And I'm Done

And that was the end of my running this week. I was sore today when I was on the way to the gym to run but I was determined to run anyways. I wanted to do a speed workout so I got on the treadmill to do 100m sprints at 7.0m with my slower speed being 5.0. About 3/4 of the mile through, I knew I was done and had to really push myself to hit the 1 mile mark. I did and immediately hopped off the treadmill and cried. It literally feels like someone was stabbing me in the side of the calf / shin with a knife. I hobbled over to stretch a bit and wait for Frank. I was so sore that I cried while stretching and he couldn't believe how bad I looked when he walked over. I haven't felt pain like that in so long. I was so sore I couldn't even rely on my leg to hold me up enough to compete with Frank in our "plank" challenge. I walked out of the gym limping from pain and knew that I had hit the point where I needed to rest again for a few days. Sigh, this injury is going to be a challenge for me and I'm really feeling defeated today.

Today's Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 31.5

Day 2

I made it to the gym again today to get my second consecutive day of running in. I was a little tender from yesterday but was determined to get another good workout in. I got about 2 miles into my run before I realized that I didn't want to push it through the pain and stopped running. I had to wait for Frank to finish his workout so I spent a little time on the bike hoping that the low impact exercise would be good for my leg. I ended the hour with a significant amount of stretching, one of the few things that has yet to hurt my leg :)

Today's Miles: 2.0
Total Miles: 30.5

Finally Running Again

For the record, shin splints are the more painful "injury" ever. I've been dealing with a lot of pain in my left shin that's been getting progressively worse and it's finally been diagnosed as shin splints, one of the worst runner's injuries. I needed to give my legs a rest ... mostly so that I could get the pain to go away and I wasn't able to do much of anything anyways without excruciating pain. I was going crazy not running!

Well, I'm home now in CT for Christmas break and Frank bought me a gym membership for the week as a Christmas present (yes, I know that's frowned down upon by many but not me!). I was excited to get back out to the gym and on the treadmill, although I was a bit hesitant on how my legs would feel and was worried that I would experience the pain again. I got on the treadmill and got running and got 2 miles in and was feeling pretty good ... so good that I ended up running a pretty strong 5k. I was a little tender afterwards but I felt so good to be running again. Can't wait to get back out there tomorrow.

Today's Miles: 3.0
Total Miles: 28.5

Oh No ...

Okay, this injury is really bad. I ran a little bit on Thursday ... and by run ... I mean I mostly walked because I was in so much pain. I was hoping to run the last session of hill repeats this morning but knew when I woke up limping that it wasn't going to happen. I still came out to Cottonwood Park to meet the group and wanted to help out and encourage everyone else while they ran their hill repeats. I wasn't aware that it was a 2 mile walk out to the place we were doing the hill repeats and that walk made me pretty sore. So sore that I couldn't even walk back a few hours later - I drove back with Coach Kelly. This is really, really discouraging. I'm going to give myself a break from running next week and hope that everything heals so I can get back on track soon.

Thursday's Miles: 2.0
Today's Miles: 2.0
Total Miles: 25.5

Track on the Treadmill

Well, for anyone that hasn't heard me complain about it yet, Colorado is experiencing one of the coldest weeks I've ever felt. Sub zero temperatures, snow, high wind, etc. Truly one of those weeks that makes you only want to curl up in bed under the covers or in front of the fireplace. After looking at the weather forecast for tonight (see below), Coaches Ben and Kelly cancelled track practice for tonight.




I really enjoy track practice. I may miss Saturday morning group runs or skip the runs I'm supposed to do on my own during the week but I NEVER miss Tuesday track practices. I really like the variation, I like to push myself a bit and I love feeling accomplished when I hit a pace. Thankfully, Ben gave me the track workout for the day and I bundled up and went over to the treadmill at the apartment complex to do it on my own. 800(E) warmup walk, followed by 800(T), 800 (I), 800(R), all with 400(E) between. It was nice to set a pace on the treadmill and just run, it took the variation out of my own speed while running around the track. I did miss the rest of the group tonight, and I did skip the plyometric workout at the end of the run. That darn calf pain is starting to come back and I really want to get back and ice them ... ironic since it's so darn cold outside!! I'm hoping it warms up slightly the next few days so I can get back to running outside and back to running with the group on Saturday!

Today's Miles: 3.0

Total Miles: 21.5

Darn

Darn, I totally missed my favorite run at Garden of the Gods this morning. We even pushed practices back to 8am starting today because it's still a bit dark and cold at 7am on Saturday mornings during the winter. I was passed out cold until 11am today. Yes, I was dealing with some things last night and didn't sleep that well, and had a pretty stressful week, but still, I couldn't believe it. Didn't even hear the alarm go off. Darn. I finally got up and got going and ended up running on the treadmill in the afternoon. Nice, easy, 2 mile jog, followed by a pretty intense new strength workout that I'm starting a few times a week. I'm glad that I still got up and ran on my own because that's been something I've struggled with lately but totally bummed out I missed the group run this morning. Darn.

Today's Miles: 2.5
Total Miles: 18.5

Track Practice

Well, my Quinn's running was a little bit short lived. We started track practices again tonight. Don't get my wrong, I'm very excited to be running track practices with the team but darn, I really wanted that t-shirt. Ben said that he's make up a track practice training shirt for me - let's see if he pulls through! It was darn cold tonight at practice - it's supposed to snow tomorrow so it was bitter cold - that's so hard to run it. It really didn't help that I grabbed my capri pants instead of my tights from my closet so my shins were a bit chilly. We did a pretty easy track workout - 1600(T), 800(I), 400(R) with 400(E) in between. It was so amazing to get back to our strength training afterwards - it had been so long since I'd done a squat and doing them next to Jim was even more motivating! I was a little sad to see everyone with their head lamps running by us doing Quinn's run but maybe once I get in better shape again, I'll do that run before coming to track. Jim did it .. Ben says we're not supposed to but we'll see. I want that shirt :)

Today's Miles: 4.5
Total Miles: 16.0

The Dreaded ... High Chaparral

I was successful in avoiding it all of last season but now that I'm a "leader", I couldn't continue it any longer ... I had to attend a training at High Chaparral Open Space, home of the worst hills in Team in Training history. It's an absolutely beautiful spot, with great views of Pikes Peak and Garden of Gods off in the distance, as you can see by the picture below.




The physical beauty is an absolute distraction from how killer the hills are. Coaches bring participants here in the beginning for some early hill workouts to build strength. Three hill runs are all people can handle. I was truly planning on running with the group this morning and pushing myself but a head cold really prevented me. I had been knocked out for the last few days and just didn't feel up to it. I went out and helped out and "mentored" the group and walked but honestly, didn't have it in me to run. Still got some time in on the feet but a little disappointed. Maybe one day when I really need a good workout, I'll drive myself down there and run the hills on my own .. maybe ..

Today's Miles: 2.5
Total Miles: 11.5

Gobble, Gobble!

