Last weeks running took a backseat to a family tradition. Yes I was able to sneak a few weekday runs in but there was a pig to be roasted and money to be raised. For nearly twenty years my family has been hosting a good 'ol fashioned South County pig roast. The ingredients are simple. You find an old oil drum convert into a big ass grill, get a large pig (preferably over a hundred pounds), call all your close friends and family, put some beer on ice, and then eat and party all night long.
A few years ago we decided to turn something good into something great. We would turn our backyard bbq into a fundraiser. The only thing that changed about the party was a band ( www.kleptoradio.com ), a moonbounce, a few more people, and a great cause to support. All we would ask is to either bring a dish or a donation. Four years later we as a family with the help from all our friends have helped to raise almost ten thousand dollars for Team in Training and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
I couldn't be more proud of what we do and couldn't feel much better about giving. And to me it's running that made all this happen. If I hadn't signed up to run a marathon with Team in Training in 2004 none of this would have happened. Sure we would still be having our pig roast, but it wouldn't be what it is today. What this party has taught me and what running continues to teach me is that I won't be a "should've" person. We turned our party into what it should've have been, more meaningful and giving.
We should be willing to take risks, we should seize opportunities, and we should never look back and say we "should've taken a chance".
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