But of course

So...the week I start to train for my race, I throw my back out during my final deadlift rep at the gym. grrr. It hurt to walk and kept me awake at night. boo. Then, as soon as my back gets better, I get the flu. It is so strange to me. This has honestly been one of the worst years of my entire life and it is ending poorly as well. Time for me to make some changes. I don't think that life will get much better if I just stay stagnent. I hope I can still raise the funds needed and get training done for this race in April. I havent even been to one of the trainings yet. Hmmm. perhaps I will have to save this for a summer run, not spring. We shall see. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas. B

Part Deux - woo hoo!!

Greetings dear family and friends, It is with sleepy eyes and an eager heart that I write and let give you an update. Although it has been a few years since I last finished a big race, I figured I'd give it a whirl yet again. I will be teaming up with Team in Training for another half-marathon; I'm after that same 13.1 goal that has challenged me in the past. Since my last step across the finish line, my mother has passed due to pancreatic cancer and my Uncle John is now cancer free. No matter where the disease finds you, it is always good to do your part and fight for a positive cause. In my previous posts, I gave several statistics on the disease, cause, and finances involved; feel free to reference them. So...here comes the fun part, waking up on a cold, snowy morning and meeting up for a cup of encouragement and a run. Along with the training involved, I am asked to raise $1500. Will you partner with me in this adventure? I will keep this site updated and keep you informed of both my physical and financial progress. Thank you in advance for all you do and I pray that this finds you well! with a promise to keep you laughing, Britt http://pages.teamintraining.org/rm/pltrvrhm16/bcortesy

Changed lives.

So, today unexpectedly, my friend from my past comes into my restaurant and we were chatting about our lives and she mentions that her father passed away this past summer of Leukemia. I of course, think back to June when I was begging for water as I crossed that finish line in the blazing sun knowing that it was all for good. Knowing that I was fighting for a life that I didn't feel was ready to be done. I only wish that I could have run another lifetime to bring her father back. The thought alone just made me feel so helpless and sad.

It really got me thinking..."what was I doing now to make a positive change in people's lives?" "what is my purpose?" I feel that I am living my life selfishly at this point; being in ministry for years really takes the focus off of yourself, being the eldest of 8 sure takes the focus off of yourself... but now I am not in ministry and aside from the occasional phone call, I am pretty much left to run a restaurant, which often seems more like a daycare and run my life. I know that people say, "you should focus on yourself," but what's the fun in that? What is the satisfaction in that?

My Uncle, thankfully has an amazing wife to take care of him and is feeling much better for those who have been following. He is home with the doggies and my Aunt. Praise Jesus that his transplant was a success many months ago...it is a relief.

Hello again!

I apologize for not posting sooner. So, I last told you about how a doctor wanted me to go under the knife, I respectfully refused. After that, I took it easy for about 2 weeks and then got my feet back onto the pavement for an almost 2 hour run. Although it took forever and was a struggle, I completed it without any pain! hooray!

I have been trying to get into the gym as much as possible around my work schedule and feel like my endurance is getting stronger! This is great news...now I just need to be on the fast track to weight loss, that would be the icing on the cake. "did someone say cake?" haha. kidding.

So, Uncle John is recovering still after his bone marrow transplant. Although the actual procedure is just like a chemo treatment, the recovery is insane. The people at city of hope are taking good care of him and with much prayer, I hope he will be in good shape soon and back with my Aunt Kathy in Nevada. Keep praying - its working.

As for our team hero, Mason - he had his "end of recovery Nerf party" last week. So sweet! I love hearing stories of success.

As I creep closer to the race day, so does my funding deadline. I am very anxious about this and just have to trust that it will all fall into place as it should. If you are interested in donating, please visit http://pages.teamintraining.org/rm/rnr10/bcortesy

I do have to say that training for this race sure does allow me to take in all of the beauty of Colorado..its mmm mmm good!

I hope that you are all doing well!
Miles closer!

Brittney

Doctor visit #1

alrighty...so, after 2 weeks of constant pain, I bit the bullet and went to the doc. He took some x-rays and came to the conclusion that I am suffering (that word seems awfully dramatic) from plica syndrome. He told me he could feel a palpable shelf on my patella. So, I am taking some celebrex and on my way I go. Tomorrow I have an hour and a half run on concrete so, hopefully it goes well!

I have about 10% of my total raised and need about $1000 more this month to continue. Pray for funds!!

xoxo

miles (slowly) closer to a cure!

B

toilets

So, just an observation...

every time I go to put a toilet seat cover on, I place it gently on the toilet, turn around to take down my pants and the mysterious wind picks up and whoosh...there goes the cover in the toilet. It usually takes me 2 or 3 tries before I can get it right.

Just wanted to share that...no application to life, no relevance to the cause..just a thought.

:)

B

woop woop

After a week of pain & 3 days of missed training, I decided to suck it up and go for my group run today. Although some of you could have walked faster than I ran, I DID IT! I actually ran for an hour and fifteen minutes. Can't say that I am walking with grace right now, but mission accomplished. This week, the training schedule gets bumped up, so I am going to have to do some major cross-training; swim, bike, eliptical...just to make sure to get my heart pumping.

Please pray for Kate in Ohio, she is fighting through her relapse right now.

Off to work I go!

miles closer!

B