Tag Archive for: Chicago

Michele Brodtman is so thankful to have running in her life.

After being diagnosed with throat cancer in 2008, this mom and kindergarten teacher says, “I feel like running gave me my life back more than anything. I feel so alive. I feel so clean.”

Michele Brodtman Running NYC

I feel like #running gave me my life back more than anything. I feel so alive. I feel so clean. ~@brodtmom Click To Tweet

Although Michele is not entirely new to running, she ran cross country in high school and college and ran a few 5k’s after becoming a mother, it wasn’t until after her throat cancer diagnosis that she became serious about running.

Team DetermiNation

Michele remembers thinking she was going to make it her goal to get healthy and stay healthy by running while she was going through throat cancer treatment.

How? During this episode, Michele talks about how she memorized Team DeterminNation’s phone number while running a 5k and making that phone call after the race.

And the rest has been history.

Michele absolutely loves running for Team DetermiNation. She feels so much support and commitment from Team Determination.

The night before a race Michele says of Team DetermiNation, “We are all in a room together before a race celebrating life. And every person in that room is there for the same reason, to knock down this horrible disease.”

Michele Brodtman Photobombing Her Team DetermiNation Coach in Chicago

Michele and the Marathon

Although the marathon isn’t her favorite distance to race (the half marathon is because she feels it is doable for so many people), Michele has run five of them with Team Determination: Philadelphia, Marine Corp., Chicago, and New york twice.

When asked which one she would go back to, she had an extremely difficult time deciding and settled on Marine Corp, Chicago, AND New York all for different reasons.

All of the marathons that Michele has run would be considered big ones by anyone’s definition, so I asked her how she runs her own race in such a large crowd of people.

The key for Michele is to stay focused.

Michele says, “It is easier when you are new at it to start to compare yourself to other people and be worried and mindful of where they are but that’s when it could really mess you up and then you can be so defeated that you just give up…as you mature in running, I feel it is easier to just know what you want to do.”

Running for a Cause

Michele is also very involved in raising money via Charity Miles.

(Not familiar with Charity Miles? Check out my interview with Charity Miles founder Gene Gurkoff to learn all about this awesome organization.)

While raising money isn’t exactly easy, Michele is committed to giving back.

She says that without the help the American Cancer Society gave her and her family, she would not have known what to do when she was battling her cancer.

And the drug she takes daily to manage her cancer, and will most likely have to take the rest of her life, was the result of research made possible because of people raising money for the American Cancer Society in the past.

Michele feels so lucky and she is just so grateful for all she has been given that she is determined to help others going through what she went through.

If you’d like to connect with Michele, the best places to do so are on Twitter and/or Instagram.

After beating her own cancer, @brodtmom continues to fight the good fight. #runchat #teamdetermiNation Click To Tweet

As Always, I’d Love to Know What Stood Out to You From this Episode! Let Me Know Your Takeaway in the Comments Below!

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