Bib Number 2548

4 months of training for a 3 hour race, and it's all over in one 4 day weekend. It's really sad when I think about it. In the past 4 months I have grown so close to this group of people all training for the same thing. It was like the end of summer camp. Another chapter in my book of life is now closed.

Friday morning, about 30 of us met at the San Diego airport bright and early. Half of us hadn't even fully awoken yet. I couldn't sleep the night before. I was too excited about flying to Napa, plus it was so surreal that the time had actually come to run. In all of my packing procrastination, I was still able to get it all done and get a little shut eye before my dad came to pick me up in the morning.

When I got to the airport around 6:45am, I actually found a few other Team Challengers there waiting in line to get checked in. The lady who checked me in said that the flight had been delayed about an hour due to low ceilings in San Francisco. Yes, you heard me. Low Ceilings. It took me a few to figure out what she really meant. Low clouds. I think it was too early in the morning for her too! I told a few of my friends about the low ceilings in San Fran and we all had a good laugh. It became the joke of the flight... watch for those low ceilings as you get on the plane. It's lame, I know, but it makes me laugh.

The flight was only about an hour and a half and we landed safely in the San Francisco International Airport. Yay. My anxiety grew. I couldn't believe it was actually happening. I'm actually doing this. I must be crazy I kept telling myself. But if I'm crazy, then so are all these other people going with me. Most of us had never run any type of long distance before this, so we should all feel accomplished. I know I do.

The bus ride to our hotel in Santa Rosa was about an hour and a half. We got a very cool bus driver, Vincent, who cracked jokes a lot. He also became our tour guide through downtown San Fran. We never actually got off the bus to explore the city since we had to be at the hotel by a certain time, but Vincent gave us a quick tour of the city and drove us over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was so beautiful. I did get lots of pictures, so don't worry. I'll share those with you soon. The drive to Santa Rosa was gorgeous. Lots of vineyards, mountains, and farm animals. 

April and I were roommates. I couldn't have asked for a better friend to spend the weekend with. She's awesome. This girl was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis about 8 years ago, and even though she's had some flare ups through this whole thing, she still completed the race and helped get me to that finish line. I love this girl!

The first thing we did after getting settled at the hotel was joined a group of our friends at a winery. The Matanzas Creek Winery. Only a cab ride away. Our cabbie, Luther, was crazy. He seriously thought everything he said was funny. He'd say something and then start laughing. It was like this the entire cab ride there. It was an interesting ride.

The winery was so gorgeous. You have to drive past a Lavender Garden in order to get up to the building where they do the winery tour and tasting. We had a good time. I ended up buying 5 bottles of wine. Not all for me, of course. I'm not that much of a lush. Geez. Between the seven of us that went, we've got some good pictures.

The cab ride back, we didn't have Luther, but we couldn't all ride in the same cab. They split us up, 4 and 3. I rode back with Courtney and Crystal. It was fun. While we were waiting for the 2nd cab to arrive, we sort of explored the area around us, namely the Lavender Garden. It was beautiful. There was just an entire area covered with these beautiful purple flowers. I loved it. The weather was great too. It wasn't super hot like everyone had told me it was going to be. I'd say it pretty much stayed in the low 70s the entire time we were there.

The rest of the day we all pretty much just relaxed at the hotel. Some went swimming, while others took naps in their rooms to make sure they get enough rest for Sunday. We met up with the group for dinner. Well, we all tried to go as a group for dinner, but the places that they chose couldn't really accommodate 23 people, so we sort of all split up in groups. April, Phil, Caitlyn, and I went to join the Texas Team Challenge group across the way at Chevy's. It was an experience. The company was good, the food was descent, but trying to pay the bill was a nightmare. I seriously think it took 45 minutes to get it all straightened out. There was 11 of us in total. I think the Texans couldn't do their math. Originally they came up $40 short and the waitress said she couldn't split the bill individually for everyone since we were a big party. It was a big mess but it all got sorted out. We made it back to the hotel and then we pretty much passed out. 

It was so nice not to have to wake up early and go training, though I found out that some people (mainly the Texans) did. April and I just stretched in the morning and got our exercise by wandering around and exploring downtown Santa Rosa. There are random statues of Snoopy, Woodstock, and Charlie Brown scattered around the area. There's even a Peanuts museum - Caitlyn went to it, we didn't. But apparently Charles Shultz lived in this area and when he died, they made a museum dedicated to his work. Or at least that's what I got from what Caitlyn said. It was cool. I got some pictures with Snoopy. There were more of him around than any of the others.

