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Woman on the Run: 6,000 miles that saved my life

Woman on the Run: 6,000 miles that saved my life - Paperback

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Availability:In StockContributor:Susan Carpenito Heard, Jeanne AlbaneseTheme:Topical/Death/DyingPublish date:5/2/2026Pages:300
Languages:EnglishPublisher:Genesee Ave BooksISBN-13:9798218727109UPC:9798218727109Book Category:Biography & Autobiography, Family & Relationships, Health & FitnessBook Subcategory:Memoirs, Death, Grief, Bereavement, Mental HealthSize:9.00 x 6.00 x 0.63 inchesWeight:0.404Product ID:SCJQBATS5V

Grief broke her. Running rebuilt her.

When her son David died of cancer at just ten years old, Susan Carpenito Heard was consumed by grief and debilitating guilt. She hadn't just lost a child; she'd lost her sense of control, her

identity, and her will to live.

As Susan sank into a deep depression, she found solace in food and alcohol. But those crutches brought an additional burden: the knowledge that her son, whose motto was "Embrace Life," would be devastated by her decline.

After years of avoiding reality only to hit rock bottom, Susan decided to run, quite literally, towards something new: hope.

She strapped on a Fitbit. She took her first strides. With every mile, Susan found new ways to process her pain, regain control, and heal her heart. The girl who once failed P.E. because she refused to run a mile was now a woman on a desperate yet exhilarating mission.

From her couch, to her first 5K, to completing a marathon, the thousands of miles she logged became a journey through grief and a grounding force to navigate many additional challenges she endured in the years after David died. Award-winning journalist Jeanne Albanese used hundreds of journal entries and interviews to chronicle Susan's transformation, sharing her victories and setbacks in Susan's voice--with the same raw honesty found in the online journals and sweaty selfies Susan used to document her progress.

Out on the road, she discovered a sense of self and accomplishment she struggled to find elsewhere. Because even if you're at the back of the pack, you're still moving forward.

Woman on the Run is an honest, gritty, and ultimately joyful memoir. It shows healing is rarely linear, but through persistence and resilience you can find hope, joy, and a new sense of self, even in the wake of life's darkest moments.

This story is for anyone who has suffered great loss, wrestled with purpose, or needs an inspirational jolt to start their own journey.

The goal, as David so eloquently put it, is simple: embrace life.

Languages:EnglishPublisher:Genesee Ave BooksISBN-13:9798218727109UPC:9798218727109Book Category:Biography & Autobiography, Family & Relationships, Health & FitnessBook Subcategory:Memoirs, Death, Grief, Bereavement, Mental HealthSize:9.00 x 6.00 x 0.63 inchesWeight:0.404Product ID:SCJQBATS5V
Carpenito Heard, Susan: - After her son David died of cancer, Susan Heard left her career in higher education to work for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, the largest private funder of pediatric cancer research, to help with her grief and to keep her promise to him to never stop working toward cures. Now the Senior Director of Distinguished Giving, she works tirelessly to bring in large donors and assist donors to incorporate St. Baldrick's into their estate planning. Before her work at St. Baldrick's, she worked in student admissions and activities at Moravian University, Lafayette College and Centenary College, where she was the director of admissions operations. She holds a master's degree in college student development from Northeastern and counseling and a bachelor's in psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She's a diehard member of the Sub-30 Club.Albanese, Jeanne: - Jeanne Albanese has over 35 years of experience as a journalist in Syracuse, NY, where she worked for The Syracuse Post Standard, Herald Journal and Herald American newspapers, as well as as a freelancer for several local magazines. She is a former adjunct professor at her alma mater, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University as well as Onondaga Community College and Manlius Pebble Hill School. She is currently the Assistant Director of Media and Public Relations at SUNY Upstate Medical University. She has won local, state and national journalism awards and was once listed under Notable Writing in "Best American Sportswriting." Her poem "Your Chair" was published in The Healing Muse, A Journal of Literary and Visual Arts.
Publisher: Genesee Ave Books

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