Ocean's Run 13.1 Results!

I know it's been a while since the last post; busy is the word lately. The kids are back in school and my jobs are keeping me straight out right now. But, we had been running at least once a week to keep pace and ready for our half marathon. For each of the past two weeks we ran at least once, 10 miles was our maximum.

So, yesterday's half marathon was fun! It was challenging, but fun. We finished in 2:12 - slower than I had wanted, but we finished pretty strong nonetheless. 

 The three of us, just seconds before the race started.

It was a beautiful morning; cool and sunny. Cady and I ran with my friend Dave Cartwright, who actually pushed Cady at least half the time. Dave has been running a lot longer than me, so having him as a partner was great. Thanks Dave. Thanks, too, to Kathy Robbins. Kathy is the race director/owner of TRIMOM races, the organization that put the Ocean's Run together (http://www.trimomprod.com/). Thanks to her, we were able to run right in the pack with everyone else - it was much more fun than starting ahead of the other runners.

Cady seemed to enjoy almost the entire run. Around mile 10 she started cry. We figured she might be cold, so we pulled off to the side and bundled her up in a beach towel I brought. After that she was fine. There were a few inconsiderate jerks: one girl at mile 9 told us rather coldly that we shouldn't be running with 'that stroller', as if she had some kind of say in the matter. Apparently, she thought we were trying to qualify for some kind of USATF event. Whatever. Not long after that, a guy driving a Jeep absolutely refused to yield to all of us that were running together -  he actually moved closer to us instead of steering his vehicle into the left lane. He even put his hands up in the air, as if we weren't supposed to be on 'his' road. We all thought he was a ... you know what. Besides that, everything else was fine.

 I was so happy that Kelly came with the kids to see us! This is Kiefer watching us approach the finish line.

We have one last race I'd like to run in this season - the Newport Amica/United Health half marathon. I think Dave will be running again with us. I hope John will be able to, also (he pulled his calf a couple days prior to Sunday). Again, we'd love some company. If you'd like to run with us, just let me or Kelly know.

Thanks for reading.

Corey

With Sympathy

This post isn't about running; it's about one of Cady's friends.

Last year the school organized an informal pizza dinner for the parents in Cady's class - all of the children in her primary class have some kind of disability. Most of the children are far worse off than Cady is. I barely kept it together as I listened to each parent/couple talk about the challenges their child faced. Several of the kids have seizures and other repetitive problems that prevent them from sleeping through the night which makes taking care of them a ton of work. I felt so bad for them all. I kept thinking that, up to that point, I was feeling kind of sorry for our situation. But that discussion really awakened me to the reality that some parents face. At a minimum, one of the children had a degenerative disease that made their diagnosis terminal.

I'm sad to say that one of Cady's classmates died. I don't know how old she was and I'll refrain from stating her name out of respect for her family; I think she was around 7, maybe eight. I remember this about her: the first time I met her she held both of her arms horizontal as if to say, 'what's up?'. One of the teachers told me that was her way of asking for a hug. I was so touched - she seemed like such a nice little girl who was dealt a real shitty hand in life. I so admired her parents for having helped her find a way to communicate her thoughts and feelings.

I know Cady liked her. I have many times asked Cady if she was looking forward to school, to seeing her friend. Cady almost always smiles. Tonight, I told Cady that she won't be seeing her little friend anymore. I told her she got too sick. I don't think Cady understood me - I'm going to ask Deb to try to explain it to her again tomorrow.

I didn't want this posting to be a downer, but let's face it: life is full of challenges and difficulties. When we hear about how difficult others have it - loosing a very young child to a disease, or loosing an adult child to a senseless act of violence - we should take pause for a moment. It's a reality check. How bad can things really be for us? I admit: Cady is a lot of work. But, that's it - she's just more work than the average kid; it's not like she's dying.

So, for anyone struggling with life's challenges: keep your head up, work hard, and stay positive. There is absolutely no question about it: someone else always has it worse. Looking at things from that perspective might make all of us think twice before we compain about something.


