Running for Anna

On December 12, 2010 our family was devastated by the loss of my niece, Anna Rogotzke, on her fourth birthday, to a rare cancer called Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma. On December 4, 2011, I ran in the California International Marathon to raise money for the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative, a leader in the fight against sarcomas. This blog is created to update those interested in my journey and progress as I train for this event and events thereafter.

....And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Birthdays / 4-wheeling / Freedom

First of all, I continue to be just amazed at the support for the fund raising.  I've been at it now for only almost two weeks, and am nearly at 25% of my goal.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!  

Secondly, and just as important, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to these two guys.

Luke (on the left) turns 8 today!  He is my very wonderful nephew, godson, and birthday buddy (yes, that's my round-a-bout way of telling you it's my birthday, as well...it's more fun to celebrate his, though).  Isaiah (on the right) celebrates his birthday next Wednesday on the 6th.  Happy Birthday to both of them!  I'm kind of depressed that I can't be with them to celebrate this weekend.   

I've had a great day, so far.  Started out with a 10-mile run.  It is sooo difficult for me to run in any kind of heat.  Every route around my house is hilly, and one of those hills about killed me today.  I was heading into the sun and it felt very hot to me.  I left the house fairly early (6:20ish), but I'm used to the coolness of pre-dawn hours with no sun beating down on me.  I don't how you runners who live in heat (and some of you with humidity) do it!!  I could not have gone one more mile.  I think I was having a problem with hydration, as well.  Still experimenting with how much I should be drinking.  

After my run, we went 4-wheeling on some trails in the area, and stopped for a picnic lunch.  

Remember this picture from my run last week?
This is the view of Peavine Mountain from our side of the mountain range.

On the other side, there are trails too beautiful for words.
Me with husband
Me with son...my husband wanted to take this so he could call us "tree huggers."  I don't know why we actually agreed.
Husband, son, and the vehicle that allows us the pleasure of exploring these gorgeous, peaceful roads
Going on drives like this remind me how beautiful our country is and how so very thankful I am to live in freedom as we do.  I saw something on my run that reminded me of that, as well.
This hot air balloon was landing in a field just as I passed by...how cool is that?
Happy 4th of July!  For me, out to dinner with the family tonight, baseball game tomorrow night with fireworks, and BBQ ribs on Monday...the perfect weekend.  :)

6 comments:

  1. ahhhh!!! that trail really is SO beautiful! and SO glad you told us it was your birthday! Happy Birthday!!! Looks like it was perfect :)

    you are amazing for running 10 miles in the heat as well!!! wow! So glad the fundraising is going well...I am still planning on donating....just gotta get my finances in order! Have a Happy 4th!! Baseball + fireworks = my favorite way to celebrate!

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  2. Thanks for dropping by my blog!! I look forward to following yours as well!

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  3. Happy Birthday Friend!! Those mountain trails looks beautiful! Way to go on your 10 mile run in the heat! Whew! I love celebrating the 4th of july with fireworks and bbq"s. I hope you had a great day!!

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  4. what precious kiddos! i bet they had a great bday. and 4 wheeling looks like a blast, wow!

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  5. I'm like you - surrounded by hills and heat. We were at 113 degrees a few days ago. Pure torture.

    Great job on the miles!

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