Run, Mommy, Run

So I am training for a 5K road race. It is in honor of a dear friend that we lost far to early to lung cancer. His story affected my heart, not only because he was a great guy, but because it was a story I knew all so well. A young, healthy, beautiful non-smoker taken over by lung cancer. My mother, like Steve, was a non-smoker taken away by lung cancer in less than 18 months.  They were also similar in their ages. Steven was 52. I would always say "but he is so young" as I followed the details of his tragic journey. My mom was even younger than him when she passed on. She was 50. I do not think the shock of my mother's age at her death really ever hit me. She was my mother so that was devastating enough. I never really saw her as young as she was because she was mother. By nature, your mother is always older in your thought process than she is in age. The reality, for the general public, must have been the same as I was about my friend Steve. She is only 50. But as we all know, cancer knows no age, color, race or religion. It has no boundaries.

Steve's honorary road race is next month and I have been jogging along. I fit in my exercise whenever I can. There is never a schedule to it although I wish there was. I am working on one now. My hubby and I only live near one of our circle of trust players. The rest of the players all live a distance away that makes impromptu "can you watch Sloane for an hour?" runs not ideal. I do dream some days about what it would be like if we were closer to the majority. Would I be ready for the cover of Fitness magazine?? LOL!! I am pretty sure not!

Training for this 5K should be a piece of cake for me. 3 years ago, my hubby and I would run 10 mile road races. We took up running as a hobby while we were going through our fertility treatments so I had something else to obsess about other than my failing ovaries. Now, it has been 3 years since I was considered a runner but I thought since I have been jogging here and there for months that this training would be easier than it is. It isnt that easy at all!!

What started happening this week may just help my training though. As we are out for our morning walk/runs, Sloane USUALLY chomps away on a snack and yells "hellos" to all the neighbors. This week, however, she has started some coaching of her own. When I slow my run to a walk to catch my breath or just regroup, Sloane turns around in the jogging stroller, looks up at me with her beautiful eyes and says "run, mommy, run" over and over again until I pick up my pace. The shear embarrassment of my neighbors hearing Sloane's "run, mommy, run" echoing through our neighborhood is enough to make me kick up a notch. She is not happy when we are at a walking pace anymore, Sloane only wants to race