Catching Up

I'm not going to lie, I've been a horrible blogger lately. It's not that I don't have time. I simply have not had the desire. My job is driving my up a wall. I love what I do but I hate the way the company treats its employees. I've been dealing with a foot injury and I took three weeks off running. Combined with school stress and kids I pretty much fell into a depression that was hard to shake. So now that I've found the motivation to write again here's the overview of what's been going on.

Rock N Roll USA Marathon - Washington, D.C. 3/17/12

For this race I wanted to PR. I thought I could pull off a 4:30. Then I got to DC and saw the weather reports were calling for temps in the 70's and 80's. I automatically adjusted my goal to 4:40. Maybe I was selling myself short but I didn't want to blow up. Little did I know that it was inevitable anyway. I was on or ahead of 4:40 pace until close to mile 20. Then I started to cramp badly, feel the effects of the heat and lose all motivation to push through. I walked it in for a 5:22 finish. After that I focused on my 'goal' race, Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run.

Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run - Raleigh, NC 3/31/12

My husband accompanied my to Umstead and a fellow runner from the Runners World forums volunteered to crew me as well. I am forever grateful because I was not prepared once again. I woke up to warm rain race day and began to worry about another heat blow up. However, it was the rain itself that got me this time. My goal was to make as many three hours loops (12.5 miles each) as I could and then try to keep the remainder under four hours. The very first loop I began to get blisters from the rain. I stopped and got them taped after every lap but by the time I hit the 50 mile point (in a PR 12:58) I knew it wasn't going to happen. I told myself I would just try to get a distance PR (I was hoping for 75+ miles) and my hubby and I headed off into the darkness for loop 5. By the time I reached the 57 mile aid station I was a sobbing, incoherent mess. My husband continued on without me (he wanted to see the course) and I collapsed on a blanked by the heater and didn't move until a truck arrived to haul me back to headquarters. I recovered quickly except that I soon realized the foot pain wasn't all from blisters. I lost the next three weeks of training to dealing with a stabbing pain in the outside of my left foot/ankle.

Alpha Fitness 5k - Elizabeth, PA 4/6/12

The Alpha Fitness 5k is held on the trail that runs directly behind our house. I wasn't sure about doing a race a week after my 100 attempt but I figured I'd walk if I had to and just try to not embarass myself. My husband and our older daughter did this race as well. I finished in a respectable 27:26 but limped home with the pain in my foot. This was the point where I realized I was going to loose some serious training time.

Belle Vernon Area Race for a Track 5k - 4/15/12

The BVA Race for a Track is raising money to build a track for a local school district. It was a quiet and small race last year and my husband and I enjoyed it. Apparently word got out because it was HUGE this year. The lines for registration and packet pick up were rediculously long and it didn't seem like anyone knew what was going on. My older daughter took part in the kids race but even that didn't go off without a hitch. I finished the 5k in 27:39 and supposedly got 3rd in my age group but the timing didn't go well and there were a lot of corrections that needed to be made. My foot was not happy even though I hadn't run since the Alpha Fitness 5k so I told my husband to forget the award and just take me home.

Boston Trail 5k & Half Marathon - Elizabeth, PA 4/21/12

I started this race last year and this year the Trail Council hired an event planner so I was able to run instead of direct. My husband took my place in the half since I was worried about my foot. My daughters, mother-in-law, her best friend, sister-in-law, niece, her best friend and my best friend all ran the 5k with me. My father-in-law is recovering from a recent heart attack so he stayed on the sidelines to cheer.

The race went pretty well. I lost a little time because I didn't double knot my shoes as I was prepared for foot swelling. I almost lost my timing chip so I had to stop and tie my laces better halfway through. I started out in second place woman but was passed in the first mile. I thought I might be able to hold onto third but I didn't realize how much three weeks of almost no running had affected me. My lungs were rasping and my legs were burning. Thankfully my foot felt fine. I ended up finishing in 27:54 for 34th overall (out of 300), 8th woman, and 1st in my age group. I really can't complain I guess! My daughters each took an age group award as did my niece, mother-in-law, and her best friend. My husband came close. He finished his first half marathon in 1:45 and placed 4th in his age group.

So what's next? Well the Flying Pig Marathon is in two weeks. My plan is to try to recoup as much fitness as I can in the next two weeks and then just try to survive. After that I'm going back to basics starting with speed work and hills to improve my endurance and speed. I did my run tonight with a cadence meter to work on hitting that perfect 180 BPM turnover. Really, I'm just trying to pull myself together again and find the joy and motivation that I had prior to some of the craziness.

Guest Post: Learning to Live Through Cancer

I know I've been a bad blogger lately. I have three race reports to get up and I swear I'm working on them. But while I'm busy with my real life I found the amazing story of Heather. She blogs here. I thought her story was inspiring and wanted to share it with all of you. I hope you'll show Heather some love!

November 21st, 2005 was a day that changed my life forever. That was the day I was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer. I thought of my three and a half month old daughter as I heard the words and felt the world come crashing down. In that moment, I realized that I had a life-threatening illness and that I was strong enough to battle it.

I was referred to Dr. David Sugarbaker, one of the world's premier mesothelioma doctors. During my time at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Dr. Sugarbaker gave me hope in a seemingly grim situation. At the time, I had read somewhere that only two percent of mesothelioma patients live more than five years after being diagnosed. I made the decision to be part of that two percent and to battle the cancer with everything I had. My daughter's future depended on it.

My determination grew over the next year as I put everything in my mind, body and soul into fighting the mesothelioma. My parents cared for my daughter while I underwent major surgery in Boston almost 2,000 miles away. Surgeons removed my left lung and took the tumor out with it.

Following the surgery, I underwent months of chemo and radiation therapy while raising Lily. Thanks to the loving support and help from my friends and family, my daughter never realized how sick I was during that time. On her first birthday, we celebrated both her life and mine. I completed my last round of radiation therapy eleven months after receiving my diagnosis. Since then, I have remained determined to stay free of cancer.

My battle with mesothelioma has changed my life. I have learned to take nothing for granted and to see the beauty in small things. I smile more and see life differently than before my diagnosis. Now, I find joy in Lily's giggles, the playfulness of a puppy and the brilliant colors of a rainbow in a grey and rainy sky. I have learned that life must be lived fully and passionately.

My journey led me to some incredible people. Some of these special people never made it to remission, while others supported their loved ones in their struggle with mesothelioma. To me, these fighters are passionate warriors that amaze me with their tenacity and inspire me with their stories of resilience and hope.

Having cancer has taught me to live life completely by enjoying every second and every experience that comes my way. I still find gratitude, even on the worst days. My experience with mesothelioma taught me how to live this way.