It's been quite a while since my last post. Things got pretty hectic with law school finals, work, training, and so forth. But it's been a great couple months and things are moving along on the training front.
We've started doing open water swims at Lake Nokomis and it's been a bit of a shock. It's a lot different from swimming in the pool. First, running into the cold water isn't as fun as slipping in to the heated pool. Second, there is a ridiculous wall of weeds we must swim through before getting to the area where we circle buoys for 30+ minutes. I've also had some trouble with "sighting." Since you can barely see your hands in front of you, you need to periodically look up to make sure you're still on track in the course. I have been tending to veer off left a bit, so I'm working on that.
Last weekend I went for a 45 mile bike ride with Steve. We went down to Faribault and rode the trail down there to Elysian. And of course, we had to stop for an ice cream cone at Dairy Queen on the way back.
I've also realized that my running training needs to increase because I have yet to go over 3 miles, and it's going to be especially difficult when transitioning from biking to running.
As for fundraising, I'm still a couple hundred dollars short of my fundraising minimum with only about a week left before the deadline. Hopefully I'll have some last minute donations coming in from people who have said they were going to donate but haven't yet.
Less than a month til the race! Time for countdown!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
It's been a while...But there's exciting news!
Sorry about such the long break between posts - but first I was in Australia for about 10 days and I've been trying to get caught up on sleep and work ever since returning. However, I was very fortunate to arrive back from the "down under" to a number of online and mailed donations!
So today marks the beginning of our new training schedule, and that's a good thing for me! Previously most of the swimming trainings were on Tuesday nights, which conflicted with one of my school courses. But now we'll be swimming on Monday nights and so I will finally be able to attend my second team swim training.
The big exciting news is that there is a new member joining the triathlon team...my mom! She has decided to take on this challenge and will be attempting to do the short distance Life Time Triathlon. It will be interesting since this is the first TNT event where I won't have her cheering me on from the side lines, but hopefully with the event being in Minneapolis there will be plenty of other friendly faces along the course.
It's also great that the weather is starting to get better and soon I'll be up for outdoor cycle and running trainings! Because as much as I prefer to run outside over a treadmill, I refuse to run when there is still ice out. And as a supplement to my normal training, in April I will be running the Race for Justice 5K with a number of my law school peers.
Well that's all for now - thanks to everyone for their support!
So today marks the beginning of our new training schedule, and that's a good thing for me! Previously most of the swimming trainings were on Tuesday nights, which conflicted with one of my school courses. But now we'll be swimming on Monday nights and so I will finally be able to attend my second team swim training.
The big exciting news is that there is a new member joining the triathlon team...my mom! She has decided to take on this challenge and will be attempting to do the short distance Life Time Triathlon. It will be interesting since this is the first TNT event where I won't have her cheering me on from the side lines, but hopefully with the event being in Minneapolis there will be plenty of other friendly faces along the course.
It's also great that the weather is starting to get better and soon I'll be up for outdoor cycle and running trainings! Because as much as I prefer to run outside over a treadmill, I refuse to run when there is still ice out. And as a supplement to my normal training, in April I will be running the Race for Justice 5K with a number of my law school peers.
Well that's all for now - thanks to everyone for their support!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Over half-way to my fundraising goal!
Thank you so much to everyone who has donated - I am now over half-way to meeting my fundraising goal of $2300! The TNT fundraising page currently only shows 17% but that is because there is a delay in the check donations getting posted to the site. I am so grateful for all the support people have shown in this fight for a cure!
This week I tried something new on the training front - a class called BodyFlow at the YMCA. It is a combination of tai chi, pilates, and yoga. I definitely learned I could use some work on my flexibility and balance, so I plan on going again. However, it will have to wait a couple weeks because tomorrow I head off with my mom to Australia for Spring Break! Hopefully snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef counts as a "swim" training :-)
This week I tried something new on the training front - a class called BodyFlow at the YMCA. It is a combination of tai chi, pilates, and yoga. I definitely learned I could use some work on my flexibility and balance, so I plan on going again. However, it will have to wait a couple weeks because tomorrow I head off with my mom to Australia for Spring Break! Hopefully snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef counts as a "swim" training :-)
Monday, March 8, 2010
Slow and Steady
Things are coming along steadily with training and fundraising. I've been able to make all the cycle/spin trainings and have been keeping up with swimming on my own (since my night class interferes with the team training). I'm still swimming about 1000 meters each time and can usually get through this within a half hour. But I've tried bumping it up to swimming 400 meters at a time before doing "recovery" laps. Next week I will be out of town with my mom for Spring Break, so it will be even more important to keep up with training on my own. Also, some of my fundraising letters have been bringing in donations and hopefully that continues over the next several weeks. Otherwise I have just been pretty busy with school, work, and social activities.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Things are getting busy!
In my last post, I said things would start to pick up - and I was right! In the last week I had another spin training, swam 1000 meters on my own, sent out over 100 fundraising letters, and sold about 20 Twin's tickets (with $6 going to my fundraising for each ticket).
