Last night we celebrated Ryan’s birthday. He is turning 28 on Wednesday, so my family took advantage of our visit this weekend and surprised him with a special dinner (crab cakes!), homemade marble cake and presents.
I told my mom she did a great job of finding masculine birthday wrapping paper. I’ve been known to give Ryan birthday presents in pink,floral wrapping paper… or Christmas paper. Hey, gifts are gifts, right!?
The cake was the best part of the meal and I went back for seconds of cake and ice cream. Perfect fuel for the night before a big race!
Race for the Cure 10K St. Petersburg
A 6 a.m. wake up call had everyone awake and bustling around before the sun came up. Ryan, my sister and I registered to run the Race for the Cure 10K in St. Pete in honor of my mom and her battle with breast cancer.
My mom wore a special bright pink survivor shirt to the race and participated in the survivor walk with around 100 other breast cancer survivors.
The weather was surprisingly cool and absolutely perfect for a race. It was the coolest morning of the season so far and that definitely helped light a fire in the runners.
The atmosphere of the race was so energetic, but also very emotional with many people running in memory of loved ones who passed away from breast cancer and others running for those who are currently fighting the disease or been through the intense treatment.
This race was a big deal to my family because it fell on the exact day that my mom had a double mastectomy three years ago. I remember running in the Race for the Cure three years ago when she was first diagnosed and being so incredibly inspired by all of the survivors at the race. They gave me hope that my mom could and would come out on top even though her cancer was in an aggressive stage.
Today’s race was also a big deal for my sister because she set a personal goal to train for the race and run the entire 10K without stopping – her longest distance to date!
Leslie was quite nervous for the race but finished incredibly strong and right around 66 minutes. That is a seriously AMAZING time! I am so incredibly proud of her.
I really enjoyed the race course except for one terribly long straightaway that was an out-and-back… basically one mile out and one mile back. It seemed to go on forever, but it also gave me a chance to look for Leslie and Ryan and see them running along as well! (Ryan ran the first three miles with me before taking off and running like a mad man for the final 3.2 miles.)
I was actually quite surprised with my race time when I ran through the finish line!
Sub-nine minute miles, baby! My personal goal was simply to finish the 6.2 miles in under 60 minutes, so I was very pleased with my time.
After the race we took some time to walk around and take advantage of the free food (salted bagels = yum!) and giveaways.
We got in the car to head back home but waited for quite a while to get out of our parking garage since there were still a ton of people walking and others trying to leave as well.
Once we finally got on the road, we made a pit stop for pumpkin spice Frappuccinos before making our way home.
They tasted even more “pumpkiny” than I remember from last year, which is a very good thing!
Time to shower. We have a birthday BBQ to attend in a little bit.
I hope you’re enjoying your weekend!
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Congrats! I love running with family members!!
I ran a 10K today as well. It was a Pirate 10K and Zombie Half-marathon.
Looks like your 1/2 marathon training is paying off! I love the Race for the Cure events, seeing all of the survivors is so moving. It really takes running to a much deeper place.
congrats to both you and leslie! for her first 10k, that’s a fabulous time! and you did so great as well! i’m jealous! i’m still trying to do a 10k under 60 minute….60 minutes and 50-something seconds is my pr right now. then again….i hope next time i train for a marathon i can finish it in under 5 hours….. 5 hours and 4 minutes is my best. i’m just a not a fast runner and i don’t train for pace really. i just go run.
Waaaahoo! Congrats :)….now I want cake. Asap. !!!
That’s an awesome time-way to go!! Races for causes like this really are inspiring aren’t they?!
Aw, love this! I accidentally fell in love with running because I set a goal to run the Komen 5K in honor of my Mom’s 10th year anniversary as a survivor. I did and I’ve been running ever since.
It is always a very emotional race for me. So happy that you get to celebrate this with your Mom. And way to go to your sister on her PDR!
Love everything about this post, Julie. It’s so wonderful that you guys celebrate your mother’s victory over cancer with something like this.
And kudos to Leslie! I can’t wait to read her guest post! 🙂
Congratulations on such a great run and happy birthday ryan! Those crab cakes look amazing!
This post totally brought me to tears. My husband ran this race in our town a month ago in honor of my mom. Shes a three time cancer survivor, two of which were breast cancer. She didn’t decide to sign up but instead went to watch him. He was awesome…. 9th runner overall. The whole event was emotional for me, considering how its affected our family twice. It was awesome to see the turn out. My two sisters and I have decided to all go donate hair together (october 15th!!) in honor of our mom. I’m so nervous and excited. 🙂 I’m sure I’ll cry ha.
that’s so amazing. this whole comment is so full of love that i just want to hug you!
I am a 8 year survivor. My family and I ran in the Charlotte, NC Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure today. It is so awesome. I love when we let all the balloons go. Did you know that since Susan G. Komen started in 1982 that the survival rate went from 67% to 98%! I love this organization.
that’s amazing… and so are you! 🙂
Congratulations to the three of year for a great race and congratulations to your mom for being a 3 year survivor! 😀
3 years so far, that is, and here’s to many more!
Ah well done all! My mum did Race for Life in the UK which is similar run/walk for cancer as my nan had cervical cancer in her 70’s (shes still going & nearly 90!). I have really awful fitness at the moment, I’ve had some health issues and havent been working out much but I really want to get to a good fitness level. I have never actually tried running (I usually do aerobics or some danced based workout) but I really want to try :o) – maybe one day I’ll even do a 10k!
Congratulations on your 10k!!!
And happy bday to Ryan, the party must have been really nice! Just a question, do you recommend any crab cake recipe? I’d love to try, I’ve never tasted it before and it looks pretty good!
Awesome job on the 10k! I actually teared up a little reading your recap because 3 years ago, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully, she survived but it was a tough time (as I’m sure you know) on my whole family.
I would love to do a Race for the Cure at some point with my family. Congrats again on the race!
Congratulations on smashing your goal Julie! It’s so nice that you participated in the event with Ryan, your sister and your mum! We have similar events in the UK but they’re called “Race for Life” and they are almost always strictly for women- no men allowed! It’s a strange set-up!
I never used to get emotional about the race for the cure because I was never affected by breast cancer. Then my stepfather died of it. (Yes, men can get it, too!) I know the next time I run one of these races I’m going to be a wreck (because I got emotional just reading this). I’m so glad your mother is a survivor and thanks for supporting a cause that is near to both of our hearts.
i saw a man at the race yesterday that was a survivor and he served as such a great reminder that men, too, are affected. i’m so sorry about the loss of your stepfather and i’m sure that your experience at the next race for the cure that you participate in will be both moving and emotional… and full of love.
Congrats on an AWESOME race time!
And wow, I had no idea they made pumpkin spice frapps, I’ve only ever tried the lattes! I need to do that soon!
They make pumpkin frappucinos? For real? Why did I not know about this?!
Good Job! I did the “Run for the Cure” here in Canada yesterday. Such an inspiring, emotional day
You are SUPER fast! I just did the Miles for Hope 5K in 48″… still learning!
What a great cause! I’m currently working with a Thermographer and learning all about Breast Cancer– it’s crazy how many women these days get it. It’s so important to be aware of your own body!
Check out the blog I do for her– http://thermographyforhealth.wordpress.com/
KKrit Theres one of those weird Japanese cars in a Qingdao showroom its been there for years. I always wondered what it was when I walked by on the way to school.
Sounds like a great day…