There was a mall on the other side of the freeway. April wanted to go check it out, so we did. It was just a mall like any other. I did find another Charlie Brown statue as we walked in. April and I were talking about how we could come back here to get lunch, but that never happened. It got to late. We just snacked til it was time to go to dinner. But before leaving the mall, we stopped in Hot Topic. Not like we don't have them in San Diego, but I wanted to go in since I couldn't remember the last time I was in one. We found these clip on hair extensions. Blue and Orange. Couldn't pass it up. We each bought a package and shared. What can I say, we've got team spirit! Everyone thought we actually dyed strips of our hair orange and blue. It was funny. When they realized it was just a clip, they got jealous that they didn't have one. Then it dawned on me to probably have bought the rest of them at Hot Topic and April could have sold them to raise more funds for her goal. Oh well. 

We had a team meeting at 4pm before we left, where we got all the info we needed for the rest of the weekend and Jess bought stuff for us to decorate our racing singlets. I didn't have to worry about that. Mine was already blinged out. Thanks to my BFF, Jessica Davidson. She's awesome. She actually sewed sequence onto my shirt so the "Team Challenge" words really sparkled. I go so many comments on how awesome it was. Thanks Jessica!!

The pasta party was cool. It was at the Russian Valley Winery which is absolutely gorgeous. When we got there, we had a cheering squad of coaches and staff over the bridge and on the other side there were tables and tables of other Team Challenge participants from all over the US. I think there was over 500 of us. We made up 20% of the entire race on Sunday.  Wow! How cool is that? AND as an entire group, Team Challenge raised over 2 million dollars!!! I couldn't believe it. We definitely are ROCK STARS!!

The entire thing Saturday night was very motivational. There were speakers, most of whom are suffering from either Crohn's or Colitis. They recognized the top 10 fundraisers. If I remember correctly, the number one fundraiser was able to raise more than $18,000! And I thought my $5300 was good. That's excellent. Though for those of us that did raise more than $5000, we got a wine gift basket. That put me at 6 bottles of wine to somehow stuff into my tiny suitcase on the way home. Now I'm a lush. Hehe.

After the party, everyone went back to their hotels and called it an early night. April and I couldn't sleep. First we had to make sure we had everything we needed for race day because once we got on those buses, there was no turning back until after completing the 13.1 mile journey. Then, we were just too excited to sleep. We had the TV on hoping it would put us to sleep, but to no avail. Space Cowboys was just too interesting. We had to turn it off and force ourselves to sleep. Eventually it happened, and when we awoke, the sun had yet to rise. 4am. Waay to early to be waking up, but when you have to be in the lobby at 4:45am, you have no choice. If we weren't on the bus at 5am, then we'd get left behind and no race for us.

It was really cool to see everyone decked out in their racing gear and decorated singlets. Some people had lots of Team Challenge spirit. One of the girls from my chapter really got into it. She had orange and blue ribbon streaming from her hair, blue leg-warmers, along with her decorated singlet. Andrea looked awesome. I didn't get a picture of it, but I'm sure one of my friends has one. I got a lot of compliments on my blinged out singlet. Thanks again Jessica!

The bus ride to the starting line was just over an hour. We got to watch the sun rise, which was really cool. Speaking of cool - the weather was COLD.  I was freezing out there waiting to start the race. I'm really glad I brought some gloves. I really was hoping to find a pair of those button-down running pants that you can just rip off when needed, but I couldn't find ones without spending a lot of money. I was hoping that there'd be a pair at Ross or Marshall's but I couldn't find one. But I know for next time to get a pair to ditch when I get hot.

We all warmed up together to get the blood pumping before it started. The crazy warm-up Devon had us do, got people's attention. A photographer kept taking pictures of us. It was so funny. 

Once the race started, all these different emotions went right through me. Mainly I was super excited, pumped and ready to finally take on this challenge I've been working so hard on. The first mile went by so fast. I actually ran with no problems. After that, I had to do the early bathroom break. I probably shouldn't have drank so much water so early, but I needed to stay hydrated. Oh well. That bathroom stop really did me in. First it messed up my pace and then slowed me down. I had such a good rhythm going on, but sometimes you just gotta go. Oh well.

The scenery was GORGEOUS!! I ran through wineries on either side of me. I passed horses, cows, roosters crowing at the sunrise. There was even a little girl in a pink poncho standing outside her house waving, smiling and saying hello to all the runners and walkers as we went by. My favorite was running past the Alpaca farm. I really wish I had my camera to capture all these things.

Jess Johnson, our endurance manager, was waiting at mile 6 cheering for us as we went past. She had her camera and took pictures of all of us. I'm eager to see how tired I look in that photo. :) She popped up again at mile 10. This time waiting with gummy bears to hand us as we ran by. Those were good. A little sugar to get me through the last 3.1 miles. 

