Today I give you a guest post by a good friend, and the woman who inspired me to take up running in the first place, Lauren Kaminsky! Lauren is awesome! I’ve gotten to know her these past 2 years, and she is one tough cookie! She taught me two important lessons…always have fun on a run, and if you’re moving forward, that counts!

I wanted Lauren to share some of her story and talk a little about Team Challenge!

Take it away, Lauren!

Last year, I started off my training season with some grand plans. I was going to race my first Half Ironman.

Okay, scratch that. I was going to complete my first Half Ironman. Far be it for me to call anything that I do racing. But the fact remains that I had a really big goal and I was excited to get on my way to doing it. I had my very own coach for the first time, and was happily pounding the pavement, swimming in lakes, and cycling in the comfort of my own home while listening to ‘90s pop music… for about 14 hours a week, total.

But then something happened. For the first time ever, ulcerative colitis, a disease that I have lived with for seven years, got in the way of my goal.

Just to give you some background: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are diseases of the digestive system, commonly referred to as Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD. When someone has one of these diseases, his or her immune system attacks their digestive tract. These diseases are very painful, debilitating and often embarrassing. They are lifelong, chronic conditions and there is no cure. Approximately 1.4 million Americans are living with IBD, including over 64,000 in Illinois.

I had never so strongly felt the impact of my disease, and I was blindsided. I spent some time being angry. Then, I spent some time sobbing hysterically and wondering why my body is dumb enough to attack itself.

Finally, I got fed up. I worked hard with my doctors to get healthy again, and then I joined Team Challenge, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America’s endurance training program. I trained alongside people with IBD, and people who just wanted to support a good cause. For 16 weeks, we got ready for the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas, and I crossed the finish line with a teammate and new friend, both of us smiling wide.

It was far from the half Ironman that I set out to accomplish last year, but it was the happiest I’ve ever been in training and racing. In fact, I fell so badly in love with Team Challenge that I’m now working at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America’s Illinois chapter as the Team Challenge Endurance Manager!

I’d like to extend a personal invitation to all of you to join us at one of our upcoming information sessions, where you can learn about Team Challenge, meet our coaches, and hang out with some of our alumni. We’re getting ready for the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon on July 15, and the race is sure to be a blast! I mean, you train in Chicago and cross the finish line in California. Not to mention, the course finishes at a Wine & Music Festival and they hand you a wine glass when you cross the finish line. Yes, please!

To learn more, visit www.ccteamchallenge.org, e-mail lkaminsky@ccfa.org, or join us for an upcoming information session!

Wednesday, March 7th, 6:00pm at Naperville Running Company
Saturday, March 10th, 10:00 am at Whole Foods Lincoln Park
Tuesday, March 13th, 6:30 pm at Fleet Feet Lincoln Square
Wednesday, March 14th, 6:30 pm at REI Schaumburg
Wednesday, March 21st, 6:00 pm at REI Lincoln Park

Hope to see you there!

Thanks, Lauren! As an added bonus, if you go sign up to run with Team Challenge now, you get $25 off your registration fee if you mention Cubicle Dad referred you when you sign up!