I unfortunately had to miss the Tuesday night swim training with the team because of my night class. But today I made up for it by going to the YMCA and swimming 40 laps (1000 meters). I would swim 200 meters at a time, then do 50 meters slow with a kick board, and then repeat. My endurance is definitely increasing, which makes me happy. The goal I have is to build up my endurance right now and then hopefully work on my speed and brick training (where I move from swimming right into biking within the same workout) as the season progresses.
Thursday night we had our spin session and worked on our form some more. Although I've always enjoyed biking, I've never been very fast. Plus I have had two bike accidents (all due to my own clumsiness, not involving anyone else) in the last 4 years. The first crash I had was so bad I cracked my helmet and ended up in the ER with a concussion because I couldn't remember how I'd gotten from the crash site to my apartment. The last crash was just this past summer as I was biking home from work. Luckily I wasn't really hurt, but the dress shirt I'd been wearing was destroyed. Therefore, my main goal with the bike training is just to get more comfortable on the bike and with being in a big crowd of other bikers.
As for my fundraising, things are moving along pretty well. I was able to send out over 100 letters this week asking for people's support. And TNT was allowed to sell 800 Twin's tickets as a group fundraiser. Each ticket was sold for face value ($22) and $6 of each ticket would go towards our fundraising. The tickets went extremely fast and there was definitely more demand than supply. But I was able to place orders for about 20 tickets, so that should amount to $120 towards my goal. So thank you to everyone that ordered or donated!
I unfortunately had to miss the Tuesday night swim training with the team because of my night class. But today I made up for it by going to the YMCA and swimming 40 laps (1000 meters). I would swim 200 meters at a time, then do 50 meters slow with a kick board, and then repeat. My endurance is definitely increasing, which makes me happy. The goal I have is to build up my endurance right now and then hopefully work on my speed and brick training (where I move from swimming right into biking within the same workout) as the season progresses.
Thursday night we had our spin session and worked on our form some more. Although I've always enjoyed biking, I've never been very fast. Plus I have had two bike accidents (all due to my own clumsiness, not involving anyone else) in the last 4 years. The first crash I had was so bad I cracked my helmet and ended up in the ER with a concussion because I couldn't remember how I'd gotten from the crash site to my apartment. The last crash was just this past summer as I was biking home from work. Luckily I wasn't really hurt, but the dress shirt I'd been wearing was destroyed. Therefore, my main goal with the bike training is just to get more comfortable on the bike and with being in a big crowd of other bikers.
As for my fundraising, things are moving along pretty well. I was able to send out over 100 letters this week asking for people's support. And TNT was allowed to sell 800 Twin's tickets as a group fundraiser. Each ticket was sold for face value ($22) and $6 of each ticket would go towards our fundraising. The tickets went extremely fast and there was definitely more demand than supply. But I was able to place orders for about 20 tickets, so that should amount to $120 towards my goal. So thank you to everyone that ordered or donated!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Back in Training and Fundraising with TNT!
A new training season has started! After completing the Nike Marathon for the second time in 2009, I (or rather my knees) decided it was time to switch things up a bit. So this year I am back training again, but this time it is for the LifeTime Triathlon in Minneapolis on July 10th. And once again, my purpose is to raise money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Please help me reach my goal of raising $2300 to fight cancer!
Above is a photo from our season kick-off party -- I am located directly behind T.C.'s big head. Here is a quick update of what has been happening so far this season, which started about two weeks ago.
I am unfortunately having to do most of the swim training on my own rather than with the team because I have Tuesday night classes - which is when most of the swim trainings are. This has been a struggle since swimming is probably the skill I will need to work on the most in order to cross the finish line in July. But I am optimistic and enjoying the chances I do get to swim with the team. I've already met some really amazing people and am looking forward to getting to know my teammates better. We've also done some spinning and running sessions. From that, I've learned that I will definitely need to get a good pair of bike shorts. Enough said - ha.
As for the fundraising, it has gotten off to a slow start but things should pick up this week. I am hoping to send out over 100 letters in the next week, letting people know about my goals and asking for their help. Last Friday I also had a fundraiser that brought in over $100 in just 2 hours. Also, this year we will have the opportunity to sell tickets to the Twins game on May 8th and part of the proceeds will go towards our fundraising. If anyone reading this knows of other great ways to raise money please let me know.
Friday, July 24, 2009
First 13 mile run tomorrow morning
So tomorrow morning we will have our first 13 mile run -- basically a half marathon. As of right now I'm looking forward to it and not too nervous. The training runs have been going really well and I'm meeting a bunch of great people.At our training run last Wednesday, we had a birthday celebration for two of our honored team mates. I especially liked having them at the workout because we were doing hill repeats at Lock & Dam, and the extra inspiration really helped. This is a picture we took with the team before we started.