By mile 11, my body was ready to shut down. I started to feel an asthma attack coming on and called for April, who was a few feet in front of me, to slow down. I needed to calm myself down. It's a scary thing to have an asthma attack and not be able to breathe - gasping for air. I totally freaked out April. In all four months that we've been training together, I have not had one asthma attack. And for it to happen on race day, just plain sucked. But I got it under control and pushed on. I think I just started to get a little emotional which just set things off. It was stupid, but it happened and I survived. 

Mile 12 - so close to the end. We ended up running through a little suburb in a park. There were a couple guys getting ready for baseball or something that asked how much more we had to run. "About a mile," we replied. With which they responded, "Just sprint the last mile." I retorted with a "HELL NO! I just had an asthma attack and don't want another." April and I just laughed and continued on.

Speaking of asthma attack - would you believe that I had ANOTHER one?! Seriously. I don't know what came over me. April and I were only a few feet away from the finish line and I felt another one come on. April heard me wheezing and told me I couldn't let it happen until after I crossed that finish line. 

"And it shall be done," my body said. I did it! I crossed the finish line. 3:31 was my time. For my first half marathon, I am very proud of myself. Yes, it would have been nicer to have a better time, but considering the circumstances, I think I did pretty well. That's about a 16 minute mile. I have a new goal now - to beat my time in the next race. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I actually want to run another one. I had a great time and made a lot of really good friends. Definitely not going to run another big one for a while, but some of us were talking about running a little 5K or 10K in the future and letting everyone else know so that we can do it together. Sounds fun to me. A mini reunion.

I got a big fat medal after completing the race and a 13.1 finisher pin. Very exciting. I have new decorations for my wall now. :) OH and the best part was getting that wine glass to do some wine tasting afterwards. I didn't do a lot, but I did some. I was more craving water and real food than anything else. After finding all my friends and coaches and celebrating our accomplishment, we took the bus back to the hotel. I felt like a little old lady, I could barely walk. My whole body was hurting. There was a victory party that night for all the runners/walkers, and I knew that if I were to go back to the room and take a nap, I'd be out for a few hours. So I opted to just shower and relax until we left for the party. The party was fun. Nothing spectacular. Just food and music and a place for us to relish in our victory! :) hehe

Monday morning, April, Phil, Colin, Caitlyn, and I all walked (some hobbled) across the street to a little cafe we found for breakfast. A nice big fat burrito was the perfect food. I was actually going to get a bagel and cream cheese, but then I found out there was a burrito and I couldn't pass it up. It was nice just hanging out with them all. I'm totally going to miss everyone. 

The flight home was eventful. First, when I went to check in, they didn't actually give me a ticket. I had to go to the kiosk at the gate in order to get my actual ticket. That was so lame. The plane was delayed an hour. Then the plane coming in was 20 minutes late. But we all made it home, said our goodbyes and took away some great memories that will last a lifetime.

I'm really glad that I decided to take the chance and do something out of the ordinary for me. It was one of the best decisions of my life. I couldn't have done it without your help though. Your generous donations, your well wishes, your support is what got me through these past 4 months. Thank you so much!

And with that, I shall close this chapter of my life in which I will never forget. Thanks so much for being a part of it.

Love,

Deb

Ready To Go!

OMG. I can't believe that it's already here! I leave tomorrow for Napa and I cannot wait! I'm super excited but nervous at the same time. I've gone through a rollercoaster of emotions and I've had my challenges and set backs, but I have to say that I am extremely proud of myself for accomplishing something new and overcoming everything that fell in my tracks.

Last weekend we had our last group run in Mission Beach. I've been dealing with some nasty shin splints so I couldn't really run. After about 5 miles, they felt much better (all warmed up) but that totally sucked cause we really only did a 5 mile run. So I've been babying my shins and getting them all stretched and ready to go for this weekend. I was proud of myself regardless - I stuck with it and walked and worked on my power walking. It turned out that I ended up meeting up with some of the other runners and they walked back the last mile with me. It was fun getting to know some other girls on the team. 

We had a brunch afterwards up in Solana Beach where Jess gave us our racing jersey and plane tickets and everything else we need for Napa. It's all so exciting. I met some people on our team that I hadn't seen before. It was cool. 

After getting the jersey I decided I wanted to decorate it. Bling it out. Do something to make it fun. I went to the store and got some stuff to use for decorations. My friend, Jessica, was with me. She's really creative as well and is helping me put everything on. I'm meeting up with her tonight to pick up my jersey. I'm excited to see what she did with everything I got. I'll be sure to take as many pictures as I can when I'm in Napa. Probably won't have any of me during the race since I can't really carry a camera with me, but I'm sure someone will have pictures and I'll try to bring my camera so after I finish, I can get some photos in of us at the festival.

Thank you sooo much for all your love, support, and generosity in this chapter of my life. I couldn't have done any of it without you.

See you when I get back from NAPA!!!

