In the past year I've run around 1,000 miles. Along the way, I found the peace of mind and physical fitness that empowered me to support my wife, Moira, as she beat breast cancer. I shared that story with you on my blog, averageblog.org, and here in the pages of AnnArbor.com.

This fall, I completed the Chicago Marathon, finishing with the exact average finishing time of the overall field, not a minute faster or slower. For “Average Guy Hits the Road,” I could not have scripted it better myself.

Today, I woke up thinking about my next big challenge, the Rock and Roll Seattle Marathon on June 25, 2011. With perfect timing, I flicked on my laptop, and my detailed training program for the next two months was waiting for me, courtesy of Marie Wolfgram of PR Fitness, my coach. As I studied what she had in store for me, I became more and more excited, looking at each day’s plan as another running experience. Wednesday’s steady six-mile run will nearly always be with friends, the Saturday long runs will undoubtedly be with the PR Fitness Livestrong group (more on that in a minute), and maybe those Sunday recovery runs will be soft and quiet on my own in the trees of Bird Hills. They may be printed numbers on a sheet of paper, but to me they represent thousands of steps over hundreds of miles, all with the purpose of crushing two things… cancer, and those 26.2 miles through the streets of Seattle.

In the past few days, I have been lucky to see pictures and hear the stories of my running friends crossing the finish line at marathons around the world. In New York, some of my training partners were all sporting Livestrong gear and Cancer Kicker Dominate or Livestrong bracelets. In Dublin, my close friend Steve Mitzel ran a race with the names of his friends and family who’ve battled cancer written on his shoes. Steve raised more than $20,000 for the cancer cause at the University of Michigan this fall. Moira participated in the Livestrong Spin-a-Thon at the Y this past weekend. I ran 13.1 miles in New Orleans this year after raising $3,000 for the Wellness Community (soon to be renamed the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor). I’ve also written tens of thousands of words on averageblog.org about our journey through cancer and from the couch to the Chicago Marathon. Clearly, the running community is joined with the cancer community.

The mantra I often hear from people is that they run because others can’t. They run to provide inspiration to their loved ones. They run for their own peace of mind as they struggle with the stress of caring for someone special. I fall into all those categories. I am lucky, now, to have a group run every Saturday morning that blends my love of friends, of running, and of fighting cancer. The Livestrong group runs put together by the PR Fitness team make every week a charity run. Sometime, I will tell you all some of the ways that Livestrong and the Lance Armstrong Foundation stepped in to help us in a time of need. As a struggling caregiver, they saved me.

I want to challenge you, runners of Ann Arbor, to two things. First, come out and run with me and the 20 to 40 others who run for Livestrong every Saturday morning at 8 at the new lululemon athletica Ann Arbor, at the corner of William and State Streets, on the third floor above Jimmy John’s. The group is fantastic, low pressure, and the runs are supported with water stops and great people who range from slower, newer runners, to seasoned veterans of the road. The run is free, but you can donate to Livestrong if you like. That invitation is always open. I would love to meet even one new person who reads this and shows up to run a few miles with me. Introduce yourself.

Second, and this is a slightly bigger challenge, I want you to consider joining me in Seattle. The good news is that it will cost you nothing in airfare, lodging for three or four days or race registration fees. That's right, the trip and everything that goes with it are free. The only catch? You will be challenged to raise about $3,000 by early summer. You can race the marathon with me, or you can do a half marathon (Moira is doing the half!). You can do all 26.2 miles in three hours or less, or you can walk every foot of the half marathon. There will be no expectations and no judgment of your performance. There is a great group of diverse people who walk and run for the Wellness Community every year in this program, called Strides for Hope.

I know many of you Ann Arbor runners carry the cause of cancer near and dear to your heart, and I hope you consider doing something extraordinary with me this year in taking on Seattle with the Strides team. You couldn’t ask for a better cause…the Wellness Community provides free support classes and services to educate, inspire, and support every aspect of a survivor’s fight and also meet the needs of the caregivers beside them. Moira and I would not have gotten through our ordeal without them.

Will you run Seattle? Think about it. We need you.

Zak began running in 2009 to get healthy while supporting his wife, Moira as she beat breast cancer. Read all about Zak's exploits on his blog, averageblog.org, and support his cause, supporting the Wellness Community of Southeast Michigan.