The Running Dream

photo here

A friend of Coolister's gave a glowing recommendation for the book The Running Dream on her Facebook page not too long ago. (Hi Alexis!) Well, because I am always looking for great book recommendations and because running used to be something I loved I decided to give it a go.

It was such an inspiring book! Especially as I am training for TriathaMom. It was fiction that read so believably that I often forgot it was not a true story. I loved it. One of my favorite parts was at the end when the main character, Jessica, realizes that the race she is running finishes in the same place it started and the symbolism there - that the end of this race is really just the start of what she can accomplish from now on.

When I used to hear about sprint triathlons I thought they sounded fun - except for the biking and swimming portions. I knew that I might be able to do the bike part, definitely couldn't do the swim portion, but the run would be a piece of cake. Well, that has flip-flopped. My broken leg, although now healed, has presented some challenges for me. After swimming lessons I am feeling confident in the 300-meter swim. With some practice behind me I am also feeling mostly okay about the 12-mile bike portion. However, despite my training, the 3 mile run is now what makes me the most nervous.

But what I have learned through all of this is that I can overcome obstacles. No matter what is thrown at me in my life, I can get through it. And I will get through it. No matter what happens or how long it takes me, I will finish my race this Saturday.

The finish line will be my starting line. This is just the beginning of what I plan to accomplish.

Bad To The Bone

Last night was our family's eagerly anticipated trip to a local trampoline gym for family night.

We slid...
we jumped...


A grand time was had by all! Right, Thumbelina?


(ahem.) Right, Thumbelina?


That's better.

Coolister was having a great time trying to perfect his front and back flips.



It was all fun and games... until someone got hurt.

ElemenoB found me in the '4 Feet and Under, Please' trampoline yard and told me that Coolister was hurt. "How hurt?" I asked. "He has a bone sticking out of his leg," was her response.

I ran to where he was and saw that a small group had gathered around him. A lady was there, holding his foot. "I'm a nurse," she told me calmly. I caught a glimpse of his injury and knew right then that I needed to remain calm instead of allowing the freak-out that was building up inside of me to happen.

You know it's bad when things don't look as they should. When the parts of your body that you are only supposed to read about in anatomy books are right there, visible. I was amazed by how brave Coolister was. He was not crying, he was not screaming, but I could tell that he was scared.

The first thing he said to me was this:

"I am so sorry this happened, Mom."

I about lost it right there. Here was my boy, in obvious pain, trying to be brave and apologizing to me for getting hurt. "You're going to be okay," I told him. "This was an accident. You don't need to apologize. We're going to do all we can to make things better."

Allen phoned for an ambulance. We waited.

Coolister posed for pictures.


"Does it hurt?" I asked.

"A lot."

Finally the paramedics arrived. They were wonderful.


They gave him some pain medication, stabilized his leg...


and then carried him out


to a waiting ambulance.


When we arrived at the hospital, they gave him 2 wristbands to go along with the one that served as a reminder of what had happened.


Through x-rays it was determined that he had an extreme open dislocation that would require immediate surgery.


The good news was that there were no broken bones. The bad news was that it was dislocated in more than one place. The good news was that he would heal well. The bad news was that he would not be able to choose between running track or playing tennis as his spring sport this year. The good news is that he should be healed and ready for cross country next season, although the bad news is that he will remember this injury every time he runs.

The good far outweighed the bad.

Coolister is doing well today. His pain is manageable and his spirits are good. In a couple of days he will come home and continue to grow stronger.


There were many heroes in this story.

The nurse who happened to be there when we needed her. (I wish I had gotten her name! I was so inwardly stressed-beyond-belief that it didn't even occur to me to ask.)

The paramedics who treated him with such care and concern, who talked with him to keep his mind off of things yet still made sure he understood all that was happening.

Our oldest girls, ElemenoB and Thumbelina, who kept the littler kids occupied through the whole ordeal despite the fact that they must have been scared themselves.

Allen, who let me ride in the ambulance and took the other kids home before meeting up with us at the hospital even though I know he was as worried as I was.

But most of all, Coolister. He was brave beyond belief, cool and composed. He cracked jokes to help make the situation more comfortable for everyone else despite his own fears and realizations of what this injury meant for him. He was constantly thanking everyone for the smallest things when he had every right to be crying in pain.

To everyone involved, I echo his thanks (although that seems insufficient).

To Coolister, you never cease to impress me. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I am so proud to be your mom.