Happy Thanksgiving! Since I'm a "runner" now, I participated in my first ever "Turkey Trot". I was excited to be able to join the masses on Thanksgiving morning - and those people being those running a 5K around neighborhoods instead of those at an arena watching college basketball. Okay, please don't get me wrong, college basketball is what pays the bills but I'm enjoying not working on Thanksgiving. I was excited to be running a Turkey Trot. I got up on a BEAUTIFUL Thanksgiving morning - 50 and sunny - and ran with some buddies from Team in Training. I thought it was pretty enjoyable to run in capri pants, tank top, and long sleeve shirt - yes, that's it - pretty bizarre for the morning in late November. So, it wasn't my best 5K run ever due to the strike of the migraine around mile 2, as well as the most hilly course ever, but I crossed the finish like 38.05 minutes later. After spending a little bit of quality time with the running buddies, I went home to skype (video chat) with the family in CT for Thanksgiving dinner, stuff my face with cranberry sauce and apple pie (without feeling AS guilty because I burned 300 calories this morning) and watch the Dallas Cowboys win another amazing Thanksgiving Day football game. :)

Today's Miles: 3.0

Total Miles: 9.0

Jack Quinn's

Finally, after months and months of watching them run by us while we were at track practice, I was finally able to run a Jack Quinn's run!! Jack Quinn's is an Irish Pub downtown (yes, I love it!) that sponsors a weekly 5K all year long. It starts at the pub, runs around downtown, along the trail near the CC track and then finishes at the pub. If you get back early enough, you're greeted with pasta dinner and there's always half price beer. Yes, half price beer :) After you run 10 races, you receive a Jack Quinn's Running Club training shirt - the almighty coveted shirt. I've been wanting to do this all summer long but it's the same night as our TNT track practices so I haven't been able to. Well, we weren't sure if were going to be able to use the track at CC quite yet because of the lights and definitely weren't going to be able to tonight so a bunch of us decided to take advantage of it and run Quinn's. Jim, Sonja, Kelly, Russ and I ran it. Okay, not running for a month and trying to run a 5K with what I call "super runners" was a bit tough for me" but it was still fun". We set off with our head lamps and Jim and Sonja even walked with me for a bit. It was a lot of fun! Jim even treated me to beer afterwards ... I even strayed from Bud Light to a wheat beer ... but only by force :)

1 run down .. 9 to go. I'm hoping to have that shirt in my possession by the end of February!!!

Today's Miles: 3.0

Total Miles: 6.0

Timed Mile!

Yes!!! It's time to get started again. Today's the first official day of the Inaugural Spring Season of Team in Training. As we do with every season, we start off with a timed mile. It was nice to have the whole group together (huddled around the heater in the tent because it was only 25 degrees). They were excited and nervous and I definitely remember being in their shoes 6 months ago. We did our standard warm-up walk to the bridge and went to the track. One of the turns of the track was covered in ice so we had to modify - I have a feeling that we will be doing that a lot this season. We ran the mile - I ran a 10:50 - I think it's the fastest timed mile I have ever run. I was feeling pretty good, especially since it's the first time I've run since the half marathon over a month ago! I'm excited to get training and running again. I learned so much last season that I can use to my advantage this season and I'm looking forward to improving so much. I feel like I'm starting at the beginning again right now but I'm sure that will come back really quick. Day 1 to the Nashville Country Music Marathon done! :)

Today's Miles: 3.0
Total Miles: 3.0

Team in Training ... Part 2

As you've probably heard or read about, I had such an amazing experience with Team in Training as I prepared for the Denver Half Marathon. I had started off the season with the intent to run a full marathon but needed to adjust my goals mid-way during the season which is why I ran the half marathon last weekend. Well, I still have "running a marathon" on my "Life List" (aka my Bucket List) and I can't imagine doing it alone or without the love and support of Team in Training so I've signed up for another round. In fact, my mentor Jim has such a huge impact on my experience that I want to be able to have the same impact on future participants. Finding a cure for blood cancers and participating with Team in Training has become such a passion of mine that I know I can be such a positive influence on other people. I may not be the "super" runner that the current mentors and coaches are but I have such a positive energy and can really relate with those "brand new" runners because it was a position that I was in just 5 months ago. With all that said, I've signed up to be a mentor for the Winter/Spring Run/Walk team and I am so excited! We start training November 21 and I'm excited to meet the new group of runners and to keep up my running program. Despite the fact that I think it's going to be a very nasty winter (in fact, I'm writing this during our 5th snow of the season and it's not even November yet!), I am really excited to keep running. In fact, our new coach Ben (one of last season's captains) said that he will not allow me to train for another half marathon - it's time that I cross that full marathon off my list. I already have a great running base that I can keep building on so that running the full marathon will be "easier". I'm nervous - I've seen how hard it can be and how much effort it takes but there is no better time to do it than right now ... and I'm going to have the great support of the team again! Knowing that other people are looking up to me and relying on me is going to be even more inspiration for me to push harder.

Now I can say ... Nashville Country Music Marathon in April ... bring it on!

Notes of Congratulations

I received so many texts and phone calls after completing my half marathon that I thought it was only proper to write some of them here to have as a reminder of my accomplishments ...

Brian Smith: "You are my hero!  Good luck!"

Ashley: "Justin and I wish you all the best today!  You are in our thoughts.  Love you lots!  Go team goofy!"
Ashley: "Wow!!  You go girl!!  I'm honestly a little teary eyed right now .. I've been thinking about you all morning.  Be proud of yourself!"

Frank: "WAY TO GO DAWNIEPOO!!!!  I'm proud of you man ..."

Cara: "Man oh man, you rock girl!!  I love you so much and am so proud!"

Race Day!!

Wow, this morning's Denver Half Marathon with Team in Training was quite possibly one of the best experiences of my life. I'm still way up here on cloud 9 and hope that this posting can do a bit of justice to the amazing day I had today.

I had a lot of trouble falling asleep last night. I was super tired around 7pm but then of course, got a second wind around 10pm so was up pretty late. Denise and I hung out in our hotel room, making the final adjustments to our singlets for race day, and having one final walk through of race morning so that I could double and triple check that I had everything I needed (as if doing it a few times before leaving home on Thursday night wasn't enough - I'm so type A). After laying in bed and being unsuccessful in falling asleep, I called a great friend who thankfully talked to me until I got tired and was ready to try the sleep thing again. I have no idea what I would do without friends like that!!

The alarm went off at 5am to allow us enough time to get ready and meet our team in the lobby of the hotel at 6am. Got ready and made my way to my mom and Dominique's room to drop off my bags before the race. It was so motivating to see them in the morning. I think they were just as excited and nervous as I was!! I honestly can't say enough how much it meant to me to have my mom and Dominique there for the weekend supporting me. I knew I was going to be emotional and couldn't imagine not doing this without my mom there with me. After a few quick pictures pre-race (if anyone knows my mom, they will know it's impressive I got away with only a couple of them), I made my way down to the lobby to meet the team.


I know that I haven't dwelled on this much during my postings but one of our teammate's (Jaci) daughter has been battling leukemia all season. Last week, Kalila was placed into a hospice center to allow her to be as comfortable as possible as she spends what could be her last few days with us. It was very up in the air whether Jaci would be joining us on race morning as it depended on how her daughter was doing. Apparently, Kalila had convinced her mom to race in the morning so we were all glad that Jaci would be joining us and completing the team. Despite the good intentions, we arrive Sunday morning to see Jaci very upset and crying - she received news that Kalila had a very rough night and was not expected to live much longer that day. After an entire round of hugs and encouraging words from the team, Jaci went to spend some precious time with her daughter and our team was even more motivated to run this race in honor of Kalila. It was time for the rest of us to make our way out to the Team in Training tent and get ready for the race (but not of course without a team picture!)

I learned a lot today about race mornings. First, fill your water bottle before leaving the hotel. I thought I might get lucky and find some water near the start line but that was incorrect. I could hear Coach yelling in my ear not to walk on the grass so you didn't get your shoes and socks wet before the race - that causes nasty blisters! Coach also wasn't kidding when he said to bring your own toilet paper to the port-a-potties. I left mine on the dresser in the hotel so after Jill and I waited almost 20 minutes in line for the bathroom pre-race, we were greeted with no toilet paper. Not the stress I wanted in the morning before the race - I had plenty enough going on in my head and body as it was. Jill and I got separated from the rest of the team at the start line and that was slightly nerve wracking but it all worked out once we started running and found everyone. I'm so glad that I had Jill next to me at the start so we could share our pre-race jitters together!! The gun went off and it took us about 10 minutes to cross the start line and then we were off!!! I was planning on doing a run/walk method for the race but started off running the first mile straight because I needed to work off some of that extra adrenaline.

My mom and Dominique were stationed at mile 3.1 at the first Team in Training Cheering section. I turned the corner and was so excited when I saw them, my mentor Jim and the rest of the group in their amazing outfits and noise makers. I think I even teared up when I saw my mom because I still was just so excited that she was there supporting me and the rest of the team. I even looked pretty good at mile 3.1!

It was really cool to run through the streets of Downtown Denver - a city that I continue to fall in love with more and more every time I go. We ran past the Pepsi Center (home of the Nuggets!) around mile 2, Coors Field around mile 3.1 (where Mom and Dominique were), and just the streets of downtown. I hit the second water stop around mile 4 - don't forget, my water bottle was empty - and quickly learned that they were out of water and Gatorade already. What?! It's only mile 4 - that shouldn't happen!! I was really worried that the rest of the course was going to be the same way and I was going to get sick because it was rapidly getting hot and I was going to be under hydrated. My teammate Lauren came to the rescue and gave me one of her smaller water bottles from her fuel belt - a total live saver (even though thankfully, there was lots of water on the rest of the course). I kept trucking on and was SO excited to see the large cheering group at mile 5.5. It was exactly the motivation I needed before entering City Park for a few miles. After running for what seemed like forever, I exited the park and was greeted by the cheering group again at mile 9.0. I was really starting to struggle at this point. My legs were very heavy, I was getting tired. My endurance was still there but I just couldn't keep the legs moving as much as I wanted too (I guess that's what I get for not running for a week and a half before the race). Mile 10 was quite possibly my personal hell during this race. Cathie, our staff member from TnT ran with me for a few blocks in her cowboy boots and megaphone and boosted me up a bit - I can't say enough for her support and motivation at that point in the race.

I entered Cheeseman park and was faced with long hills for miles 9-11 and that was a killer. I think I walked a significant amount at this point and also hit the 2 hour mark somewhere in the park. Once I left, I was greeted by the Denver TnT coach who pumped me up, almost as much as seeing the mile 11 marker. With only 2.1 miles, I had less than a 5k to go. I could run a 5k at this point, that's easy stuff - I love running 5k races. I knew that I was within 40 minutes of being done and that was motivating for me - so was the downhill I hit around mile 12! As I was running up Lincoln Street, I could hear the announcer at the finish line so I knew I had to be close. A random runner yelled to me that the finish line was just around the corner and I was so excited. I don't know how she managed to make this happen, but just at that point, with less than 1/2 mile to go, my aunt's song - "Doo Wah Diddy" turned onto my ipod and pushed me to the finish line. I teared up instantly but then had to stop crying because I couldn't look bad for the finish line pictures :) It was the perfect way for Aunt Goofy to remind me that she was there with me for the end of the race - she always has been and always will be with me. I turned the corner, saw the cheering squad close to the finish line - including my mom, Dominique and Jim - and pushed hard to the finish! Final race time - 2:40.05 - under my goal of 2:45 so I was a happy girl. I literally couldn't get the smile off my face after I crossed the finish line if I tried! It was an amazing feeling and I was hooked!

I got my medal, made my way through the corrals, through the food areas and was instantly greeted by my mom and Dominique running up to me with hugs. I cried, absolutely teared up because I was so happy that she was there and couldn't stop telling me how proud of me that she was. She even gave me a sneaker charm for my bracelet :)

After stretching and checking back in with the team, I made my way back out to the finish line area to cheer with the rest of the cheering squad. I wanted to be there to cheer in the rest of my teammates that were running the full marathon. I know how important having the cheering sections around the course was for me and I wanted to build that group as much as I could. Plus, I had so much positive energy going through my body after completing my race, I had to do something physical! We stayed out on the course near the finish line for the next few hours - we were going to stay until every last person came across the line. I ran in a bit with Jill, my last Colorado Springs teammate to cross the finish line, and stayed even more to bring in the last few Denver folks. The last one came across the line as the entire group of us ran in with her, signifying the end of the Denver Marathon.

I still haven't been able to come up with the right words to describe the feelings I had during this entire experience. I'm so proud of myself for the physical and emotional roller coaster I went through and in knowing that the money I raised will make a huge impact on people struggling with blood cancers and hoping that a cure is found so that no one else has to lose their "Aunt Goofy". I'm excited to continue this experience next month when the Winter/Spring season starts and I'm with the team again .. this time as a Mentor!! I get the opportunity to be as amazing as Jim was to me and help others to have as a great of an experience as I had ... and train for a full marathon. Nashville Country Music Marathon in April ... here I come!!

As a post note, Kalila passed away tonight around 8pm. Cancer REALLY, REALLY, REALLY sucks! I can't send enough thoughts and prayers out to her family and friends.

Today's Miles: 13.1

Total Miles: 214.6

Race Expo and Kick-Off Lunch

I came up to Denver last night to spend as much time as possible with my mom and Dominique since they were both super awesome and flew all the way from Connecticut to support me this weekend. After an awesome dinner and experience at "Casa Bonita" (a childhood favorite of Dominique's) it was great to spend some quality time with them. Friday was great!

I woke up on Saturday feeling a little bit nervous but I immediately let the excitement of the day overcome those feelings. After breakfast at my favorite breakfast place on 16th Street, mom, Dominique and I made our way to the Convention Center for the Race Expo. I picked up my race packet (bib #5111) and then we spent some time walking around and enjoying the expo. We got massages, evaluations, loads of free samples and I finally broke down and bought a "stick". It was really neat to see the two of them get interested in the vendors and I was able to explain a lot of running things to my mom. The three of us even got to cross the finish line together! :)

We met up with the rest of the team from Colorado Springs and Denver to walk to our pasta part. Upon walking into Maggiano's, we were greeted by close to 30 "cheerers" - our staff members, coaches, captains, mentors, family and friends. They created a walkway for us to walk through as they cheered and clapped as we made our way to the lunch room. The program was full of good wishes, pictures of our personal heroes, speeches, and motivation from everyone there. Dave McGillivray, the Race Director and a very accomplished distance runner, gave one of the best motivational speeches I've heard in a long time. He's had such an amazing life full of running and I can't wait to read his book. It was a truly inspirational lunch - it's so great to see such a large group of people all working together for the same cause and to see so many survivors and people that are living with cancer. It's evidence that all the money we're raising is going to some great research and is truly making an impact on real lives. That's so motivating.

As many of the Colorado Springs group that we could get together for lunch.

The entire Rocky Mountain Chapter of Team in Training

Vince Lombardi said ... "Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team." I truly feel this perfectly describes Team in Training and I absolutely love it.

To see the rest of the pictures from today (and tomorrow's marathon) visit this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/dawneanderson/DenverMarathonOctober2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCPCy0aef6NTYgAE&feat=directlink

Taper

Oh crap, I think I might have taken the tapering before the race a bit too far. I haven't run in a while. I was busy traveling for work and then I've been battling getting sick this week. I decided that getting the extra sleep in the morning (rather than getting up at 5am to run) was going to be more beneficial for my body. I do not want to be sick on race day! But not running for a while is going to hurt on race day. AHH I did not plan that well at all. I just have to trust my body to not quit on me ...

More Snow ...

I know that I just made a great post about the weather for race weekend but we just got whacked with more snow today. A friend of mine just e-mailed me and asked that if it's still snowing next weekend for the race, can I use a sled and dogs? Siiiiggghhh ....

Weather Report

It's officially 10 days out from race day ... AHHH!!! :) I took advantage of the 10-day window and decided to check out the weather report for the weekend. Thankfully (assuming that the weather gods stay true to their predictions), it's going to be a great day for running. Considering the fact that it snowed yesterday and is expected to do the same tomorrow for our last run before the race, I'm looking forward to some nice weather next weekend. Gives me a little bit of hope that things are going to work out for the race, despite the fact that I'm slightly terrified right now. Looking forward to seeing the sun again soon :)

Tuesday

Well, it had been a few days since I've run last (okay maybe a week but who's counting?!). I was pretty excited to go out for track practice tonight. It was a bit chilly but nothing like we had a few weeks ago. In fact, I would say that tonight was a perfect running night. Did a pretty great workout - 2400 at race pace followed by some speed work. A friend and I debated whether that would be it for the night because technically we're tapering since the race is next weekend (AHHH!!) but Coach surprised us and had us finish the night off by running 3 miles or 45 minutes (to get to 8pm), which ever came first. Obviously for me, 3 miles came first so that's how I finished off the night. I know this isn't a terribly exciting post but I pretty much have a whole array of emotions right now with just a week or so until the race so I'm not really sure what to say or write. I'm sure I'll figure something out ...

Today's Miles: 7.5
Total Miles: 201.5

Mission Day

With just 3 weeks and 1 day to go until the half-marathon (and full marathon for others), today was "Mission Day". Mission Day has a few purposes ...

- To honor the survivors and remember those who we have lost.

- To encourage the participants to remember your patient heroes when you think you can't go on during the race.

- To bring our focus back to the Society's mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and Hodgkin's, and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

- To celebrate our accomplishments as both endurance athletes and fundraisers.

- To gain a better understanding of how LLS is using all of the funds raised by the Team.

Before starting our run, we went around and shared the reasons why everyone is running with TNT. Since I'm not sure I've done so yet, I'm going to share my story ...

As I've mentioned many times before, my Aunt Goofy was one of my favorite people in the world and I was devastated when I found out she had cancer (Hodgkin's Lymphoma). After an amazing battle, she lost her fight in July 2006, just a few days before I picked up and moved to Orlando to start my internship at Disney's Wide World of Sports. Losing her has really taken a toll on me and those first months were tough. While working the Disney Marathon in early January, I noticed a lot of people wearing purple shirts - the "purple people" as I kept calling them. It seemed as if no matter where there were in the race, people around them were yelling and cheering - I was definitely intrigued. I learned afterwards that they were part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. While I wasn't ready at that point in time because I was still hurting from our loss of Aunt Goofy, I made the decision that I would do that at some point in my life. Fast forward a few years into March 2009 and I received a flyer from the LLS and Team in Training with some informational meetings. I had been thinking a lot about Aunt Goofy lately so I felt like this was a sign that it might be time. I figured with my crazy work schedule, there was no way I would even be able to make an info meeting but I could. I made it to the meeting and knew it would be perfect to train all summer long while I was "quiet" at work but then was afraid I wouldn't be able to make a race weekend because my schedule is crazy in the fall with work. When I learned that training started the weekend after my last championship of the year in May and the race was two weeks before my first championship in October, it seems too perfect to pass up. I knew that this was my time to join the Team and here we are now 3 weeks before the race. I'm getting very excited - I'm looking forward to the race (even though I'm a bit nervous) and I still love spending time with the group. I truly couldn't have asked for a better group of teammates and Mentor (Jim) and Coach Mitch. I'm so glad that I have taken on this challenge in honor of Aunt Goofy and look forward to being part of the Team for a long time into the future.

Today's Miles: 11.0
Total Miles: 194.0

Morning Walk

After some 5am text message debates with my co-workers about whether it was truly raining and if we should go out to the track, we did make it out there. It did rain for one lap or so (thankfully not bad enough) but other than that, it was a pretty nice morning. It's FINALLY starting to warm up again so I wasn't frigid like I had been all week. Still had the gloves and ear warmers on but what do you expect for it being dark between 5:45-6:30am! It was nice to walk a bit with them, chat a bit and just enjoy a nice morning. Good way to prepare myself for a long run tomorrow morning with the team ...

Today's Miles: 2.0
Total Miles: 183.0

Snow?!?

I've decided that it's getting too hard to run after work so I need to modify my running schedule a bit to ensure that I keep up the running and don't skip my workouts, as I've done in the past. Three of the women I work with have been walking/running at a track near our houses in the morning before work and I decided I was going to join them. It totally holds me accountable for showing up in the morning (I would definitely get razzed on if I missed a morning) and know that I'll really keep up my workout if I know people are watching. I got up this morning and made it out to the track by 6am with my co-workers no where in sight. Yes, I learned when I got to work that they instituted their "winter weather" plan of skipping the workout at the track to run/walk at their warm apartment gyms. Long story short, the morning started off at 30 degrees (even colder than last night) and as my run went on, the wind got even worse and then it started snowing. I had to walk backwards down one of the straightaways because the wind and snow in my face was so bad that I couldn't run/walk in that direction. I made it through 2.5 miles before I realized that I just couldn't be out there anymore - I'll finish my other mile tonight at the gym before yoga. I'm looking forward to the weather warming back up to normal (hopefully this weekend) so I can enjoy my morning runs and be warm again!!

Today's Miles: 2.5

Total Miles: 181.0

So Cold!

Well, fall/winter has come a little bit early this year to Colorado. The last day of summer was accompanied by 40 degree weather - in fact, I turned on my fireplace on last night to warm up. Unfortunately, today was even colder and they have been predicting snow tonight/tomorrow (up to 10 inches in some places!!). I was determined to not let the cold weather ruin my track practice. I bundled up - gloves and ear warmers included - and even made sure that I had other clothing options because I didn't know what I was going to want to run in. I've never run in the cold weather so I didn't know what to expect. And boy, it was chilly - which is challenging to run in - it makes your lungs feel like they're freezing. An hour and a half later, we had finished our workout of 4x800 intervals with increasing speeds with an easy 400 in between each one followed by as much running as we could to hit 7:30pm, and we wrapped up practice. I was off to a friend's house for some warm pizza and hot chocolate (and warm brownie/ice cream!) - probably not the best nutritional post-run meal but totally warmed me up and was enjoyable. All I know is that I'm a little nervous to what I'm going to wake up to in the morning and have to run in if all this snow actually happens ...

Today's Miles: 5.5
Total Miles: 178.5

Recharging

Sometimes, you just need to step back and recharge ... and that's exactly what Denise and I did tonight. It was another rainy Tuesday night (in fact, it hailed pea-sized hail while I was driving after work) and since I was already downtown meeting Denise, we decided to skip running in the rain and treat ourselves to some dinner, wine and good ol' girl talk! I've been exhausted lately and I know Denise has been having some of her own struggles with running and we just needed a night to recharge our batteries and get excited again for what we were doing. Don't get me wrong, I've always been excited for this experience but there are some times I'm a little more drained than I would like to be. Denise inspires me to run and to take on this challenge, and it was spectacular to take that same positive attitude she has to talk about other things in my life. Anyways, I left dinner 3 hours later and am really excited again for what I'm doing. Tonight was totally worth it!! :)

31 days until the half-marathon ... eeek!!!

Komen 5K

Yes, it's official - I ran my first official race this morning! I figured it would be smart to run a smaller race before the Half Marathon in 5 weeks (eek!!). I wanted to get a feel for what it would be like to run with lots of people around and to see what the adrenaline would be like. I convinced Nicole to run the Susan G. Komen 5K in Colorado Springs this morning at Garden of the Gods. Yes, pretty much anything that's in support of eliminating cancer gets my support! Got up bright and early and was greeted with cold and foggy weather - not exactly the best day weather I could have asked for - but there was no rain :) Although, I did have to wear my silly turtleneck dri-fit shirt because it was the only long sleeved one I had and I had to wear something a bit warmer to make up for the fact that I was wearing my running skirt and it was only 55 degrees out! The race started at 8am and I was excited ... until I remembered and was smacked with a hill for the first mile of the race! For as much as I run at GOTG, I forgot how tough that first hill was. We made it up the monster hill and continued on the race, which was relatively flat and downhill for the remainder. It was pretty neat to have people out there along the course cheering and having bands play music every 1/2 mile - it was a smaller scale of what the half marathon is going to be like and it was cool. We finished off strong - even though Nicole sprinted towards her version of the "finish line" just to find that we still had another .2 miles to go. We finished at 37:25 - exactly at the pace we we had planned on so I would consider it a successful morning.


I think I might be hooked on the 5k races. I love the fact that they're small and consist of runners of all skills - I felt good to know that I was bringing up the rear of the pack like I normally do when I run. 3.1 miles is a great distance and doesn't kill my body like some of the long runs do - in fact, I was still able to go to church and to the sports bar to watch the Cowboys play right after running - not like after my long runs. Races are also the motivation I need to get up and get a great workout in - I certainly won't miss a race that I've already signed up for. Expect to see a few more pictures and results from 5k races in the future!

Today's Miles: 3.5
Total Miles: 173.0

Training Partners

"Your training partners are key to your success, and friendships based on your runs together are strong." - Bill Rodgers

Despite how hard it can be to get motivated for a Tuesday track practice, I know that I'm always going to have a good time because of the people I run with. Saturday's are a little more lonesome for me since I don't have a running partner at my pace for the long distances, but Tuesday's are a bit different. I truly enjoy the group of people that I run with and look forward to seeing them every week. It's great to talk to them while running, encourage each other (okay, actually they encourage me a lot) and share tips to help our pains and challenges. I truly don't know that I would enjoy this as much if I didn't enjoy the people I was running with. They truly are the ones that make this experience better for me!! They have no idea how important they are to me ...

Today's Miles: 5.5
Total Miles: 169.5

Too Tight and Sore

I should have known that I couldn't go this long without my leg acting up and doing something to prevent me from running. My calf was SUPER sore today - it hurt to walk the warm-up. I tried running the warm-up laps on the track, hoping that I could run through the pain, which I can do sometimes, but tonight was not the night. The calf got really bad really quick so Coach gave me a walking and stretching workout to do for the night. It just kept getting worse and worse and it was so frustrating. Coach was watching me stretch my left calf and was shocked at how little I was able to bring my toes up off the ground, proving that my muscles were too tight, causing the pain in my calf and then working its way up to my knee. I'm going to spend significant amount of time stretching my leg and rolling it out to break things up. I'm determined to not have another bad night like tonight, and I refuse to have this bother me by the time the race comes around. I don't want this to keep bothering me - I don't want to have to leave another track practice early because I start limping - that's just not acceptable. I'm definitely feeling pretty defeated tonight, but hopeful that I can fix this problem soon.

PS - A burger and fries from Five Guys is NOT an appropriate post "workout" meal ... it sounded good at the time but overall, it was a very bad decision.

Today's Miles: 2.5
Total Miles: 164.0

Dead Legs

So yes, I'm still pumped up from my great run this morning, but my legs are dead!! I can't remember the last time that my legs have felt this tired and sore and have been so useless to me! Ever since Coach scared me into actually believing that taking a pain killer before/during/after a workout could cause liver failure if you get dehydrated, I've been afraid to take Ibuprofen - yes, me, not taking pain relievers, ha! I tried everything I knew to make the recovery better, including a super cold ice bath (brrr!!), but it's just not doing much. I am so sore. I know this is a sign that I used my leg muscles today and that I should really get back into running during the week so that they're in better shape, but owwie!!

PR!

Wow, this morning is exactly what I needed to pump me up for the race ... a 13-mile run in 2 1/2 hours ... a new personal record for me. Okay, actually, this is the first time I've run the entire distance and I sent a pretty good bar for myself to work off of for the next 7 weeks until the race. I tried a run-walk pattern that Coach suggested - run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute. It's designed to give your body a chance to recover while running, allowing you to feel stronger and have more energy later in the race. I've been walking a bit during my runs anyways so this plan worked great - especially since it was a consistent time and I was able to pace myself much better. I felt SO great during my run, well I guess as good as you can feel during a 13-mile run. I didn't get tired as often as i normally do and my feet even felt good at the end of the run. Yes, I was so pumped up and feeling good that when I was on the last mile and could see my "finish line", I got excited and sprinted .. maybe not the best idea but it felt great to finish strong! I finished the miles in almost exactly 2 1/2 hours - under a 12-minute mile, which is well under my goal pace, so I'm excited. I got a whole new burst of energy and excitement and know that my body can do it - I can make it through a long run and feel good, my body CAN handle it (despite the times that I don't think it can), and I can still walk (a little bit) afterwards. Ben (one of the mentor's) suggested that I could do a full marathon but we'll just cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, I'm going to enjoy the excitement of 13 miles and work on improving my time and my feelings between now and race day!

Oh, and PS - Coach started off the day saying we were going to run to Manitou Springs on the first leg of the run. Not many of you know where that is, but it's the town to the south of Colorado Springs that's I LOVE but hardly ever go to because it's a bit of a drive from my house (30 minutes or so). Sure, we were already way down south in town and it was only a 3-mile run to Manitou but I sure did start off the day thinking that I was going to run a long ways, and I did.

Today's Miles: 14.0
Total Miles: 161.5

Boom, Boom, Flash!

Track practice tonight ended with a bang .. and a flash .. and lots of rain! We started off the night with walking our warm-up in the opposite direction as we normally do because there was a storm coming in and it looked like there were some lightning flashes to the south. We made it over to the track and after our warm-up, Coach gave us very strict instructions - when we hear his "horn", we need to immediately go to the tunnel for cover. The storm was coming in pretty fast - if I hadn't been with the group, there's no way I would have stayed outside. It was crazy how dark it was getting but I know we were trying to get as much in as possible, while still being safe, and hoping that it would just dump a bit of rain. Well, we got 2 laps into our workout and the skies opened up on us ... it rained and stormed pretty bad while we were all huddled under the tunnel. It broke just enough for us to run to the cars and get home to safety. I'm a little disappointed in the fact that I didn't get to run more but it was kind of nice to relax on my patio and watch the lightning over the mountains when I got home :)

Today's Miles: 2.0
Total Miles: 147.5

Heck Yeah!

Whooo, 12 miles today! Okay, actually, Denise and I got a bit motivated on the end and went further than we thought we had gone so it ended up being 13 miles. Coach has officially named us the "OAL" .. the "Over-Achieving Ladies" ... HAHA who would have thought that I would be called an overachiever! Anyways, I started off the morning on a bit of a rough start - after only sleeping 4 hours and getting up at 5am. I do NOT recommend that, it's tough to not have a lot of energy to start the day. Our meeting spot is the intersection of two trails (3 directions) so coach's plan for me for the morning was 50 minutes on each trail. I kept up a pretty decent pace so I did 4 miles on the first two of my trails ... totalling 8 miles. I got pretty tired at this point - my feet hurt and my body just gets really sore. I walked the last 5 miles with Denise. Truth be told, I probably could have run a bit more and I probably should have so I could teach my body to push through the sore/tiredness but I ended up walking instead. If nothing else, I did increase the time on my feet, which is almost as important as the mileage, so I felt pretty good. I was supposed to run 11 miles this week based on my training schedule so I thought I did pretty well when I finished the day with 13 miles. I was completely wiped out afterwards but it's so amazing that I was able to get that long of a day in!! It was the burst of energy and motivation that I needed to get excited about this challenge. Now that I'm this close to the total miles, I know that I can do it - it's no longer an extreme, way-out-of-line idea that I can't reach, it's something I can do. Now that I can do it, I get to work on doing it better and improving myself even more. I'm really excited - both for this morning's run and the burst of energy for the next 8 weeks until race day!! :)

Today's Miles: 13.0
Total Miles: 145.5

Starting Up Again

Well, just as I had thought was going to happen, I didn't run at all the last week while the family was in town. My week was just so crammed with things that I didn't fit it in. I wish I had run but again, it wasn't a priority of mine since I was so excited to spend as much time as possible with my family. So, with that said, tonight at track practice was the first time back to running in a week. I really need to stop doing that - I need to run a lot more often than once a week. My knee was feeling pretty good until a little more than half way through the workout. But, despite the pain, I was so determined tonight to do well. I hit my split times with 5 seconds for every single lap - I was so on tonight. All I could think about was the quote by Sir Roger Bannister - "The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win." Yes, I pushed myself as much as I could because I know I needed to, but took it as easy as I could when I had the chance. Tonight made me realize that I can push through the pain and while I'm going to continue to keep an eye on my knee and listen to it, I know that it doesn't have to stop me from running all together. This is good because starting today, I'm going to be serious about this running thing for the next 2 months until the race. I know I can do it and I want to be able to do it to the best of my ability. Bring it on!

Today's Miles: 7.0
Total Miles: 132.5

Tuesday

Wow, I forgot how great Tuesday track practices can be and how great it is to be out there and accomplishing goals that Coach gives us. I was slightly worried after not running for a week, but also excited to give the knee a try and see how the cortisone shot was going to hold up. We did an endurance run tonight, which started with faster paces in the beginning and end of the run to work on staying strong in the beginning and the end of a run. No walking, no 400 easy lap in between drills, just running. And wrapped up the day with a 2400 cool down (mile and a half) run. That's hardly a cool down for me but I ran the whole thing, ending the night strong. My knee felt pretty good - a little sore at the end but much better than it's been in the past. Hopefully this cortisone shot keeps working!

Today's Miles: 6.0
Total Miles: 125.5

Don't Quit

"When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quite.
Live is tough with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow,
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds in doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit."
- Unknown

The last week has been pretty challenging for me. After my Monday night knee breakdown, I lost motivation. I missed track practice on Tuesday and then couldn't drag myself to run on Wednesday or Thursday. I blamed it on being tired and busy getting ready for my family to get here - all lame excuses. I finally had my knee doctor's appointment on Friday, which wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. X-ray was okay, so no new knee cap problems :) Might have some meniscus damage going on but doc and I agreed to try a cortisone shot for a few weeks before doing an MRI to see if it provided any pain relief. He even told me that I could keep running but have to really listed to my body and pain. I walked out feeling pretty good (for now), with the exception of the pain in my knee for the shot. For any of you that have had them before, you know my pain ... those of you that haven't, don't ... they hurt. I spent the rest of the day, and unfortunately, Saturday, limping around from the issues of sticking a large needle under my knee cap and pumping stuff into it. I missed track practice Saturday morning because I was just too sore and wanted to give it time to heal. I hate the idea that I haven't run in a week but am excited for track practice tomorrow night. It will be nice to see everyone again and get back on track. Sure, this upcoming week is going to be hard to fit in running since the family is in town (yay!!) but if nothing else, I will be doing a bunch of walking aka "time on my feet". All I know, is that even when I have some bad days, which I will continue to have over the next 10 weeks, I'm not going to quit. I've come too far, and I still have a long ways to go and I'm not going to do this the best I can.

Walking

Well, the pain in the knee/calf struck again tonight when I was heading out for my run. It was a quick 3 mile run, which really doesn't even affect me anymore. Those short runs feel great to me. Unfortunately, it did not feel great tonight. I set off trying to run and the pain in the leg got so bad that I just couldn't do it. I'm all about pushing myself through being tired and being sore, but this is beyond that. I didn't want to not do anything at all so I set off to walk a bit. Sure, it was still sore and it still got pretty swollen but the pain was more manageable than running. I got 2 miles in before I decided it was enough. I figured that two miles of walking is better than no miles while sitting on the couch.

Today's Miles: 2.0
Total Miles: 119.5

Another Saturday Afternoon Run

I took another Saturday off from running with the group and went on a run alone. Once again, I went out around 1:30 in the afternoon, which may not have been the smartest time to go but it was either then or not at all. I've decided that I can't let other factors dictate my running or continue to push it off because that causes me to not run as often as I should. I was in the mood to run so I head off on the Santa Fe Trail again. I was supposed to do 8 miles this weekend and I knew that going on the trail was the only way I was going to get all those miles in. I set off south on the trail from the Air Force Academy to explore some new territory. I was feeling pretty great as I got down to the 4 1/2 mile mark. It was pretty warm and the trail doesn't have much shade but I was in a pretty good mood from the pretty views (pictures below) so I just kept running. I turned around at the 4 1/2 mile mark to head back north for the second half of my run. The second half was much more challenging. I had noticed some blisters forming on my shoulders, which definitely freaked me out because I thought it was sun poisoning. I wanted to run fast so I could get off the trail and out of the sun but my body was so exhausted. I kept running as much as I could but the last 2 miles were pretty tough and I probably walked more than I ran. It probably did not help that I ran out of water around mile 6 so I was pretty thirsty - I've learned some things about my water that I need to adjust for future runs. I made it to the end of the run 2 hours after I started and even though I was WIPED out, I was still very excited that I ran 9 miles :) I did, however, spend the rest of my night relaxing at home. Thank goodness that Sunday is a rest day!!

Today's Miles: 9.0
Total Miles: 117.5

My Inspriation

Today marks 3 years to the day that my Aunt Mary Anne Beecher, more affectionately known to me as Aunt Goofy, passed away from from lymphoma. She was one of my closest friends in the world and I looked to her often in hope that her quirkiness and outrageously positive outlook on life would rub off on me a bit. When she was diagnosed with cancer, I was devastated because I couldn't even bear the thought of her not being in my life. I couldn't believe that there was a chance that she wouldn't be at my college graduation yelling "Go Dawnie-poo" as she had years earlier during my high school graduation. I couldn't grasp the fact that I wouldn't be able to see what crazy fun items she came up with to make part of my wedding, or that she wouldn't be here to teach my kids the "dump truck", "waterfall" or the perfect art of flinging peas at the dinner table as she had done with me when I was younger. Most importantly, I didn't even want to think about the fact that there would be a day where I couldn't hear her voice tell me that I would always be her #1.


But unfortunately, as you can tell by the first sentence of this post, after an unbelievable fight with the dreaded cancer, she lost her battle on July 29, 2006. Three years ago to the day. The past three years have been a roller coaster of emotions but her not being here in body has been the reason and my motivation for training for this half marathon with Team in Training. The great memories I have of her and the time we've spent together continue to push me to raise the funds needed so that there can be advancements made in cancer research to prevent more people from having to go through what she did. I have a hope, one that I know Aunt Goofy would have shared with me, that no one would have to go though losing a loved one from cancer - a hope that people can continue to make memories together instead of relying on the great memories of the past. I know that I'm going to continue to use my positive memories of her to fuel my runs, to get me to keep running despite how tired I may be. I know that taking on, and eventually overcoming, this challenge is something that is making her proud and I want to make sure that I remain her #1.


I have spent the last two years on July 29th being sad and morning the loss of one of my favorite people in the world. Today, while still sad from missing her and wishing that she could be here with me, I'm going to celebrate her life. I'm proud of myself for taking on this challenge in her honor and hope that others can recognize that. She's my inspiration.

Today's Miles: 2.5
Total Miles: 108.5

Happy 100!!

Tonight required two postings because I hit another great milestone in my running experience ... 100 miles!! I can't believe it. Despite the challenges I've had in the last month and 5 days, I still managed to add another 50 miles to my count and I'm at 100! Just think, I'm 1/3 of the way to needing to switch to a second pair of running shoes. Who thought that I would ever get to that .. not me. But I am and I'm super proud of myself.

Finally .. WHOO!!

WHOO!! I FINALLY had a great night of running. On my way to track practice, I was feeling totally defeated from last night's running debacle and was totally exhausted and looking for any reason to not go to track practice tonight. It was a crummy, cloudy, rainy day and a few of us were just waiting for the skies to open up so we could end track practice. Well, the skies sure opened and it rained for a good 30 minutes. It honestly felt so refreshing and I loved it :) The best part of it all was the unbelievable rainbows ... a complete rainbow next to a second. God must have known that I needed something positive tonight to encourage me to keep going. It sure worked because this was the best night I've had running wise. I kept up with my fellow runners without struggling and was completely on my paces. I even ran faster during my first two 1200 meters, and was within 2 seconds of my pace for the third 1200. It felt so amazing. I successfully completed 150 lunges back and forth across a soccer field, followed by a mile run to complete the night. I normally walk the cool down (800m) but we were told to do a mile tonight and I ran the whole thing. I felt totally amazing! I totally needed tonight to boost my excitement. I left practice feeling so good about myself and feeling completely refreshed about what I'm doing and why. I just wish that I could have more nights like this because I'm on such a runners high. I love it :)

Today's Miles: 6.5
Total Miles: 106.0

I Thought I Was Over This ...

It's official, I'm freaking frustrated with my knee and the pain. It's been bothering me for a few weeks now. Sometimes I can run 2-4 miles before it starts to hurt, sometimes (like tonight), I can't run at all. I hopped on the treadmill and was in immediate pain all through my knee and my calf. I couldn't even get a whole mile in because I was almost in tears. It's just so frustrating. I thought that I was over the knee pain and that I would be able to do this half marathon. I try so hard some nights and it's so frustrating during nights like tonight where I can't do anything. I couldn't even do my leg extensions to try and strengthen my quad because I was in so much pain. Honestly, I can't even do 1 mile or extensions with 10 pound weights?!? UGH!! And the more pain that I'm in, the more scared I am for my knee doctor appointment next week. I'm so scared that the doctor is going to tell me something is wrong and that I can't run this race. I've come too far for this and I'm way to excited and have so many great things that I'm looking forward to with it. I have friends from CT and my mom coming out to watch me run, which is so unbelievable that they're giving me so much support! I can't imagine being told that I can't run the race because of my knee. I hate the fact that there's a chance my knee can once again hold me back from doing what I want to do. I thought I was over it...

Today's Miles: 0.5
Total Miles: 99.5

12:30pm High Sun!

Since I still don't do well with early Saturday morning runs, it was really awesome when Becky wanted to run with my on Saturday morning. I was super excited to still get a great long run in with someone that runs at my pace. Due to some things out of our control, our 9am run got pushed back to 12:30pm. It was HOT! The sun was beating right down on us without a cloud in the sky. Normally, I would love this weather but it's tough to run in. I even got a bit of a sun burn. Despite how hot it was, it was an awesome run. We ran south for 3 miles on a trail that had markers every 1/2 mile - a huge perk. We turned around, walked a mile, ran a mile (past the construction workers), and then walked our last mile. I got my 6 miles in and still felt great, despite the fact that my knee was definitely getting pretty sore. I was a bit disappointed I didn't run the 10k with the team in the morning so I could judge my time and my progression but the run with Becky totally made up for it. All in all, it was a pretty day of running!

Today's Miles: 6.0
Thursday's Miles: 3.0
Total Miles: 99.0

When in doubt ... run!

Tonight's track practice was slightly different than most track practices, leading to an interesting night :) We were unable to use the track because of lacrosse practice on the infield - apparently Colorado College is concerned about us getting hit by balls. Rather than bagging practice, Coach Mitch modified our workout so that it could be done on the trail that we normally warm-up on. Rather than running in circles, we ran back and forth on the trail, which is quite narrow compared to the track. We were doing a new workout, followed by some speed workouts (ahh!) and it was quite challenging to run back and forth over the same 400m path. Due to limited space, we often missed instructions because we couldn't hear Coach and were often confused as to what we should have been doing. The group of ladies that I normally run with declared our motto for the night to be "when in doubt, run"! We figured that running would always be a safe bet when you're in a running group training for a marathon :) The night went a bit long but concluded right before the skies opened up and started raining and lightning ... perfect timing!

Today's Miles: 4.5
Total Miles: 90.0

My Indoor Home

I have been spending a lot of time inside the gym at my apartment complex on the treadmills. I still am not able to get up in the morning before work to run (despite the fact my alarm has been going off at 6am for almost a week now). By the time I come home from work, I want to eat dinner and then give my body a break before I start running. I often end up running too late to run outside because of the lack of sun, so I've been spending some time in the gym. I like the treadmill to the right - it's closest to the TV - and I still like being able to set a pace and just go with it for as long as I need to. I still haven't heard any bad criticism about running on a treadmill so I'm going to keep it as a back up as long as necessary until I can get in a better routine and get outside more often.

PS - I know the picture of me running may not be pretty but you get the point :)

Today's Miles: 2.5
Total Miles: 85.5

Only 12 more weeks

AHHH!! Today marks the 3-month away mark to the marathon and I'm terrified. Training hasn't been going nearly as well as I would like it to be going, even though I'm still doing more than I thought I would. I've actually realized today that I will only be running the half-marathon in 12 weeks. I think I bit off a bit more than I should have with my marathon goal and I know that I will do much better by starting off with the half marathon. 13.1 miles is still a GREAT accomplishment, despite my slight disappointment. All I know is that I truly have to get my body in gear and become a lot more disciplined because I only have 12 weeks!! It's time to stop screwing around and truly get going so I can meet this amazing goal of mine!!

End of Week Update

I thought I would provide a little update of my week ...

I took a break from running on Wednesday to go for a hike with Becky and Lisa after work. It was a beautiful night and it was great to be outside and in a different environment. And, we got through the entire hour hike just as it started to lightning/thunder - perfect timing! Getting struck by lightning would have really put a damper on my training.

I ran yesterday on the treadmill, which was a little disappointing since I should have taken advantage of another beautiful night without rain, something that's very rare in Colorado in the summer! While eating dinner, I got caught up in the "Raising Sextuplets" marathon and couldn't tear myself away from it ... so ridiculous. I figured I could give in a little bit and go to the fitness center and watch it there while running. Anything to get myself running a bit. Unfortunately, my left calf and knee were at it again and were a bit sore. I really thought I was over this whole five knee surgery pain thing. I did have to shorten my run a bit but I'm not going to stop running in general. I'm determined to push through it!!

And today is Friday ... aka ... REST DAY!! Whoo!! It's going to be a nice day off before tomorrow's long run to give my body a day to recover a bit.

PS - Thanks to the Two Gomers for the shout out to my blog on their Facebook page and the great comment to my earlier post when I introduced them to my blog. Super sweet :)

Wednesday's miles: 2.5
Thursday miles: 2.5
Total miles: 83.00

Hot, hot, hot!!

Holy moly, tonight was hot!! By the time we made it to the track at 6:30pm, it was still 85* and the sun was beating down on the black track. I knew the second I walked out the door of work that it was going to be hot but wow, it was super hot. I tried to stay as hydrated as possible, which included every few laps around the track. The heat truly affected me and wiped me out pretty quick and I felt myself becoming tired more quickly than normal. I am proud of the fact that despite how tired I was and how hot it was outside, I never stopped running. I even kept a consistent pace the entire run, which is so important. I was very proud of myself tonight to persevere and push through my body being tired and hot. Even though I ran well, it doesn't mean that I wasn't exhausted when I walked off the track ...

Today's Miles: 5.5
Total Miles:78.0

Santa Fe Trail Run

After pushing it off for weeks, I finally went across the road and went for a run on the Santa Fe Trail. It was a great change from the track and the treadmill, and even the roads sometimes. While it was more hilly than any of my other running terrains, it was great to run through some of Colorado's beautiful trails. It almost made running a bit more enjoyable to have a pretty view :) And not knowing how far I had run (which is a huge reason I need a GPS watch) but just spending quality time with the trails was a nice change of pace. Enjoy some of the photos I took while running below ...





Today's Miles: 3.0
Total Miles: 72.5

Marathon Madness

The average runner will go through 2 pairs of sneakers while training for a marathon.

The age range of the majority of female marathon runners in the US is 25 - 29.

Less than one tenth of 1% of all Americans will complete a marathon in their lifetime.

Over 400,000 people in the US will run a marathon in 2009.

The average number of steps it takes the average woman to complete a marathon is 51,214.

The average woman burns 2,880 calories while running in a marathon.

Just Keep Running

I don't think I have anything truly exciting or insightful to say today. I've been running/walking the last two days per my schedule. And yes, I had to say walking a tiny bit because my knee has been flaring up a bit right around the 35 minute mark which excellent. I've been trying to run through the pain but I just don't handle knee pain very well, or at all. Anyways, I'm just going to keep running and see what happens ...

Today's Miles: 4.0
Yesterday's Miles: 1.0
Total Miles: 69.5

Whiny McWhinerson

It's official, I struggled tonight and came up with every single excuse possible to explain why I was running like crap. I named myself "Whiny McWinerson", which is slightly funny, but still very frustrating for the day. It was too hot, I haven't been running while I was at home so I'm out of shape (but I ran last night and was okay), I had a cut on my pinkie toe that was bothering me (which is almost as lame as pulling my big toe to start off the season), I ran out of water, I'm frustrated that our fundraiser isn't working out the way it should, etc., etc. etc. The worst part of the whole thing was that (legitimately) my knee started to hurt, REALLY bad. This is the first time since I've started running that my knee has hurt and I honestly couldn't handle it. I had to walk the last two runs because I couldn't physically run because it was swollen. I blamed it on the heat but honestly, I don't know what the problem was. I just hope that doesn't happen again any time soon, or at all!! All I know, is that at the end of the night, I realized how much I had complained and whined about my performance and it really sucked. I can only imagine how frustrated my teammates were that I was so negative. The whole thing was really bad. Despite my crummy night, which ended a serious pain in my lower back (no idea how/why that started) I decided to treat myself to a bath to improve my mood and give my body a little treat. Tomorrow will be better and I will improve my attitude because I absolutely refuse to call myself "Whiny McWhinerson" again.

Today's Miles: 4.5
Total Miles: 64.5

Two Gomers

My running buddy, Denise, introduced me to "Two Gomers Running a Half Marathon" (http://www.twogomers.com/). The premise of the website/podcasts is that these two guys are couch potatoes and start training for a half marathon and document their thoughts, advice, songs to run to, etc. along the way. For two people that are in the same position (Denise and I), this website has been invaluable. The guys are HYSTERICAL and I feel like I can truly relate to them and their struggles along the way as I struggle through my own trainings.

While running today, which was the first time I've ran in almost a week, I decided to listen to their first two podcasts. I was so busy listening and laughing that I didn't even realize I had run 3 miles. So spectacular. I'm normally a loud music while running kind of person but listening to the podcast was great. With music, I know about how long each song is so I can constantly think about how long I have been running but I have no idea with the podcast and it's really a great perk. All I know is that I look forward to listening to their podcasts and taking their advice, as well as reflecting on some of their points, such as their "Tip of the Week".

Gomer's Tip of the Week: "Don't eat more than an hour before you run." True story, it's miserable!

Today's Miles: 3.0

Total Mileage: 60.0

Dare You to Move

While trying to add more music to my running play list, I came across one of my favorite songs and felt the need to reflect on it since it's truly inspiring to me ...

"Dare You to Move" - Switchfoot

I dare you to move,
I dare you to move,
I dare you to life yourself up off the floor.
I dare you to move,
I dare you to move,
Like today never happened,
Today never happened before.

Welcome to the fallout,
Welcome to resistance,
The tension is here,
Tension is here,
Between who you are and who you could be,
Between how it is and how it should be.

So, not only is this song great from a musical stand point but I find myself frequently getting this song stuck in my head when I'm running. I love the lyrics that push you to move, to not give up, to keep going, despite resistance. It reminds me so much of my struggle with running and preparing for this marathon. However, this song pushes me to go just that little bit further because I know that I don't want to sit on the couch, to not run ... I want to push myself to get going and to prepare myself for my goal and accomplish this goal. I am daring myself to move ...

Beach

Well, unfortunately, I never did my long run at the beach. After two more days of excuses and other things I wanted to do instead of run, it's now my last day at home. I hate to glorify the fact that I didn't run at the beach, but instead, had a huge 4th of July Fireworks picnic and spent a great night with 20 or so of my closest friends and family - it was the BEST way to end a week in CT before coming back to Colorado. I had truly planned on posting a great picture of the beach and the ocean from my run, but since that didn't happen, I'll post one of me from our picnic instead.



Happy 4th of July!!

Sea Level vs. Altitude

When I was starting to run and start preparing for this marathon in Denver, everybody told me that I was crazy for running at altitude. Why would I willingly run at 6,500 feet with no oxygen in Denver when I could run the race at sea level in San Francisco. My explanation has always been that I've never run at sea level (trust me, I didn't run when I lived on the East Coast) so all I'm going to know is what it's like to run at altitude. The silver lining to my trip to CT this week was that I would be able to see what it's like to run at sea level after training at altitude and hopefully kick some butt! Well, I went for my first run today and it kicked my butt. I wish I could say that I was a superstar running crazy miles and not having any trouble breathing but I think that taking a week off from running before this really took away those perks. Damn. We'll see if tomorrow's long run by the beach is any better ...

Today's Miles: 2.0
Total Mileage: 57.0

Struggling

I'm really struggling with running when I'm out of my schedule. I (unfortunately) am in CT for a week to celebrate the life and say goodbye to the best second mother in the world, Mrs. Loux. After an amazing 3 1/2 year battle, cancer finally took this amazing woman from us and needless to say, I rushed home and wanted to spend as much time here as I could to be with Cara and the rest of the Loux family and my friends. As important as it is for me to be here and to have this time to grieve and have comfort, I was really hoping that I would be able to run as well. The problem is that everything else that is going on continues to take precedence over my running. I'll plan on going out for a run and then next thing I know, it's too late and I have to do something else or I don't even bother trying to fit it in because I'm so busy with other things. I want to run, I want to make it a priority but everything else just seems to be more important at times. It's frustrating for me because I haven't run in days and I know that I need to, especially since I know I'm falling behind in training. I love the comfort of a schedule and knowing that I can go after work and not worry about other things being taking the front seat to running. I just need to get out there and run ...

... and unfortunately, I was all set to go today and we're having wonderful downpours and thunder/lightning storms ... probably not the best time to run ... crap ...

Quote of the Day

"Remember, a marathon is just a 10K with a 20 mile warm-up."

Today's Miles: 1.5
Total Miles: 55.0

Happy 50th!

During tonight's track practice, I hit my first milestone of running a total of 50 miles! It took me a month or so, but I have ran 50 miles ... wow. A month ago, I couldn't run at all and now I'm running miles at a time and they've added up to 50. It's such a great feeling :)

Unfortunately though, practice was a bit tough tonight. I haven't run since last week's practice and I've got this pleasant head cold that's kicking my butt right now. The general rule of thumb of running while sick is to use the "neck rule" - anything above the neck is okay to run, anything below is grounds to take a day or so off. I went to practice and coach told me just to walk, which was frustrating for me since I haven't run in a week but it was better to me than doing nothing. I just want to make sure that this cold goes away soon so I can get back to running and feeling better as soon as possible. I'm still just happy that I was able to get out there and still participate and hit my 50 mile mark tonight!!

Today's Miles: 5.0

Total Miles: 53.5

Yellowstone

I took advantage of some vacation time and went up to see my friend Cody so we could visit Yellowstone and some other great places in Montana for a few days. I wish I could say that I ran like I wanted to, despite the fact that I placed my running clothes and shoes, but it just never quite worked out for me. I didn't even get to hike very much because Cody had just had his appendix out the week earlier and wasn't quite healthy enough for it yet, which was very disappointing for me. However, I did have a GREAT few days. It was really wonderful to get away and just be surrounded by the beauty of the area. Words cannot describe how peaceful and picturesque it is .. and how happy I was to be there. Instead of trying to describe it, below are some of my favorite pictures from the trip, which were very hard to pick out from over 125 pictures that I took over a 3 day span ...