Last Saturday after our run at Gateway Trail, I went to the Carp's Cancer Crushers (CCC) golf fundraising event. CCC is my family's White Bear Lake - Relay for Life team. We've been doing a golf tournament fundraiser for the last several years and it's always a wonderful success. Last year our team was the top fundraising team for the WBL Relay with over $22,000 raised. This year has been extra special because my Uncle Jeff (one of my personal honorees) is celebrating 10 years cancer free!
Finally, any one interested in coming to dinner/silent auction fundraiser at Gastoff's in Northeast a the end of August should let me know so I can get you tickets. It's a blast and I can certainly get you more information if you want.
GO TEAM!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
That's right, I'm back for more.
I just finished my first year of law school and realized I wanted to do something again that would hopefully benefit others in this world. Since my experience with Team in Training (TNT) was so amazing last time, I decided to return once again. This time I am a mentor, so there is no fund raising requirement for me. My main duty is to help my mentees meet their own training and fund raising goals.
On October 18th I will be running the Nike Women's Full Marathon in San Francisco. This is the same race I ran back in 2007 with TNT. There are a couple pictures posted on the sidebar of me running with Grace. We ran the entire marathon together and I'm hoping I'll find a partner to run with this time around as well. I don't know if I would've enjoyed the experience as much if Grace hadn't been there to help me through.
I am running in honor of my Uncle Jeff and in memory of Doug, the father of my best friend Kayley. Doug passed away about a month before I ran the 2007 marathon, and this year's race will be especially emotional for me because Kayley is going to be in San Francisco the weekend of the race and will get to see me running for her dad.
The trainings actually have me more nervous this year than the first time around. Mainly because I am not in as good of shape as when I started training in 2007 (thanks to all the time I spend sitting in the law library). Also because I had problems with my knees and right foot after the last marathon. I'll need to be extra diligent this time around about doing cross training and stretching exercises.
Also, part of being a mentor is covering water stops on our long runs. The dates I need to cover are Saturday, July 25th, September 5th, and October 3rd. If you feel like getting up early on any of these dates to come hand out water, don't be shy - all the runners will really appreciate your help.
On October 18th I will be running the Nike Women's Full Marathon in San Francisco. This is the same race I ran back in 2007 with TNT. There are a couple pictures posted on the sidebar of me running with Grace. We ran the entire marathon together and I'm hoping I'll find a partner to run with this time around as well. I don't know if I would've enjoyed the experience as much if Grace hadn't been there to help me through.
I am running in honor of my Uncle Jeff and in memory of Doug, the father of my best friend Kayley. Doug passed away about a month before I ran the 2007 marathon, and this year's race will be especially emotional for me because Kayley is going to be in San Francisco the weekend of the race and will get to see me running for her dad.
The trainings actually have me more nervous this year than the first time around. Mainly because I am not in as good of shape as when I started training in 2007 (thanks to all the time I spend sitting in the law library). Also because I had problems with my knees and right foot after the last marathon. I'll need to be extra diligent this time around about doing cross training and stretching exercises.
Also, part of being a mentor is covering water stops on our long runs. The dates I need to cover are Saturday, July 25th, September 5th, and October 3rd. If you feel like getting up early on any of these dates to come hand out water, don't be shy - all the runners will really appreciate your help.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
I FINISHED!!
The marathon is over! Not only did I finish, but I ran the 26.2 miles in just under 5 hours! This placed me 1544 out of 4689 that completed the full marathon -- which means I made it just at the cut off for the top 1/3 of finishers :-) I couldn't be happier with the results.
I owe much of my success in the race to my running partner Grace. We ran the whole thing together and she is one of the people that really carried me through the rough patches (especially miles 18-24). At the first water stop we almost got separated and I can't imagine what the rest of the race would've been like if we hadn't found each other again. Our finisher medals (Tiffany necklaces) show two women running together -- and it will always remind me of how she and I ran this race together.
I also want to thank my mom, grandma, and my mom's cousin Frank for all the spots they showed up along the race. They were there at the start line, finish line, and at least 3 or 4 other stops in between. Big kudos go out to Frank who navigated them through the city so that they could be there to support me. Many of my teammates commented on how many times they saw them on the sidelines and that even though they were there with signs for me, it helped inspire my teammates as well.
Thanks again to everyone that helped make this possible through your donations and support. Overall, this event helped raise 18.5 MILLION DOLLARS for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! And now on to my next challenge...law school applications :-)
I owe much of my success in the race to my running partner Grace. We ran the whole thing together and she is one of the people that really carried me through the rough patches (especially miles 18-24). At the first water stop we almost got separated and I can't imagine what the rest of the race would've been like if we hadn't found each other again. Our finisher medals (Tiffany necklaces) show two women running together -- and it will always remind me of how she and I ran this race together.
I also want to thank my mom, grandma, and my mom's cousin Frank for all the spots they showed up along the race. They were there at the start line, finish line, and at least 3 or 4 other stops in between. Big kudos go out to Frank who navigated them through the city so that they could be there to support me. Many of my teammates commented on how many times they saw them on the sidelines and that even though they were there with signs for me, it helped inspire my teammates as well.
