Karwoski Life

It’s Thanksgiving this week and I can’t help but find myself pondering all that I have to be thankful for. I’ve had my share of grumbly moments these past few weeks, as I’ve been recovering from my foot surgery. I am not the most patient person…and I’ve found myself frustrated at the slow pace of my healing bones. (Seriously, I KNOW I am ridiculous.) I’ve had to hang up my running shoes for a while and I’ve shocked myself that I might.just.actually.miss.running! Well, maybe not the actual running…but the feeling I have knowing I CAN run…that I’ve accomplished all these milestones in my running journey. There is a certain feeling that comes over me as I’m crossing the finish line of a race, or browsing through the race photos later, or putting on one of my race shirts, or looking at my precious medal (I still can’t believe I completed a half marathon!). It is an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment and pride…and I admit - I miss that. As the weeks are slowly ticking by, I am looking ...

This week I had bunion surgery on my right foot. It’s something I’ve been contemplating off and on for a while as my foot has grown increasingly painful over the past several months…but the opportunity for surgery itself popped up rather quickly. Weighing all the pros and cons to having the surgery it seemed there would never be a good time to do it. With all my responsibilities around the house I worried about the recovery time. But, talking it over with Matt we decided to take the plunge and just get it over with…crossing our fingers that the weather wouldn’t be too bad while I’m waddling around in the post-op shoe. My mom, who had just gone home a week before after driving up for Grandma’s b-day dinner, insisted on driving back up to help me out around the house. Being the stubborn person that I am, and not wanting to burden her with another trip, I tried to reassure her that she didn’t have to come. But a mother knows better, I guess. She was 100% right. I would have been in bad, b...

October has been a super crazy month filled with amazing experiences, good times, and so many good friends. It was the culmination of 2 important runs for me – the Disney ½ Marathon, and also the Des Moines Race for the Cure. As you know – it was nearly one year ago that Amy first approached me with this crazy notion of learning to run so that we could run the Race for the Cure event in honor of our friend Julie who had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. I distinctly remember how she approached me…as we were shopping at our favorite mall. I’m sure my first reaction was…um…no way. Me? Run? You’re nuts. But it didn’t take long for me to come around. I mean, just having Amy consider the idea of running was amazing enough. She has always shared my opinion that running for fun was a myth. So, I thought…if Amy wants to do it…then I suppose I can get on board. It wasn’t long before the type A personality in me found a way to tackle what was surely a very foreign concept. Researching, we...