Quick and Easy Recovery Nutrition AND Giveaway!

As marathon training begins, and longer, earlier runs commence, free time becomes even more precious and the need for quick, essential recovery nutrition is even more important. I made it a priority last summer to aim to finish all of my long runs by 9-9:30am on whichever weekend day I ran them (usually Saturdays, but this summer it looks like most will fall on Sundays), so that it wouldn't interfere with our weekend much at all. As a wife, and mom of both a young boy and young pup, the time post-run used for recovery and to prepare and eat something that would both aide in recovery and provide the necessary energy to power through the rest of the day, was limited. The weekend hours are still too few, and the demands of having a family remain. Marathon training takes up A LOT of time, and unfortunately, registering for one doesn't add hours to your days. (darn!)

On a mission to find something quick, easy and affordable for my post-run eats, I didn't have to go far. My trusty pals at Fit Approach offered me the opportunity to try a new product through an awesome company called Amazing Grass. If you're like me, and had never heard of Amazing Grass, you're probably thinking...grass? She's eating grass? In fact, the founders, Todd and Brandon, developed this company after harvesting the grass on Brandon's farm and realizing the benefits (more energy, less illness, quicker recovery) of green, plant-based drinks. While the process of developing the products from Amazing Grass sound scientific and brings me back to my college chemistry days, it's pretty simple. The greens are harvested, dried and naturally preserved as pellets until they are ready for use. The pellets are then ground and formed into a powder, which is what you receive as the product. Pretty straight forward, if you ask me!

Their newest product is the Protein Superfood, and I was so thankful to be able to try it myself. The Protein Superfood contains all of the awesome green-food blend as found in their other products, plus an added protein-punch including chia seeds, hemp protein, quinoa and pea protein. One of my favorite parts of the powder is that I recognize and can read every ingredient on the package. Imagine that!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter, Pure Vanilla and Original

I'm a chocolate lover, so any time someone suggests I have chocolate after my workout, I jump at the opportunity! Because of the ease, and speed of throwing a few things in a blender to make a smoothie, that is the main way I have used the powder so far, but you can find more recipes on their website. For someone who eats a vegan or vegetarian diet, the products are all vegan, kosher and certified organic. As a non-vegetarian, I did not go out and purchase vegan smoothie mixes for myself. I added a scoop of the powder to about 1-1.5 cups of regular milk, a tablespoon of peanut butter and a half of a banana (you could replace the cows milk with almond or coconut milk, and the peanut butter with any other nut butter, if you'd rather). I added a few ice cubes and blended it all up! Honestly, it's a chocolate shake with lots of bonus energy-giving, muscle-fixing goodness inside. It has no sign of the sometimes chalky-dirt taste that some plant-based products have. It smells and tastes like chocolate and peanut butter! What more could I ask for!?

Just on Saturday, in a rush to get to Cameron's tee ball opening day, I was able to get changed from my run, wiped down, make my smoothie and be on my way to opening day in eight minutes. I wasn't starving an hour later and didn't feel like I was dragging, plus I didn't miss a thing. As a mom of a non-enabled picky eater, I couldn't help but also notice the Kidz Superfood and really can't wait to try it for Cam! (I'll get back to you all on how that goes. ;))

If you're ready to try your own Amazing Grass, head on over to their website and enter this code: SWEATPINKCassie16 to get 30% off your first order! (Note, this is a ONE TIME use discount code for 30% off, expiring 5/31/16. Discount codes cannot be used for gift cards, recurring orders or holiday blends. You must register to use a code at checkout, meaning you cannot checkout as a guest.)

I am able to give away ONE FULL-SIZE Protien Superfood product to a very special reader! All you have to do is comment below and tell me which flavor you would chose (Chocolate Peanut Butter, Pure Vanilla or Original). One winner will be chosen randomly on Monday, May 2nd at 12pm EST! 