Just for the record, we did run the other day - I took the kids with me again and they made it about 0.6 miles at a ridiculously slow pace. They feel good about it, though, and Cady seems to like it. We did just over three miles again; our three mile run is now pretty routine for us and we could almost do it in our sleep (not really). Cady doesn't choke or gag anymore and I'm much better with the hills. With last week's 10-mile run going great, we'll be fine for our upcoming half marathon.

One more thing: I flipping love this video on youtube about perseverance:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZlXWp6vFdE
If this doesn't make you cry then you're a vampire or something. If you want to cry more, read the text below the video from the woman who created it.

Back in the Saddle!

A couple things to preamble this post:

1. There are few things like musical inspiration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIPS4LyveJs . Click the link if you're looking for a little Aerosmith inspiration to kick some butt exercising.

2. I finally made good on my debt to Chris for the 20 burpees. I did all 20 this morning, with 20 pushups as interest owed. I don't like exercising first thing in the morning, but it felt good.


So, we finally got back out there this afternoon; it felt great! Nice temperature and humidity. We did four miles in about 38 minutes. I was reminded today that our upcoming half marathons aren't going to just happen; I'm not a kid anymore (and haven't been for some time). When I was a kid, I was a fast sprinter. I was the second fastest kid in high school. Don't get me wrong: I was no Ussain Bolt, but I also was't Danny in Grease.

If Cady and I are going to make a respectable showing at these races, I'm going to need to do some hill and sprint training. I need to work on maxing out my heartrate and then running through the recovery for the next minute or so. That's the kind of endurance I need to build up to again. I did a half marathon last fall; so I know my body can do it. I just need to get a few long runs in ahead of time.

It's looking like the Ocean's Run Half Marathon (9/23) and the Amica/UnitedHealth Half Marathon (10/14) are the two we'll be doing. Both race directors have been extremely accomodating and easy to communicate with. We'll probably be running with Dave Cartwright and John Sisson, but again, we'd love company if you're interested. The CVS 5k is on 9/16 - Kelly and I will be running that together; it will be her first official race. I might let her beat me!

For today, Cady did great - no choking, no coughing, no gagging, and best of all - no spitting up. We listened to 80s music for a little while and then I switched it to a Wiggles Pandora station for her; she really liked that. A Billy Ocean song was a blast from the past - I think I was in high school when his music was popular. Once again, I told Cady to meet me at the door if she wanted to go for a run. By the time I had quickly gotten changed, whe was already hanging out the back door ready to go! I just don't think it's a coincedence -  I really believe she understands what I'm saying and that she wants to go out together.

One last thing for tonight: most of you probably didn't know this, but Cady has NEVER had a hair cut. At first, Kelly wanted it to grow long enough so that she could put it in a ponytail. And then we just never got it cut. We always just pull it back and put it in a ponytail. The problem has been that her hair, at this point down to her waist, becomes so difficult to brush, and she hates having her hair brushed. We each have our methods for brushing her hair - Kelly just muscles through it, I hold her horizontally and just brush it down towards the floor, and Deb puts her in her chair and bribes her with cartoons! So today, Kelly's friend and hairdresser came to the house to cut Cady's hair - she looks so good, and so much older - she's such a pretty little girl.

I should be posting a little more regularly; the Ocean's run is only a month away. As always, thanks for reading.

Give Kids the World

So I want to take a few minutes to give you some details from our recent trip. We stayed at a place called, Give Kids the World. It's a not-for-profit organization just outside of Orlando, FL. It runs a beautiful "storybook resort" for families with children that have life-threatening illnesses and/or disabilities. It is funded mostly by corporate partners and private donations. Here is the link to its website: www.givekidstheworld.org. The place is staffed with hundreds of volunteers - from older retired couples to church group teenagers. Their mission is noble and honest.

The trip was all part of a wish granted to Cady. Her wish (we actually chose it based on what we thought she would most enjoy) was to see the Wiggles live in concert. The RI Wish Come True organization generously offered to make it a travel wish since the Wiggles had an upcoming performance at the Orlando Hard Rock Live. It was a great trip and we are very greatful to everyone who made it possible. We were able to go to Disney's Magic Kingdom, Seaworld and Universal Studios!

