Ramping it up --- Running for Risa

Nothing altogether exciting about this week of running except I hit two new highs.  Ran an 18 miler on a day that was windy as hell (25mph), and tallied 38 miles for the week.  Still feeling very strong and my soreness after these longer runs is fading.  Was having some issues after a couple of my 15 milers but I have upped my protein intake and this is doing the trick for now.

On a sad note:

To recap, I'm doing a half in a few weeks (Running for Risa) that is a fundraiser for a 17 year old (Risa Whitaker) who has been battling cancer that her insurance has deemed a pre-existing condition.  Thus, nothing is covered and the family is taking on all of her medical bills.  I'm working on collecting some cash to take as a donation on race day.  The sad thing is that she lost her life on Thursday after her liver shut down. She went to the emergency room and they more or less found out that her body was done.  She lasted a few days and then they let her go.  I don't know this girl and I'm not all that emotionally zapped by this, but it's a harsh reminder of how lucky we are to have our health.  I'm enjoying every day that I get to run using this generally healthy body and I'll continue to do my best at not taking a single day for granted.

It's because of my long-standing and continually growing enthusiasm for being outside and the satisfaction I get from a good workout that make me shake my head at the thought of people who are content to sit inside, day after day, and limit their exposure to the great outdoors.  Too much is missed while sitting in front of a TV, computer, or an X-Box...  Of course our obesity epidemic has deep roots in fast food and lazy diets but lazy people and technology play important roles in this mess as well...  I'm on a rant now but thinking about this girl passing at 17 makes me think about how short life can be...

Train on,
Luke