Disclaimer: I was compensated for my reivew of the product. All opinions are my own.



Here we are again.

Every CHaD parent has a story.
Often, a heart-wrenching, tear-jerking story that lead them to becoming a CHaD parent.
And every CHaD kid has a story, some of them too young to remember when it began.

April 2011 - 7 months old

Unfortunately, our story is not much different than many of the ones belonging to the children and families walking the halls of The Children's Hospital at Dartmouth today. If you haven't read it before, I suggest jumping back a few years and checking out this post. I remember writing that post as one of the first times in Cam's three years of life that I had publicly shared Cameron's struggle with epilepsy. At the time, we didn't know a lot, and life went on its merry way, with med dosage increases here and there, finger pricks to check levels every once in a while and our every-3-month visit to Pediatric Neurology always planned out on our calendars. When I wrote that post, we were just starting the months of testing leading up to his surgery in October 2013.

October 30, 2013 - Temporal lobectomy

As we enter, what feels like, new-old territory, with Cameron having two uncontrolled, non-responsive (to his rescue medications) seizures within two months of each other in January and March, we're beginning again to talk with Dr. Richard Morse about what we can do going forward. With our recent overnight stay at CHaD, and the struggles that 2016 has brought, it fueled our fire going into this year's CHaD HERO. I've shared before that, while this is our sixth year as CHaD parents, I was never out of the water enough to pay attention to the incredible things happening around us at CHaD. I didn't realize we were part of a community of loving families, surrounded by the incredible care provided by the most wonderful, caring clinicians. Luckily, I do now and MAN, am I thankful!

March 23, 2016 - Our most recent CHaD stay

This year's CHaD HERO has kicked off, and we couldn't be more excited to make this a family-affair! Last year I ran the Baystate Marathon the day of the CHaD HERO, so we were unable to attend the events of the day, though it was on our minds. While I was thrilled to have been able to raise money as a virtual participant, I knew I didn't want to miss out on the day again.

Shawn will be joining 49 other cyclists to venture on a half-century (50 mile) bike ride.
Cameron is registered to kick-butt on Cam's Course Fun Run (we can pretend it was named after him :-P )
And I will be running the 5K, all on October 16th!

We hope you will join us for some fundraising events over the summer and I'll continue to share updates and information here. We're upping the ante this year and shooting for $1,500 as our goal! Thank you to all of you who donated and helped me reach my $1,000 goal last year.

Don't worry about a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be alright.

BeFit Nutrition Review and Giveaway!

If you're checking this post for weight loss results and a 30-day program to get you the body you've always wanted, don't stop reading, but thats not what you're going to get. The first thing I want you to do, is head over to my dear friend Caitlin's recent blog post all about body acceptance. Once youve read that, read on here:

I was presented with the opportunity to review BeFit Nutrition's package, which includes a protien powder, pre-workout drink mix, pills to promote fat-burning, and a workout calendar with access to their workout videos. I had initially debated on whether or not I wanted to participate in a campaign for a program encouraging you to burn fat to better yourself. That said, I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to share my thoughts on the issue of "fat is bad". Note: I am not a dietician or nutritionist of any kind. These opinions are all my own. I am compensated for my written review.

BeFit Nurtition's mission is not to tell you that you shouldn't have fat, but they do benefit from the media and fitness industry making you believe that you should have chisled abs and 2% body fat (or simply just be smaller and more lean than you already are, no matter your current size) to be healthy and happy. I WAS happy to read that their mission is "BeFit Nutrition is dedicated to developing best-in-class nutritional supplements to support your health and fitness goals." and is not "Do our workouts and take our supplements to become skinny." Over the last few weeks I've made a few recipes with the protein powder (many which can be found on their website), used the pre-workout drink mix before most of my runs, and ignored the weight-loss supplement.

