CaptainCare can run for you, for someone you love, for someone you’ve lost, for anyone affected by cancer.

The post-marathon lull… you work hard for 4 months, the big day comes, the big day goes, and then you are left feeling a little lost. So what am I going to do? Oh, I got it, run a 15k this Sunday!!! Yep, for real. CaptainCare continues her mission —> awareness of CancerCare. So I hope to talk to some great people and create more awareness. Oh, and the race is in Ridgewood, NJ, one of the CancerCare of NJ locations! So if you happen to be at the Ridgewood Duck Pond this Sunday for the ‘Saddle River Run 15k’, please come talk to me about CancerCare!

OK, I placed 38,272 overall, 12,646 among the females, and 2,384 in my age group, but those are just statistics. I know I won and I will give you 10 reasons why: Louisa (1), Tara (2), Ruth (3), Denise (4), PJ (5), Amanda (6) (pictured left to right above). I love the Glod Squad, which also was going to include 2 others, Deb (7) and Carrie (8). They couldn’t make it on Sunday but I felt their support. I am speechless. What can I say? I know the most amazing, supportive, loving people ever. I did not know they were going to be at the marathon, this was all a surprise to me! And 3 of them came from Boston! When I saw them at mile 18 I thought I was hallucinating. I hugged them and they all encouraged me to push on. So that is what I did. Despite the unexpected stomach issues that occurred, I didn’t mind at that point that my time goal was out the window, I knew who was there with me. I was surprised again when I saw them at mile 23… I looked at them and was like “I think I’m going to throw up”… but that didn’t phase them, they looked me square in the eye and told me I was looking good, and then they started jogging along side me on the side walk (up a hill). A barrier was dividing us, but little did they know they were carrying me. We got separated a block later, but I knew I could do it. I finished, and I got the biggest award of all, my friends. There is no medal that can compare to the hugs I received at the finish from these 6 friends. You guys surprised me, but I can’t describe what you really gave me. I just love you all so much.

There is a (9) and (10). Nick and Jen. When I saw you two a little after mile 12 and as I quote, “You were crazy faced when we saw you.” (text from Nick), you gave me the boost I so desperately needed. So the crazy face was me trying to both get over to you to give you high fives, and the CaptainCare supportive sign was a surge of energy that is unexplainable. I was running for others, in their honor, in their memory, and I could share that with you two, even if it was only for seconds, but they were some of the most crucial seconds I had during the race. CaptainCare was a reality, and I got to share that with you! 

The race itself was a dream. My legs hurt, so I know it really happened, but I literally can’t believe it happened, that it is over, and that I am back at work, in the real world. I have learned a valuable lesson. I am at a point in life where running isn’t about time or placing or competition. Running for me is getting it done, but for something bigger and better. For this race it was being able to run as CaptainCare. But at the most personal level it is knowing who comes out to support you. This includes every single person that asked CaptainCare to run for their loved one’s memory and honor. And, once again, I am just speechless to have Louisa, Tara, Ruth, Denise, PJ, and Amanda there, in person, handing me a Pedialyte with hugs and smiles, and some happy tears. I couldn’t even have dreamt that in a million years, but you guys made it happen. This will stay with me my entire life. All I can say is thank you.

Love,
Glod

The Story of CaptainCare. This is the video that explains it all. A collaborative effort between the artwork of Michelle Feingold and the production of Nicholas Volpe.

Happy Halloween from CaptainCare!

