New York Marathon 2010

It is a beautiful sunny day in Portland, Oregon. I have just completed a 3.5 mile slog with my dear friend Carmen. I have decided to write during these last few weeks of countdown to the Ing New York Marathon 2010.  After completing my first NY marathon last year and experiencing the thrill of completion of 26.2 miles, I find that I struggle with motivation this year. It is partly due to being "in the know" about what is involved in the training and the fact that my body is a year older and not really enjoying the pounding it is taking to complete this goal. However, the honor of being part of the National Stroke Team is what keeps me going.

To know that this effort will help raise funds for much needed research keeps me on track but it is tough. Next year I will find another way to help support much needed attention to stroke. While we have increased awareness of stroke, we have not achieved the goal of getting people to take action when they have stroke symptoms. It has almost had the opposite effect. But what is of more concern to me is the lack of support to stroke survivors post-stroke and their loved ones. Health insurance coverage for stroke rehabilitation in this country is lacking, the support structure is not organized and most stroke survivors fall through the cracks and do not receive the medical attention they need to regain function. Stroke survivors are not the best advocates for themselves. Families and loved ones are under a tremendous amount of stress trying to juggle finances, medical care, caretaker responsibilities without any coordinated support structure from our health care system. Children of stroke survivors have no counseling offered to them to help them understand what has happened to their parent. There is so much that could work better for all stroke survivors. So that is why I have taken on this task. Sometimes I need to remind myself when I am facing that 20 mile training run but I do hope someday that all this effort will   help me contribute to a better future for stroke survivors. I don't have the statistics in my head to rattle off here today but I can only imagine the long term benefits of helping someone get back into the workforce after a stroke versus the person remaining on disability.

So, I run. Plodding along until my next long run this weekend. I will walk/jog it. If you would like to join me in raising funds this year, please visit my fundraising page  at http://www.stroke.org/goto/katemccarron .