BeFit PRE:
I have to say right off the bat, that this was my favorite part of the BeFit package that I received, and I'll likely buy it myself. The flavor of the powder is fruity, but can be sour if its not mixed with enough water. It only requires 6oz of water per scoop though, which is the perfect amount to drink right before a run or workout, without having to worry about getting stomach cramps. Its main ingredients are elevATP, a extract from peat water and apples which stimulates the production of ATP, which is the body's energy source. Also, betaine, which is a derivative of sugar beets and helps improve muscle indurance. I found that, for early morning runs or workouts, when most of mine happen, having the PRE while I woke up and got dressed (I made it the night before), helped me feel energized and ready to go by the time I got downstairs to get moving.

WHEY ISOLATE & CASEIN PROTEIN POWDER:
I have never been a protein powder kind of girl, so I don't have much to compare this too, but it has been something I look forward to now. Generally in the past when Ive made post-workout smoothies, I take the time to use real ingredients - greek yogurt, spinach, fruit, etc. I was pleased to quickly put this together in my blender, and have a delicious, chocolatey (Obviously a plus!), treat, knowing that it was helping repair my muscles and keep me working toward my goals. Often times with smoothies, I still crave eating something for breakfast. Ive learned to listen to my body and understand that if I'm not hungry, I dont have to eat, even if I haven't physically chewed something. The protein powder smoothies kept me feeling full until lunch, even after an awesome morning workout. One side note: Listed at the end of the descripton of the protein powder on BeFit's website is "Promotes weight loss*" - there is an asterisk next to this because that statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. No, protein powder does not promote weight loss, but if you listen to your body and not eat when youre not hungry, you won't gain extra weight and the smoothie will be enough to keep your body fueled through your morning routine.

WORKOUT CALENDAR AND VIDEOS:
If you're the type of person that doesn't want to think about what to do for a workout, then the workout calendar and videos are perfect. I definitely go through phases where I want to do whatever I feel like any given day (specifically if I'm not training for anything), but sometimes I need a schedule for motivation or to keep on track for training. The videos are excellent and available on YouTube, so you don't need a DVD player to watch them! None of them are very long (all are 15 minutes or less) so you can do one or two, or supplement a run with the abs & arms workout.

A word about the BURN supplement:
Most people cannot sustain weight loss long-term, because your body will always bounce back to a healthy weight for you. Taking a supplement to increase your metabolism will likely set you up for failure once you stop taking the supplement because your metabolism will naturally slow again and potentially slow down even more to compensate for all of the fat you just burned so quickly.

I'm glad I was able to try the BeFit products and am lucky enough to be able to give this entire package away to one reader! Before you enter this giveaway, please first know that you DO NOT NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT! If you're looking for some simple supplements to get yourself moving and keep you moving, please enter! :)

Head over to my Instagram to find out how you can win!

Social Anxiety as an Epilepsy Parent

I wrote this post on July 30, 2015 and, with some updates, I felt like it was a good time to share it.
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I've been thinking about this post for awhile now, especially with all of the activity that we've had going on over the last few weeks. I recently saw this little study posted on one of the Epilepsy Foundation pages that I follow.

I don't know that it's a fact, but I'd like to think I'm not the only human who went from being mostly laid back to suddenly becoming uptight and anxious after welcoming an infant into the world. Those teensy tiny babies create worries and anxieties that non-child-rearing folk might laugh at. You worry about their eating, their pooping and their lack of pooping, their sleeping, their lack of sleeping, their crying and everything in between. The worries and anxieties increase as the little cherubs get older. You still have the same concerns about the eating, sleeping, pooping, but now add on falling down the stairs, swallowing a penny that dropped on the floor, getting stepped on by the dog. Then another year goes by and you also start to think about behavior at daycare, is s/he making friends, the new-found independence, etc.

Now throw in a condition as unpredictable as epilepsy. You drop your baby off at daycare with the fear that he could have a seizure while she is refereeing an argument with the older kids. Will she notice he's not crawling around anymore? What if she doesn't? What if she assumes he's playing quietly in the other room? As he grows older, you fear a seizure on the playground - what if he falls? What if he has a seizure in the classroom? What will the other kids do? Will the teacher notice?

