On my parents most recent trip to Charlotte they brought down a few plastic bins of my old stuff….homework, art projects, medals / trophies, photos, etc.  It’s always entertaining looking through “memorabilia” that’s 15-20 years old….especially old photos.  As I was flipping through my elementary school photos, one in particular caught my eye….

Add a few wrinkles, lose a few eyebrows…..and I’m officially a 5^th grade version of my former self!  My curly hair back then was the result of a perm thanks to my aunt Denise, but none-the-less, it’s essentially the EXACT SAME HAIRSTYLE I have now.  Insert whatever jokes you want about the photo.  I recognize there’s a plethora of things you can laugh at….but it doesn’t matter, because I think it’s safe to say that I’m aging pretty damn well!!

Was this photo a premonition of what was to come in my life or just a bad hair choice made by a young girl with too much freedom in the hair department?  I wish I could go back and ask 11 year old Nicole what she was thinking when she chopped off and permed her hair.  Better yet, I wish I could go back and remember how I dealt with the awkward stages of growing out my short hair after I figured out it wasn’t cool to have a self-inflicted afro under any circumstances.

As happy as I am that my hair is getting longer every day, I struggle more and more with being able to style it into something that resembles a semi-cute hair-do.  Not all of my hair is as curly as it once was, so I have random chunks of straight-ish hair throughout my head that I don’t know how to control.  Throw into the mix that I think my headband days (because I’ve worn a headband every single day since I purchased my first one about 4 months ago) are numbered, and I’ve got a situation on my hands….or better yet, on my head.

I’ve spent a lot time googling and trying to find ways to style short-ish curly hair, but haven’t come up with any suitable solutions….which really surprises me!  I know all chemo patients go through the same predicament that I’ve found myself in…but not many have taken to the internet to talk about how they navigated the awkward stages of hair regrowth.  Any suggestions??  And no, cutting my hair and keeping it short is not an option

I’ve got my thinking cap on and am trying to channel my inner creativity…. but for the time being I’ve resorted to avoiding the situation altogether and pretending like it doesn’t exist.  And when that day finally comes where I’ve got my next great hair idea, whatever products, accessories, styling techniques I eventually come up with to get through the next 6 – 8 months will be shared on my blog.  Losing your hair is dramatic enough…growing it back should be easy!

I entered week 12 of 18 in my marathon training today.  I’m 2/3 of the way there, which makes me very happy :)  All the running has really become physically and mentally draining.  I look forward to that first Saturday morning where I can sleep in again and not worry about my 6am wake up call.  My body isn’t recovering as quickly as it once did from my long runs….which probably has more to do with the fact that my long runs are A LOT longer than they once were.  And I find myself questioning if I’m really going to be able to finish this darn thing.

I had to run 20 miles this past Saturday.  I’m not going to lie…..it was PAINFUL.  There was nothing fun about it, and really struggled for the first time with wanting to quit my run.  Every muscle and joint in my body ached when I finished.  It’s a little disheartening to think about the fact that I still have another 6 miles to add on top of that to complete my marathon.  I’ve had the goal in my head of finishing in under 4 hours since the day I signed up….but now I’m thinking I’d be happy if I’m just able to finish the darn thing!

Thankfully, this week is a pretty light and easy running week for me.  I’m hoping the shorter runs will allow my aches and pains to heal, and my mental state will be much improved by my next 20 mile run a week from Saturday and for my half marathon on 11/11!

Photos from 48 weeks post chemo are below…