I haven’t been nearly as active on this blog in the last
year as I had hoped to.
Two pretty big race reports are long overdue, Boston
Marathon and my first ½ Ironman triathlon, both significant events in my
limited athletic portfolio, but in spite of their impact and the amazing people
I completed them with and received support from leading up to, at and post
events, I just haven’t felt moved to write.
This week, I've been thinking a lot about the upcoming
Winterman event. Last year a couple of
friends and I ran the marathon as a relay team with my friend Isabelle, it was
her first race back after receiving her cancer diagnosis, it was also as it
turned out, her last race.
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| Coming in on the first lap, love the smile Isa |
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| Crossing the Finish line of the 2014 Winterman Marathon |
On September 19, a little over six months later, Isabelle
left us. To quote Stuart Scott in his
ESPY speech (if you haven’t seen this video, I HIGHLY recommend you watch it!)
"When you die, that does not mean you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and in the manner in which you live. So live, live, fight like hell. And when you get too tired, [lie] down, rest and let someone else fight for you.”
"When you die, that does not mean you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and in the manner in which you live. So live, live, fight like hell. And when you get too tired, [lie] down, rest and let someone else fight for you.”
This quote so accurately reflects the way Isabelle lived her
life from the moment she shared her cancer diagnosis with me, that I when I
heard it I was convinced he was speaking about her! If you read any of the posts or exchanges
between Isabelle and I on facebook during her fight, you will know that she
fought hard, stayed positive and was so incredibly strong and courageous
throughout the battle, always keeping her sense of humour and always hanging
onto the hope that she’d return to health and to her love of running.
Isabelle and I shared our love of running and a passion for
the mission of Imerman Angels.
In our last conversation, just two days before she passed
away, Isabelle sounded very tired, but she insisted she was going to beat this
disease, return to run and raise funds for Imerman Angels and become a mentor
for them.
This weekend, I’ll be running the Winterman Marathon as a
relay once again with friends, many of whom got the chance to meet Isabelle,
and we’ll pick up the baton, run and continue to fight for Isabelle to that she
can rest (or run) in peace!
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| The gang post-race, Isa was smiling pretty much all weekend |
I miss you dearly my friend, but my heart will be filled
with joy on Sunday as I run that route in your memory and reflect how it brought you joy and comfort as well!
