My Rock

This started-out as a little note on dailymile, but I figured it needed to be a blog post:


My wife (Lex) is a runner. She's the one who encouraged me to run in the first place. So, yes, it's all her fault. Right now Lex is 22 weeks pregnant, and she suffers from an adult-onset form of Muscular Dystrophy whose symptoms are significantly worsened during pregnancy. The last time she was pregnant I had to help her do literally everything, from turning over in bed, to getting dressed, to walking up the stairs. 


This time she's determined not to let the disease have it's way with her. Her strength and determination never cease to amaze me. She says she's found that when she runs her symptoms are mitigated immensely. She's been sticking to running from 2-4 miles a couple of times a week. Monday (after not being able to run for nearly a week) she ran a little over 2-miles at the park and told me what a struggle it was. 


Yesterday when she set-out on her run she told me she was running our 3-mile loop and when I asked if she was sure, she just gave me "the look" and said "of course." Shortly after she left, I rounded-up Isabelle and jumped in the car to go and be her support team. We caught-up with her at the bottom of the first major hill on that route (over 200 ft elevation gain in less than 1/4 mile), with the toot of the horn she gave a wave and took on that hill. We waited at the top for her and gave her a water bottle as she passed-by. We circled the loop a couple of times offering words of encouragement and "Go! Mommy go!" from the peanut gallery. Then we parked at the top of the last big hill (about the same elevation, slightly longer) and got out of the car and waited. As she came to the top of that hill I got a little watery-eyed and Isabelle yelled "Mommy!" and ran to her. 


Isabelle decided she wanted to run with her the rest of the way so I took the car ahead and lead the way. It was a little over a half of a mile home, so, I was figuring Iz would get tired (or distracted by something shiny) as she usually does before she hits 1/4 mile, but she didn't. She kept running! And running, and running... She even picked-up the pace a couple of times and caught Lex off guard trying to keep-up with her. It was one of the most awesome things I've ever witnessed. My pregnant wife and 3 year-old daughter running their first half-mile together. I was impressed, touched, moved, inspired, amazed. I am a lucky man. A lucky man indeed...