A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with MS and stopped running altogether. Not because I needed to or my doctor advised me to, but because I was afraid I’d discover new limitations and losses. Not trying felt much less painful than trying and potentially failing. 

Then I joined a Facebook group for runners with MS, where I read posts from people sharing their daily runs, their setbacks, and their victories—no matter how small. They weren’t pretending it was easy, yet they kept showing up anyway. Seeing that made my own doubts feel smaller. If they could keep moving forward while managing something as unpredictable as MS, I realized I could take that first step again too. Slowly, I started running, and with each run, I felt a little more like myself again. 

Now I’m on a team of 10 runners raising funds for MS research! Between the 10 of us, we need to run 965 miles in five weeks (4/25-6/3). I’m hoping to reach my own personal goal of running at least 19 miles per week in order to contribute as much as possible, but I know that my team has my back no matter what. 

There was a time in my life when 19 miles per week would be no problem! However, currently, that’s definitely not a nontrivial amount. Please consider supporting me in this challenge by donating. All funds go to two specific MS researchers and my goal is to raise $250. 

All my best,

Alison