The past month started off on a very solemn and sad note with the passing of Adrienne on the morning of October 1st. Her death was the final paragraph of the last chapter in her brutal journey through cancer treatments. Some  of those so called “therapies” were so harsh I would not wish them on my enemies, if I had any! The last chapter of that journey, the last six weeks of her life, can only be described in terms of absolute emotional turmoil. We had known for a long time that we would have to face the inevitable one day but had always hoped that it would be later rather than sooner. Adrienne’s treatment options had become more and more restricted over the years and her cancer more and more aggressive the last ten months of her life. Her story of survival started 13 years ago at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, California, where she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on Thursday, December 12 – a bright and crisp winter day. The following week, after extensive tests and scans at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, we found out that she was Stage III out of IV, with tumors that reached all the way from her clavicle to her upper thigh. Looking back it really can almost be considered a miracle that she had survived this long.

Adrienne was laid to rest in San Jose next to her grandfather who died from lymphoma in 2000. It was a beautiful sunny day in the Bay Area. Some of my best friends and running buddies from Santa Barbara came up for her service. They had gotten Adrienne through the Santa Barbara Team in Training Chapter where she was an honoree for a couple of seasons. I will never forget that they came to support David and I on this day. After a fairly short and sweet service we all went over to the grave site which happens to be located just across the street from the fairgrounds. And on said day the fairgrounds hosted a Mexican fiesta with mariachi music blaring across the road – so loud that no one could actually understand what the rabbi was preaching. Now, some would have gotten upset or even offended by this, but in our case it could not have been more fitting. Adrienne had always had a nerdy sense of humor and while I was listening to the blaring music I could not help but picture her standing in the background, watching the scene and giggling.

Putting Adrienne to rest after all this time brought the proverbial closure for David and I and we have been settling into our new “normal”. A “normal” that means missing Adrienne every day and keeping her memory alive. A “normal” that means that we will never get over the loss of her, but rather that we are slowly getting through it. Her incredible story of survival had touched many lives and we want to make sure that her death will not be in vain. David and I have a few ideas we are exploring. Stay tuned! The hardest day since Adrienne’s death was the day her death certificate came in the mail. Receiving a piece of paper that documents the death of your daughter is something no parent should ever have to deal with. And it is very strange to see the record of Adrienne’s passing in black and white. She will forever be 22. A life lived to its fullest, a life of unimaginable potential, a life cut too short!

After we got back from the Bay Area I came down with a cold. Not surprisingly after weeks of sleepless nights and emotionally draining days. I was happy that I got over it quickly and was back into my running routine after taking a couple of days off. Since fall has finally arrived in the desert as well the mornings have been getting cooler, and – I have to admit – quite beautiful. Not that I will ever get used to the season of change into winter but I am trying to embrace it more. It has been hard going to the gym on these glorious desert mornings and I have been running outdoors exclusively this month.

I missed posting September numbers but am ready for October stats:

Shortest run: 5 miles

Longest run: 10 miles

Average speed: 7:38 min/miles

Strength & Endurance: 3 hours

Weight Training: 3 hours

Yoga: 4 hours