Callia anxiously awaiting the Magic Kingdom's 9 pm parade.

Blue - one of the many characters the kids got to meet at the resort.

The Wiggles cast members were great! We had 'Meet and Greet' tickets for before the show. Everyone was very personable and friendly, and they seemed to take a genuine interest in Cady. During the concert itself, Greg (the yellow one) came into the audience for a bit they did; he recognized Cady and stopped to say hello to her again. Honestly, I think Kelly and I were more excited for Cady than she was about the experience herself, but we both agreed that she had a good time. It was after the concert that we met a family with a young boy with CP (I mentioned them in a previous post). I promised to email them so that we could stay in touch - I have to make good on that promise after I finish writing this.

Cady, as she notices whose behind her.

The Smiths and the Wiggles!

I know tonight's commentary wasn't about running. I just wanted to let you all get to know us a little better and share some fun experiences we recently had. We will be running again soon - tomorrow, in fact. There are several races coming up that we've been given the 'okay' to participate in. I listed them on the facebook page. WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A LARGE GROUP RUN WITH US AT ONE OF THE UPCOMING HALF MARATHONS. Just get in touch with me (facebook, phone, or email) if you're interested.

Thanks for reading.

AWESOME!!

What an AWESOME experience today was! I got choked up several times as we ran past huge crowds that gave us really loud and continuous cheers. Cady loved it! There were a few groups of girls in pink or yellow shirts that gave us the loudest cheers. Some people had cow bells and whistles. You would have thought they were cheering for Justin Beber. The crowds on the street were really important, especially towards the end of the race. That last mile was tough: there were two consecutive hills and I was really winded at the crest of the second one. But I kept hearing people tell us, "Good job!", "Keep going!", "Almost there!", and giving us thumbs up and applause.

The day started with rain and humidity; we were pretty wet before we even started. Poor Steven stepped in a couple puddles and thus had soaking wet socks for the entire race. Chris and I just laughed at him. A few minutes before we began, the rain stopped. We met Brian, a man who raced in a hand-crank wheelchair with a couple escorts; they've done a lot of races, including the Boston Marathon. I'm going to try to stay in touch with him - he said he'd love to run a race with us. And then, just before we were set to begin, Dick and Rick Hoyte approached the start line. I only got to say hello to Rick; Dick was crowded by people saying hello. Runners have a pretty close circle of friends that they must see at lots of races. I told Rick how inspired we were by his efforts and wished him and dad luck.

I was grateful to have our two escorts (Chris and Steven), especially for the first mile or so. There were still a lot of pedestrians and cars on the roads and it was good to have them keep an eye out for the traffic. It also made for a more enjoyable run; we talked about our trip to Disney and other things to pass the time. Somewhere between miles 3 and 4 we saw Chris' family and stopped for a minute to say hello. Then, just before mile 6 we saw Kelly, the kids and Jess (Steven's girl friend). I got high-fives from Callia and Kiefer before continuing on.

Overall, it was a really positive experience. I'm glad we did it and I'm glad we were able to raise some money for a worthy organization. I'm already looking for the next race and for anyone who wants to run with us. Just comment on this blog or on our facebook page if you have any ideas or are interested in running with us.



Team 'Running for Strength' before and after the race.

Pretty close to the lobster roll Steven and Chris shared after the race.

After the race, we drove to Dennis to spend the afternoon with my aunt Jane and a few of my cousins at the beach. Cady hopped around in the wet sand and carrying her was like having someone rub sandpaper all over my chest! I'm still sore. She and the kids had fun, though, and it was nice to see some of my family that we don't see too often. After seeing the lobster roll from earlier in the day, I had to have one myself; so we ordered a few from a restaurant down the street.

That's it for tonight. Kiefer has camp starting tomorrow and I have to get him to go to sleep. Hey, I need some rest myself.

Twas the night before ... race day!

It's finally here - our first big race! I think Cady is genuinely excited about it; I've been talking to her about it all day and she smiles each time. This is the first time our family has been to some kind of non-medical 'event' for her. We've been to Callia's dance recitals, Girl Scout ceremonies, Kiefer's t-ball games, etc. But, nothing for Cady that I can recall (other than cake and ice cream for her birthdays). She really has never had the opportunity to participate is stuff like that. So, this is a big deal and I want to make sure the whole family is into it and understands the significance of her participation in a sport.