CCFA's Take Steps Walk

Here are some pictures I took from the Take Steps walk we did back in May (I think it was). My parents came out and participated in it too!

Above is Jess, our endurance manager. She's a lot of fun and a little crazy. But we love her anyways! There's never a dull moment when she's around.

Here's Jess again posing with our Team Challenge model. And my parents -- They had a lot of fun.

Above here is Courtney and Jen at our booth, promoting our next Team Challenge race in San Antonio, TX for the Rock 'N' Roll marathon (or half marathon).

Above is Courtney, Jen, Colin, Jess, Maddie, and Me. Colin and Maddie are our teams honorees for the race.

Don't ask me what I had on my head. I was just getting in the spirit of the walk and advertising everywhere. :)

12 Miles And Ready To Rock

I did 12 miles on Saturday!! Woo hoo!! 

April and I ran the Rancho Penasquitos trail on Saturday. The farthest I've ever done there was the 3.2 miles to the waterfall and back. We actually went from one end to the other. April said that it would be our 10 mile trek but it ended up being about 6 miles each way. Didn't plan for that very well. We ran out of water on the way back and tried to conserve as much as we could. Once we got back to the waterfall, I was done with mine and I still had a little over 3 miles til we reached our cars. Ugh. Next time, bring more water. Or don't do the whole thing. 

We stopped at the waterfall and poured water on our heads to cool off. The heat was rising and we both were starting to get a little light-headed. I seriously wanted to just jump in and walk back wet, but the idea of running back all muddy just wasn't appealing. If the water was actually clean, I probably would have filled up my water bottle. 

Luck had it though, during the last 3 miles we passed a large group of hikers and one was kind enough to give me a spare bottle of water. 1 liter to last April and I 3 miles. Conserving was hard considering how hot it was outside. But we did it.

I'm really proud of myself for doing the 12 miles. April had done 10 earlier in the week (I couldn't make it). Granted I felt so dead tired and exhausted afterwards, I could barely get my body moving to stretch out afterwards. We made it back to the cars, did as much stretching as we could for the moment and then went to get some food. I sucked down 2 glasses of water in like 2 minutes. I felt so dehydrated. The food re-energized me though. It felt good to put something in my stomach besides those Cliff electrolyte shots. 

I pretty much did nothing the rest of the day except go see a movie with some friends. Oh yeah, and I stretched some more so I wouldn't be in pain the next day.

I'm really glad that I only have to feel that way one more time... next weekend in fact. And I'm glad that there will be more water stations than the zero there were on the trail. I had thought about getting a different water pack so I wouldn't run out of water, but I've been doing well with just the one and as long as there are water stations along the course, I won't have a problem of dehydration.

This Saturday, after our group run, we are all going to brunch and getting all the rest of the info we need before we leave. The closer it gets, the more excited I get. Recently I've been asked if I'd want to do another race...I don't know. I say, ask me again after I actually finish my first one. 

2 Weeks And Counting

I can't believe that I'm only 2 weeks away from running the half marathon up in Napa. That's nuts. I think I've come a long way since I first signed up to join Team Challenge. I've never run this much in my life. Running while playing soccer is one thing, but long distance running sure takes a lot of perseverance on my part to get myself out there. Meeting April was probably the best thing that could have happened to me in this chapter of my life. She has been my rock in the low times as I have been with here. I push her to keep going and she makes sure I quit my whining and reassures me that I can do it and go the distance. I know it's cheesy but it's the truth.

April and I ran Miramar Lake again today. I have to say that I really do not enjoy running in 80 degree weather. I'd prefer the 60s or 70s. But seeing as how we'll be running up in Napa, running in the 80s is probably a good thing. They say that the weather up there will be anywhere from 65 to 80 - I'm sure depending on the time of day. The race starts at 7am and I'm hoping to finish by 10am - so hopefully the weather won't be too hot by then, otherwise I think I'll probably pass out from heat exhaustion. And I don't need to be carried to the finish line by a stretcher. I refuse. =o)

Tomorrow is the 4th of July. I could use it as my day off, but I want to try and at least get either a 2 mile walk or run in, depending on how I'm feeling when I get up in the morning. I know the dogs would love the walk. It's been a while since I've taken them training with me. They'd always slow me down and I needed to try and keep a consistent time. So we'll see. There's a run Saturday morning though downtown. I'm not sure if I want to go do that one or just do a long run on my own. I kinda want to run a trail instead of asphalt or cement. It'll be better for my body to run in the dirt. I might get better time. Who knows. I'll wait to hear from April and see what she wants to do.

Your support and donations for my fundraising has exceeded my expectations. I remember when I originally signed up I thought I'd never be able to reach $3500 and here I am now at $5300! You guys ROCK! It's a good thing I only do these charity runs once a year. I don't think I could do so well if it was all the time. Next year I'll probably go back to the Relay For Life - a 24hr walk. My parents really enjoy that one and we missed it this year.

