Be Grateful: Donate Race Miles to Charity

If you’re a runner, have you ever asked yourself “Why do I put myself through this??”

I had that very thought on a recent 8 mile run.  It was hot, I was tired, my knees ached, I was almost out of water and I was hungry.

Just for a moment I didn’t want to run.

I had forgotten that running is a gift.

You see, just three months ago I hadn’t been able to run.  At all.

It was not for lack of trying.  I had done everything possible to come back to running after a knee surgery over two years ago.  But running hurt.  A lot.  And my knees got worse – to the point where walking more than 30 minutes was difficult.  And the stairs?  Killer.

So this particular day, as I was plodding through my run, my momentary resentment caught me by surprise.  So much so that I immediately turned it around in my head.

I am grateful for the ability to run.

And I really am, despite my mini pity-party.

I popped the last Gu chomp in my mouth, took a swig of warm water, and started to think about gratitude and how it applied to running.  Being thankful is fantastic, but is there a way I can make a tangible statement about my gratitude?

Tatooing “I am grateful for the ability to run” on my thigh benefits no one but me.  And I shouldn’t need a visible reminder.

What if I donate $1 for every race mile to my favorite charity?

My donation means someone else will benefit from my running.  If that’s what you call my limping/hopping/slowly moving in a forward direction.

I got excited and whipped out my phone to jot “in gratitude for the ability to move I will donate my race miles to charity” on my notes app.  Except I was tired, my fingers were sweaty, and the damn auto-correct mangled my words.

Race mile donations start TODAY.

This morning I ran a 10k.  The Labor Day Dash is the first race I’ve been able to run (not walk) since May 2012.

(I'm not counting the Christmas 5k I ran two years ago, with a huge knee brace, totally untrained,  just because I was pissed that little kids and grandmas with walkers were passing me up.  I'm competitive that way.)

In gratitude for the ability to run those 6.2 miles, I decided to donate to the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, one of my favorite charities.

And, miracle of miracles, I placed 3rd in my age group.  My unexpected victory led to a new rule:

If I place in a race I will double the donation.

So the Soul Foundation gets $12.40 instead.  The JBJ Soul Foundation will get my money, but I am the one feeling incredibly blessed.

Crossing fingers for a bigger donation next time.

In four weeks I will (God willing) run my 20th half marathon, which is my first half marathon in over two years.  I think I will donate those race miles to the Arthritis Foundation.  Maybe my $13.10 will help future runners with bad knees have a solution other than a knee replacement.

And then another $13.10 for the Cleveland Rock & Roll Half Marathon on October 11.

Hopefully there will be many race miles in my future, and many dollars to donate.

I am  feeling very grateful indeed.