My goodness it has been a while since I last updated my blog, so I thought since I had a few minutes that is exactly what I would do. Well due to the vast amount of studying and homework, my life has been rather boring as i'm usually home most of the day just trying to keep up with school and of course Kate who is all over the place now! I also have to fit in my huge stress reliever of a good run on the treadmill in my beloved gym in our complex. I love that gym for several reasons, the equipment is great and most of all there is hardly ever anyone in there, so it's like I have my own private gym. Sweet! It's funny how that little break can really make a difference in my day. So as i've been crazy with my life with trying to juggle school, home life, Kate, Bobby etc. I also decided that it would be fun to add in another thing in my crazy life and do a race because i've worked so hard with running and wanted to see how well I could do it. So I registered for the big "Fight Against Breast Cancer" 5K with my good friend Emily, who is also a runner so we could go together. I wanted to do the race for breast cancer because I'm also realizing that due to my life always being so crazy, I don't get involved nearly as much as I want to in things that matter to me. So I figured that this little 5k would be a good start. The story behind this is that an old coworker of mine had breast cancer and passed away from it, she left behind 5 children ranging from teens to 8 (I believe), I remember this woman, she was so nice and always fun to talk to. I may not have known her too well, but I do know she was a great mom, and how hard it is on her younger kids to have lost her. So I joined "Team Ramona" and ran for the cure of breast cancer. I admit I was a little nervous if I could do it as well as I was hoping, mainly because I usually only run on the treadmill which is very different from the pavement. And since I registered for the race a WEEK before (typically not the smart thing to do) I figured I better try it out on the road. I figured that since I could pretty easily run 4 miles on the treadmill I can handle 3 miles on the road. So my first try on the road wasn't too bad I ran the 3 miles but it was a little tougher than the treadmill and I missed the privacy of my gym as people kept looking at me as I ran past them, but I did it! Ok so the big day came, I got up early, had eggs and took trax downtown with my friend to meet our group for Ramona. I have to say, seeing everyone there and the fact that we were all there for a cause was exhilerating! I absolutely loved feeling like that! I felt like I was finally getting out of my bubble and helping out a major cause, even if it was just a small contribution. What made it even better was that the 3 miles was so much easier than I thought it would be! I didn't even really sweat and don't remember ever really being out of breath, heck when it was done I was ready to keep going! It was awesome to have a running buddy to keep us both going and someone to chat to and just have fun with. So I was so happy with myself that I have set another goal to maybe try out a 10k which is about 6 miles and then work my way up to a marathon. Ok and now for one of the best parts, all of the FREE stuff when you're done! Once we crossed the finish line there were people waiting for us with oranges and water bottles, then off to the dozens of vendors just waiting to give me their stuff. A free loaf of honey wheat bread from Great Harvest here, a new bag and a foam hat there, some chapstick and even a fat boy ice cream. Oh yeah, it was sweet. But there ya have it, I think I am offically getting addicted to marathon running as well as taking a moment to get more involved in the world around me, something I plan to do much more of!
