I had entered a drawing to run Sunday’s 2018 United Airlines NYC Half-Marathon on a whim, not expecting to be chosen. When I found out I was in, my initial reaction was, “Wow, I’m so lucky.” But I’ve realized it was never my luck, it was my fate. It was the last “gift” I will ever receive from my father.
I never had the best relationship with my dad. He was always in and out of my life and not the type of father I had wanted. I was angry with him. A few months before the race, I was busy planning my son Cooper’s Bar Mitzvah. One of the bigger emotional tasks that I was faced with during the process was making amends with my father. My kids had never met him and I knew deep down that he needed to be there for Coop’s big day – I never want to live with regrets. I reached out to him and invited him to the party.
Looking back, it wasn’t the actual Bar Mitzvah I was so stressed out about, it was about my dad. How and when would my kids meet him? What would they say? Would they be accepted?
Four days before the big event, I got a call that my dad was rushed into the hospital – he had missed his dialysis treatment. He was in bad shape; he was hooked up to life support and the outlook was grim. I knew deep down that this was the end.
I may not have always liked my dad, but I did have love for him. At this moment, I needed to give my father my forgiveness. He passed away a few days later.
SHA running on the bridge
This weekend, when the day of the race finally came, I decided to run it in his honor. It was freezing outside when I got to the starting line so I was layered up. I have Raynaud’s phenomenon, which is a type of vascular disease that causes certain parts of the body to feel numb due to changes in temperature, and it was in full force that morning. When I got to mile six, my body finally warmed up and that’s when I took off.
The cheers from spectators – including some especially for me – was the boost I needed to get me to the finish line. I completed the 13.1 mile race in two hours and four minutes and came in 11,010th place (Ha!).
MILE 12 from DRENCHED™ NY on Vimeo.
I got my medal, I was so overwhelmed with endorphins, emotions and excitement that the only way to let it out was to do one of my infamous headstands. As I exited Central Park, I was greeted by my family who were decked out with signs, flowers and the coziest sweat suit!
SHA’s infamous headstand
I recovered from the race by taking four Motrins to reduce inflammation, drinking plenty of fluids and getting a massage. Later that night, I used the Game Ready machine to accelerate the healing process.
By Monday, I was back to my regular routine. What’s next? I’m training for the SHAPE Women’s Half-Marathon on Sunday, April 15th. I’ll be running to raise awareness for addiction, a cause close to my heart. For each one of the 13.1 miles that I run, I will be raising money to support the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (licadd.org).But this race?
This one was for you, dad.
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