Thanks again to everyone that helped make this possible through your donations and support. Overall, this event helped raise 18.5 MILLION DOLLARS for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! And now on to my next challenge...law school applications :-)
Friday, October 5, 2007
October 5th - In the taper!
OK - I know I've been bad and haven't posted for a month. I honestly didn't think anyone was reading my blog, but was enlightened by Jaime H that people are reading it and that I do need to keep writing.
I have started my taper! In the past month I have done 2 20 mile training runs. My last one was a week ago (I ran it by myself and that was definitely harder than running with the group). So now I get to start cutting down my miles in order to help my body recharge before the race -- which is only about two weeks away! Tomorrow we'll be doing 14 miles and then Sunday I'll hopefully make it out to support some of the people I have been training with that are running the Twin Cities Marathon.
Also I got my bib number -- #5136...so clearly that is my new favorite number :-) I'm really starting to get anxious about the race and it feels weird cutting down my miles. My body has become a bit addicted to the running and feels odd when I take days off now. So I'm going to have to figure out what the heck I'm gonna do when winter comes...yay for thermal running tights?
On a more serious note - I have another person I am running for: Doug Harrington. This is the father of one of my best friends, Kayley. He passed away last Wednesday, Sept. 28th from lung cancer that had spread to his bones. I know that my race and fundraising is focused on blood cancers, but I think any progress we can make in fighting any form of cancer is a step in the right direction. Doug was honestly one of the most caring and good-hearted people I have met in my life. I can not imagine what his family is going through right now, and I only hope that the fundraising and run that I am about to do in some way will help prevent this kind of tragedy in the future. I will definitely be thinking of Doug during the tough miles of my race.
I have started my taper! In the past month I have done 2 20 mile training runs. My last one was a week ago (I ran it by myself and that was definitely harder than running with the group). So now I get to start cutting down my miles in order to help my body recharge before the race -- which is only about two weeks away! Tomorrow we'll be doing 14 miles and then Sunday I'll hopefully make it out to support some of the people I have been training with that are running the Twin Cities Marathon.
Also I got my bib number -- #5136...so clearly that is my new favorite number :-) I'm really starting to get anxious about the race and it feels weird cutting down my miles. My body has become a bit addicted to the running and feels odd when I take days off now. So I'm going to have to figure out what the heck I'm gonna do when winter comes...yay for thermal running tights?
On a more serious note - I have another person I am running for: Doug Harrington. This is the father of one of my best friends, Kayley. He passed away last Wednesday, Sept. 28th from lung cancer that had spread to his bones. I know that my race and fundraising is focused on blood cancers, but I think any progress we can make in fighting any form of cancer is a step in the right direction. Doug was honestly one of the most caring and good-hearted people I have met in my life. I can not imagine what his family is going through right now, and I only hope that the fundraising and run that I am about to do in some way will help prevent this kind of tragedy in the future. I will definitely be thinking of Doug during the tough miles of my race.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Sept 5th
So a lot of great things have happened since my last post. I have increased my pace when I'm running, I completed my first 16 mile run, and I have reached my fundraising minimum!
I have really picked up the pace at my last two long runs. This last Saturday my 13.1 mile mark time was about 2 hours 4 minutes compared to my 2 hour 30 minute finishing time back in the first week of August. I might actually have a chance of finishing the race in under 5 hours!
This past Saturday I also reached 16 miles. It's the farthest I've run so far and it was a great feeling to reach that milestone. This week we have a back down week and so we'll just be doing 12, but then next Saturday we're kicking it all the way up to 20 miles. Yeah, I can't believe it. It's going to be tough and it's the longest we'll run before the race, but I'm actually not as worried as I used to be.
Lastly, I have reached my fundraising minimum of $3600. Although I set my personal goal at $4000, I have always had a minimum of $3600 to raise. Any amount that I didn't raise from that I would have to pay out of my own pocket - and now I don't have to worry about that! It's great to be able to focus just on the training aspect of the program for the last month before the race. Thank you to everyone who helped me reach this point!
I have really picked up the pace at my last two long runs. This last Saturday my 13.1 mile mark time was about 2 hours 4 minutes compared to my 2 hour 30 minute finishing time back in the first week of August. I might actually have a chance of finishing the race in under 5 hours!
This past Saturday I also reached 16 miles. It's the farthest I've run so far and it was a great feeling to reach that milestone. This week we have a back down week and so we'll just be doing 12, but then next Saturday we're kicking it all the way up to 20 miles. Yeah, I can't believe it. It's going to be tough and it's the longest we'll run before the race, but I'm actually not as worried as I used to be.
Lastly, I have reached my fundraising minimum of $3600. Although I set my personal goal at $4000, I have always had a minimum of $3600 to raise. Any amount that I didn't raise from that I would have to pay out of my own pocket - and now I don't have to worry about that! It's great to be able to focus just on the training aspect of the program for the last month before the race. Thank you to everyone who helped me reach this point!
