According to plan

Look at what came in the mail this week:

Wheeeeeee! Bib number and corral have been assigned. Let the party begin 🙂

Less than 3 weeks to go until the Chicago marathon. I am so freaking excited. This will be my first long weekend away without the kids since Hawaii.  That was more than a year ago. I love my two mini-me’s more than words can describe but sometimes a break from being “mommy” is needed. I GET TO BE ME!! WOOHOOOO! Plans are to fit in a lot of good eats, run 26.2 and have a whole lot of fun.

So since my last post I have had several good runs (including fast tempos,  another 20+ miler and an 18 miler) and now..

I’ve decided to approach taper a little differently this time so that I still get recovery but I don’t go into complete chill mode. I want to rest enough so that my legs and mind ready to run strong, but I also don’t want to forget how to do it. With that being said I will still go decently long this weekend followed by my usual weekly mix of easy and tempo runs and then a good step back the weekend before the race. This is the first really good training cycle I have had in a long time. So good that I realllllllllly wanted to run a local 5k on September 29th just to test pace/fitness but decided against it. It’s just too close to marathon time and there are lots of little short races around here in Oct/November that I can go run til I puke at. For now I ease up, foam roll, eat and sleeeeeeep. I am just hoping that this pays off!

~

Totally off topic I would like to share an update on my beautiful Mother in Law. Man, she is one tough woman. I am so inspired by her and have decided to once again share her latest journal entry. I hope you all don’t mind but it has a much stronger effect coming from her!

P/S She has decided to forgo wearing wigs as she said it gives her more of an opportunity to talk about Pancreatic Cancer with others. Doesn’t she look gorgeous?!

God’s unfolding plan!

JEREMIAH 29:11-13

 “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord. “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen”

Our plans have changed as they have often been changed in the past few months. We prepare for what we think is the next step and suddenly we have our course changed completely. Dan and I visited with a radiation specialist today. We went into the consultation with the mind set that this was not a road we wanted to travel. After listening to the Dr give every detail and squelch any rumors we may have heard from others (especially our oncologist). He said radiation has advanced so much even in the past few years that the side effects that previously existed, no longer were the case. He said the tumor would be precisely targeted and the radiation delivered at 9 different angles instead of delivering the entire  amount to one spot on the tumor. He had an acronym for it but I can’t remember it. 

I will discontinue chemo (Ha-le-lu-jah!!!) for the 6 weeks + and receive the radiation 5 days per week for 33 treatments. He convinced us that this was definitely the way to treat this inoperable tumor. He gave us the hope that was never given about the chemo. He believes it can eradicate the tumor.

Dan & I are excited about this option and are trusting in the Lord who,  “plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future.”

So we ask for your prayers in this new direction that has been presented to us. As always, I know “EVERYTHING UNFOLDS ACCORDING TO GOD’S PLAN!” I’m so thankful that I do not have to make my own plans about this matter or lean on my own understanding. I would really have a mess.

God is good, all the time!

Love to all, Kay

~

I have read this at least 20 times and it still makes me cry. Her positivity is contagious isn’t it? Please continue to pray for her (and the fam). The road is long and will not be easy but as you can see she is a FIGHTER! She will be attending the purple strides 5k in Tulsa the same weekend I am running Chicago so I will be wearing purple in her honor. I can’t wait to see her be pushed across that finish line. Knowing that she can do it makes me want to work that much harder to gut out all 26.2 with every last ounce that I have in me.

Before I head out to grab a cup of coffee (it’s in the high 80s yet it seems appropriate because it’s “fall”) and make my way home I want to apologize for my lack of blog posts lately. I am still getting adjusted to my commute and crazy end of the year type stuff in the office. I will do my best to resurface in the next few weeks!!

Hope everyone is doing well. Keep training hard and I hope to see a lot of you soon!