Well I think I am going to go and relax now. Thanks for listening! I'll write again soon.

Deb

Extreme Heat

I can't believe how hot it's been lately. It's really a killer on the running. Trying to run even 2-3 miles is ridiculous in this heat. I don't think I've sweat so much in a short period of time ever. But don't worry, I'm keeping myself hydrated and fueled up on those good carbs to keep me going.

I've been sick this past week with a fever of 100. I have no idea how that happened seeing as how it's not extremely cold weather we have. So that set my training back a week. But I'm feeling much better now. I'm still congested and have this nasty cough, but I'm keeping myself medicated to minimize my runny nose and such. I started out easy today and just did the elliptical for about an hour. It felt good to get back to training. I missed this weekend's long run which I'm kinda bummed about. I really enjoy going on the long runs with all my teammates. Plus there was a pre-race hydration clinic that I really could have used but my coach said she'd fill me in on everything. 

So there's only 4 weeks left until race day. I can't believe it. It feels like time is going faster the closer it gets to July 20th. I'm getting kinda nervous about the race. I have my days where I really have to think about what I'm doing. I'm not a distance runner in the least - especially with my asthma holding me back at time. The air quality kinda sucks right now. I can only hope the air is better up in Napa. I know people have been warning me about the heat up there in July, but if I can run here in the friggin desert, why not up there in wine country. I'm definitely going to need all the encouragement I can get, so feel free to send those good vibes my way. 

I want to thank all of you again for your generous donations. I have almost reached $5000!!! That's so exciting. I think I'm only about $200 away and I have one week to get there for it to count by race day. So if you haven't donated yet, please do so. My mom and I really would appreciate it.

Thanks For The Support

Wow! That's all I can say right now. Just, wow.

Your support and generous donations have been more than I thought would ever come out of this. I took a little vacation to Vegas this past weekend and when I came back, I checked my online donation page and WOW! You guys are the best! I've reached my goal of $3500! I could not have done this without you. 

So, I've decided to try and set a new goal of $5000 and see how much I can raise by July 20th. Your generous donations just keep coming in and it just blows my mind. I feel blessed to have people like you in my life.

I'm speechless. Thank you soo much!

I will keep training and pushing myself to make you all proud so that I can cross that finish line!

Half Way There

Team Challenge -- is just that. Yesterday we had a 7.5 mile course at Torrey Pines State Reserve. We did the trail and beach run. Though this time I chose to train with the power walkers due to an email I got from our endurance manager that said for the "wunners" this terrain would be best trained with the walkers. So April and I joined them this week. I have to say that those power walkers train just as hard as us runners. I figured it wouldn't be as tough as our run training, but it's just as hard. The walking coach, Devon, is great. She pushed us and gave us personal tips for our gait - exercises and such. She showed us the power walking moves and got us to 14 minute miles. 

In order to be in the race, you have to be no higher than 14 minute miles. No problem. We've got that covered. Between walking and running, we've got it in the bag.

The training yesterday was so exhausting. Granted I haven't really been running more than about 4 miles when we go out for about an hour run so to do 7.5 miles was definitely a push and a challenge. If I'm already exhausted after 7.5 miles, how the hell am I gonna do the other half. But you know what? I'll get there. I'm pushing my endurance to get there. I WILL get there. 

I loved the view of our training though. We were coastal and so once we made it up to the top of the Torrey Pines hills - wow. The view was spectacular. We walked down the hill to the beach and along Blacks (for those of you that don't know Blacks beach, it's our nudie beach - mostly gays - though there were no nudies while we were there) We went out to the ghettie and then back along the beach all the way to the parking lot - about a mile back. 

I was proud of myself for sticking with it. Half way there.

I CAN DO IT!!

Energized

Hey everyone! I just got back from a 2 mile run with my dogs and I'm feeling great! I think that the new inhaler is actually starting to work! Usually at the end of a run I am dead tired and out of breath -- but today, the out of breath isn't as bad as it usually is and I'm not completely exhausted. Hungry, yes. But not super exhausted. 

My mile time has been staying pretty consistent lately. I'm still around 12.5 minute miles, but my asthma seems to be improving ever so slightly. And for that I am thankful to my new doctor!

We have a 70 minute run this Saturday at Torrey Pines. I hope all goes well. That place has some hills, but on the bright side, it'll be a nice view of the pacific and the weather is going to be great. Of course I'll lather up in sunscreen. I think I'll actually be tan by the time this run is over.

Thanks to everyone for your support and generous donations. I'm half way to my goal! Keep 'em coming!