Friday, August 24, 2007
August 24th
Wednesday night we were back at Lock & Dam and I did 10 hill repeats! For those of you that don't know the Lock & Dam hill -- that's a lot of work! Ha
Tomorrow I will be doing the team run and then frantically trying to get ready for a wedding up in Little Falls. Usually after my long weekend runs I end up crashing and taking a long nap, but no rest tomorrow! Let's hope I don't fall asleep in the ceremony, because that would be horrible.
Not much else to report. Those interested in attending the Gasthof Dinner & Silent Auction should let me know ASAP because I need to have all ticket orders in within the next two weeks.
Tomorrow I will be doing the team run and then frantically trying to get ready for a wedding up in Little Falls. Usually after my long weekend runs I end up crashing and taking a long nap, but no rest tomorrow! Let's hope I don't fall asleep in the ceremony, because that would be horrible.
Not much else to report. Those interested in attending the Gasthof Dinner & Silent Auction should let me know ASAP because I need to have all ticket orders in within the next two weeks.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
August 19th
Sorry for the huge gap in posting! Things have gotten kind of crazy with all the training, fundraising, trip planning, etc.
Basic recap for the last 2.5 weeks :-)
August 1st - Had a training run at 6:30 at Harriet. I missed the bridge collapse by about 5 minutes. Having no clue what had happened, I returned to my car after the run at about 8 pm and was surprised to find tons of missed calls and text messages.
August 4th - Urban Wildlife Half Marathon in Richfield. Grace and I ran together and finished in 2 hours 30 minutes, with an average pace of 11:30 minute miles. I'm happy with this pace since it means I would finish the full marathon in about 5 hours. The only bad part was that I had to limp back to my car -- my knee was in complete agony most of the day.
I got both my personal runs in on Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday was National Night Out and it was tons of fun running around the area and coming across so many neighborhood parties. I passed on cop who yelled out "go faster!" at me.
August 8th was our first night of running hills at Lock & Dam #1. I was able to get through 4 repeats and then I was done. DONE.
I unfortunately didn't get my long run in for the weekend of Aug 10-12th. But I was in Destin, Florida where the heat index was over 100 degrees and so that just wasn't going to happen. Luckily I got to enjoy a great wedding -- Congrats to Erin & Jeremy!
August 15th -- More hills at Lock & Dam. This time my mentor, Teresa, and I pushed it to 8 repeats (which my knees definitely felt later). Our group now has a new catch phrase of "Glide like a Mo Fo", which refers to how you are supposed to 'glide' down the hills...not that you every really feel like that is happening.
August 17th I had my Lodge Bar fundraiser and was able to raise $240. It was a little disappointing considering the last girl raised $500, but it was still good considering I was only there for 3 hours and the bar was pretty deserted. It also means that I am only about $500 from my minimum fundraising goal!
August 18th - Long run at Calhoun. I absolutely hate running on the parkway between Nokomis and Harriet. If there is one run I dread, it is that one. It's not even really that long, but there are so many turns on the path that you really have to concentrate on where you're going. But I was happy to have my new knee strap on because it really helped my left knee and I will probably be going to buy another one for my right side.
Tonight I filed out all my recommitment paperwork, so I'm getting really excited. The race is only about two months away!
Basic recap for the last 2.5 weeks :-)
August 1st - Had a training run at 6:30 at Harriet. I missed the bridge collapse by about 5 minutes. Having no clue what had happened, I returned to my car after the run at about 8 pm and was surprised to find tons of missed calls and text messages.
August 4th - Urban Wildlife Half Marathon in Richfield. Grace and I ran together and finished in 2 hours 30 minutes, with an average pace of 11:30 minute miles. I'm happy with this pace since it means I would finish the full marathon in about 5 hours. The only bad part was that I had to limp back to my car -- my knee was in complete agony most of the day.
I got both my personal runs in on Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday was National Night Out and it was tons of fun running around the area and coming across so many neighborhood parties. I passed on cop who yelled out "go faster!" at me.
August 8th was our first night of running hills at Lock & Dam #1. I was able to get through 4 repeats and then I was done. DONE.
I unfortunately didn't get my long run in for the weekend of Aug 10-12th. But I was in Destin, Florida where the heat index was over 100 degrees and so that just wasn't going to happen. Luckily I got to enjoy a great wedding -- Congrats to Erin & Jeremy!
August 15th -- More hills at Lock & Dam. This time my mentor, Teresa, and I pushed it to 8 repeats (which my knees definitely felt later). Our group now has a new catch phrase of "Glide like a Mo Fo", which refers to how you are supposed to 'glide' down the hills...not that you every really feel like that is happening.
August 17th I had my Lodge Bar fundraiser and was able to raise $240. It was a little disappointing considering the last girl raised $500, but it was still good considering I was only there for 3 hours and the bar was pretty deserted. It also means that I am only about $500 from my minimum fundraising goal!