Recently Cameron had his Preschool graduation and I discovered, (admittedly, not for the first time) that while I was excited for him, I constantly feared he would have a seizure during the presentation. In situations like this, I often devise a plan in my head about what I would do if I noticed he was looking particularly unsteady, or if he fell over. In the back of my mind, I'm always planning - if we're in Target, would we rush him to the bathroom to give him the Diastat, or just lay him on the floor in the middle of an aisle? Would everyone stare at us, or would they try to help?

When we're safe in the comfort of our own home, my heart still races when Cam sits still just a little bit longer than normal or if he says he doesn't feel good. Luckily, I know that if he were to have a seizure, he's safe. We know what to do and we can handle it. What the study above describes is the social anxiety and the impact it has on the patient and families, and in particular, the mothers of children with epilepsy. I know that there are so many children with much worse conditions that are fighting for their lives, so I do feel lucky that in the grand scheme, Cameron's epilepsy is not life-threatening, provided all safety precautions are taken.
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On January 18, 2016, the above statement somehow doesn't ring as true as it was when I had written it about 6 months ago.  On January 18th, in the comfort of our home, Cameron had a seizure and the "we know what to do" went out the window because Cam's emergency medicine did not work. For the first time, Shawn had to call Dartmouth to get permission to administer a second syringe of Diazepam and was given orders to call 911. At this point, sick to my stomach and nearly 20 miles away, I drove (safely) to the Emergency Room in Keene to meet Shawn and the ambulance. I had no idea what I was going to walk into. I didn't know anything other than that Cam's seizure hadn't stopped and they were rushing him to the hospital via ambulance.

Thankfully, just prior to my arrival, Cam's breathing normalized and his oxygen levels remained at 98% - they had warned Shawn that they may have had to intubate him due to all of the muscle relaxers slowing down his breathing. When I walked in, I leaned over and touched him with my cold hands, which caused him to flinch. The doctor was happy about that, because he had previously been unresponsive. After about 45 minutes (from the time that it started around 9am), Cameron's seizure finally stopped. The details leading up to Cam's eventual discharge around 3pm are unimportant at this point, because our boy is okay and that's all that matters.

I had not felt fear like that in my life prior to that drive to the ER and waiting for Cam to wake up. Sitting in the same ER where Cam's best friend, 5-year-old Caellan, had been just two weeks prior, knowing his mom had been feeling a similar heart-wrenching, gut-gripping fear, and knowing that Caellan did not get to go home, left me feeling completely helpless, numb and paralyzed. The thought still brings me to tears.

Shout out to Shawn, because while everyone was sending me texts and love, he was the one shattering in the background helplessly calling 911 and waiting for the ambulance to arrive. <3
It's been a tough start to 2016 for us for more reasons than just the end of an 8 month, 14 day seizure hiatus. I'm hopeful that the next few weeks and months bring less exhausting moments and more, generally relaxed time with our friends and family. Thank you again to all of you who shared well wishes, hugs and prayers last week. They all mean the world to us!

Don't worry about a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be alright.

Seven Months

A lot has happened in the last 7 months.

Like, a lot.

We closed and moved into our first house.

I registered for my first marathon.

Cam played tee-ball for the first time.

Shawn took up cycling.

Cameron was casted for and received his first AFO.

We all had birthdays.

We got our first puppy together.

Cameron finished Preschool.

He started Kindergarten.

Together we raised $1,000 for CHaD.

I completed my first marathon.

We hosted our first Thanksgiving in our new home.

Lots.

But there is one thing that hasn't happend.

Cameron has been 7 months seizure-free.

For the first time ever in his life.

