I’m just going to say it, I’m proud of myself!  I went downtown again today to run and while sixth street was still closed I already knew my alternate route and I kept going and I ran the whole 5K!

I knew I could do it on the nice safe flat treadmill but today I did it with hills and uneven pavement and I ran the whole way.  And, wait for it…….. I enjoyed it!  It went by fast and I enjoyed listening to my uplifting music and the feeling of accomplishment was a better high than anything else.

The anxiety of Saturday coming up so quickly is leaving and the excitement is setting in.

I’m so excited that we have been able to raise money for such a great program as the Conductive Learning Center and I’m truly proud to be Legs for Laila (who by the way has been standing and walking on her own two feet some these days thanks to the amazing program at CLC) 

There’s still time to donate at http://www.active.com/donate/teamclc/legsforlaila

Laila - Standing on her own two feet!

I finally went downtown and braved running outside today.  After getting into the groove of running back home and then finally getting used to running at East Hills here in Grand Rapids I figured with only nine days to go I better start running outside finally.  I had been able to do four miles on the treadmill so I was pretty confident that could do the 3.1 outside with the few small hills.

For the most part it went really well.  I did have to stop a walk some because the sixth street bridge is closed (hope they open it soon!) and since I was trying to run the actual 5K course I wasn’t sure where to go!  I found a path that goes along the river and made my way back to a bridge that was actually open and ran the rest of the way.  I was disappointed that I had to walk but then I decided to run back to my car but got all turned around and ended up running up some of those steep hills downtown.

People probably thought I was a crazy person.  I think I ran past the same group of teenagers three times!  HA!  Anyway, I’m counting this run as a success and hoping I made up some of that walking time while I was running around lost.  Guess that the downside of coming for the run from out of town but it was an adventure! 

We’ve also been so excited to meet and exceed our fundraising goal again!  Still time to donate!! active.com/donations/teamclc/legsforlaila

By, Angie, Runner and Legs for Laila Team Captain

P.S. Check out Laila featured on Fox 17 Morning News in Grand Rapids last week.

http://www.fox17online.com/videogallery/69561870/News/River-Bank-Run-Preview-#4—4-24-12#pl-62882988

My husband, Steve and I are running 31 miles for the kids of the Conductive Learning Center!

Me, Laila, Margaux & Steve Drake

When Laila and I were at the race prep and nutrition clinic with Steve and Margaux Drake for Team CLC, one of the things they told us was to “make sure to try our running clothes before the day of the race”.  You have to make sure that they don’t have anything in or on them that would irritate you.

They were mostly talking about if you went out and bought new running clothes but let me tell you, you have to also try out old ones!  I jumped on the treadmill a few days ago and had grabbed out some running pants that I hadn’t worn in a few weeks but had been training in since the beginning.  Well, let’s just say that I think I may have lost more inches than pounds because if I had been running the race everyone would’ve gotten quite the show.

They fell right down!! 

But since I’m a crazy OCD person who won’t stop once I start, I spent my whole run that day pulling my pants up!!  So the moral of my story today is to DEFINITELY try out your running clothes close to the race even if they’re not new!

Happy Running!

PS – I’m running 3.5 miles every other day consistently now.  Still blows my mind!  If you’d like to support Team CLC and our Legs for Laila team please click here

I didn’t realize when we started training that the last day would be the day before we leave for our next four weeks at CLC.  Tonight I actually ran 3.5 miles!  I never in my life thought that would be something I could do.  Jack has worked up to running over 6 miles as of tonight.  Earlier this week he just started running to see how far he would go and has just kept increasing his distance.  He’s doing so great!!

I have to say that I’m surprised at the other things in my life that have changed since I started this.  I find myself eating less and healthier.  I feel like I don’t want to just go run all this way and then cancel it out with ice cream or I don’t want to eat a big greasy burger because one day I did that and it felt like the thing was kicking me in the ribs the whole time I was running.  While I haven’t lost a lot of weight yet, I do feel like my clothes are fitting better which is nice   The other thing that is so exciting is that Emma and Jackson have started walking and are doing between 1-2 miles.  They are following our example and Emma has even signed up to walk the 5k for Laila too!

Our team has grown and we have raised so much more money for CLC than we had thought we would.  We decided to try to get some corporate sponsors from our town since we’re three hours away and they wouldn’t have been included in soliciting so far.  Our town and families have responded in such a huge way and have shown so much love for Laila that it just amazes me.  Check out our fundraising page here.