August 18th - Long run at Calhoun. I absolutely hate running on the parkway between Nokomis and Harriet. If there is one run I dread, it is that one. It's not even really that long, but there are so many turns on the path that you really have to concentrate on where you're going. But I was happy to have my new knee strap on because it really helped my left knee and I will probably be going to buy another one for my right side.
Tonight I filed out all my recommitment paperwork, so I'm getting really excited. The race is only about two months away!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
July 31st
It has been quite a while since my last post, so I'll try to just hit some highlights.
On the 18th we ran the Torchlight 5K in ridiculous heat. I was a little disappointed in my time but still managed to finish in under 30 minutes. The bad part was that I temporarily strained my right calf muscle and had to ice it quite a bit.
Saturday the 21st I ran about 9 miles with the team and then went and played 18 holes of golf for the Relay for Life golf tournament. As you can imagine, I was pretty tired by the end of the day.
My biggest accomplishment thus far was my 15 mile run on Saturday the 28th. My legs were screaming by the end and so was I (literally). It was the farthest I've ever gone and it felt great to finish.
This coming Saturday I will be running in the Urban Wildlife Half Marathon. It'll be my first time doing a race longer than a 5K and I think it'll be a great lesson in learning to pace myself in the race atmosphere.
On the 18th we ran the Torchlight 5K in ridiculous heat. I was a little disappointed in my time but still managed to finish in under 30 minutes. The bad part was that I temporarily strained my right calf muscle and had to ice it quite a bit.
Saturday the 21st I ran about 9 miles with the team and then went and played 18 holes of golf for the Relay for Life golf tournament. As you can imagine, I was pretty tired by the end of the day.
My biggest accomplishment thus far was my 15 mile run on Saturday the 28th. My legs were screaming by the end and so was I (literally). It was the farthest I've ever gone and it felt great to finish.
This coming Saturday I will be running in the Urban Wildlife Half Marathon. It'll be my first time doing a race longer than a 5K and I think it'll be a great lesson in learning to pace myself in the race atmosphere.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
July 15th - Group Run
Today I ran the farthest I've ever gone - about 14.5 miles. That's over half the distance I'll need to run for the marathon! We started at Lake Nokomis and went over to Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun and then back. Grace was my running partner today and I don't know if I would've had the motivation to finish without her there with me. By the end my knees and hip flexors were screaming and my whole body seemed to have tightened up. But it's done and next week is a back down week :-) The weird thing is that I'm noticing the toll it's all taking on my body by the fact that I came home, showered, ate something and then fell asleep for seven hours - that's more than I slept last night! And I know I won't have trouble getting to bed tonight.
A couple updates:
* This next week's Wednesday group run will be the Torchlight 5K. It should be lots of fun and I hope a lot of team members are able to show.
* I have a fundraiser on Friday, August 17th at Lodge Bar. I will be selling 3-for-1 drink tickets for $5 and all the money will go towards my fundraising. If I can sell 100 tickets, that's $500 for my fundraising!
* We are having a team fundraising event on September 16th at Gastof's in NE Minneapolis. There will be dinner tickets and a silent auction. More details are still to come, but I currently need to find some great silent auction items.
* I will be doing one or two Twins game fundraising events. Grandma and Grandpa have volunteered to help me on August 21st, so the three of us will be at the game handing out tickets to people as they enter the gates and then the Twins will donate about $60 ($20 for each of us) to my fundraising account.
* The training has been coming along well and now I need to get back to my fundraising. I still have $1200 to raise to meet my minimum commitment and $1600 to meet my personal fundraising goal.
On a side note, I just found out that one of my high school friends, Mike Grover, has been diagnosed with a malignant form of astrocytosis. They found a mass in his brain and it seems to be in stage 3 or 4, which is not good. They would like to start him on chemo and radiation as soon as possible. We are still waiting to hear more details as the lab results come in. I want to thank those that have been keeping me updated on his condition and I would like to ask you all to keep him in your thoughts as he goes through this difficult battle.
A couple updates:
* This next week's Wednesday group run will be the Torchlight 5K. It should be lots of fun and I hope a lot of team members are able to show.
* I have a fundraiser on Friday, August 17th at Lodge Bar. I will be selling 3-for-1 drink tickets for $5 and all the money will go towards my fundraising. If I can sell 100 tickets, that's $500 for my fundraising!
* We are having a team fundraising event on September 16th at Gastof's in NE Minneapolis. There will be dinner tickets and a silent auction. More details are still to come, but I currently need to find some great silent auction items.
* I will be doing one or two Twins game fundraising events. Grandma and Grandpa have volunteered to help me on August 21st, so the three of us will be at the game handing out tickets to people as they enter the gates and then the Twins will donate about $60 ($20 for each of us) to my fundraising account.
* The training has been coming along well and now I need to get back to my fundraising. I still have $1200 to raise to meet my minimum commitment and $1600 to meet my personal fundraising goal.
