Yesterday I participated in the ASK 5K for one of my students. She is in first grade and this is her second battle with Leukemia. Unfortunately she was not there because she had to go into the hospital for chemo but she did face time with us right after we started the run. Although it is terrible and every single one of us wishes this was not happening and no child should ever have to go through what she has and is going through, she has an amazing and supportive family on her side. She made it through this once, she will beat it again. I pray that after that it never comes back.
Teachers are not supposed to play favorites, but E is one of my favorites. Her aunt and I have been friends since third grade so I've known E before there was an E. She's a bright and happy little girl who makes my day better every time I see her at school. We joke around a lot. She loves art. I miss seeing her happy face and can't wait to give her a big hug when she comes back to school.
I had to push B in the stroller and since there were no starting waves, I spent most of the time walking with the group. Initially I had wanted to run but it was such a huge cluster of people and since I started with the walkers, there was no way I was going to be running unless I knocked people out of my way. When we hit the start of mile 3, the crowd did clear enough for me to get through and run a bit, so I ran most of the last mile. From this experience I learned that I will not be running with the jogger in a race if I can avoid it. It's tough to dodge people and the stroller is pretty heavy and takes that much more effort. But I had fun and I am glad I did it. It was for E.
I don't know what race I will do next yet, but I do know that I need to keep up with the running. The pollen has been horrible this past week and has kept me indoors and I can tell that my legs are losing all I gained while training for the 10K. A few gym trips and dates with the treadmill may be in my future this week.
