There goes my hero…

I was out for a long run this past Sunday.

Well, actually, it was an organized marathon. Preceded by a half-marathon the day before. (Yes, allowing myself a moment of pride as a finisher of my third Chowdah Challenge and a shoutout to the AMAZING organisers of this annual event @Cape Cod Marathon Weekend https://capecodmarathon.com).

As I was running along the coast in Falmouth, MA, I was reminded that heroes are just ordinary people, taking on extraordinary challenges.

And they are everywhere.

I was out there doing something I was told not to do.

I shouldn’t do.

Couldn’t do.

Won’t do.

And I said “Oh yeah? Watch me!” to no one in particular, well mostly to myself (only after crying, mourning, negotiating, adapting, bargaining, resisting and preservering).

Running has been my go-to for years now. My stress reliever, my thought processor, my stay in shape, my feel good in my skin, my enjoy the outdoors, my get outside despite the weather, my exercise on the go, my goal setter, my motivational speaker, my muse, my camaraderie, my solace, my refuge.

Running is my hero.

Running has made me a hero.

Running has showed me the many heroes amongst us.

Running has allowed me time to admire the heroes I know.

As I put one foot down in front of the other on Sunday, I looked around and, as I had been at the first race I attended many years ago, I was in awe of the seemingly ordinary people lacing up their shoes, hitting the pavement and achieving incredible goals.

My thoughts went to those around me, who are just regular people, but have been placed – or have placed themselves – in exceptional situations…and are accomplishing outstanding feats.

You know who you are!

Running has taught me about perseverance and humility – essential qualities for the unsung hero. While running has been my ultimate teacher, others learn these lessons through various hurdles and hardships – being pushed down, stumbling and rising from the ground; stronger, wiser and with a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to go through this process of resiliency.

As I ran on tired legs and with my might waning mid-marathon on Sunday, some amazing soul started blasting the Foo Fighters from their pick-up.

There goes my hero…He’s ordinary.

I thought of Shaunna, my childhood friend, who is living with stage 4 cancer and is still chasing her BIG dreams. She ran the Everest marathon in May this year after completing 12 months of aggressive treatments for terminal cancer. She’s not done either. She has now set her sights on returning to climb Everest in 2026. Takes your breath away, right? But her story also breathes life into you. She’s just a girl, dreaming big, setting goals and pushing herself.  Shaunna is an ordinary person, but she is most definitely an epic hero.

Shaunna, I hope you don’t mind me sharing a bit of your story. Your will and your message of resiliency helped me through this weekend and I am grateful to know you. I will be cheering you on from afar as you work towards this new goal. And in this spirit, I will continue to set lofty goals of my own – and encourage those around me to do the same – to live this ordinary life we’ve been given, to its most extraordinary limits.

There’s a hero in all of us. I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it. I’ve embraced it.

Imagine how resilient and brilliant the world would be in the face of such collective heroism.

There goes my hero, with Grit&Grace…

It’s you.

* If Shaunna’s story touched you, you can read more about her latest quest and support her as she raises the bar : https://www.gofundme.com/f/dying-to-climb-a-historic-everest-expedition?attribution_id=sl:ebf06417-65f5-4433-9bb4-23a3d85a67a2&lang=en_GB&ts=1760033563&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_content=amp13_c&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link