The Little Runner That Could

Wow. The run today was a little more intense this time. We ran for an hour at Mission Trails and I guess we ended up choosing the rockiest of trails. I found it tough to run down or even up the rocky hills. The rocks were protruding from every where. The entire trail wasn't like that, but a lot of it was. I felt like the little engine that could. "You can do this," I kept telling myself. It got hot fast and I got out of breath earlier than I have been. The doctor put me on a new inhaler on top of the one I already have. I don't really think it's doing much different but maybe it takes a while to really see results. It's only been about a week since I started using it. Now I have to take Flovent twice a day, every day and if I feel I need my albeuterol inhaler, to use that when needed. 

So I fell behind everyone, but I had my tunes to keep me going. I think I need to make a new playlist. I've been listening to the same music every time I run, so I think it's time to change it up. I've also been thinking that I should just get one of the tiny MP3 players. My iPod is so big and clunky to have strapped on my arm. It's almost worth it to spend the money to get one of the iPod shuffles or some cheap MP3 player (but the problem with that one is that it has to be Mac compatible. My PC laptop is non-functional at the moment). If anyone has some suggestions, please let me know. Though I have no clue if anyone is actually reading this, but if you are - thanks for reading!!

I have to admit that half the time I'm running, I still wonder why I'm doing it. I mean, I know WHY but more like why am I actually running. I can barely keep up with the other runners, my asthma is getting the better of me. I should really just be walking. But I don't like the sound of that - "walking a half marathon." It sounds cooler to say "running a marathon." Am I right? I like the idea of running a marathon and finishing it, but actually doing the long distant running is SO tough. It's a lot harder than I thought. I can sprint in soccer - no problem. But running for miles and miles...I must be crazy! Oh well. I've gotten this far. It's been one month already! I can't believe it. Only 2 more to go. July 20th will be here in no time. 

I finally downloaded the pictures from the benefit party and with Picasa I can embed a slide show on here - so for those of you who want to see the pictures - here they are!

Renewed Motivation

Wow. I can't believe it has been almost an entire month since I last wrote. My whole plan with this blog was to update you at least once a week and I seem to have fallen short of that. So sorry. I'm going to try and not do that now. But let me update you on what's happened the past few weeks.

I got a phone call from one of my friends asking if their band could play a show at my house since they hadn't booked anything for the month of April. I had no problem with that. I enjoy playing host to a party anyways. I don't know why. Hmm.
Anyways, I got to thinking that this would be the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation and use it to my benefit - and when I mean my benefit, I really mean the benefit for Team Challenge. I turned it into a small benefit concert for CCFA. I found another band, sent emails to all my friends, and thus became my first "real" fundraiser for this half marathon.
There was a really nice turn out. People jammed out with the band, while others drank. And the more people drank, the more we got them to donate so it really worked out in my favor. I was able to raise $315 dollars! Wow. I couldn't believe it! That was so awesome. I love my friends. That put me $315 closer to my goal. And since I've been feeling like my fundraising has become stagnant, this was a great motivational boost. The only thing that sucks is that the numbers don't show online until the national chapter in NY enters the info and that could take a few weeks. But at least I know that I'm that much closer to $3500.

Then Passover came. I never feel like I eat well during Passover. I mean, I know I do, but because we're limited to certain foods, after a while, matzah just doesn't do it for me. April 19th there was a clinic up in Carlsbad at this place called Velocity. It's like an endurance training facility. I ended up over-sleeping and got there late after hauling ass up to Carlsbad. Got a good work out but I hate that my asthma slows me down. I don't think the albeuteral is working anymore. But more on that later.
I raced home afterwards to get ready for the evening Passover seder. It turned out nice.

Last week I went on vacation to NYC to visit one of my best friends. She's a dog walker so I knew I'd be getting a bunch of exercise with her. I had full intentions to do my workouts while I was there, but I'll admit, I got lazy. Though I DID go jogging in Central Park and Kevin Bacon almost ran into me. He was jumping over some barrier going the opposite direction and landed in my vicinity. Totally didn't see that coming. I was close enough to touch him. My friend really wanted to give him a "high 5" but chickened out. He was trying to be incognito with his baseball cap, but he's so recognizable that it's hard not to know who he is.
I had intentions to go back into the park and jog but dog walking with Jesi tired me out. I don't know how she does it. My feet were killing me. On the plus size, I got LOTS of cross training done.

Now that I'm back home I plan on sticking to my guns and really get out there and run a little more every day. I have to get a better time or at least try and keep a consistent pace. I saw a doctor today that I'm hoping can help with the asthma. He's having me take a new inhaler that's compatible with the one I have now. But he's hoping that I won't have to take it. This new one is some kind of steroid inhaler that's supposed to make breathing a bit easier. 2 puffs, 2x day. It's supposed to start to show some results within 2 - 3 days. Today is #1. Maybe I might get lucky and it'll make tomorrow's run easier.

