Leaving for Jamaica tomorrow @ 4am!

I leave bright and early tomorrow.  I promise to take lots of pictures and cheer on all the runners running to raise funds for a cure for Arthritis.  I'll post pictures when I get back.

bigted

Ya, mon!

Have a wonderful time!!

Have lots and lots of fun, we will miss you

Bigted,

Your probably already asleep, good luck have fun.  Too bad we can't meet up in the Toronto airport maybe this summer when hubby takes me back!!!

Tess

oh noooooooo! a few days off the board and I miss this! have an absolutely fantastic time-  you deserve this! now that we can post pictures maybe you can show us some island beaches or something!

travel safely and take care,

kate

Hey bigted,

Miss hearing from you.  Are you back yet??

Sorry folks for being away from the board.  I think this should work as a link to facebook to see some of my photos.  It's not all of them by any means as I have never really used it before and it's a bit cumbersome when you have a lot to add.  Hopefully this works:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=67104&l=33af0&id=565005932

There were about 45 runners from across Canada who took part although there were closer to 70 of us who were on the trip.  If I have the numbers correct I believe they raised over $210,000 (Cdn) for arthritis research and education.  The marathon started at 5:15am and my therapist was very happy with her half marathon time of about 2 hours 20 mins.

It was quite the thing for me to be there to see all of these largely healthy people invest so much time and money to run in the marathon.  They invested time in fund raising and time training.  It was a truly moving experience.  I was really lucky to be able to see it.  Everyone had a great race and Negril and Jamaica did a great job of making us all feel welcome. 

I managed to have the gumption to get up and talk that evening when we had an informal gathering before dinner to talk about our experiences that day and why we were involved in Joints in Motion.  I was unique as I wasn’t really part of the Joints in Motion team as my arrangements were made by my anonymous donor.  It was quite something to say how I got there.  The runners spoke frequently through out the event about how they were in awe of how those affected by arthritis in its many forms and how they managed to live with their disease.  Many said how they were humbled by how we manage and get on with our lives.  I got up and spoke from the other perspective, how I was humbled by how so many gave up their time and money to raise so much to help so many.  The feeling of standing at that start line on that dark, warm Saturday morning knowing how much these folks had done just to do that is not something you can bottle and it was quite humbling and awe inspiring.  Within the Joints in Motion program the runners talk about their heroes who have arthritis and I said that that on that day everyone who ran that day were my heroes.

bigted