Week 13 Chicago Marathon

Here is content from two posts I shared on Facebook this week.

You. Are. Not. Alone.

Simple words. So hard to believe when struggling.

My mom surprised me with shoe tags before I ran the Boston Marathon. I’ve bought them for each marathon since. Here are my tags for this year’s Chicago Marathon when I run on the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention team on October 7th (6 weeks away – yikes!!).

I am not alone. It’s a great reminder for me. You don’t how I’m doing today. How I’m really doing. You only know what I share. And even that is only if you are paying attention or watching out for me. You don’t know what worries and anxieties I have about tomorrow and beyond. You don’t know what I can’t let go of from the past. You don’t know what struggles and challenges I face today. What makes me want to stay in bed but won’t let me sleep. What may seem small to you but seems insurmountable to me. Maybe today was a low point and I hid it well. Maybe I struggle in silence not sure if others will listen, not sure if things will get better. These shoe tags remind me that I’m not in anything alone, even when solutions and steps forward aren’t clear. That there is hope for tomorrow. The same goes for you. You are not alone. You are never alone.

I’m also not alone in the steps and training I take towards the Chicago Marathon. I’m not alone in my highs. I’m not alone when I raise awareness and share my story. I’m not alone when I worry about all of those who may be struggling. If I will say the right thing and provide enough support to those who need it. If I’ll even notice when others need help. I’m not alone in providing this support to others and worrying if I’ve done enough. I’m not alone when I reach out, listen, do my best, and just try to be there for others. I’m not alone when I fight the stigma of mental health issues and suicide. I’m not alone when I strive to get better about being accepting of others and what they may be going through, especially when I don’t understand. Thank YOU for being part of this journey with me. WE are saving lives. WE are never alone.

Six weeks to go – I’d love your support and DONATION.

A few days ago I ran just over 21 miles while training for the AFSP (Suicide Prevention) team for the Chicago Marathon. It felt great but my run seemed crazy at times – peacocks crossed my path (true), a turkey flew at me (true – got spooked by a dog and strollers after I took my pic), and I saw a flock of flamingos (sort of true). The other craziness from this week is that I’m back in 1st place (for raising awareness & saving lives!) on the AFSP team out of 112 people. Woohoo! Thank you all! It is amazing to have so many people sharing their stories and showing their support. I’d love your help getting to 6K as my next milestone! Thank you all – WE are saving lives.