Tomorrow we have long run in La Jolla Shores followed by a big potluck picnic for us and our honored guests. Unfortunately both my parents have prior engagements. I was hoping at least one would show up. Oh well. I've got my teammates to entertain me anyways. :o)

I'll let you know how tomorrow goes --- sooner than later I hope!

OH! I'll have to put pictures from the concert up. Maybe this weekend. Look for them soon.

I'm a Wunner

Saturday's run went well. It was soo cold though. I should have worn a heavier running jacket. It was perfect for the run but afterwards during our fundraising clinic, it definitely wasn't thick enough.

I've made friends with one of my teammates who seems to be at the same pace as I am. We kinda of have this support system. I think it will be nice to have a running partner. Now when I say run, I really mean, run AND walk - a Wunner. With my asthma it just makes sense. There are actually quite a few wunners on our team. We just have to find the right pace to get us across that finish line in less than 3 hours. Well that's my goal at least. If I were to RUN the 13.1 miles with a 13:50 pace, I'd finish in just a tad over 3 hours. I have a goal to get down to at least 10 minute miles and then see where that will get me. This is definitely as challenging as I thought it would be.

Tomorrow I've got to go for a run for about 30 minutes. We'll see how far I can go.

There's more room in my mouth now

Wow! I just realized it's been almost a week since I last wrote. Not a lot has happened, but I'll share anyways.

I got my wisdom teeth pulled last Friday which really put a damper on my training schedule. I haven't felt much like doing anything. The pain just kinda sucks. I can't take Vicodin since it makes me sick so they gave me codine (tylenol with codine). Not as strong but for the most part it does what it's supposed to. I've been taking it with some Advil, which in the end makes me kinda loopy/dizzy. I ran out now but the doc says that since I'm healing well to just take Advil when I need it...which right now is like 3 times a day. It sucks because it's just one of those uncomfortable feelings in my mouth. Mainly it hurts in the morning and the doc said it was probably because I've been clenching my teeth while I sleep. Who knew!
So I haven't really run since Friday morning. I did do my 2 miles before the oral surgery, which was a total mistake seeing as how I forgot I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything for at least 6 hours prior to surgery. Duh! Oh well. They were able to do it anyways since it was just water that I drank.

Now that I'm feeling more up to actually running - I missed playing soccer for the past week - I think I'm going to try and do a run either tonight or tomorrow. We have a group run this Saturday morning down in Mission Beach for about 45 min and then there's a fundraising clinic afterwards. I'm looking forward to both.
I just got word that some of the company matching went through. I'm now $500 closer to my goal of $3500!! I think that brings me to a total of $1695.99! Wow. You guys are the best. Please keep passing on the word to all your friends and family. I hope to reach $3500 before June.

I'll let you know how the run on Saturday goes. Til then!

CIAO!

Picking Up Speed

This past Saturday was my first group run. It was very exciting. Everyone had so much energy and it all just bounced off everyone to keep us motivated and in the zone. We had a shoe clinic before we ran. Someone from Road Runner Sports came to talk to us about getting fitted with the right type of shoe and such. After our brains got crammed with information we had our first timed run. It was only a mile and the shortest training session they said we'd have.

Let me tell you, I am definitely out of shape. I stretched with everyone and was definitely in the zone but that ONE mile was tough. I don't know how I'm going to get through 13.1 miles?! Having this damn bronchial asthma doesn't help much, in fact, it slows me down a lot. Though I did run most of the time. I think I only slowed down to walk and catch my breath maybe 3 or 4 times.
I did the mile in 13:43. That's waaay better than what I thought it would be. Now I just have to work on getting it down faster to, let's say, maybe a 10 minute mile. And then go from there. I think with a 10 min mile I should be able to finish the half marathon in about 2.5 hours or there abouts.

This is definitely going to be one of the most challenging things in my life and I'm looking forward to it. I have never run long distance before and so the stamina you have to have for this is totally different than it is for when I play soccer. Soccer players run in shorts spurts and not for miles at a time.

I got some new running shoes yesterday. We'll see how they work out. The one's I've been using are not made anymore and so I'm trying some new ones. If they don't work out, I can always take them back.

I went for a run today after work. I did 2 miles in just over 24 minutes. That's not too bad. I'm proud of myself. It's all surface streets and some up hill runs. I did walk a lot. My asthma kicked in sooner than I had hoped, but my handy dandy inhaler was too the rescue, though it only does so much. There were times when I wanted to give up and I had to tell myself "just get to that stop sign up ahead" or "the end of the street is in sight" or even "you're right around the corner from the house - just a little farther." If I made it to the marker, I could walk for a minute and then pick up the pace again. I find that those short goals I give myself help me get through the run. As great as it is running with my iPod - listening to my tunes - I think it would be more helpful to run with a partner. That's why I really enjoy the group runs we have on the weekends. It's more motivating. There's always someone there to help motivate you to go just a little bit further. But I'm going to work on my music playlist and maybe that will help. I don't think I have the right tunes yet. I'm in the experimental phase. If you've got suggestions, please let me know.

