Brandon Twp.- For Marcy Carney, running isn’t about finishing first or getting a personal best. Sometimes, it’s just about crossing the finish line. And sometimes, it’s about proving that you won’t be defeated, regardless of what you’re up against.
Carney, now 43, ran her first 5K in August 2013, encouraged by friend and fellow township resident Jennifer Tews to be more active.
‘I am really not an athlete, I’m intimidated by runners actually,? said Carney. ‘I figured I would be last to cross the finish line, but a 5K is for all different kinds of people, lots walk and lots run. We were there to have fun and enjoy the day and we had a great time.?
The mother of three’Jayma, 17, Jacob, 15, and Nick, 12? didn’t have any health issues that time, but notes she was getting a little older, was more tired and had more backaches. She wanted to be more energetic, and after that first 5K, in which she wasn’t the last to cross the finish line, she kept running. And when Tews suggested on New Year’s Eve that they resolve to run a 5K every month in 2014, Carney agreed.
‘I thought she was joking, we’d had a couple drinks,? she laughs now.
What she didn’t know then was how serious 2014 would become and how very committed she would be to keeping her resolution, even faced with one of the biggest challenges of her life.
Carney ran her first 5K of 2014 in Florida, then followed it up with 5Ks in Michigan in February, March and April. But just before her May 2014 race, the Bookin? It for Your Library 5K here in the township, she would have a mammogram done that would alter the course of her life, though not her resolve, and ultimately, would strengthen her as a person.
Her routine annual mammogram was May 7 and two days later, she received a call that a biopsy was recommended. Carney ran the Bookin? It the next day, with a nagging feeling of worry. She had her biopsy the following week and on May 21 received an offical diagnosis of breast cancer? specifically, ductal carcinoma in situ. The cancer had fortunately been caught early, and was stage 1. Carney chose to have a double mastectomy in June. Right before the surgery, she ran yet another 5K, but in July, told Tews she wouldn’t be able to do races anymore. Her friend told her it wasn’t necessary to run, they could walk and Carney found herself happy to have something to focus on besides her diagnosis and surgery. They completed their July 5K in Leonard, and followed that up with the Romeo Peach Festival 5K in August, the same month in which Carney began 12 weeks of chemotherapy.
‘I was very fortunate, I wasn’t really sick with my chemo and my surgery recovery was very easy,? she said. The fact that she had been running for the past year may have helped contribute to an easier recovery, as Carney was more fit.
She is sure that running helped her mental state throughout her illness.
‘I could have easily sat on the couch and worried or stewed or said, ‘Why me??? said Carney. ‘But I really never felt that way. I always thought, ‘It could have been so much worse? it could have been stage 4, it could have been my kid instead of me, I could have been uninsured.? I think running helped me observe other things instead of worrying about things I can’t change. Being outside helped me watch for things that people miss in everyday life.?
Races, especially 5Ks, include people at all different stages of life, Carney notes? small children, senior citizens, and all ages in between.
After her diagnosis, each 5K became about completion. While her August race was a challenge, her most difficult race was the October one, a night 5K in Howell. She is unsure if it was the time of day or perhaps her last day of chemo that made it so hard, but like all the others, she crossed the finish line and that mental hurdle.
‘Running helped with mental toughness for my cancer battle? the concentration and effort of knowing, if I can finish a race a month, this other thing is not going to interfere,? said Carney.
She is grateful, too, for support of the community.
‘I have a strong group of friends from the community that set up a meal train for me and went to my treatments with me,? she said. ‘I was so lucky to live where I live when I was diagnosed. I can’t say enough about our community.?
Now cancer-free, she looks forward to running her next 5K in this community. The Bookin? It for Your Library 5K Run/Walk and Dewey Decimal Dash is May 9, with the start line at the Brandon Township Library, 304 South St. Race day registration begins at 7 a.m., with the Dewey Decimal Dash, a one mile run for children 12 and under, starting at 8:30 a.m. and the Bookin? It at 9 a.m. Early registration deadline is May 2. Cost is $20 with a shirt, or $15 without the race T-shirt. Dewey Decimal Dash is $10, or $8 without shirt. Details: Robin Loughlin, 248-892-2762.
Carney encourages would-be runners to join her at the Bookin’It 5K.
‘Running is something for yourself,? she said. ‘If you can’t take care of yourself, you can’t be the best person for everyone else. I am a better parent, a better friend, because I try to take care of myself.?
Not that it’s always easy to be motivated to run, she adds.
‘It’s one of those things, you know you’ll feel better when you start. It’s hard to start and hard to continue, but the feeling of accomplishment is worth it.?