Swimming for someone else

Remember when I got that Achilles injury and I whined about it so much that a bunch of people blocked me from their Facebook feed and then I did this really philosophical post about a season of healing?

Well I'm still not healed.   The Achilles, I mean.  That thing still swells up like a pregnant woman in a Baltimore summer when I run.

But the good news is that Torbjorn insisted I got to take up swimming again because I was driving him bananas, as a way to keep working out without straining the old ankles.

And, because I can absolutely be peer pressured into anything (um, don't ask, Mom.  Love you!), I agreed to swim a two mile race.  Two miles, you scoff.  Pah.  Well.  Consider that two miles translates into 3218.688 meters.  Which translates into 128.747 lengths of a 25 meter pool.  (Well really you have to make that 129 lengths because honestly - who's the nerd who's going to stop at 128.7 and say Hey that's it, I am D.O.N.E. DONE! ?? )

So.  Two miles.

The race is Purple Swim Baltimore, and is an event to raise awareness and funding for research into pancreatic cancer.  In 2010, over 43000 Americans were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and less than 25% will survive the first year.  I signed up with no first hand awareness of life with cancer.  I just thought it would be a great swim, and I could do a little bit of good with it.

I underestimated.  To use words like 'overwhelmed' and 'amazed' when I look at the amount of money donated to the cause by my very own friends and family?  Understatements.  I am nothing less than humbled.  And inspired beyond measure to go out and swim for all of us.

Because life is funny.  In the weeks since I signed up, cancer has come to visit with an uncle I love dearly. Now, in case I needed any more motivation, I have first hand knowledge of the way cancer snakes fingers around hearts and squeezes in dark and scary ways.

I've got exactly twelve hours until I swim.  Two long shark infested ruled by pirates open water miles. I'm excited.  Excited to do just a little thing to make it better, a good and difficult but still a small thing, in a very big world.

Pre-swim Purple

If you would like to contribute, you can click here to support PurpleSwim Baltimore and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.  (The page is open for 90 days after the swim, so even if you're slow on the clicker, you've still got time.) (But not that much time.  Get on it!)