I am not a runner

The first thing that should be clear to anyone reading this blog is that I am not a runner. In 1998 I ran the Pritchard 5K to support my student staff at Virginia Tech. I had not run an organized race before then and haven't run one since. For a short while after moving to L.A. I ran along the beach with a couple friends, but that didn't last too long. I repeat. I am not a runner.

But when my friend, Jen, presented me with the "wacky idea"to run in the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas 1/2 Marathon to benefit Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, I knew I had to run.

The idea came at the right time.

My wife Melissa lived with ulcerative colitis (UC) for 28 years until she died on her 36th birthday -- September 29, 2010. Eleven months earlier she had been diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma (cancer of the bile ducts), a rare complication of UC. Years of disease progression may have lead to Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis that might have lead to the cancer. I say "may" because these things are hard to diagnose retrospectively.

Jen's email came about eight months after Melissa passed away and a couple weeks after my doctor told me that I had slightly elevated cholesterol levels - and I mean slightly. He even told me that it was nothing to worry about. But shortly after Melissa was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma I read a book that really opened my eyes about the role that diet, stress, and exercise play in promoting or inhibiting cancer growth.  Anti-Cancer: A new way of life changed the way I eat. I now eat very little red meat and saturated fats; dramatically decreased the amount of sugar I eat; and began looking for natural anti-inflammatory foods to add to my diet. I thought I was doing a good job. Hearing that I had elevated cholesterol lead me to one conclussion -- I'm not getting enough exercise. That and I'm probably carrying more stress than I'm used to.

Training to run a 1/2 marathon made sense to me. I need to get more exercise. And running for CCFA in memory of Melissa would allow me to direct some of my energy toward something good and meaningful.

I didn't wait too long to accept the challenge. I committed to running the race.

In future posts I'll write about my initial missteps as I began to run again (did I mention I'm not a runner?) and my training to get me to Las Vegas on December 4, 2011.