Tomorrow we check back in to the Ronald McDonald house and Laila starts her next session at CLC on Tuesday.  Be looking for blogs with updates of how she adjusts back and what kind of progress she makes.  Pray she doesn’t cry the first three weeks of a four week session again

Please also pray for us as we are just beginning our adoption paperwork again to bring our son Ranjit home from India.  This might get a little tricky doing paperwork from another state while Jack is home with the other two kids!

Could it be?  Am I over that hump that everyone says you get to when you start running and stop absolutely hating it??  I think it’s true!!

I just finished up my sixth week of training for the 5K run for the Conductive Learning Center.  I have never been a runner.  I was a cheerleader in school for several years and it was very hard work at times but nothing like this.  (no laughing!!)  Jack found an app on our iPods that is helping us build up to running and this week really kicked up the running portion quickly.  From my last run to today’s it increased by five minutes.  Literally a week ago I was thinking of quitting.  I knew the time was going to increase rapidly this week and I just thought I couldn’t do it.  Then I looked at my baby girl.

Laila - "up on elbows"

Laila and I will be heading up for our second session at the Conductive Learning Center in just two weeks and this is incredibly hard work for her.  Literally everything is hard work for her.  How can I expect her to give everything her all if I’m not willing to do this?  I made a commitment to do this for her and I have wanted to quit so many times but I won’t.  These kids deserve this from us as their parents and supporters.

So yes, I’m over the hump.  I’m to the point of looking forward to seeing how far I can run.  I’ve stopped looking at the little clock going “I’ve only gone 30 seconds??” and started looking at it and having joy over how five minutes passes quickly when at first 90 seconds almost killed me.  That was my prayer, that I could make it to this point.  Thank you Lord!

Please take a minute if you can and check out our fundraising page.  So far we have seven on our Legs for Laila team and a few more have said they are going sign up to go with us.

Who could not love or do everything they can for this little face who’s saying “momma, I’m on elbows!!”

Angie Hamstra, parent of CLC student, Laila
DeMotte, Indiana

My running life is starting to become more interesting and personal.  Here is pic of  the underside of a bridge I ran under today.  My running brings me to places not many see on a daily basis.

Notice that you don’t see me.  That’s because this was my first long run ever, by myself.  I ran THREE miles by myself.  I can’t tell you how proud that makes me feel. You see, I used to cry when I would have to walk even one mile because my feet hurt so bad.  And I only did that because my husband would trick me into walking with him!

Now I’m RUNNING on my own and it feels great.  Maybe I will inspire you to put on those walking or running shoes today?

Caroline dreams big! Caroline was born addicted to drugs and alcohol. Through the love and care of her adoptive family, Caroline overcame this rocky start in life and like many little girls she dreamed of becoming a ballerina.  But alas early life dealt our Caroline another cruel blow.  In October 2006, at the age of 5, Caroline was diagnosed with brain cancer.  Two brain surgeries, followed by radiation and chemotherapy, caused damage to her brain and spinal cord.  She was unable to walk, sit up on her own, or roll over in bed. She spent months in and out of the hospital and years in traditional therapies.

Ultimately we were told  “what you see is what you get” in terms of her recovery.  Her neurologist stated that he did not expect much improvement in Caroline’s mobility. We refused to accept that and firmly believed that she had not reached her capability to be more independent, to improve her mobility, and to regain use of her right arm and hand which mainly hung by her side since her brain had lost the ability to send signals to her muscles to contract.

Caroline joined Conductive Learning Center (CLC) in fall 2010 for an intensive four week session.  There was immediate progress.  She stood taller, gained confidence, started to use her right hand and walked with less effort. With each session there were remarkable improvements.  We never believed that her road to recovery was done.  At CLC we found the missing link to her for improvement.  At CLC Caroline is submersed in activity from 9:00 to 3:00 five days.  I call it boot camp! She is lovingly prodded to achieve through repetitive movements.  She is with a group of her peers her age that encourage each other to do their best.  The staff happily motivates the children to work hard to become more independant.  The atmosphere is upbeat and fun.  I still believe that Caroline has a lot more to gain and CLC is the place to make it happen!

The CBT completed their spring 2011 performance Mothers Day weekend with Caroline happily twirling and dancing to her hearts delight. This is the “can do” spirit that CLC nurtures in every child. Caroline’s journey can be inspiration for us all…. Dream big, work hard….and never let anyone tell you that you won’t be able to do it!