Shhhhh ... I have a secret

Before I tell you my secret, I have to fill you in about my mom. She's the most giving, loving person I know, and her pride comes from the achievements of her kids. That's why she's got a playbill stuck in the back of her scrapbook of "The Fiddler on the Roof," from my eighth-grade year. She saved it because I held a spotlight, so my name was listed on the program. That's why she was my date a couple of years ago at the Society of Professional Journalists banquet, when I won an award. But it was a second place award, and only first-place finishers received them in person. Didn't matter. She just wanted to be there with me on a special night.

With this in mind, I'm planning something for my mom. So shhhh ... here's my secret. I've been running on the sly, and on Girls on the Run 5K race day, I'm going to surprise her.

I'm a drama queen, so my last post was all about me quitting running and whining about my knee, which I was sure was done for. But it just took a little more time, and then I was back in action. I HATE TO FAIL. So it has been really good to try again and succeed. This morning I ran three sets of 9-minute runs with 1-minute breaks in between. At this rate, by April 28 on race day, I should be in very good shape to run the 5K at Sibley Park.

If I'm blogging about it how is it a secret? My mom doesn't read blogs. (But Joe, she reads the print edition, so please don't pull this blog entry to run in the paper on Saturday. Thanks.) So my plan is to invite her to stay at my house that weekend, and tell her that I'm taking her to brunch on Saturday, April 28. But on the way to brunch, we'll take a little detour to Sibley Park, I'll unzip my hoodie and reveal my Girls on the Run 5K T-shirt, and I'll tell her that I'm a runner now!

Why is this even something she would care about? When I first started talking to my mom about how I'd taken up jogging, she was really impressed. No one in our family runs or would ever consider being a "runner." So she asked me about it all the time. She was truly very excited that I was taking on the challenge. And when I ran my first mile, she was even happier for me than I was. So I hated having to tell her that my knee was hurt and that I'd have to give up my 5K aspirations.

Part of keeping the running secret is so she doesn't worry. She worried about my knee, and I don't want her to be concerned about me getting hurt again. Plus, if you knew my mom at all, you'd know that when I cross the finish line at Sibley Park on that morning, it will feel even better for her than if she had crossed it herself. So keeping it a surprise until then will be a lot of fun.

I just hope I can keep the secret!!! Nobody tell her, OK?