Yesterday I ran in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. First of all, I want to say thank you to all my friends and family who sponsored me and donated to such a great cause.

It’s funny. I’ve always thought the charity run/walks were kind of silly. Why not just donate the money directly to the cause and be done with it? The person running isn’t really doing anything to fight the disease. But, I can say now, after having done two, that they are really great events. In a way, I suppose they are an outlet for those affected by such terrible things as AIDS and breast cancer to fight back. To feel like they’re doing something. Plus, these types of events (and really all charity events) I can only imagine give hope to those who attend them or witness them in some form who are directly affected by the cause of the charity.

I’d originally intended to just walk with the AA group (who I’d signed up with), but in the end I found out that two of my co-workers had joined the walk and were planning to jog it, so I joined them. Five kilometers (just over three miles) is a long ways for someone with my endurance! Still, I was fairly proud of how much of the course I jogged. There was a time (not that many years ago), when I would get worn out jogging just one mile. That’s what I get for never having been involved in any sports as a kid! I probably jogged about 2.5 miles of the course, with a couple of walking breaks.

Seeing the what must have been thousands of people turn out on a cold October morning to do what they could to fight breast cancer, and to see the women who were survivors just awed me. I couldn’t even begin to guess what they’ve been through, I only know it hasn’t been easy. But there they were, strong, confident, and happy. Some of them running or walking alongside me, others standing on the road cheering us all on.

And though all I did was ask friends and family to donate to a good cause and go for a hard jog, I do feel that somehow, in some little way, I helped.