Each year, as a junior teacher, I start my year off by reading aloud Eric Walters' novel, Run. Run is about a youth, Winston, who is troubled, skipping school, and acting negatively. It is also about how Winston meets up with Terry Fox in Nova Scotia. Winston's character develops throughout the story as a result of his interactions with Terry into a youth who, although still presented with challenges at times, tries his best to follow the straight and narrow.Although I have read this book a number of times to junior students and have always admired Terry, this is the very first year that I decided to participate in the Terry Fox Run. I have been running for 17 months now. The Terry Fox Run is the sixth official 5K that I have completed this year. But it is the most meaningful for a few reasons. From a selfish perspective, I set a personal best today. Over and over again, each 5K that I completed was done in 43 minutes. My personal goal was to attempt to crack the 40 minute mark. For the past month or so, I have been working on interval training every other day. Today, that training has paid off. My first kilometer was done in 7:45, my second 7:49, my third 8:01. When I heard that over 8 minute kilometer, I was ticked. I dug deep and the next two kilometers were under the 8 minute mark. I completed my 5K in 38:45! I experienced genuine excitement when I realised that I was 1:15 less than my goal. Since the run, I have felt the natural high that only accomplishing goals that you have worked for can provide.
The second reason that this run was meaningful is because I completed the run with my sister and niece. Team Awesome, as we are rightfully named, worked together to raise funds for a worthy cause and we were able to cross the 5K finish line together. I am proud of myself. I am proud of Anne-Marie. But I am especially proud of Sage. As a child, I never completed anything as physically amazing as a 5K run. Sage has worked so hard to train for this run. And although she maybe didn't enjoy every training session, she stuck with it and completed the run. 
The last reason that The Terry Fox Run was so meaningful is simply because it was The Terry Fox Run. I am not a hero worshipper at all. But if ever there was a hero, in my eyes Terry Fox is one. Sage's commitment and perseverance are qualities that Terry demonstrated to all Canadians over 30 years ago, along with dedication, teamwork, empathy, integrity, and fairness. What better example for the students in my class, Sage, me, and all Canadians? Terry's legacy is a perfect example of how one person can make such a significant difference. Although his action was small - running, his dream was huge - running across Canada, raising money for Cancer research, and eradicating the disease.
Every time I run and may feel like complaining, or just need some motivation to get me through, I think of Terry. I have done this since I started running and have shared this idea with a number of people. Not only has he become an inspiration for fund raising for cancer research, he is my inspiration to keep on going, not to quit, and to gain a deep sense of appreciation for the healthy body that I have that enables me to run on two good and working legs.
Terry, thank you for running with me.
"Even if I don't finish, we need others to continue. It's got to keep going without me." ~ Terry Fox
I will do my best to, in a very small way, continue what you started. Thank you.