It's been over a week since either of us has run - I wanted to go yesterday afternoon, but the flash flooding and tornado watch squelched that idea. I was hoping for just a couple mile tune-up, but it never happened. No matter; we're ready. The forecast isn't looking so great - hazy and humid. At least it's early in the day so it won't be too hot. We're going to the beach afterwards. My dad's family has a cottage on the beach in Dennis; we'll spend the afternoon there.

A couple days ago, unexpectedly, we got two Easter Seals jerseys to wear. They only sent two, so Chris and Steve will be wearing whatever they feel like wearing. The jerseys are red with white lettering. Cady and I will both be wearing the jerseys and black shorts. Our colors are somewhat significant: as you all must know by now, Cady's nurse and family friend, Debbie, lost her 23-year old son a week and a half ago. He was heartlessly murdered by two minors. We were in Florida for the calling hours and funeral, but I attended the burial yesterday afternoon - it was very sad. Anyway, Michael was buried in a black urn with red roses laid over his grave; red and black were apparently his colors of choice for clothing and Debbie thought it appropriate to bury him that way. Well, by coincidence (or not if you believe in that sort of thing) our Easter Seals shirts are red and I have only black running shorts. So, our colors end up being in memory of Debbie's only son.

I want to thank Debbie DeBello and her friend Jamie for picking up our race bibs yesterday. They saved me the aggravation of having to drive to Falmouth. I also want to thank Chris and Steven in advance, for their support and willingness to run with us. And, of course, Kelly, since I KNOW she doesn't want to get up at 5:30 tomorrow morning and get four kids ready and out the door.  As for the fundraising, we're officially at $1,350, but I still have to put in the paperwork for my company's match, about another $1,000. So, we collectively crushed the $1,000 that need to be raised. I actually spoke with someone today whose father has received services from the Seals; I'm happy to have raised money for them and hope their mission will be furthered that much more.

I have so many other things I want to write about and will try to get to them all during the upcoming week. I want to tell you all about our trip to Florida - meeting the Wiggles cast, the Disney experience and a place called 'Give Kids the World' (www.givekidstheworld.org). While there, we met some really nice people, including a couple families with a disabled child. Oh! And I've begun reading Dick Hoyt's book, 'Devoted' (www.teamhoyt.com) - I need to tell you about that, too.

For now, though, I'm going to make sure Kelly has everything packed (as if I have a say in what/how things get packed!) and then try to get to bed a little early. Look for my blog tomorrow or Monday with race day narratives and pictures!

 

 







Up, Up and Away!

It's finally here - a surprise trip to Disney and a Wiggles concert! It's all part of A Wish Come True wish granted to Cady. The kids have no idea that we're going; we're going to spring on them in the morning right before we leave. Callia is going to be sooooo excited for her first airplane ride!

I think Cady will love the trip - especially being able to meet the Wiggles characters before the show and then being able to enjoy the concert right in front.

As for running, we did our 3 miles this afternoon in just over 29 minutes. When I got home, I asked her if she wanted to go for a run. She looked right at me and said, "yeaaah". I don't think she liked the music we listened to, though. She started to fuss after about 2.5 miles. But, she didn't gag or start to choke the entire run  - that's really good for her. I told her that she's getting better at our runs, too.

Kiefer's birthday is today and a bunch of his friends came over for a little party. Pizza, cake and ice cream.  They all swam and played. Kiefer had fun, except when he didn't. Are all boys his age that moody? All it takes is one of his friends to burp and he's happy again - it's ridiculous ... really. I met the mother of one of Kiefer's friends who also has a disabled child. I think she said he was 10 or 11. She said she likes to run but hasn't yet run with her son. I told her we should get together and run periodically. She's the kind of person I'm looking to get in touch with through this blog and facebook page.

Well, I might post something once while we're gone if I can sneak in a run. Otherwise, our first race is 4 days after we return and I'll be blogging right up to and after it. Stay tuned!