Those of you who know Cameron well might remember that he had his first visable seizure at about six and a half months old, in March 2011. He was officially diagnosed with epilepsy about a month later, in April 2011. Since then, the longest he had gone seizure-free was 5 months, last September to February. 

He last had a seizure on April 4, 2015. Today is December 4, 2015. 

This milestone doesn't mean anything in terms of the future of his epilepsy or whether he is "cured", but knowing that this is the first time in his life that he hasn't been plagued by seizures for over six months, feels like a miracle. We don't normally talk about how long it's been, and if we do, we spend the entire time we're talking knocking on every piece of wood we can reach. It usually comes up when we are up at Dartmouth for an appointment with the neurologist, and even he'll knock on wood when it's mentioned. I think the last time I wrote a post referencing the "last time he had a seizure", I had to write another post a week or two later saying it didn't last. (knock on wood)

Here's to hoping we can add many more things to our list of going's on, without adding to the list of dates that Cameron has had a seizure. 

Don't worry, about a thing. Cause every little thing, is gonna be alright.

Hemp Hearts Review & Giveaway

I don't know about you, but I'm big on trying new things, especially things that I can add to my snacks! I was recently given the opportunity to try Manitoba Harvest's Hemp Hearts.

So what are Hemp Hearts?

They are a raw, shelled hemp seed (the heart of the hemp seed!). Hemp Hearts contain 10 grams of plant-based protein and 10 grams of omegas per 30 gram serving. They are hearty (pun intended) little buggers, full of energy-sustaining nutrients.

Because I often have a cup of Greek yogurt in the morning after my runs, I decided to go the "easy" route and add the Hemp Hearts to my yogurt. I usually add a teaspoon of chia seeds to give it some texture and a little 'oomf'. I kept the cupboard closed, where the chia seeds are kept (so they wouldn't know!), and poured about a tablespoon of Hemp Hearts into my favorite coffee-flavored Chobani. 

The results? A delightfully nutty flavor and texture. Adding the Hemp Hearts to my yogurt kept me full longer. They didn't change the flavor of the yogurt, but I could taste their slightly nutty flavor (something similar to a sunflower seed, exactly as it's described on their website). These little guys are so versitile, Manitoba has an entire section of their website dedicated to awesome recipes that I fully intend on trying. 

I'm excited to be able to share a package of Hemp Hearts with one of you! Head on over to my Instagram page and enter to win your own bag!

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Manitoba Harvest through my ambassadorship with FitApproach. All opinions are my own.

Baystate Marathon Recap

Now that the soreness has worn off and I can safely walk up and down stairs, I've had time to reflect on my first marathon experience.

The packet pick-up on Saturday was seamless, quick and easy, besides Cameron's unwillingness to remain within an arms reach at any period of time. I was able to get a super snazzy Baystate Marathon jacket, to which I vowed not to wear until after I crossed the finishline the next day.

We stayed in a hotel about 4 miles away from the race start, so once we left the expo, we headed to the hotel to check in and drop our stuff off, to then venture out to find something for dinner. After dinner (thank you Cracker Barrell for the $7 simple marinaded chicken, baked sweet potato and cottage cheese!) we headed back to the hotel so I could organize myself and get Cameron to bed. I've got to admit, this was the most stressful part of the trip. I'm so used to having everything I need in the same places, so having to unpack it all, then get it organized created chaos (in my head). Getting my Nuun ready and into my flasks, then to the fridge, breaking up my Honey Stinger waffles and putting them into a sandwich bag, making sure everything I need fits into my fuel belt, double and triple checking my clothes - bib, pants, shirt, sports bra, underwear, socks (most of which are the same ones I used for every long run), getting my shoes and insoles out and within reach, peanut buttering an english muffin for my breakfast, hydrating and trying to stay calm... I was so glad to get to sleep that night.

