Why I Could, Possibly be Called a Runner

My husband, Matt asked me the other day when I was going to post on my blog again.  My reaction was a mixture of surprise, "Wow, you actually DO read my blog!?!" and fear, "hmmm....I've been WAY too busy to blog, or to take any good pictures of the stuff I've been making lately, I've got nothing to blog about!!!".
Yes, I've been THAT busy... with life in general, with baking, and... with training for my first 10 mile race, The Broad Street Run!

I would never, ever consider myself to be "a runner" so I will try to sum up why I'm running in a 10 mile race, my 2nd race ever...here goes....
 My motivation to start running 2 years ago, at age 37, was probably a typical one~FEAR.  I imagined my skinny self (skinny, not fit mind you!) hitting the dreaded 40 year milestone and sinking into a comfortable lifestyle of bon bons and mom jeans.  I have never been one to work out, and the only time I broke a sweat was when I was baking cookies, or laying by the pool in the summer...seriously!!!

There have been a few occasions, over the years, when I actually toyed with the idea of starting to run... I decided I'd probably stink at it!  I locked that idea away with my list of, "Things I'll do when I turn 40", like buying a bike, becoming a certified scuba diver and working for Martha Stewart.  Well over the past few years, I came to the realization that I was more afraid of letting myself go than I was of running, or actually of failing at running.  I finally bought a pair of running shoes and equipped with the, "Couch to 5K" knowledge I had picked up on Runner's World, I started running.  The rest of the story isn't so funny.


This past August, while on a family vacation in the Outer Banks my 5 year old nephew, Jackson Schwartz became very sick.  A few days later, he was diagnosed with leukemia.  Time seemed to stand still while his parents, siblings, family and friends tried to take in the news.  By the grace of  God, a woman reached out to my sister in law Kristen, Jackson's mom.  This woman's son, Jake Darruff had lost his fight with cancer over 10 yrs. ago and she wondered if Jackson would like to be the 2011 sponsor child for the 5K they hold annually in Jake's memory~ { http://www.jakelegacyrun.org/ } .  All of the proceeds of the race went directly to Jackson's family, so I started training and ran my first 5K.

I am happy to say that Jackson is cancer free today, and in the maintenance phase of his treatment plan at CHOP.  It was a rocky 7 months but Jackson has turned out to be  THE strongest person I have ever known.  His little smile and love of life has taught me to stop whining about stupid, little things that really don't matter and to focus on, and appreciate the life and talents that God has given me.
I try not to listen to the voice in my head that tells me, "I CAN'T" do something. It's been replaced with a voice that tells me to,"TRY"!
So... I signed up for The 2012 Broad Street Run with Team determiNATION  and the commitment to raise at least $500 for The American Cancer Society.  Before I signed up, I  was just a 39 yr. old woman who's major claim to running fame was running a 5K.  As I look back at these last 2 months of training, trying not to freak out because the race is only 4 days away, I ask myself, "Can I really do this"?  My answer? "If Jackson can overcome cancer, you can overcome a measly 10 mile race!"

Thanks for reading this and wish me luck!! xo

UPDATE:
The race was this morning, my favorite part of the whole morning???

Jackson running, wearing my medal xo

Look at this kid's smile!!!!!!!