Living Vibrantly

Training is getting back on track this week and can’t wait! Heel injury has been discouraging and hated having to stay away from the treadmill, but this week I’m getting back at it. I’m less than three weeks from the Dayton Neon Vibe and I’m afraid to think of how close the Pretty Muddy is getting, so it’s time to get down to business in a BIG way.

With the damage done by cancer, I NEED to keep my knee moving! If I take time off or even sit for too long, I get stiff. There’s nothing quite like standing up and walking like a 90 year old when you’re only 47, but that’s how I start in the morning. Once I’m up and moving, I’m great and can kick some serious butt, but those first few steps are always a challenge. If this is the worst cancer has dished out to me, I’m GREAT! So you can imagine how hard it’s been to be inactive for a couple weeks…

Tonight will be my first two mile night, so I figure I’m starting slow. I want to be back to three miles regularly by the Vibe, so will be pushing just a tad… BUT for this party, I WILL ROCK! I came this far for a reason and I’m not going to stop now!

So, what is the Neon Vibe??? It’s a dance party. It’s a 5k! It’s VIBRANT! We’ll be living in full color that night, dancing, running and just having a fantastic time for a great cause… Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals! It’s a Win/Win, no matter how you look at it!

Check out the site to get a feel for what the night will be like… The Neon Vibe

I’m all about color and living to the fullest… Let’s live vibrantly!

You’ll see just how vibrant I can be in the weeks ahead. 

Chiari Warrior

I want to share an inspiring post that touched me quite deeply…

Chiari Warrior.

Becoming the Runner… Again

Becoming a runner or should I say, re-becoming a runner doesn’t get any easier with age and wow, I’m discovering this fact more and more everyday! It’s not that anything is harder on a physical level; it’s the mental and day to day stuff. When I did this ten years ago, the kids were younger and didn’t have a better and busier social life than I did. Yes, I had cancer, but that seemed to push me harder. There’s something about a doctor questioning my ability to continue something I love after surgery that makes me want to prove them wrong (and oh how I did!).

Now, I’m working full time, running my own business, as well as having four kids going every direction imaginable. Nothing is easy now and spare time is a rare and very limited quantity. I have five possible days a week to train for what is likely the biggest event of my life, so far, the Pretty Muddy Women’s Run in Columbus in September and eight months to pull it all together.

If you’ve never heard of such an event, it’s a mud run/obstacle course and like none of the similar events because it’s only open to women. Not something for the girl afraid of breaking a sweat or getting dirty, we will end up likely covered in mud, but having the time of our lives.

The event was started by a couple business men that felt that their wives deserved a little “me time” with their friends for all the hard work they did (yes, there are men that appreciate what we do). 😉 It has grown to an incredible event where girlfriends get together and have a great time. It’s more than a mud run, it’s an exciting women only event where women can cut loose and have fun!

For me, this is another one of those “Prove it to the world” events and want other survivors to see that even a gal with a gimpy knee can do fun and incredible things. Believe me, if I can do it, most of you can!

Over the coming months I’ll be sharing about the event and my progress getting ready for it. Hopefully, I may inspire others to take control of their health and remember not to allow anything (even cancer) hold you back.

Be well and have a wonderful week! 🙂

“A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn.”  ~Author Unknown

A taste of what’s to come:

13.1 Or Bust!

For some of us, life has to now have challenges constantly. I literally must live each day for the next challenge or I feel like I’m wasting this life I’ve been given. I don’t know if all cancer survivors feel this way, but I have a feeling that it’s not uncommon.

I’ve done a few 5K runs/walks and they’ve become easy and though I don’t set any land speed records, I know that I can finish. Now I need something that’s more of a challenge, something that I don’t know beyond a doubt that I can finish. That something is going to be a half marathon, next year. I haven’t chosen a specific event, quite yet, but it WILL happen.

Now I need to start getting rid of the “squish” and become a lean, mean, running machine (cliché sounding as it may be). The only way I can do that is have a serious challenge/goal and this is mine. I’m going to continue to challenge myself beyond that to doing a marathon when I turn 50 and being a fine looking “granny.”

A difficult thing for me is finding healthy food that actually tastes good, so I’ll share recipes that I find. I know that many go crazy over eating the “right” foods after having cancer, but I believe that life is all about moderation and enjoying the life you’ve been given and sometimes good food is just a part of enjoying life.

So brace yourself, you’ll likely be hearing about my antics in training and the new app I have on my iPad for running. I’m starting with 5K Runner and Lose it, as they seem to both to be effective in keeping me motivated, but will keep you informed on how I feel about them for the long run.

So as I titled this post, it’s going to be 13.1 or bust (and I’ll likely end up busting my butt somewhere along the way).

Have a great week and enjoy the life you’ve been given because you just might be the light someone needs to see…

“Jogging is very beneficial.  It’s good for your legs and your feet.  It’s also very good for the ground.  It makes it feel needed.”  ~Charles Schulz, Peanuts