We had an epic NYC Marathon weekend that started with our Izzy participating in a one-mile race through Central Park sponsored by New York Road Runners. A one-mile run can be a feat for any 8-year-old, but especially for Izzy who at 12 months old was diagnosed with a spinal cord tumor.

As you may know, Izzy is my inspiration for running. She works hard every single day to rehab from what the tumor, surgery, and 14 months of chemotherapy did to her little body. But she fights every day to show that tumor who is really in control and this Run with Champions race was no different. What Izzy lacks in physical ability, she more than makes up for in heart and brilliance so I wanted to shine a spotlight on her major accomplishment as she completed the one-miler on her own in her walker. To make the race even more epic, Jenny Simpson and Meb Keflizighi were waiting for at the finish line despite her coming in dead last, to congratulate her.

That image of her really gutting it out for 27 minutes to finish her miler was what carried me through 26.2 miles through the five boroughs of New York City just two days later. My IT band which has troubled me for years but took a break for the last few months decided that mile 4 of the marathon would be a great time to become terribly inflamed once again. From there the rest of the race was a suffer-fest, but I’m proud to say that I crossed that finish line hand-in-hand with Marco whose support was absolutely everything for those 5.5 hours it took to complete race.

What’s next for us? More marathons! NYC was my first but certainly not my last. But for our Izzy? Well, you’ll just have to listen through the end to hear what she says.

You can follow along with Izzy’s journey on Instagram at @IzzyLivingHerBestLife