsay has run with our very own Fred’s Team for MSKCC in the Boston Marathon and with Achilles in the NYC Marathon. Yesterday marked Lindsay’s 4th marathon!
As we celebrated post-race with Chicago deep-dish pizza in hand, I looked around the room and realized Lindsay had single handedly inspired 5 of us to run marathons: her father, me, Meg, Will and Will’s close buddy, Sean. And that was just who was in the room. It’s so interesting to me when people say, “Me? I’m just one person - I can’t make a difference in the world.” Because I actually believe it’s quite the opposite. The ones who believe they can make those positive changes actually turn them into a reality. Those are the people who actually can and do make a difference. Since Lindsay decided to run 5 years ago, she has served as a role model to many, including myself. Running has changed my life and provided me with so much more than I could possibly ever explain. So, here’s to you, Lindsay – for changing people’s lives for the better and making this world a better place. Thank you.
http://mskcc.convio.net/goto/laurchichi
High fives,
Lauren (Chi)