In August when I shared the news of my mother's breast cancer with two of my girlfriends, their almost immediate response was - we should do the 5km 'Run for the Cure' in honour of your mother. The run on October 4th would give us a number of weeks to train and get a little running fit for the modest 5kms.Or so I thought. I did not get out to do my Lonsdale run (see Running Lonsdale, September 2009) nearly as often I would've liked to. With much vying for my attention, it is easy to put the run on the backburner. In two turns it was October and the three of us were making our arrangements for the day. There was some relief for me when Starr mentioned that she wouldn't be able to run the 5kms but would happily walk it.
On the day, we lined up with men, girls, women, breast cancer survivors and breast cancer fighters to run or walk the 5kms. Breast cancer survivors were noticeable in their pink T-shirts. Those fresh in battle displayed the beautiful contours of their heads no longer shrouded by hair. Before the race, we heard the testimony of a young woman in her thirties who battled breast cancer, endured a double mastectomy and the ensuing seven surgeries to finally regain her life with her husband and young son.
As we walked under the pink balloons of the starting line I gave thanks for my mother and all that she has meant to me in my life.
Starr set the pace and so we ran and walked - my favourite running style - get the heart rate up and then slow it down a tad. The weather was superb: sunny, warm and autumn crisp. We walked, we talked, we ran. We walked some more, we talked some more and we ran again. Jackey, the third member of our trio, has feathers for feet, having trained with Zola Budd in Bloemfontein. Yet she politely and encouragingly jogged at our pace.
With the finish line not far ahead, Starr and I were deciding when we would start our final run for the line. We were still getting our breath back. A band was playing, encouraging the participants across the line. My ears caught the tune and the words of the song, 'Mustang Sally' (see Ride, Sally, Ride, October 2009). This is my song, courtesy of my husband putting me front and centre at a company party - and I took off. I relished the feeling of having feathers for feet. This must be what it feels like for Jackey when she runs. I felt light, I felt fatigue-free, I felt alive, I was so happy. In that moment I was 'Run, Sally, Run'.
I was doing the run of the pinks - a run for my mother, a run for myself with my girlfriends and a run in honour of women and the indomitable female spirit.
