I Am Bright Pink: Happy Mother's Day!

For Mother's Day, Mom came to Chicago to run the Y-ME Race at Your Pace 5K downtown. I ran the race, and it felt great! My (new) Garmin tells me I finished in 32:08, which is pretty good considering I've only been back at it for a week. I'm really not pushing myself yet (except to pass all the walkers today), so I think this bodes well for future training! After we came back, Tim had brunch prepared for us (mango parfait and sweet & savory crêpes), and it was a delight.

Mom and her best friend, Penny. Mom's allergic to cats but is a mega trooper when it comes to my furball

Enough about me. Mom is training for the Susan G. Komen 3-day walk, which is 60 miles in 3 days, in Boston from July 27-29. Her team is Miles for Megan, walking in memory of my sister. My Mom has blown past the fundraising minimum for the event ($2300) and has raised about $11,500 to date! The event itself is no small feat, Mom has been training diligently, when she was in Chicago taking care of me after my surgeries, at home, and this weekend. Yesterday we walked to two fabric stores in Evanston (almost 9 miles), today we ran a 5K, then walked back to my house from the race downtown (7.4 miles). The mimosas at brunch were well deserved.

I am so inspired by my mother's training. Walking may sound easy, but it's a lot of work training for this event! I have really enjoyed walking with her, especially since I can't run long distances yet. Our family was never one of athletes, so both my Mom's event and my marathon are a big deal. Four years ago, we ran our first race together in Chicago (Mom, Megan, and I), which was both my Mom's and my first 5K. We have done a handful more with each other and the three of use ran the Y-Me race last year on Mother's Day. I will admit to being emotional during parts of the race today...I felt a void where Megan should be and I'm sure Mom feels it too, especially being Mother's Day. But I know she is with us and I hope she knows she is an inspiration to us, as we both train for these events.