Running for a Cause- check mine out!

Like I've said before, I don't run for me. Yes, it is therapeutic. Yes, it helps me run off whatever current overwhelming emotions or life happenings are occurring. But when I decided to start running big time, I knew I wanted to do if for something bigger. Running my first half marathon to benefit a child who hadn't even been given a shot at life yet was the most rewarding experience I think I have had to date. After that, I knew I wanted to keep running marathons, and moreover, to keep running them for charity.

My latest cause I actually discovered through my running app, MapMyRun. I noticed a while ago that they always have new "challenges" you can participate in. It seemed more like a bit of motivation, so I never participated in one before, until recently I had one catch my eye. It was called I workout beCAUSE, hosted by everydayhero. The motivation behind it? Fundraising for a cause. I knew this was exactly what I needed.

I recently lost one of the most important men in my life to Pancreatic Cancer. It was devastating, rather unexpected, and terribly frustrating. I will never understand why bad things happen to good people. I am so beyond blessed to be able to say I knew him. He played such an important role in my life for 23 years, and sometimes it is still so hard to accept that he is gone. When I went to his service, and even his celebration of life, I couldn't help but be amazed at how many people showed up and to see how many lives he had touched, though I shouldn't be surprised with how amazing of a man he was. I definitely wouldn't be who or where I am today without him.

 While I can't undo what happened, I do know I can continue to make him proud. I had said I was going to run my next half marathon through project purple to raise funds for pancreatic cancer awareness and research, but when I saw this, I thought why wait? I saw what this nasty cancer did to him and everyone that loved him, and I want to do everything in my power to prevent it from happening to others, and at the very least decrease the number. My fundraising will benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. While ya'll may not have known Joseph (Chip) Ferencz personally, I know many of you have experienced loss, especially due to cancer. I encourage you to donate to this wonderful cause, especially given that Pancreatic Cancer is one of the most deadliest cancers out there, and ironically, one of the least funded. Every little bit counts and makes a difference, pay it forward.

https://iworkoutbecause.everydayhero.com/us/chrissy-2