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Marathon Postscript
October 9 was a gray, chilly, and slightly misty morning in Portland, Oregon — basically, a perfect day for a marathon.
Over 12,000 of us ran, walked, and wheeled our way along the 26.2 mile route among throngs of community supporters, marathon volunteers, and even the occasional Occupy Portland protester. It was a wonderful, exhausting day. I somehow managed to beat my previous PR by almost 20 minutes — I’m already planning the next adventure.
But my silver lining is overshadowed by gray. As we were starting our race here on the West Coast, the Chicago Marathon was already well underway, albeit in warmer, sunnier conditions. I was very sad to hear about the tragic death of Captain William Caviness, a 35-year-old father of two and firefighter running to raise money for burn victims. He was an experienced runner, and a role model for his friends and colleagues. My impression from the press coverage is that his death could not have been predicted or prevented. My heart goes out to his family and his community.
As a cardiologist, I spend my days trying to spread the message that a healthy lifestyle is our best bet to prevent heart disease. I do believe that what we do can truly impact who we are and how our lives can unfold. But I am reminded that there is no perfect solution. Many things are not within our control. Despite my scientific training and my respect for the power of prevention, I also can get frustrated. And angry.
Because sometimes, life just isn’t fair.
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