RIP Grandma's Marathon 1984-2014 - for me anyway!

It is over!  There will be no 31^st consecutive Grandma's Marathon finish.  There are a few reasons for this decision.  

• First, the forecast is severe thunderstorms; at 52 years old, I do not need to spend 6 hours trying to finish a marathon in poor weather.  
• Second, I have had severe ankle pain since last fall and even spent time in physical therapy, which heeled me for a while.
• Lastly, my health.  As I had written on May 29, the Doctor discovered a bleeding ulcer.  While I have tried to gain an advantage and improve my health, I have yet to be successful.  I decided to have a follow-up before the race.   It was not good, and he advised heavily against the effort. 

Long-term fatigue has many causes, but now my hemoglobin is very low.  I still cringe when he uses the word anemia. Low hemoglobin may be a temporary problem remedied by eating more iron-rich foods or taking a multivitamin containing iron.  But in this case, it is more from the internal bleeding I am failing to control.  I blame my job for most of the stress.  I have never experienced job stress at a level like I have in the past six months.  I do not see it getting better.

So, for months, I have held on to the longest consistent part of my life, Grandma's Marathon.  Until a few hours ago, I would ignore the Doctor and do it anyway.  I want to go wrong, as the thought of not going is depressing.  Makes me want to ask, what else is there?  

All streaks need to end, but I feel empty right now.  I feel like my heart is ripped from my chest.  Maybe it is my heart that bleeds, not my stomach.  

Either way, my consecutive finishes at Grandma's Marathon are over.  RIP to the last consistent (30-year) part of my life.

Carry on, my friends, carry on!