For Dewey by secondwind

My husband was a terrific runner in his youth. The hurdles were his specialty.  In later years, the hurdles he faced were health challenges cascading from diabetes and culminating in kidney failure. For two years, he endured dialysis, continuing to teach high school and coach girls' track at Neptune High School in New Jersey. On October 9th, while at work in his classroom, he got the call that he might have a cadaver donor, but  that there were 6 other people to whom the organ could go. He finished his school day and then we went for a drive, waiting for the cell phone to ring. When it finally did, he shouted "IT'S MINE! IT'S MINE! And we raced to Saint Barnabas. He had the transplant the following day, a Friday. When he awakened, he was so happy and grateful and so full of hope. On Sunday, October 12, he was moved to ICU, and sat up, at breakfast, marveled at how well he felt, and then quickly, unexpectedly, peacefully, passed away. He was 58.

So I am planning to run the Long Branch Half Marathon in his name. I've only run recreationally, although once I trained for a half I ended up not running. I remember the look on my husband's face one day back then when I came in from a training run, all sweaty, and with my leg muscles rippling. "You've morphed, he gasped, "into an athlete!!" The delight and pride in his eyes was clear.

In order to put one foot in front of the other as far as the rest of my life is concerned, I am training for this race as a metaphorical reminder that I can go on to live my life victoriously. And I know Dewey will be watching my progress in all things including my training, and I look forward to feeling his delight and pride carry me on my way.

So this morning, I did the hardest thing, which was to turn the page on the calendar to begin a new month, the first in which my husband is not. And then I went for my run. And I was fine.