The mileage is really starting to increase now for my long training runs that I do with the TEAM on the weekend. Today I completed 8 miles! Whoo! It's been well over a year and a half since I ran that far. It felt pretty good today and I had some great running buddies who kept me going. I am adjusting to changes though, and running is a little different than it was before. I'm getting use to accepting that I'm not as fast as I was pre-baby. My body is not the same and I huff and puff more. I just keep reminding myself that's OK, though. The important part is that I finish the race, both with my running and my fundraising.
A couple of weeks ago I went up to work with a friend who works in the children's oncology section of one of the hospitals in the area. We went up there after just completing 6 miles. And, while we thought we had accomplished a great feat that day, visiting the hospital really put things in perspective and reminded me why I'm doing this. Those children, who are such fighters, really inspire me to keep on running for them. Their spirits are high and they are determined. I realized my six miles was nothing! They are the real marathoners and I'm going to keep raising money and run for them so that they can win the fight and no longer have to worry about the next round of chemo but only about what they are going to bring to their next show and tell at school.
