Dress Rehearsal

Last night I attended the college graduation of my dear friend, Aasima.  Listening to the speakers, a quote that really stood out to me was this, "There is no dress rehearsal in life."  #1, it made me think of my long time bestie, Lolly (hee hee!) and #2 it made me realize I have ONE shot.  One shot to be the very best me.  The best part about that:  my life isn't over.  I get to change the story line, plot, scene, musical number with every decision I make, action I do, smile I give and hug I embrace.  No, there may not be a dress rehearsal, but I own the stage and my story is not yet written...

Make today great!  xo

Who We Are...

What's in a name? Remember when we said that Team Sole Society was made up of some pretty awesome chicks? Let me tell you a little bit about our crew:

Ann Cole- "Legs" She's super strong and never complains. She's a machine that never misses a run or a workout!

Erica Hoffman- "Wild Child", she's new to our group, she has a love for life and such tenacity, you'd believe anything is possible when you're around her!

Heather DeBuse- "Lady Luck", She is our Lottery Winner! She's trained and paid for the race 3 times, finally ran it last year, I can't think of anyone more deserving to win a spot in the NYCM!

AliceAnne Loftus and Jessica Thomas aka "Frick and Frack", sisters by marriage, friends by heart. We tackled NYC last year as cheerleaders/supporters. We were so inspired that we knew we were in this year!

Kathy Williams- "Captain". We will follow her anywhere, she's always in charge. Our fearless leader; we've learned not to let her lead the way during a run. She might plan for 10 miles, but somehow we'll get lost and end up running 14 or more! 

Kelly Barnes Smith- "The Conversationalist"- Don't have much to say? Just run next to Kelly. She'll keep you entertained and give you much to discuss on those long runs!

Susan Shapiro- our "Solid Sister" Wanna go for a quick run? She's in. Wanna meet for a margarita? Sign her up. What do you say about someone who's always there for you, talented in so many ways and just about the biggest badass in town? You'd say, "that chick is SOLID!" 

Thank you so much for following our journey and supporting us along the way! We couldn't do this without you! Together, let's make a difference! Please consider donating to our team as we raise funds and awareness for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Every little bit counts!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/nyc14/teamsolesociety

Passion Becomes Talent When Shared

To have a talent is to have a gift, however, a gift is something that is meant to be shared...



This weekend I was speaking with a woman who asked me how I had so much confidence to take chances and put myself out there.  Without even a blink, I answered her, "I have confidence because I have passion."


In every aspect of my life, I truly try to find a way to give back.  I have specific things that I'm very passionate about; children (specifically early childhood education), health and wellness, friendships, running, and life long learning.  With those passions, I have spent much time thinking about how best to give back to the world around me.  I explained to her that the way I see it, life is about balancing what you give and what you gain.  The things I give myself to most, are the things in which I gain the most as an individual.  I'm not meaning that I look at things as a "what's in it for me?" attitude, but I do look for things to add to my life that I feel empower me, strengthen me as a woman/mother/friend and I have always looked at every experience in life as an opportunity for me to better myself so that I could give my best to those around me.

I can have passion that fuels talent, but if they aren't shared to enhance my life and the lives around me, then is it really a talent at all?  Looking at the things that bring me success and happiness, I find that it is by creating services, building relationships, spreading knowledge and sharing experiences I reach true success and accomplishment.  Ten years ago, I felt myself driven by the passion to create a warm and nurturing environment that fostered learning and discovery for young children.  I watched as my own children flourished through the program, community families came and went and I forever hold their young ones in my heart. I've had the opportunity to see amazing child advocates work within my program, spreading their love and knowledge and connecting with each student and many parents/families, over the years.

