Thomas's Posts

After the last race I had to take about 8 weeks off to heal my foot and with a crazy amount of work, have only been getting 2 runs a week in on average. Had meant to post an update with the news of our little munchkin, but unfortunately never got around to it. He was born a healthy 8 lb and 12 ounces and goes by the name Tommy (the third). We couldn't be happier with him. Shortly after our son was born, my Mom was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. She put up a tremendous fight, and had her first chemo treatment on September 6th. Although the side effects hit her hard, she survived the low point that occurred around Day 6 and was doing well enough that the hospital planned to discharge her this weekend. Yesterday, however, my mother passed away due to heart failure. My Mom always put others before herself. When she found out about my mitral valve repair surgery and plan to go to Cleveland, she didn't hesitate to book a flight and take off work to be with us. She would stay up talking for hours on the phone if you needed her and would never turn down a favor when asked. She was very proud of her three kids and she told me a few weeks ago that if she didn't make it, her biggest regret was not being around to see her grandkids grow up. I miss her terribly and still can't believe she is gone. This morning I ran my first race since the Cleveland half marathon. The Plano TX Balloon Festival 5K is also the first race last year that I ran after my heart surgery. Having had so little time to train the past 2 months, my goal was to just beat last years' time of 33:17. I believe my Mom was cheering me along as I sprinted to the finish; an official time of 28:56. Over the next 8 months I plan to train for my first marathon, which will coincide with the 2-year anniversary of my MV repair. I hope I can see it through and make my Mom proud while she watches down from above.