You, too, can run a virtual race. Lace up your shoes, and start moving!

On November 10, I finished the virtual Tip to Tip Great Florida Traverse — All the Way — 901 mile ultramarathon in 204 hours; 42 minutes; and 10 seconds. I ran a collective 104 days beginning June 1, 2020.

I never intended to run the 901 mile event.

I had signed up for the Tip to Tip Great Florida Traverse — Just the Tip — 128 mile event. …

Finally, Snowshoeing Snow!

The last time I went snowshoeing was on March 21, 2018 on the second day of spring. We got 10 inches of snow. In 2019, there was no snow to speak of. In December 2020, we got a couple of inches but not enough for snowshoeing.

Finally, in January 2021 I snowshoed my way on trails and fields near my home. So far this winter, three snowstorms have dumped over 20 inches inches of snow — plenty for snowshoeing and snow hiking.

Some runners enjoy running in snow. I don’t. Because I don’t run ultramarathon events in places where snow…

I don’t need to tell you. We are living in extremely overwhelming and difficult times. One way I cope with difficult times and challenges is to run.

Journaling is another way I cope. It’s good therapy. Journaling is healing and restorative. I document the difficult experiences. I also document beautiful moments.

From time to time I go through my journal. Today I came across an entry I made in my journal two years ago today — January 15, 2019.

I recorded an encounter I had with an angel.

I wrote:

Everyday is a blessing but some days have more sparkle…

I never tire of interviewing Pamela Chapman Markle. And she never tires of running grueling hours and distances, and setting USA and world records in in her age group, not even during the Covid-19 pandemic.

I recently interviewed Pamela about what it’s been like during the pandemic. It hasn’t been much fun. “Nine races cancelled on me. Badwater and Spartathlon were the last two cancelled. I was literally depressed about it,” she lamented. “But I helped a lot race directors because a lot of cancellations did not defer. In the Badwater series you lost every penny you sent.”

Pamela was…

What is Castleman disease? Read Chasing My Cure: A Doctor’s Race to Turn Hope into Action and be astonished by David Fajgenbaum’s harrowing medical journey with this deadly disease.

That he lived to write about it, and become a leading authority and advocate for finding treatment and a cure for Castleman disease, is simply a miracle.

Chasing My Cure is an engrossing and compelling page-turning memoir. Fajgenbaum writes as a physician, scientist, and patient.

While in medical school he becomes a patient with unexplainable symptoms , blood moles, and a fluid filled body. His organs begin to shut down.

Doctors…

Have you experienced a medical error? Have you been harmed by a medical error? Do you know someone who is permanently harmed or has died as a result of a medical error?

In her latest book, When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error, attending physician at Bellevue Hospital and professor at NYU Medical School, Danielle Ofri presents eye-opening research and interviews with scholars and experts that focus on studies that investigate the cause of medical errors, the shortcomings of EMRs (electronic medical records), and missed diagnoses.

Ofri also discusses bias in hospital care and treatment, resident work hours…

Running for Cancer Caregivers

In 2020, approximately 1.8 million people will be diagnosed with cancer. A 2018 ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) report shows that the number of cancer caregivers in the U.S. ranges from a startling 2.8 to 6.1 million, with caregivers providing an average of almost 33 hours a week of care for their loved ones tackling cancer, whether they be friends or family.

In 2018, I became a cancer caregiver when my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

My husband endured aggressive radiation treatments, chemotherapy every other Wednesday for two years, and four surgeries. …

The Books in My Life

Years ago at our local library’s used book sale I came across a paperback book titled The Books in My Life. As a bibliophile with over 1,200 books in my house, the title resonated with me.

I opened the book and discovered it was signed by its British author Colin Wilson. I paid a dollar for this wonderful memoir, and added it to my collection of signed and inscribed books.

You might be wondering — what is the difference between a signed book and an inscribed book. A signed book contains only the author’s signature. …