Day 7

Had a good run today. Was nice to take my time and not have to rush to get the kids up for school and get ready to work. And, best of all, I was able to sleep in late and get a late start to my run.

OLIVIA'S STREAK

Clearly, Olivia was a little tired this morning after a late play date. She drew a quick picture of a rainbow for her streak!

Day 6

Well  I finished my streak by 6:07 a.m. today, but I am just now getting a chance to update the blog. I had a really nice run this morning. Quiet and peaceful - a great time to do some thinking about why I'm doing this. It really does make me run harder and better to think about how hard pediatric stroke survivors, like Evan, have to work all the time to accomplish many things that I take for granted.

Looking forward to sleeping in a little tomorrow and enjoying a longer, more leisurely run!

OLIVIA'S STREAK

Today, Olivia chose to draw a picture of our dog Lilly, who loves to run. She runs around the house with toys, she runs with me sometimes, but last year we found out she loves to run after bunnies.

Lilly with a bunny, her running inspiration, in the background!

DAY 5

Wow. It was really hard to get out of bed this morning. I had a really busy day yesterday, and I guess it just caught up with me. I have to admit that I thought about turning off the alarm and going back to sleep, but I thought about all of my friends at CHASA and all of my co-streakers, and I didn't want to let anyone down - especially me! So, I got up and completed my run. Not the best run of my life, but I did it.

Looking forward to the weekend and getting some good runs in!

OLIVIA'S STREAK

Olivia's picture features her Grandmare (my mom). According to Olivia, Grandmare is cheering her on while she runs.

DAY 4

Well, it's 7:05 a.m., and today's streak is done. Was an early morning wake up call at 5:15 in order to get everything accomplished this morning, but I stumbled out of bed and out the door for my morning run. It felt good to get up and moving, and I was moving a little faster than usual, thanks to the 48 degree temperatures outside.

I have to admit that it is not easy for me to get out of bed every morning to run. I love to sleep. But, as soon as I think about Evan, and how hard he works every day and the sacrifices he makes, it is a whole lot easier to get motivated.

So, I'm looking forward to a busy day, a good night sleep, and a great run on day 5!

OLIVIA'S STREAK
I love Olivia's picture today. I talk about Evan inspiring me, but Olivia inspires me in different ways. She is so sweet and positive, and she thinks it's cool that her mom is a "runner." I want to show  her that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.

Olivia's Advice: Go As Fast As You Can

EVAN'S CONTRIBUTION
Wanted to add a beautiful picture that Evan painted in therapy yesterday. Thought it was the perfect color for Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month.

DAY 3

Another unseasonably chilly morning here in South Texas - 46 degrees to be exact. I am proud to report that I completed day three of my streak for pediatric strokes, but it wasn't easy. This morning, when I wanted to quit about half way through my run, I thought of Evan and how we never let him quit. So, I didn't quit either!

I have a very good friend whose sister had a stroke when she was in her early 20s. One day, when Evan was first diagnosed, he told me something that I will never forget. He said, when someone in your family has a stroke, your family changes a little, and you become a stroke family. As Evan has gotten older, we have really become a stroke family. From participating in this streak to making sure he uses "righty" to bringing him to therapy to celebrating his accomplishments, everyone in our family has been an active partipant in Evan's progress, and I venture to say that we are all inspired by him.

Cheers to all of the pediatric stroke survivors who work so hard every day and don't quit. And hats off to their stroke families, who help them along the way!

OLIVIA'S STREAK
Today's picture features Olivia with one of her best friends - her brother Evan. She's clearly exited about 31 days for Evan!

DAY TWO

Getting my streak on today wasn't too difficult. It was a relatively cool day for May in South Texas - a crisp, windy, and beautiful morning for a run.

About half way through my run, I got a cramp in my side, and I started to think about my inspiration...my three-year-old son, Evan. I thought about how much it hurts him when we stretch his right hand and his right leg. I thought about how difficult it is for him to run and keep his balance. I thought about the hours of therapy he does in order to use his right side. And, I kept running, and I will tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that...

OLIVIA'S STREAK
I was a little chilly when I came inside after my run, so she drew a picture of me during my run.

DAY 1 OF 31 DAYS FOR EVAN

Day one completed and it wasn't too difficult. My training buddy, Lilly, and I were able to complete 35 minutes of running this morning, in honor of Evan, our pediatric stroke survivor. Weather was perfect here in San Antonio, warm, but not too hot to run.

Olivia and I had a great time with Kate and Emma getting our toes painted purple in honor of Pediatric Storke Awareness Month.

And, in the meantime, Olivia drew an excellent picture of me with Lilly on day one of the streak for pediatric stroke.

Weather tomorrow looks a little chilly, but it will be a great day for a run. Looking forward to getting out to run for Pedatric Stoke Awareness.