This one is really easy. I have many people I admire, many who qualify as a "hero", but this is the story I most enjoy sharing with others.
In 2005 when I was living in Hawaii, I decided that I was tired being exhausted by running 1.5 miles, and wanted to get into long distance running a little more. I joined up with Team In Training, an organization affliated with The Leukemia and Lymphoma society, which promises free training, swag, and group support for would-be marathoners, in exchange for fundraising activities. I wish I could say I had an altruistic reason for joining, but basically, I liked the idea of getting free training, plus I wanted to go to San Francisco. The fact that the money would go to charity (as well a fund my trip) was nice, but wasn't my main reason for joining. I know, I know... judge me if you will.
Part of the training regime included group runs every Saturday, which I attended religiously. After a group stretch, we'd all take off, naturally falling in with the people who ran the same pace as us. I met an older gentleman, who, despite his advanced age (over 70) still ran a faster pace than me, and constantly urged the group to push faster.
I found out later that the reason he ran was to honor his daughter, who had suffered from leukemia when she was 17. She wrote a journal about her battle with the disease, which was later published into a book. Tragically, she died a year later. Even now, years later her father still runs in her memory.
So when I'm feeling tired, or when I feel like I can't keep running, I always think about him and how he always pushed himself to go faster, how he always challenged those around him to keep moving too, and it motivates me to keep going.
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