Five years ago, I developed a passion for health and wellness and I pushed myself beyond limits to change myself; my body, my mind, my life.  I found such passion in the transformation that I couldn't bare to keep it to myself, I wanted others to find their inner strength and I wanted to be that support and that cheerleader for them as they embarked upon their own journey of health and wellness.  I'm now surrounded by a community of people who live each day with the mindset to better themselves through exercise and whole nutrition. It's an amazing feeling to know that we might not have all the answers and there's no secret formula for health, but we fight for our best versions of ourselves.

In recent years, I've discovered a passion for running.  The friendships and bonds I have with fellow runners is unparalleled.  It is unlike any other exercise.  The hours of time spent on pavement, talking it (whatever IT may be) out, climbing the hills, caring for in the injuries and the people they belong to.  We cross those lines, jumping into each others' arms, not only because another race is finished, but because we were together for every step.  The passion has grown to give us confidence that we could run a marathon together, but not just to participate in yet another foot race; we're using this passion and talent to raise money and awareness for Leukemia and Lymphoma.  We run because we can.  We run because we want to give back.  We want to share our talent, share our passion, share our love and the support we feel and give to those who really need it too.

Passion becomes talent when it is shared.  Look for the things that bring you joy.  What makes your heart soar?  What gives your day worth
...and how can you share that with those around you?  Life is too short to step cautiously into your dreams.  You must jump up and go in the direction that fulfills you hopefully through your journey you can inspire, encourage and uplift someone's passion and ignite more talent into the world.

We Need Your Help!

Through running, I've made incredible friends, sole mates actually, and I've found ways to incorporate running in my life that gives me the opportunity to help others, coach, teach and spend quality time with my family (especially my children). I've ran many races, half marathons being my farthest distance, I've coached Girls on the Run (a program that uses running to teach life skills to young girls grades 3rd-5th) and I've spent a lot of time supporting the running community and using this amazing exercise as a way to enhance my life and the lives of others.

Team Sole Society has joined up with Team in Training to raise money and awareness for Leukemia and Lymphoma.  Each of us have an individual goal to raise $3900, but we're fund-raising as a team. We are 8 dynamic women who share a love for running and feel a strong passion to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, as for some of us it really hits home and this cause is near and dear to our hearts.

Throughout this journey, I'll share stories of our personal heroes and honored teammates.   Heather shares,

"My aunt Cathy is a cancer survivor, who I watched run through her year of chemo. She is an amazing person, but especially she is an amazing athlete. She is a 6 time marathon finisher, the first marathon she ran post-cancer was her all-time personal best. She is a badass, and I'm glad to run in her honor!"

My friend Marnie, speaks of her nephew as she made a donation to our team:

"My nephew is a survivor of leukemia. He was diagnosed at age 6 - he is now 19!! It is my pleasure to support your efforts!!"

We've started our kick-off for fund-raising, and I'm reaching out to you all for support as we strive to reach our goals, of not only running this marathon but giving back and helping to fight blood cancer as best we can!

Please consider donating to our team (don't click my name, just donate to the team please!)
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/nyc14/teamsolesociety

NO DONATION TOO SMALL or TOO BIG ;o)  Be sure to check to see if your company or spouse's company does a match donation and don't forget corporate sponsorship opportunities are available as well!  There are SO many ways to get involved!

We appreciate your support!

NYC 2014 Team Sole Society

"A society can enable its members to benefit in ways that would not otherwise be possible on an individual basis."

So our team name is set "Team Sole Society" and I think it fits us perfectly!  We are a society all on our own.  We share common interests, goals, and values, yet we are all unique and bring our own dynamic traits and characteristics to the group that enhance each other in ways we didn't even know possible.  I could not be more thankful for this amazing group of women and the knowledge, support, encouragement and camaraderie.

We are all signed up with Team  In Training (www.teamintraining.org) as we will be working to raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma; it is a cause that so many of us hold near and dear to our hearts.  As soon as our team fundraising page is up, I'll post it and we would certainly appreciate any support, no donation too small, OR too big :o)

It's really happening.  We're committed and ready to start this journey!  