Tomorrow I'm doing some cross training. I think I'll do the elliptical. I mean, after all, I've got one in my house and I can watch TV for a half hour while I use it.

It's official. I'm now in training mode.

Let The Running Begin

I found a picture of me after one of my runs. I LOVE that running jacket. I don't get too hot in it when I run and surprisingly I stay warmer than I had expected. Good investment. =)

So on Tuesday, there was a Kick Off party for all of us trainees. We met our coaches and some of our teammates. There was yummy food and some wine. I think I'm really going to like this group. There was a lot of energy coming from the staff, especially Jessica. She is just all over the place, it is too cute. I sense she's going to be a great motivator for all those future rough patches.

I brought my mom along with me so she can see what she's gotten me into. My mom seems excited for me. I think she's going to be my biggest fan. =) I spoke with the executive director and she seems to think that I'm going to be one of those people that goes on to race in a full marathon after I complete this one. I don't know. Let me get through this one and see how it goes. One race at a time.

I'm really excited to get started. Saturday is our first group run and afterwards we have a shoe clinic. It's definitely time to get a new pair of running shoes. I've had mine for a couple years and I think they've been worn out. My heels are starting to hurt now when I wear them for an extended period of time. I think that's a sign, don't you?

I'll let you know how Saturday goes - how slow of a runner I really am.

Oh, I almost forgot. Click here to donate and help me reach my goal!

On My Way To The Finish Line

So I got up early this morning and went for a power walk around the neighborhood with the dogs. And this time I actually timed myself. I think I was totally wrong about how long it took me to jog last time. Just to power-walk the same route took 20 minutes and that was with the dogs stopping to sniff everything. So I'm guessing that the jog was between 10-15 minutes but I can't say for sure without timing myself once again. This weekend for sure. It's actually something to look forward to. The early morning walks/run are quite peaceful and there's always someone to say "good morning" to since they have the same idea to get out there in the morning and start the day off with either a walk or a run.

I'm going to Disneyland today so I'm for sure going to get a lot of exercise walking around. It's been a while since I've been there so I'm excited.

Next weekend we start our group training. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and beginning this new chapter in my story. I'm definitely up for the challenge this is going to bring. I know I'll have my ups an downs but in the end, it'll be worth it. 

From Soccer player to Long Distance Runner - Slow as a turtle

One of the many things on my list that I have yet to do is run a half marathon. I love to run. I don't do it well, but I really enjoy it.

About a week and a half ago, I decided to go to an informational meeting about Team Challenge - the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) program to train individuals to run or walk a half marathon while raising money to help find a cure for Crohn's disease or Colitis.
My mom sent me the info for it knowing that I was looking for a group to train with. It sounded interesting, but the location was what really pulled me in - Napa to Sonoma Valley. Who can resist wine country?!

So now I've agreed to train with them and raise $3500. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about raising that much money. It seems like a lot, especially since last year when I did the Relay For Life, I only raised about $600 - but then again, I didn't have 5 months to collect donations like I do for Team Challenge. I'm hoping that all my friends and family and their friends and family will help me achieve this goal!

With that said, I decided to start running on my own. I'm already sore enough from playing soccer 3x a week, so I knew that running tonight wouldn't be that easy. I was right! Granted, I did take the dogs with me, which made the running a little harder since they wanted to sniff and pee on EVERYTHING. But they did alright. Zoe was ready to sprint and Dolly was content with a light jog. Finding a happy medium took a while.

I started off with a short distance - just shy of a mile - in the neighborhood. I passed a fellow jogger, lit up by his blinking red light. I'm not sure how long it took me as I didn't have a watch with a timer - that's something I need to put on my list of things to get. I can't say if I did the mile in 15 or 20 min. If it was 20 minutes, then that's really sad. It's like being as slow as a turtle, if not slower! I'm hoping it was only like 15 minutes. Though I'm aiming for the 5-10 minute miles. I'm going to have to run 13.1 miles and at this rate, it'll take ALL day! Ugh. I hope this gets better.

I need a hot tub installed in my backyard. My body was aching after that. I'm getting old! More likely I'm just out of shape. Let's hope it gets better. I see the chiropractor tomorrow. My body will be thanking me and then maybe it will be better if I can get another run in tomorrow. I think this time though, I'll try it without the dogs and possibly get a stopwatch. Then I'll know for sure how turtle-like I really am.