Hiatus, sort of

So my buddy Claudia twisted my arm (not really) into signing up for this race in Golden Gate Park on Super Bowl Sunday. I just thought it would help motivate me to keep getting out there to run over the holidays. Well, it worked a little, but not much. So I'm lagging. But I did manage to eek out a slow 11 miles today when I was only planning to go 8, so I feel a little better. I know I can do it, but I don't think speed will be a big factor with this one.

Recently, I've been giving all the fundraising stuff a bit of a break for a couple of reasons. First, everyone pulled out all the stops in helping little old itty-bitty Cure JM achieve the impossible - a first-place, $250,000 finish in the Pepsi Refresh project for August. (Go on, click the link... I still like to just look at it every now and then). Second, our boy Lucien has needed a lot of our attention over the past few months. (Sometimes I feel like a pendulum of urgent needs is perpetually swinging, back and forth, back and forth... first one child, then the other. Then back again.) Lately, it's been all about Lucien.

But my commitment to Cure JM hasn't wavered, not one whit. Thanks to this organization, there is now a pretty tight community of JM families, and the terrible stories of suffering continue. They make my heart ache. They remind me that, as bad as our experience has been, it could have been so much worse. And let's be frank - it still might be, because (as we know) there is no cure, only remission - and always the threat of recurrence.

I still think of these kids each and every time I run. They are still the reason I run. I'm committed for the long haul and won't stop doing everything possible to defeat this rotten disease. So enjoy the break, because soon I'll be a-knocking on your door, asking for the green stuff once again!