Well, I was hoping to make a huge debut… but that is the problem, when I got my running suit, it is huge… well, just too big… considering it should be skin tight, but it has folds and ripples because the material bunches, therefore hurting the readability of the text. Hey, just gotta roll with the punches. So here is a little peak as to what the top looks like — the smaller size is coming in the mail — and the bottom has gotten completely ditched. Two words: baggy butt. OK, so my suit will now be a tri-tank top and one of my regular running shorts. It is all cool. The real purpose of the branded top is to show that yes, I’m CaptainCare and I run for CancerCare. I wore it on my long run this past weekend and I think as I ran by some cars waiting to turn at a light, the drivers may have been trying to read the words?… or they were wondering why I was pulling a peanut butter and jelly sandwich out of my Camelback… but either way, I got some heads to turn. Oh, and in the beginning I debated if my suit should have a cape, but then I thought of the air drag AND, hello, that was one thing I learned from the movie the Incredibles, no capes. The sneaker in “Who is CaptainCare” is allowed to have a cape… its an anthropomorphic sneaker people, this is when we let our imaginations run wild and capes are allowed :)

Check out this comic that illustrates my story. If you like it, please share it with your friends. Click here to view the comic!

Its a local paper, but hey, it is in ink. Plus the local aspect is important to me… I have family that live in town and I hope it is something they can feel proud of. Hopefully my next appearance will include my picture so when people see me training around town they’ll know its me and give me a friendly wave :)

After speaking with Glen, the CancerCare of New Jersey bereavement counselor (please refer to the previous entry), I as CaptainCare have been reflecting on the importance of running in memory of someone. This is a form of continuing bonds. When it is for my own loved ones, I keep their memory alive by sharing stories of them, experiences I had with that person. Like I just recently told my cousin that my Uncle lovingly teased me about ice baths. She never knew I even took an ice bath in her childhood home. It may seem like a small thing, but it really isn’t. We both got to smile thinking about him.

Also, runners talk to each other while running long distances, well especially us ‘middle of the pack’ type. You always find a new best friend, even if it is for only a half hour, or for the entire second half of a marathon (this happened to me in Albany). You get to talking about many things.. one of them is inevitably, “what are you running for?”. And this is when I share with them about the person I am running in memory of. When you finish a race and that stranger comes up to you and hugs you and tells you they feel touched by getting to know the person you ran for, then you know you’ve continued the bonds, keeping the person’s memory alive.

As CaptainCare I will also be running in memory of people I don’t know personally. However, the people that have asked me to run for their loved one has given me insights about these people. They get to continue their bonds with what they share with me.

If I can help continue bonds, I know I am doing something helpful in the grieving process. Please reach out to me and let me hear your memories of your loved ones.

It is not pleasant to hear “Move on,”  “Let go,”  “Get over it.” This is unhelpful and actually hurts the healing process.

Healing is not pretending that it didn’t happen. Rather, healing is acknowledging what has happened, integrating it into your life, letting it leave an imprint, and allowing it to become part of your core fabric of who you are. Death isn’t an end, it is a transition. Just because the person isn’t there doesn’t mean the relationship has gone away. A healthy transition for the survivor is to continue the bond by keeping the memory alive. Our loved one is still with us, just in a different way, in a transformed way, but they are not gone. If there are two words to be remembered, it is: CONTINUING BONDS.

Whenever I run in a race, I dedicate my run to someone special. For me, running is an emotional celebration for the survivors in my life and an emotional healing for my loved ones who have passed. This year, I am running in the New York City Marathon in memory of my Uncle Robbie and my Aunt Enid; in honor of both my parents Sue and Mitch (the Glodparents); and in memory of family friends, Doris and Karen.

But through my work with CancerCare, a nonprofit organization that provides free, professional support services to anyone facing cancer, I have decided to do something a little different for this race.

As CaptainCare, I will be running for many. And although I may not know them personally, there is a common thread… Cancer. I hope to run in honor or in memory of anyone that has been affected by cancer and give these people a place to share, deal, and heal through my running in the New York City Marathon.

Livestrong defines a survivor as a “…person diagnosed with cancer, as well as loved ones, friends, caregivers and others who provide support.” It is important that I let my followers know that although I have not been personally diagnosed with the disease, I am the caregiver, the friend, the niece, and the daughter.

As CaptainCare, I hope to spread the message that we’re all in this together, and that we can all be each other’s CaptainCare. Please give me the honor of running for you or your loved one and help me spread the word that cancer affects all of us.

http://www.captaincare.org/