I run for 11 miles on September 26.

That was my longest run! I first run for 9 miles and then I said to myself, "Lara is coming today, I have to do better than this!" and I continued for 2 more miles, finishing at 11 miles. Thanks to my wonderful husband, Nate... We were running together the whole distance in beautiful and hilly Portola Valley.

After the run, Lara and her family came to the Honoree Picnic that was organized by Team in Training... Lara was a bit shy at first but she eventually got comfortable... Her sister Ilayda was very cute, too.  Because they drove all the way from Mill Valley to Portola Valley, they missed the parts of the picnic, but fortunately most of my teammates had the opportunity to meet with my little hero!

After the picnic, Lara got a ride from me and Nate to our home in Sunnyvale. We chat about Lara's school and her guinea pigs... Then Lara and Ilayda met with our cats Viky and Kara... The girls tried to play with cats but this time cats were shy .. While Nuran (Lara's mom) and I prepared the lunch, Nate and Sulhi (Lara's father)  played  backgammon (it was a close match and Sulhi won by 5-4)

After Nuran's super yummy dishes, we continued this chill day at our swimming pool... It was such a great experience to see Lara play in the pool. If you didn't know she is a cancer survivor, you couldn't tell. She is just a sweet and playful kid!

After a few hours of play time, we said good bye to the Akmehmet family as they head out to their home. We were all tired and yet very happy to spend a quality time together!

I think it was great that we run for 11 miles that day... I certainly felt accomplished and proud.. But more importantly, we were able to slow down the time and be present at the moment! That certainly made us happy and fulfilled... I am already missing those moments

Best,
Demi