Listen to the Music

The book I am working on is titled "Running With My Shadows". Here, briefly are two short stories to explain what that means to me. In early November a friend in our running club was diagnosed with cancer, and he passed away in early February. At the funeral there was was a memory book for people to submit stories about Jim. I am never quite sure about what to say at a funeral, so I wrote a story about Jim and Sandie who I used to meet on our running routes. The part that applies to this is what happens after the funeral. I wrote down that now that Jim has passed, he becomes a shadow in Sandies life and when you run with your shadows, you never run alone. Next time you run on a sunny day, with the sun to your back, you'll see what I mean. In my life, that "shadow" is my dog "Cujo", who was hit by a car last year. That "shadow" can apply to anyone in your life, and that explains the title of this book.

The other area that hit home was when my father got sick over two years ago. To save his life, the doctors had to amputate both of his legs and he pulled through after some rough times. When we visited him, we went for a run by the ocean that he had grew up around, and we tried to imagine not being able to run. It was a cold and quiet run which made us appreciate what joy we get from the simple act of running, or what we thought was simple until our father got sick.

This book, "RUNNING WITH MY SHADOWS", is a collection of stories of why people run and what running means to them. There are stories like the above, humorous tales and stories that just tell of the love for running that some of you have. In the Samples of submissions section of this site, I have included examples of what I have received from other runners.

Hopefully, the book will do very well and our shadows will help the beneficiaries of the Arthritis Foundation and the Leukemia Society.

Last modified on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2000.