Part 1: What does it mean to be sick? “You don’t look sick” is a common phrase heard by those of us with “invisible” illnesses. I think it’s often meant as a compliment, but sometimes it is an accusation. There seems to be an expectation that if we’re “sick” there will be some visible sign…
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Running On Air as a Non-Profit
Today is October 1, 2022 and the start of PCD Awareness month. To me this month is all about raising awareness of PCD and raising money for the PCD Foundation. I’ve been asked why I made Running On Air (ROA) a non-profit and asked questions about if I was still supporting the PCD Foundation, since…
Years in Review
I haven’t written an end of the year blog in a few years so this one will actually go back to 2019. Sometimes it’s hard to separate out Running On Air and my accomplishments since many of the things I do are for Running On Air. You’ll find a mixture of both in this retrospective,…
Walking 26.2 Miles Makes Me a Loser
Someone at my gym was wearing an Under Armour shirt that proclaims: “Losers Walk”. I’m sure this was meant to be motivating. Instead, it is a message of superiority and exclusion. If you can’t run; don’t show up. For those of us who struggle to run, for whatever reason, the message is that we aren’t good…
Marathon Training Begins – Unofficially
This is my official unofficial announcement that I will be doing my first marathon this year – The New York City marathon. Why is this officially unofficial? Because registration for this race isn’t even open yet. They have a lottery system which opens on January 17. Those selected by lottery will be notified on March…
2016 In Review
This has been another amazing year for me and Running On Air. Not all of the 2016 goals were met, but we came close to some and have a lot to look forward to in 2017. Run the Year Once again I was part of Run the Edge’s Run the Year virtual challenge. I didn’t…
Crossing the US – Virtually
Last year when I was entered in Runner’s World’s cover contest, the PCD Foundation was sharing and saying that I was running across the United States to raise awareness. While that was technically correct, I let them know there was a difference in language to us runners. At some point since I started doing races…
It’s a Team Event – And We Need You
The first step to solving a problem is to identify it which has been an issue for those of us with lung and rare diseases. As a means of increasing awareness, I began entering races. I need to wear a portable oxygen concentrator because of my limited lung capacity. Last year, the magazine Runner’s World…
Who Needs Sleep
In one week, I’ll be standing in a corral (most likely the last one) in a parking lot at Epcot Center getting ready to race 3.1 miles. I will have been awake for three or more hours and probably walked at least a mile already. And then I’m going to do it again (but earlier and 6.2…
2015 – Year in Review (Plus a peek at 2016)
2015 had a lot of running firsts for me. Not surprising since my first race was in September, 2014. At this age it’s nice to have so many firsts. Also not surprising that Running On Air had a lot of firsts as we celebrated its first year October 2015. My original intention was to separate…
The Heart of A Runner
I struggle with calling myself a runner. When I talk about races, I prefer to say, “I’m participating” or “I’m racing.” I feel that saying “I’m running” is misleading. When other runners ask about my time in a race, they can’t quite hide their surprise at how much time I need to finish. Many people…
The Whining Begins – Part 2
Encouraged by this improvement, at the beginning of 2014 I decided I would setup a running plan that would get me through the Army Ten Miler (ATM) in October. The ATM is “that” race for me. Having signed up for it three previous times, I was never well enough to show up for the race. …
Running On Air 