On a side note, I just found out that one of my high school friends, Mike Grover, has been diagnosed with a malignant form of astrocytosis. They found a mass in his brain and it seems to be in stage 3 or 4, which is not good. They would like to start him on chemo and radiation as soon as possible. We are still waiting to hear more details as the lab results come in. I want to thank those that have been keeping me updated on his condition and I would like to ask you all to keep him in your thoughts as he goes through this difficult battle.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
July 7th - Thank you Grandma, Grandpa, and Laura!
First I need to say a big "THANK YOU" to my grandparents and co-worker Laura for coming to our group run today (at 6 am!) and helping with the water stops. As the weather gets hotter and the miles increase, we absolutely could not get through our runs without the people that volunteer to have water stops along the route. All the runners really appreciate you donating your time to help support us and it's what helps keep us going when we want to stop.
Tuesday's group run around Harriet went off without any problems and thankfully I wasn't too sore to have fun on the 4th of July. I also was able to get in one lap around Calhoun on Thursday night after my volunteering in Bloomington. I probably should have gone another couple miles but it was too dark. I made up for it by doing extra cross training on Friday at the Y.
Then this morning we had a group run at Gateway Trail. I was scheduled to do 11, but ended up doing some where between 12 and 13 miles. When I had to wake up at about 4:45 am this morning I was cursing our coach for moving up the run but was very thankful that we finished by about 9:30 and so it wasn't too hot yet. My right knee was a little tender, but the cold shower really helps. Technically I should be taking ice baths but since I can't take a bath at my apartment, I take cold showers. The scary thing is that I'm starting to get used to them.
Tuesday's group run around Harriet went off without any problems and thankfully I wasn't too sore to have fun on the 4th of July. I also was able to get in one lap around Calhoun on Thursday night after my volunteering in Bloomington. I probably should have gone another couple miles but it was too dark. I made up for it by doing extra cross training on Friday at the Y.
Then this morning we had a group run at Gateway Trail. I was scheduled to do 11, but ended up doing some where between 12 and 13 miles. When I had to wake up at about 4:45 am this morning I was cursing our coach for moving up the run but was very thankful that we finished by about 9:30 and so it wasn't too hot yet. My right knee was a little tender, but the cold shower really helps. Technically I should be taking ice baths but since I can't take a bath at my apartment, I take cold showers. The scary thing is that I'm starting to get used to them.
Monday, July 2, 2007
July 2nd - Want to help out this Saturday?
Hey all! I'm on a bit of an endorphin high as I write this because I just got back from a run around Calhoun. Yesterday was a rest/stretch day and so after work today I went and did the BodyPump class and then did one lap around Calhoun later in the evening. The best part was how nice the weather was for running - not too hot!
Some great news -- if you're interested in meeting some of the other runners or want to see me running this Saturday, we are looking for people to work the water stops. Basically all you have to do is be there for when the runners come by looking for refreshments. My coach will provide you with all the cups, water, powerade, etc. and so you don't have to worry about anything except being there. It probably helps to bring a friend so that you're not bored while there aren't any runners around. I've already got one person signed up to help -- Thanks Laura!! So please just let me know ASAP if you're interested. If this weekend doesn't work but you think it's something you'd like to do, let me know and I'm sure the team would love to have you help another time as well. Especially since we have some really long runs (14 - 15 miles) coming up in the next couple weeks. With the heat and distance, the more water stops the better.
Tomorrow we are having our group run since Wednesday is 4th of July (though I'm still scheduled to run 5 miles at some point on Weds...thanks coach! ha). Hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday!
Some great news -- if you're interested in meeting some of the other runners or want to see me running this Saturday, we are looking for people to work the water stops. Basically all you have to do is be there for when the runners come by looking for refreshments. My coach will provide you with all the cups, water, powerade, etc. and so you don't have to worry about anything except being there. It probably helps to bring a friend so that you're not bored while there aren't any runners around. I've already got one person signed up to help -- Thanks Laura!! So please just let me know ASAP if you're interested. If this weekend doesn't work but you think it's something you'd like to do, let me know and I'm sure the team would love to have you help another time as well. Especially since we have some really long runs (14 - 15 miles) coming up in the next couple weeks. With the heat and distance, the more water stops the better.
Tomorrow we are having our group run since Wednesday is 4th of July (though I'm still scheduled to run 5 miles at some point on Weds...thanks coach! ha). Hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday!
Saturday, June 30, 2007
June 30th
This was a "back down" week, so not a whole lot to report. We had a group run on Wednesday around Lake Harriet (twice around) and then today at Calhoun. I ran with three other girls from Calhoun over and around Harriet and then back around Calhoun. Next weekend we'll be doing about 11 miles on the Gateway trail. They are looking for people to help at water stops, so if anyone is interested, please let me know!
