Summer of 2015
The summer of 2015 definitely beat the summer of 2011. I know that I have not blogged in a
while. I know that some of my biggest
fans like to know how I am doing. Here
is my latest update.
I met with my oncologist and breast surgeon this past
July. I am happy to report that they
both said that I am doing well. I went
for a breast MRI and the results came back clean.
We did another summer of camp mommy. A great time was had by all. We did bike
riding, picnics, swimming, library time, Hershey Park, drove a boat, cut my
hair and donated it and visited friends and family in the northeast. I visited with my brother in Wisconsin and ran NJ's toughest 5k (and finished the race). Of course there were a few days where we did
nothing. There were mornings were we
slept in and nights were we stayed up late. It was a successful summer!
This summer I joined a group called Moms on the Run of Essex
County. It was really a game changer.
I met some really awesome people.
I met up with people in the mornings for early runs.
I met up with people
for Sunday morning runs.
I met up on the track on Mondays with our kids to exercise
and train as a family.
Running doesn’t come easy for me. It is hard for me to find sneakers that help
ease some of my foot pain. There are so many times that I just want to stop
running shortly after I start. (I know that others feel this way). I read this great article written by a young
lady about running. It discussed her
love/hate relationship with running. It hit home on so many points. Here are my thoughts on running.
I hate getting up out
of bed when it is still dark out to go run.
I hate running up the hills back to my house.
I hate running in the humidity.
I do love the feeling after I have completed a run.
I think it is awesome that I can get 12,000 steps by 7:30 in
the morning.
I love the fact that I can run. I may be slow but I can do it. There are so many people that don’t have the
ability to get up and run. It wasn’t
that long ago that it was really hard for me to even walk a block without
getting exhausted or winded.
Running with these moms have helped me regain my strength
and not be so lazy this summer. My
children are older and I could have slept to eight or nine on a regular day. Joining
this group has sort of forced me to get moving early on. Lori has been so
inspiring and so encouraging. She has
run with me at my slow pace but has pushed me to run a little faster each
time. She has helped me get my family up
and moving this summer. My daughters
both have run three miles. That is a
huge accomplishment for them. That would
not have been possible without Lori and her constant encouragement. Kathleen is pretty comical to run with. She is not a running fanatic. She is always making us smile and laugh as we
take on the next challenge. She might
complain about not being a true runner but she is pretty darn awesome! Carole
is the only person I know that can go away on vacation for a month and come
back in better shape. She is always
trying new things to challenge herself. Her
challenges end up challenging the rest of us.
It has turned out to be a pretty awesome group of people I have met this
summer.
I think one of the most important outcomes of this group is
that it has held me accountable this summer. Without a current race on my calendar it is
hard to get motivated to run. Feeling like others are counting on you to show
up at 5:30am makes you get up out of bed.
Knowing that others are there and will make you work hard and challenge
yourself and also laugh is very motivating.
This coming September I will be running a 5k with E. We will walk/run it. If you are local and want to run with us,
please let me know. Even though I don’t
have a race locked into place, I have a few challenges that I have set for
myself that I hope to accomplish over the next few months. Challenging oneself is always a good
thing.
E ran three miles and did the first mile without stopping. She has truly amazed me this summer.
It has been a great summer. I am sad to see it go. I am looking forward to all the fun that
awaits me in the future. Here is to a great 2015-2016 school year.
I love seeing all these smiling faces when I enter my classroom everyday!
Remember:
