First and foremost a brief progress on the half marathon training. EndorphinGirl^™ ran for over an hour plus a few minutes clocking 5 plus miles on Sunday. She was coached by her college offspring who is on spring break . . .well it’s more like winter break for the next week. This running took place on the track by the River. The @asics rocked! There was zero metatarsalgia on this run compared with running on the treadmill.  She thinks running on the treadmill is more pounding. And running on the track is more effective and easier on the legs and attached appendages. Or perhaps it was the good coach training.



EndorphinGirl^™ understands now that upon becoming a ‘real’ runner you become more attuned to all the running paraphernalia and related stuff out there. Case in point. Since she has been home on winter/spring break EndorphinGirl™’s daughter (i.e., EndorphinDaughter) has exposed her to three, yes three, running movies. Not only exposed her to them, they’ve watched all three together. Each running movie in and of itself is inspiring and motivating and touching and more. This blog is briefly going to share a brief of these movies. EndorphinGirl^™ supposes if you are a runner you may already know of these films. If not, or runner or not, you may find them as interesting or inspiring as EndorphinGirl^™ has.

Spirit of the Marathon. This movie follows several runners in
training for the 2005 Chicago Marathon.  Each has their own personal story as to what they want to achieve and why. Aside from the inspiring journey each character embarks upon, EndorphinGirl^™ found herself developing an affinity for a city she really knows nothing about. Chicago. Even more interesting, as she watched the characters train, some hitting milestones early on, others having to postpone the marathon due to injury, she became more and more mesmerized with running a marathon. In fact she found herself saying her next marathon (correction half marathon) might be Chicago.  Scratch that, hold on, what was she saying, she hasn’t even gotten through the Long Branch half. The movie, yes it was that contagious.

Run For Your Life. This movie is about the evolution of the New York City Marathon and how it came about under the reign of Fred Lebow.  Who knew?  While EndorphinGirl^™ was well aware of the impact Fred LeBow had on the New York City Marathon, she never entirely realized he was the New York City Marathon.  His early life is briefly chronicled as an immigrant who fled turmoil in Romania as a child to be raised
by an older brother eventually meeting his parents and family again in Brooklyn as a grown up. He was driven and determined to make a difference and he did. 

The first New York City Marathon was in 1970 and it was just that a small New York City affair.  Less than 200 runners ran laps around Central Park, with less than 100 spectators. By 1976 it became a five-borough marathon and the runners ran through each of the boroughs. Year-in and year-out after 1970 the number of runners grew exponentially.  Since 1970, the only time the marathon was cancelled was in 2012 because of Hurricane Storm Sandy.  Today there are over 45,000 Marathon finishers.

During his reign of the New York City Marathon under the sponsorship of the Road Runners’ Club over a 20-year period, Fred LeBow managed the event making sure every detail was covered.  During all those years he never ran the marathon;
that is until after becoming ill in his late 50’s with brain cancer.  After treatment and an intermittent remission at the age of 60 he finally ran the marathon step-in-step with Greta Weitz.  Greta is the first women to break the women’s marathon record back in 1979 and to win the race 9 times thereafter.  The film is also worth a watch.

Into the Wind. Wow, what a story this is. It is about a young Canadian boy who in 1980 while in high school was diagnosed with bone cancer.  His name is Terry Fox.  Terry learns he has cancer following a visit to his doctor because he had an excruciating knee pain.  This situation is in stark similarity to an experience EndorphinGirl^™ had 8 years later in 1988 when a young girl with the word angel in her name visited a doctor because of the exact pain, with the exact outcome.  More on the angel in a minute.

Terry’s story was pure inspiration. Terry lost his leg to cancer  shortly after being diagnosed.  While in the hospital he made the decision to raise money for pediatric cancer.  He wanted to raise money for cancer research to make any difference he could in the lives of children suffering from this awful disease. Terry’s mission was to run, on one leg, across Canada collecting donations.  The movie chronicles his run.  As he runs through different provinces, he inspires, is embraced by communities and raises money for cancer awareness and research.  The  longer the run continues the more public attention he attracts and more money he raises for his cause. Terry ran for 143 days, more than 5,373 miles as an amputee, before he had to stop as the cancer had spread throughout his lungs. 



While his journey and eventually shortly after his life ended, his inspiration carried on.  His Marathon for Hope Foundation has continued for over 30 years raising over 500 million Canadian dollars!

The young girl with angel in her name also was an inspiration,
and also lost her leg and finally succumbed to cancer as well. While this blog is multi-topic today, one topic being inspiration - inspiration, that she was, that angel!  While she may not have run across Canada, she gained her own fan base during her short life.  She inspired many in other ways.  Her determination to keep fighting after so many obstacles, not the least of losing a leg at 13, has made a difference.  Her fight for life instilled in her friends and family members, especially EndorphinGirl^™ the idea even when you feel you may have nothing left - whatever the situation big or small - to keep on going, keep on moving, and to keep on giving!  It matters.  The angel will certainly be with EndorphinGirl^™ on marathon day. 

Running is really so much more than running.  It is often used as a vehicle to make a difference through a charity run for instance, and it is also used as something to push yourself to be your personal best.  Whatever that best may be.  It's personal, it's individual.  And at the same time if you can find that balance to be smart about it, in your training, in your planning, in your life, that's cool!

*

*

*

Today's image is EndorphinGirl^™ rockin' a run.  While EndorphinGirl^™s daughter is on break she continues to be this week's artist. 

Until next time keep on endorphin’

EndorphinGirl^™



^{[countdown 60 days]}