On some of the shorter run days this week I worked a lot on quad strength training in hopes that it'll help with my runner's knee problem. So I've been doing weight machines and biking. Sorry there isn't much else to report...but I did get my first blister today! Ha, on the arch of my left foot, which could be problematic. So I'll have to be sure to watch that. I think it had something to do with the socks I wore for today's run - they're good for short runs but probably won't use them again for the longer days.
On some of the shorter run days this week I worked a lot on quad strength training in hopes that it'll help with my runner's knee problem. So I've been doing weight machines and biking. Sorry there isn't much else to report...but I did get my first blister today! Ha, on the arch of my left foot, which could be problematic. So I'll have to be sure to watch that. I think it had something to do with the socks I wore for today's run - they're good for short runs but probably won't use them again for the longer days.
Monday, June 25, 2007
June 25th
Yesterday's long run went great! I can't believe how much easier it is when you run with other people. We were doing an "out-an-back" run in Minnetonka that was supposed to be about 10 miles. Well...there was some confusion about the turn around point and a group of us ended up doing closer to 13 miles! That's almost a half marathon!
We started at about 7 am and it was probably about 67 degrees. I don't even know what time we ended, but it was close to 10 am, and it was 77 degrees. Luckily we had two water stops each way. I also tried something my coach suggested to prevent cramping -- eating table salt. I put a pile in my hand, licked it off, and tried to wash it down fast with some Powerade. I thought I was going to throw up, so I probably will find a different way to take it next time ha.
I was surprised at how my knee pain went away for the most part but towards the end I was getting some dull pain in my right foot arch. I'm going to need to work on stretching my feet more. But I actually tried the "ice bath" strategy. I say strategy because since I can't take a bath at my apartment, I just took a cold shower. It was a little tough convincing my body to get in and stay in but I can't believe how much it helped. By 11 am I was walking around town and went around with a friend until probably 3 o'clock. Ha but then I crashed at 5 pm, for what I thought was going to be just a short nap. I woke up at 11 pm! Then I went back to sleep from 1 am to 6:30 am ha. Guess my body was pretty tired.
Today was a rest/stretch day and we had our nutrition clinic. The information presented was very interesting and I know that it's something I'm going to have to pay more attention to.
We started at about 7 am and it was probably about 67 degrees. I don't even know what time we ended, but it was close to 10 am, and it was 77 degrees. Luckily we had two water stops each way. I also tried something my coach suggested to prevent cramping -- eating table salt. I put a pile in my hand, licked it off, and tried to wash it down fast with some Powerade. I thought I was going to throw up, so I probably will find a different way to take it next time ha.
I was surprised at how my knee pain went away for the most part but towards the end I was getting some dull pain in my right foot arch. I'm going to need to work on stretching my feet more. But I actually tried the "ice bath" strategy. I say strategy because since I can't take a bath at my apartment, I just took a cold shower. It was a little tough convincing my body to get in and stay in but I can't believe how much it helped. By 11 am I was walking around town and went around with a friend until probably 3 o'clock. Ha but then I crashed at 5 pm, for what I thought was going to be just a short nap. I woke up at 11 pm! Then I went back to sleep from 1 am to 6:30 am ha. Guess my body was pretty tired.
Today was a rest/stretch day and we had our nutrition clinic. The information presented was very interesting and I know that it's something I'm going to have to pay more attention to.
Friday, June 22, 2007
June 22nd
Wednesday's group run went really well. I've found someone (Melissa) that keeps the same pace as me, so we've been running together. The only sad part is that she's training for the Half Marathon and so she doesn't have to run as far as I do. After our run around Lake Harriet, some of us went to Noodles and it was fun getting to know even more people. I'm surprised at how many names I'm remembering, since usually I'm pretty bad at that. Ha but I did get shamed a little by my coach. He asked how I was doing and stuff and I mentioned how bad my knees had hurt after the last long run. Coach said that my quads are too weak and I need to strengthen them up...which is probably true.
Thursday was a rest/stretch day and a fun day at work. Today and tomorrow I'm switching up my training schedule a bit. I was supposed to run 5 miles today and then do 30 minutes of cross training tomorrow. But since I am scheduled to run a 5K tomorrow morning, I swam for about 30 minutes this afternoon and will try to run tomorrow at a faster pace.
Also it is scary how much my body wants me to eat now that I've started running regularly. Some people say they never lose weight when they're training, others have said they've lost 15 pounds, and some have even gained while training. It'll be interesting to see how my body decides to respond.
Thursday was a rest/stretch day and a fun day at work. Today and tomorrow I'm switching up my training schedule a bit. I was supposed to run 5 miles today and then do 30 minutes of cross training tomorrow. But since I am scheduled to run a 5K tomorrow morning, I swam for about 30 minutes this afternoon and will try to run tomorrow at a faster pace.
Also it is scary how much my body wants me to eat now that I've started running regularly. Some people say they never lose weight when they're training, others have said they've lost 15 pounds, and some have even gained while training. It'll be interesting to see how my body decides to respond.
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