At 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning I woke up, got ready, and drove to where a bus would take thousands of runners to the start line for the Los Angeles Marathon.
Running those 26.2 miles was painful but I finished.  It was storming (yes, storming in LA) windy, and very cold. I was saturated from head to toe, and as I ran, I could no longer feel my fingers. Needless to say my goal of finishing in 4:15 evaporated and I started to worry if I would finish at all!
But, I was not running for me, I was running to raise money for the Center for Assault Treatment Services located in the San Fernando Valley of L.A. County. CATs is a comprehensive medical clinic that performs exams on women and children who have been victims of sexual assault and physical abuse. They also offer support and counseling because it takes a lot of counseling to help a victim heal from such a traumatic experience. The staff there are a Godsend. 
As a Deputy District Attorney who prosecutes sex crimes, I have met many victims who have been treated at CATs. So each time I could not take another step I reminded myself that I am doing this for "Will" (not his real name), a young boy who was sexually assaulted or "Vicki" (not her real name), who was raped in her home by a stranger. The names go on and on. Given what they have gone through I can finish 26.2 miles.

Jane Creighton is an attorney in the District Attorney's office. She finished the marathon in 5:25:34.

(Photo courtesy of the author)