Race for Hope - DC - Team Tyler

I have to start gearing up to get back to the real world . . . no more rocking on the front porch while a gentle breeze blows and the biggest decisions of the day are:  will I need a jacket on my morning run?  and, what time will I take my afternoon nap?

You might be wondering what this has to do with Race for Hope - DC - Team Tyler . . . well, I'll tell you!  The last four mornings have started out with a 30 minute run/jog/hurry.  My mind starts to wander as my feet pound the pavement, in time with the music that is pounding from my iPod.  A lot of times I think about why I joined Team Tyler and started running in the first place . . .


. . . I have always been keenly aware of how blessed I have been with my children -- especially healthwise.  They are 24, 21, 18, and almost 16. 

Doctor visits during the last 24 years?  Pretty much for regular check-ups.  On the rare occasions where one child was sick, it did NOT get passed around. 

Overnight stays at a hospital (other than the day they were born)?  None.  

Emergency room visits?  My 24 year old had a handful of trips for stitches.  My 21 year old -- once for a broken wrist when she was about eight.  My 18 year old  - a few times for stitches, once for nursemaid's elbow (which, according to the pediatrician, I could have fixed at home).  My 15 year old -- I dare not even say it for fear of jinxing her! 


. . . and then, I think of those parents whose children suffer with life-threatening illnesses (and who have extremely difficult decisions to make, along with facing the myriad of issues that go along with having a child with serious medical conditions), those parents who have lost their precious children.  I cannot even begin to imagine what this is like.  As a mother, my heart just aches for these parents . . . for the children who have endured so much.

Darius Rucker has a great song called, "If I Had Wings."  It's one of my favorites because of one simple line:
"and what can I do while I'm here to make someone's life better?"
I will gladly run (or jog, or hurry) for miles upon miles if it will help make someone's life better.

Below is a link with more information about the Race for Hope - DC, and Team Tyler:
http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/site/TR/Events/RFH-DC?team_id=45210&pg=team&fr_id=1651

Starting small...is a start...

Last year, when I decided to walk 60 miles (about 20 miles per day), I thought to myself, "How in the world am I going to walk THAT far at one time?"  By training for it, that's how.  By starting small.  I began by walking about two miles, and gradually worked my way up.  Hitting each milestone was exhilarating -- two miles…five miles…eight miles…ten miles!  I was so excited to reach the ten-mile mark, that I could hardly wait to get up to 20 miles in one day!

When I decided to participate in the Race for Hope - DC run/walk (actually, I'm racing it -- I'll be getting a chip timer), I wasn't feeling quite so overwhelmed, even though my first practice run lasted for three minutes before I had to stop!  Gotta start somewhere, right?  Keep plugging away, little by little…and now I'm up to 15 minutes without stopping.  My goal is 45 minutes.  I can do that on the elliptical, and hope to run this Saturday morning to check my progress.

And so it is with this little blog…little so far, anyway.  I'll be changing things up and experimenting with the design, adding lots of photos -- that's the main goal -- a better place to share photos with more people.  

I've been wanting to do this for quite a while, but being an exceptional procrastinator, I kept putting it off…I don't know how…what if I can't figure things out…what if it isn't good enough…what if…what if…what if…

Note to self:  Forget all the what ifs!  Life is too short for what ifs, just jump in and get started…one small step at a time.

Are there things that you've always wanted to do, but haven't?  What's stopping you?