ran 70 minutes this morning. a glorious run down the monon at 7:30 am. it was beautiful and the weather was fantastic. and most of all...I DID IT!

at the half-way point i tried a gel, which you're supposed to drink with water and i understood why...it's very full and sticks to your mouth. but it did the job. i was able to finish with energy.

afterward, we went to breakfast, and one of the honored heroes (people who have or are struggling with cancer that we run for) stopped by with his fam. Luke is a smart, funny little 5 year old who's been fighting cancer for a couple years. he brought a spiderman halloween bucket full of suckers to share with us. just being around him, hearing his mom share the daily struggles he has--puking in the morning, taking power steroid doses, etc--made me want to cry.

it reminded me of our own family's time with cancer, watching our young cousin, brother, son--KC--slowly deteriorate under the weight of cancer and eventually die. there will always be, perhaps, a place that will not completely heal from that loss...