Marathon?!?!

Well, it looks like I've committed to run the 2014 NYC Marathon!  Oh Lord, what have I done!?  A few months ago, a group of us entered our names into the lottery to see if we would have automatic entry to this most amazing race (my sister-in-law, Jessica and I saw first hand how incredible this experience is when we went to support our two good friends Kathy and Heather last year).  Out of the 7 of us, one was picked.  I can't imagine a more deserving person to be drawn in the lottery.  Heather, who has registered, paid and fund-raised for the race THREE times, but only able to run ONCE, was finally picked.  We're an all or nothing deal, so the other six of us have committed to fund-raise so that the seven of us can do this marathon together.  We chose to join Team in Training to raise money for Lymphoma and Leukemia, a cause that is near and dear to many of us, and we will participate as a group to reach our goal of $3900/runner.  Stay tuned for our fund-raising page ;o)

Of course, we had to meet to discuss the ins and outs of this endeavor, so we chose to get our liquid courage at the Mexican Cafe in Annapolis.  Missing from the picture are Heather and Kelly, but they were certainly with us in spirit.  It was a fun evening of planning, freaking out, brain-storming fund-raising ideas, and more freaking out.

(Ann, Jessica, Kathy, AA, and Susan)

The next step was for me to be cleared by my doctor to begin training this June.  I was SO nervous, as a few friends, and even my husband, didn't think he would give me the clear.  Of course, I had high hopes.  As much as I tried to accept the possibility that he would tell me "no", I went into my appointment yesterday with FULL intention of telling him that I was strong and able to train and run this race.  I nearly dropped to the floor when he answered my inquiry with, "Absolutely!  Just listen to your body and be smart.  If pains come up as a result of the training, we can reassess, but I see no reason why you can't do this."  YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!  I got the clear!

So, last night, we all started individually registering for Team and Training.  Getting this email made is REAL.  It's happening.  Our journey begins! 

Now...we just need to come up with a cool team name?  Taking suggestions ;o)

Slow and Steady

I wanted to share this from one of our fitness/weightloss challengers. She's never won the cash prize, as she has inched her way along over the years. I affectionately call her my turtle. I'm very very proud of her!


"I have lost 29 lbs. I was hoping to hit 30 this week! Next week.
My high point (weight wise) was in Aug 2012 which was my first full challenge that I participated in. I just measured yesterday and am down 18 inches since then (5 in my belly!). I have gone from a size 16 to a size... 10 (regulars- not relaxed fit!!). Whoo whoo! I haven't really haven't gained in MONTHS.

It took 3 challenges before the weight started to really drop. I lost less than 5 lbs the first two challenges and was frustrated. The group kept me positive and encouraged changes and gave me ideas. I made MAJOR changes in challenge 1 and 2. Although, I think my body did NOT believe me. PLUS challenge 3 is where you gave me the big speech/challenge/smack-down regarding the 3 egg white veggie omelet for breakfast. That added to my other changes turned the corner.
During challenge 1 and 2:
- I stopped eating out (4-7 times week and started cooking MOST meals at home)
- I stopped eating after 7:30 or 8 p.m.
- I gave up soda (as a computer programmer, I was drinking 8-10 cans of diet soda per day- this was my biggest/hardest thing to give up!)
- I started to pack my lunch everyday even if I wasn't leaving the house. I take my lunch in the car if I run errand so that I don't get caught out needing to eat without having my healthy choice handy.
- I try to eat a 3 egg white omelet with veggies and turk sausage.
Again, it took until challenge 3 for my body to believe it wasn't just a "phase." ha! ha! I am your turtle and it is working-- slowly. When times get tough, the group keeps me focused. I flip flop back and forth between being a super active poster in the group and just reading with my hand barely on base, but it works! I want to lose 20-25 more lbs. I will keep plugging along."

Thank you so much for sharing your story! Keep working, girl! You got this!