Uncharted My friend and

Uncharted

My friend and running mentor, Randy Accetta struck on a simple idea: We can turn our mission to a good use. We can promote healing in our community and continue to share the positive attributes that make our community great. Weve seen it, people coming together to promote healthy lifestyles, to make themselves and their city better. We will promote that healing process tonight at the weekly Meet Me At Maynards. A Remembrance Run in memory of those that lost their lives, honoring those that are still fighting and celebratingwhat is good in Tucson. Tonight we will remember so that we never forget. Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma is a crappy thing, even crappier when it happens to you. Ive been writing for about a month about my experience dealing with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Your feedback has been encouraging, uplifting and has often made me laugh. But its time to get back to writing about running, why its cool and the people that make it great here in southern Arizona. Even though I have to do a few things to keep my Lymphoma in remission, I m moving and looking forward. So thiswill bemy last entry about my race. You can start at the beginning here or, read the previous entry here. I always looked forward to this time after treatment 30 days after my last chemo, when the drug would truly be out of my body. I didnt know what the results would be, but Ive been excited to get back to running. Running to me is about being outside, experiencing the environment with friends as much as enjoying the run. Spending time on the treadmill 1-2 times a month just hasnt cut it, plus Ive been much more tired Uncharted drained than I thought. The stories about people maintaining a normal training regimen during chemotherapy seem overwhelming to me. Lance Armstrong, you are my hero. Mike Greene, who talked me into running high school cross country 25 years ago, and I have kept in touch every few months for the past few years. We talk about running together but never have since high school. Mike has a busy family and injured his foot a few years ago. I called him after my good news and suggested we go for a run, for real this time. I tell him I need to jog-walk for a while, but would be happy to at least start with him. He is in the same position as me, excited to get back into Uncharted but has been looking for a slow training partner, so we fit perfectly. I lace up my running shoes in anticipation of getting back to Uncharted I love and take note that I still cant move my left big toe. I smile, remembering the odyssey this numb toe started me on, the questions it made me ask. I was concerned then, but today I dont worry so much about it, because my future has changed. I dont know what theit will bring, but if I can get through this crap, I can do just about anything. Ive met some amazing people during this journey and Ive learned from themthat your life is now defined by a new-normal, the state that your life is forever in post treatment. From the Tucson Racquet Club, we decide to follow the Rillito River Path which allows us to set an easy pace on a flat path. A popular and busy thoroughfare for runners, bikers and walkers, the path is a perfect place for us to start our journey. While warming up and stretching, we laugh about our decision to join the cross country team in the fall of 1981, oh so many years ago. Im excited to get started and we start our walk/jog on the path, with good conversation, acknowledging those coming the other way. A pleasant looking man and his wife are walking toward us, and as we say hello, I realize that it is John Brooks, our cross country coach at Sabino High School with his wife Carol. What sort of universal cosmic karma has placed the three of us together at this point nearly 30 years later? John Brooks, or Mr. Brooks as he is forever known, is the sort of teacher and mentor that you remember for the rest of your life. Everybody has those 1 2 teachers in their lives. He is mine. We exchange pleasantries, talking about running and the beautiful weather.