So I begin the pilot post of this blog with a heavy heart and a story that is close to me right now. It starts with explaining to you who my sister, Tara McPheron, really is. Tara is the glue that holds the McPheron family together. She is the best friend you always want by your side and is there when it matters most. Whenever you are sick or hurt she is the first to call and to send a card. She constantly shows her love for others and you could not ask for a better person. Tara, like many of you reading this, is a runner. She was not always a runner but has found it to be a passion of hers over the past few years. Lately she has been getting really into it and decided she would begin training for her first Half Marathon (Pittsburgh) in May with her boyfriend, Keith.
Tara required surgery on her ankle recently so she could hopefully run pain free. The surgery seemed to go well enough until a few days ago, when blood clots were discovered in her legs. She was taken to the doctors and put on blood thinners and bed rest for the rest of 2011. She will more than likely not be able to run for several months now as opposed to a few weeks off. Blood clots are scary as they can lead to life-threatening issues but Tara’s spirit is untouchable and we refuse to believe the clots won’t disappear in the near future.
Her spirit is the spirit that every runner should strive to develop in their running and their life. I know that she will come out of this even stronger and as Mumford and Sons says “find strength in pain”. She has the Winston Churchill attitude of “never give in, never give in”. The situation reminds me that running truly is a privilege. Running is not a have-to sport, it is a get-to sport. On your runs this week, run for those who can’t right now, those who never have, and those who never will get a chance to. I have two challenges for you this week. The first is to be thankful for each of your runs and tell yourself everyday that you “get to” run, not that you “have to” run today. Embrace it. It truly is a beautiful gift. The second is if you are fortunate enough to have someone like Tara in your life, tell them thank you and that you appreciate all they do, they deserve it.
Also if you have a few spare moments after reading this, please send your prayers, good, will, good vibes, positive energy or whatever it is you may believe in Tara’s way. If you have a moment to send her a quick get well message or wall post to lift her spirits at Tara’s Facebook, it would surely brighten her day.
Always in Stride,
Jack
Song of the Week: The Cave – Mumford and Sons
Quote of the Week – “Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in”. – Winston Churchill
YouTube Video of the Week - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPDKMmmIuqY
Great post. Very inspiring! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for the kind comments! Looking forward to hearing more of your feedback on future posts:)
It’s easy to forget “get to” and think “have to”. I wish your sister a full and speedy recovery. I have also had a dvt and am running without problems these days! Xx
So happy to hear that your running is problem free these days! It’s always such a privilege to be able to do so. Its events like these that make you appreciate it just that much more. Thanks for the kind words!
I love this. Sending my prayers to you and your family.
Thank you so much, it means a lot to us! Appreciate the read and the feedback as well:)
Great story and really puts things into perspective.
Really looking forward to more posts!
Going to be turning out new posts every week! Be sure to check back. Will also be adding to the other pages periodically so as to provide a great source for all types of motivation!
I normally bike eight miles to work, but I run soemitmes when I’m having a busy week and having trouble fitting my runs in. I work odd hours as a dog trainer/adoption counselor at an animal shelter, and whether I run home or not depends on what time it is. If it’s dark out, my wife comes and picks me up in the car. She insists it’s for safety reasons, and I pretend to roll my eyes, but we both know that by 9 p.m. I’m glad to get a lift.We lived in San Francisco until this summer, and moved to the East Bay specifically so that I could bike/run to work. Before that, I was spending $200 a month and close to three hours a day commuting. (Talk about no time for running!)Alameda’s the Island City, and more than half my route to work is on a bike path right on the beach, with an awesome view of the San Francisco skyline. I run across a bridge, along a second section of the bay, and before I know it, I’m in Oakland and am almost there. The scenery is definitely the best part of my commute.The most challenging part is the traffic in Oakland. About a month ago, I was biking in to work and got hit by an SUV. I was ok, but the bike was trashed. It’d be reassuring if I could say I was doing something wrong, and that bikers/runners can stay safe by watching traffic and following the rules of the road, but the truth is that I couldn’t have been playing more by the rules. At least I got a new bike out of it.There’s so much freedom when you start travelling on your own steam. I’m definitely in it for the long haul.
This was going to be one of my all time faves. Full of super funny shit. Then I saw #29 and it kind of ruined it. USA super-sizes way bteetr than Europe. Yeah we have more fat people and thats not cool, but at least we don’t have a super-sized debt crisis. In yo face Euros. Plus the fatter euro countries arent much skinnier than us and part or the reason we are the fattest is cause we be the the richest, bitchez. And!, it wouldn’t be very funny even if it didn’t piss me off.
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