· Date: Thursday July 25, 2019
· Rest Day: Buffalo, New York
“You guys are crazy,” the church member told Tyler and I as we left the church at six-thirty in the morning. He couldn’t believe we had woken up early on our rest day to go run extra miles.
It was supposed to be extremely hot and humid out today. So before going to bed last night, Tyler and I had agreed we would both wake up early to get another track workout in and use our spikes again. When we woke up, a few church community members were already at the church to start preparing breakfast and dinner for us. Tyler and I offered to help and asked if there was anything at all that we could do. But I think they were too surprised to see us awake early and getting ready to run on a day for rest.
As we ran the mile and a half route to the same track we had run on yesterday, I found it refreshing. There was nothing like waking up in the morning and allowing the gentle breeze to blow across your face and wake you up. Tyler and I probably talked about the results of some races in the Diamond League Track and Field Meets that were occurring and various running news. Running together this morning was extremely fun and I wished we could have been running partners for every day that was left of 4K.
When we got to the track, a few people were using it and it seemed as though people were gathering for lacrosse practice. Luckily, we would be done with our workout before they arrived.
We stretched, slipped on our spikes, and went immediately into the workout. Today, we tried to do a 5x1K repeat. This meant running two and a half laps around the track five times with a few minutes of rest between.
As we completed the first lap of the first 1K, I hugged Tyler’s hip and he set the pace.
“I have an out of the box pacing strategy today,” he explained excitedly.
“What… Is… It…?” I panted, already out of breath.
“We’re going to run the first two laps at a pace faster than your goal mile pace. Then we’ll sprint all out in the last half lap,” he coached me. “It’ll make you stronger in the second half of the mile and especially the last straight away.”
“Ok…,” I couldn’t concentrate on anything else besides my form. I pushed my arms back hard and lifted my knees a little extra to accommodate my spikes. I was already more used to running with them than I had been yesterday and hoped that today’s workout would go better.
Tyler was running effortlessly in front of me
At the start of the last half lap, I started sprinting full steam ahead and felt my spikes dig into the track, giving me extra traction. As I rounded the last bend, I imagined myself rocketing off the corner like a slingshot and I suddenly felt faster. It was a great time and an amazing way to start the day.
Soon though, my legs would grow tired from running on my toes with the spikes and I switched back to my normal trainers. My times in the fourth 1K repeat were much slower because of this. We ended up only doing 4x1K, figuring we were doing more than enough mileage over the next few days and would be able to complete more workouts as well. In total, we ran about five and a half miles this morning.
Although I hadn’t completed the workout we wanted, I was extremely pleased with how it had turned out. I had better control of the spikes and my times were more consistent than yesterday’s workout as well. I had also gotten the hang of Tyler’s pacing strategy and we thought that with the next workout, I could try this over a longer distance. Having Tyler as my coach, who was as passionate about the mile as I was, and much more experienced, was an incredible thing. We hoped that we could continue training together in some way when the 4K for Cancer ended.
We had breakfast with the church members who had got it together for us and I talked a lot with one of the cooks. As he made me a waffle, we talked about the town and the surrounding area. He recommended a few areas to me and then asked if I had a chance to see the Orchard Parks Summer Festival yesterday. He seemed understanding but disappointed when I explained I had gone to bed early and hadn’t explored too much yesterday.
In honesty, I didn’t want to do any exploring. I wanted to rest today. I had run every day since day thirty-one when I wasn’t feeling well in Chicago. Not only that, but I had also added in extra miles, or workouts, on five of these days. I was tired and my legs wanted a rest.
I ended up rolling out my muscles extra well today and I used Evan’s roller for about forty-five minutes. I felt amazing after and found it helped immensely to feel recovered. I used the same roller at home but didn’t have enough space to pack it in my duffle. Luckily, Evan had brought his!
As the day went on, I did Laundry, wrote some postcards, and worked on my blog. I napped a lot and talked with my family. Tyler and I got into a debate about if waffles were better than pancakes which got the two of us riled up. I insisted that the best part of a pancake was the crunchy outside, which was every part of a waffle. But Tyler was convinced the maple syrup soaked into a pancake better. It was these ridiculous conversations and debates that we passionately would have together throughout 4K.
Later today, we had another service event at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Research Center, so we ate an early dinner with our host. The church members had made an amazing meal, potluck style, that had brought in various members of their community. We sat at six-person tables and were evenly dispersed throughout the hall. I ended up eating dinner with Tyler, Jack, and two members of the church. Our conversations revolved around cancer, running, scuba diving, and our school plans. One of the ladies we were eating with was from London, which is where Jack was from. It is crazy how repeatedly throughout the trip, fate would connect the team with various people that taught us all something unique to ourselves. Jack ended up enjoying talking to this woman and they shared very similar perspectives about their time in the United States versus Europe. I found I enjoyed community dinners best when we sat dispersed like this. Otherwise, these conversations would never have happened, and we would never become connected. After this dinner, it felt like everyone was a part of Team Boston and everyone was a part of the Church.
As we arrived at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Research Center, we were directed to an outside courtyard. Here, we took part in a weekly support group that the Cancer Center offered to their cancer survivors, current cancer patients, and their families. Team Boston painted a large, six canvas paint-by-number, with everyone who was present and enjoyed talking with everyone. I distinctly remember meeting two people tonight, Justin and Lesley.