When the morning arrived, I had indeed set out everything I needed in perfect harmony. I was ready to go earlier than I had to, and was able to catch the hotel shuttle to the start with relative ease. Upon arrival at the start line, I realized how cold it truly was. I had inteded on leaving my fleece-lined pants and fleece sweatshirt in my bag that I was checking, but I knew after standing outside for a short time, that the wind was going to be too much for a short-sleeved shirt. I sent Shawn a text to fill him in and told him that I would plan to hand my sweatshirt off when I saw him at the 13 mile marker, after I, and the air, had warmed up.

My Motivate Wrap by Momentum Jewelry - a constant reminder.

The start of the race was beautiful, emotional, exhilerating and calm. I had found the 4 hour pace group and shot back far enough to where I expected the group of 5 hour runners would be. Turns out, I guessed pretty accurately, as the girl who was standing in front of me at the start line finished right behind me. I got texts of good luck and snap chat photos of where my cousins and aunt were waiting just after the start. The National Anthem was sang, the sun peaked through, and the gun went off - I said outloud, "This is it. It's here!" I had no idea I was in for a huge surprise, just around the corner. I heard my cousin Meaghan scream my name, so I turned to the left to wave and saw the wonderful, dedicated, freezing group standing there with their signs, then I saw my mom and instantly burst into tears. I was in total shock, because I had no idea that my mom, who lives in Portland, OR, would be there. She even tricked me by "waking up early" to text me at 7:15am (4:15am "her time") to wish me luck. I ran over to give her a big hug (and got yelled at by a guy who didn't feel it was appropriate to break his stride after .12 miles into the course). Then went on my way, trying to take a deep breath and comforted by the fact that I had a big cheering squad, including my mom, who had flown 3,000 miles just for this. The first few miles ticked right by. By mile 4, I had already gone through 2 water stations and was snacking on my first waffle. I had planned to wait until about mile 10 before I turned on my podcasts because I wanted to soak in the race as much as I could before I needed the distraction from any sort of pain, boredom or fatigue.

As I got to mile 10, I thought to myself, I dont want to put the music/podcasts on now, because then I can't hear everyone and when I see my family at mile 13 on the bridge, I want to hear the excitement. So I decided to keep trucking along, easily focused on the goings-on around me and the incredibly inspiring people that I encountered. I quickly typed "10" to Shawn from my phone (which was strapped to my arm) when I hit that mile marker and got a message back that everyone was on the bridge, which I knew was just before mile 13. At this point, the lead male literally (from what I remember) FLEW by me and gave me a thumbs up and a "good job"! The wind was pretty strong, and hitting me head-on for a good majority of the day. I came to the realization that I would not be handing off my fleece because I was already focusing so much on relaxing my shoulders that were tightening up due to the cold wind blowing down my neck, that I couldn't bear to be without it. As I ran over the biggest hill and biggest bridge of the course (that felt like it was never going to end), I arrived at top to see a big group, including Shawn and Cameron, cheering me on. At this point, I was feeling really good. No tightness, no discomfort, just excitement as I ran through the biggest section of spectators on the entire course. It is at this point that the marathoners begin the second loop, and start back at mile 3.5. On the first loop, for every mile marker in the single digits, there was another mile marker just before it with 10 miles added, so I knew going into the second half of the race where I'd be at each mile.

The next time I sent Shawn a text was at mile 16.5. This was the first time I stopped running, because my hamstrings and glutes were starting to tighten up. I stretched for about 30 seconds and continued on my way, still not having turned on my podcasts. The thought kept coming into my head, like an angel/devil dialogue. I'd think, "Now is the time. This is hard." and then think "You're so focused, you're not missing anything, just keep going and be in the moment." As I approached mile 20, the dreaded mile 20, I realized how close I was to finishing this race. I was feeling okay still, and focusing on remembering to hydrate and eat my waffles every 4-5 miles. I kept trying to remember how far I had come, and how little I had left of this experience.

Yep, broke down that wall.