One Step At A Time

(Photo from West Torrance High School cross-country team, 1989)

I used to love running. It has served me well at many stages of my life. It was an easy way to fit in somewhere as I transitioned into high school, providing me an instant family of sorts, and my affinity for it seemed to grow from there. Running was something I could do easily, something I was naturally good at. It built up my confidence and boosted my self-esteem in the years I needed it most. As life continued, I slowed down. A lot. I became a wife, then a mother. I had other responsibilities and rarely made the time for exercise in any form. But running remained a way to clear my head if something was bothering me.

The last time I really ran it was a way to deal with grief... and I over-extended myself.

So I stopped running. I had injured myself physically and emotionally. Running was something I now associated with sadness and pain - something that I did not want any part of.

That was 8 years ago, and I have been pretty lackadaisical about my lack of exercise. Except that lately there's been this one thing on my mind: I am getting older, and keeping my body healthy is not going to get easier.

Let me dispel one common misconception: being thin does not equal being healthy. For me, being thin just means my metabolism is amazing. This is something we don't hear much about because, let's be honest, when a thin person says they are out of shape and need to exercise others pretty much just roll their eyes and hate them. But I'm going to say it, because it's true: I need to make my health a priority. There is so much I need to change, but I am always at a loss as to where to begin. Diet? Exercise? Eating habits? The easy route was to put these concerns at the back of my mind, so I did.

Until last Friday.

I read a post on this blog that gave me a change of perspective. I read about true determination. About reaching a milestone & achieving a goal. And amidst tears I thought... wow. What an inspiration. And then... you know what? I can do hard things. I can set goals. I can make myself a priority.

I can run again.

So I did it. I ran on Monday morning for the first time in 8 years. It was a 2-mile loop, and I had to stop numerous times to walk and catch my breath, but I did it. I have run every day since then and plan to run consistently until March when my goal is to complete a local 5K race without walking.

I can do this, and I will. One step at a time.

Letters About Literature

Here's a shout-out to ElemenoB who entered the Letters About Literature contest and took third place out of 400 entries in her age category!

This is a contest where students write a letter to the author of a book which has touched their life in a personal way. She wrote to Alma Yates, the author of the novel Sammy's Song.

I would tell everyone to go find a copy of this book and read it but, unfortunately, it is no longer in print.

I love this book - and so do my girls.

It is the story of 10-year-old Marni who learns to deal with her handicapped cousin Sammy when he comes to live with their family. It delves into the uncomfortable feelings many people experience when they are around people with disabilities. As the story unfolds Marni learns to see things from Sammy's perspective. As she spends more time with him she realizes that there is someone unique hidden beneath his uncommon exterior.

I love that ElemenoB chose to write about how this book has influenced her way of thinking towards those who are different.

Congratulations, ElemenoB! Contest or not - you make me proud.

My Heroes: The Typo Eradication Advancement League

I may have mentioned previously that I have some issues with bad grammar, spelling mistakes and misuse of punctuation.

When I say 'issues' I mean I will print out an email with mistakes and fix the errors with a red pen because it makes me happy inside.

I take pictures of spelling errors that I find in public places in order to torture myself over them in the privacy of my own home. For example:
While waiting at the dentist's office last week I read an article in the May 2008 Reader's Digest about a man after my own heart. His name is Jeff Deck, and his partner in truth, justice and typo eradication is Benjamin Herson. (Go ahead, click on that blue link and read the article. I'll wait here for you.)

I was excited to come home and look up T.E.A.L. on the internet.

I found this mission statement and wanted to join their cause:

...we, sworn members of TEAL, will be taking a road trip around the country to stamp out as many typos as we can find, in public signage and other venues where innocent eyes may be befouled by vile stains on the delicate fabric of our language. We do not blame, nor chastise, the authors of these typos. It is natural for mistakes to occur; everybody will slip now and again. But slowly the once-unassailable foundations of spelling are crumbling, and the time has come for the crisis to be addressed. We believe that only through working together with vigilance and a love of correctness can we achieve the beauty of a typo-free society.

However, as is the case with many superheroes, their valiant plan was thwarted and the blog which chronicled their journey across America was closed. All that remains is A Statement on the Signs of our National Parks and Public Lands.

I felt slighted. I had finally discovered a worthwhile cause that I could really get motivated about only to discover that they had gone underground. Like many superheroes, they had been silenced.

I eagerly await the return of the Typo Eradication Advancement League.

I don't know about you, but I have been inspired. Rather than looking the other way when I notice the typos around me, I am going to make a difference! I will create a typo-correction kit and carry it with me at all times to preserve the language that I hold dear. Those of you who know me well know I will do this.

We CAN have a typo-free society, and I can help make it happen!

I can make a difference!

(cue superhero exit music)