Justin was a local cancer survivor’s charismatic little boy who was about six or seven years old. I must admit, we did more playing, running, and joking around than talking. Soon, most of Team Boston and everyone who was there had their attention on him. He was bouncing with energy and excitement, as his mother apologized to us in embarrassment. He wasn’t embarrassing at all though and we had loads of fun with Justin. He had the innocent, simple perspective of a child that helped to lighten the mood and the conversation. I think if it hadn’t been for his energy and the laughs that ensued around him, Team Boston and the local cancer community would not have bonded as much. Soon, we were racing each other from a flowerpot to another flowerpot and he grew ecstatic when he ran faster than all of us. He shouted for people to start clapping and waving their arms as we cheered him on for his next competitor which always seemed to lose. The excitement on his face was amazing.
I taught Justin the Michael Phelps move. Whenever I had seen Michael Phelps race, he would bend over at the waist with his arms dangling loosely at his sides. Suddenly, and very dramatically, he would forcefully hug himself so that his hands wrapped around his back and his hands made a slapping sound on impact. If you look up a video of Michael Phelps doing this, he repeats it three times so that there are three resonating claps throughout the pool. I always thought this was very intimidating, so it was something I had jokingly done in high school at the start lines of races. When Justin got the hang of this, he loved it and it made everyone laugh, although I’m not positive they understood the reference.
Throughout the rest of the night, Justin would try to impress the girls at the event with all his dance moves, running, and funny remarks. His mother told us he had about four girlfriends at school. He was hilarious.
When I wasn’t having fun with Justin, painting with everyone else, or eating the pizza that was provided by Roswell Park, I talked with Lesley and her husband. AS Mason, John-Hanson, Regi, and I got to know Lesley, we found out she was another local cancer survivor. Lesley’s cancer journey had started in 2016 when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She had been treated at Roswell Park since and was now just over two years cancer free! As we talked and compared stories, I realized that this was one of the few cancer survivors with whom I had talked with throughout the summer, who was very open. She was open about her diagnosis, about her story, and about the evolution of her feelings throughout her entire journey. I found we agreed on more things than one and admired her perspective on her situation. She said that she loved the support groups offered by the hospital and found she heavily relied upon them and their participants early on. Especially after being declared cancer free when cancer patients have most of their appointments dramatically reduced, Lesley was able to gain a lot from this support. Now, it seemed she was the one giving support. Talking with her made me realize this is exactly what I wanted. Although I hadn’t had the support groups that Lesley had at Roswell Park, 4K was providing me this alternative perspective and strength. Hopefully one day, I could also help others in similar situations as they struggled with their cancer journey.
As we continued talking, Lesley shared that she had a blog named My Red Shoe Adventures. This is where she shared her thoughts and experiences with her cancer journey. Over the next few days, I would read her blog posts in the van. I wanted to gain insight into her perspectives and how she approached her journey. I loved her blog. It’s raw, emotional, and very powerful. If anyone would like to read it, this is the link: http://www.redshoeadventures.com. Lesley recently celebrated three years of being cancer free June 10th, 2020, and shares her thoughts in the most recent blog post.
Anyhow, when Lesley shared the name of her blog, I asked her the meaning behind it and what had encouraged her to create a blog. She explained how she had used the blog before she was diagnosed and has always enjoyed writing. After her diagnosis, it made the most sense to share her thoughts via the platform she already had. Soon, the blog transformed to include her Red Shoes. She wore red converses to every hospital visit, treatment, appointment, and cancer-related event in her life. When her family joined her during these times, they also all wore red converses. In Lesley’s words, her red shoes became a symbol of “strength, health, and kicking ass.” As I looked down at her shoes, she and her husband were both wearing them. I thought this was amazing.
As we parted ways and the night ended, I told Lesley that we would run for her tomorrow and dedicate our miles to her. I thought I had said something wrong because she almost started to cry. She was smiling though and told me how much she appreciated our support.
I was so happy to have met Lesley and I wish we remained in contact with each other. This year, on the Red Shoes Adventures Facebook page, she talks about taking part in the Ride for Roswell event. This is an annual cycling fundraiser where teams in one-week bike various routes across New York fundraising for the Roswell Park Cancer Center. Although virtual this year due to the nation’s circumstances, this is a massively successful program for the hospital that last year raised over five and a half million dollars.
After the service event, we met up with a 4K alumni and her mother. Anna had run with this alum last year on Team Baltimore and it was cool to see the warm embrace they gave each other as they reunited. We had more pizza and beautifully decorated sugar cookies. We were stuffed, and because this was somehow our third dinner for the night, we didn’t eat all the food. We would end up taking the food for leftovers and enjoyed all the food throughout the next few days!
That night as I went to bed early, I thought again of Lesley and what she had accomplished.
“I hope my perspective is similar one day,” I silently hope to myself.
I not only wanted my own experience to be more fulfilling but also wanted to help others to get there. Again, I had met someone who had made survivorship their strength. Part of me knew that I was already closer to sharing this with Lesley than I had been six weeks ago. I fell asleep knowing I was on a different path than the one I had run on while crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.
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