DIABETES, YOU LOSE!

   My name is Nicholas Johns and I am changing the world! Now say it out loud, but put your name there. Because you are changing the world. We are together. And we will be successful! Yesterday was an amazing step forward.
   Thank you all so much for your support, in every way that you gave it. I finished the Los Angeles Marathon in honor of my father, Riley Wade Johns, with the support of all of my friends and family, in 4:55:13. I was so proud. It may sound odd for me to be saying that, but it's not. I did the running, but the world was my team. In my fight for awareness I raised close to $2,000 in support, and I am still getting donations from people towards diabetic research. Thank you all so much. In combination with the financial contribution, we have brought an immeasurable amount of attention to Diabetes. It is so enlightening to know that people want to make a difference.
   Yesterday was a very emotional day for my family and I. I was blessed to have my wife at my side for the entire weekend, and my mother, sister, brother-in-law, and niece were there to support me on Sunday. The morning had its frustrations - waking up at 4am is never a good way to start, if you ask me, but it was for a good cause. The two hours spent in the car parked on the freeway however, was not for a good cause. That resulted in me getting out of the car a half mile before the exit marker and walking to the starting line with the other hundreds of people trying to get there on time. Once the race started though, all of that was forgotten. This was about Me and Dad, my family, and stopping Diabetes. It was about my family and I finding closure to a chapter of our lives that ended too quickly, and about helping to make sure it doesn't happen to others.
  Boy did that emotion come through during the race. I was a very happy person to be running that marathon. I love to run. Sure, doing it for five hours is torture, but it is empowering! And with the cause behind me, I couldn't be stopped. I can only imagine what people must have been thinking as they noticed me bawling my eyes out at various parts of the course, even though I was smiling and running strong. My Dad was right there with me the whole race and he carried me through the hard parts. His life and memory helped me coast through the easy parts too. When I crossed mile 26.2, well, nothing can describe what I was feeling. There are no words for that.
   These last few months have been quite a whirlwind as I have tried to make a lifestyle change, and hoped that others would too. It has been motivating, enlightening, and, needless to say, difficult. Best of all, it has been successful.Originally, I had a lot of things I wanted to say in this "final" blog, but as it came to the day and the emotion came on and the big moment came, I stalled, waiting for just the right words to come. Then I decided not to let the emotion out yet. I chose to wait until after the marathon. It would be better then. I would be more dialed in on what I wanted to say. But even after, and all day today as I've thought about this post, there is still so much I want to say. I wanted to wrap this up. Say thanks for the support, keep it up and goodbye. But what I am realizing. . . This isn't, or at least shouldn't be, goodbye. We have changed the world and we will continue to. So let's not stop here. Let's leave it open. Let's continue the fight. I will be doing another race. Probably a lot of them. Every one of them will be against Diabetes. I hope that all of you will fight it in your own way too - for yourselves, your children, and the family and friends that you may not even have yet. The donate button on the site will remain there. I will be making continuous donations to the American Diabetes Association as they come in, and I will post info on my next race. Just a few weeks ago a good friend called and challenged me to train for a triathlon. Maybe that will be the next goal. For now, I'll start local with my friends, family, neighborhood, co-workers. I'll post things I am doing to fight Diabetes and hopefully you will all remain a part of it. Please, contact me if you are doing something as well, so I can become a part of that.
   Tracy took several photos this weekend.  I will post them here within the next couple of days.  And in honor of my father who seemed to have his camera surgically attached to his hand, I decided to carry a camera with me through the race. I will also post that album here very soon, and you will be able to view it on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/curediabetes2010) too. They aren't all pretty, I promise you that, but I was a little busy as I was taking them. ;) I hope you enjoy seeing it through my eyes as much I enjoyed it through my feet. Thank you for being a part of this.

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