I stopped again to stretch after I passed mile 20. This time it was a little harder to get going again. I was due for another half waffle at mile 21, so I pressed on and got there, ate the waffle, and pushed through to mile 22. I don't think I ever actually hit "the wall", but it was mile 22 that really got me. The base of my hamstrings, just behind my knees, were aching and no stretch was helping. My back had been so tight throughout the race due to the cold, that it was really sore and beginning to be hard to take a deep breath. My pace slowed quite a bit and this was the first time I openly expressed difficulty. I texted Shawn and said "Mile 22 and slowing down". 4.2 miles to go and I would see my family cheering me on. I just kept thinking about how long the journey was to get to these last few miles and that I had worked so hard to get to that moment. I still had it in me, but my legs were starting to revolt. My mind was in it and still, I hadn't thought it would be in my best interest to turn music or anything on. I had to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. There were so many people around me starting to walk. I would walk a little, run some more, walk a little, run more. I knew I could do it, so around mile 24.5 I decided I wanted my medal and the finish line more than I wanted the comfort of walking, so I ran as hard as I could. Unfortunately, my watch died at mile 25.16, so I dont know what my splits were for the last mile, but I know it was faster than mile 23 & 24.

There were random people walking down the sidewalks encouraging me and pushing me on. One man said "Just get around the corner, you'll start to feel the excitement of the finish line and it'll carry you the rest of the way." As I rounded the corner into downtown Lowell, I knew I was getting close, but I didnt know how close, since my watch had died. I passed by a man with a microphone who was cheering people on by name and assumed that meant the finish line was just around the corner (again), but it wasn't (and he mispronounced my name...Casey...oye! ;) ). I kept on and eventually could hear the sounds of the finish line. Names being announced. Music being played. Cowbells rung. A symphony of runner glory.

I don't know what happened when I saw the finish line, but I didn't break my view from it. I knew everyone was there, but I never saw them or heard them (though, I've seen a video now and know they were all screaming their heads off!). I was holding back tears as I approached the big arch, not because I was ready to quit, but because it was the culmination of so many hours, miles, emotions, fundraisers, blog posts, early mornings, early nights, and everything in between for the last 20-something weeks. As I got wrapped in my heat sheet and leaned over to get my medal, I couldn't believe it was over. Initially I was a little bummed that it took me over 5 hours. I was on track to finish at just about 5 hours for most of the race and my secret goal (that only Shawn knew about) was to finish by 1pm. That didn't happen, and I knew the reality was that my goal was to finish all 26.2 miles. And I did.

I had heard from different people that you feel like you're on top of the world when you finish a marathon, that you could do anything (except maybe walk down a flight of stairs). I definitely felt the biggest, baddest runners high and was so excited (and freezing) knowing that I had just finished my first marathon. I think I'll be riding this high for awhile, until next April when I register again! ;)

A great suprise to come home to! Thanks Sam & Bec!

So much went into my running this marathon, so many things that I didn't even do myself! The support that I received from family and friends was incredible. I couldn't believe how many cheers and good lucks and well wishes I got, along with the awesome crew that came out to carry me along the race course (Thank you Meaghan, Auntie Lu, Katy, Pat, Bee, JC, Kylie & Micah, Dad, Shawn, Cameron and Mom!). Throughout training, there were easy runs, hard runs, hot runs, dark runs and super sunny runs. I couldn't have gotten through many of those long runs without my trusty BFF Becca, meeting me at my house in the wee hours of the morning to run the last half of a lot of my long runs with me. I could not have done any of this without Shawn's support and encouragement. Having added a puppy to the mix in the middle of training, the morning runs became more and more taxing on Shawn as well, having to corral both puppy and child for a few hours on Saturday mornings alone.

Also, thank you ALL who donated to CHaD, as I was fundraising throughout my training cycle.

I didn't reach my $1,000 goal, but the $928 that did come through will help so many CHaD kids and families to be comforted while they're being cared for at CHaD. Thank you all again!!!