Refocus Your Reason for Running

By: Janet Carney

I started running five years ago for the Children’s Tumor Foundation when my daughter Grace was first diagnosed with NF1. I was online one night trying to find out all the information I could about this disorder, which I had never heard of before but that now affected my family. I have always been athletic, but never, and I mean never, a runner. However, I am an emotionally charged person, and when I saw this opportunity to actually make a difference and do something, I signed up.
I honestly had no idea what a marathon really was. Well, 10 months later I found out — it was truly one of the hardest but most rewarding journeys I had ever experienced. For the next two years, I trained and raised money in hopes of making a difference for Grace and all those who had NF.
Last year, however, something started to change. Running started to become more about me rather than my daughter and so many others like her. I still wore my NF Endurance shirts to all of the races, but I pretty much forgot about fundraising.

This year I decided to give the whole fundraising thing a shot again and signed up for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Half Marathon. I only made the minimum $600 my goal, and I was okay with that.

However, I was not prepared for what happened to me while at this event.
I felt overwhelmed by the way my heart had become so immune to why and for whom I was running.  As I sat at the pasta dinner the night before the race in Tukwila, Wash., I was humbled by the people surrounding me. They were taking this journey much more seriously than me. Their hero was not themselves for finishing marathon after marathon, but their heroes were their daughters, sons, friends, neighbors.

And, some even run for strangers. One lady was running no connection to NF other than to be part of a charity. This gal had raised more money than me, and I have a daughter with NF! At that point I recognized what had happened and decided to refocus, regroup and return to the reason I had started running: Grace.

Today I run for my daughter, for the sisters, the sons, brothers and friends of all the wonderful people I have met through the Children’s Tumor Foundation and NF Endurance. They are the reason I choose to get out of bed when I don’t feel like running 16 miles or six or whatever is on my schedule that day. I vowed that I would never again forget. I truly am honored and blessed to be a part of this amazing group of men and women called the  NF Endurance Team.

Janet Carney is a wife, mom and member of the NF Endurance Team. She recently completed the Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon, and she along with Team Grace will ruNFor Grace in Portland on 10.10.10 in the Portland Marathon.