Back in Cali - Getting In The Groove Again

Hey everyone! I'm back in Cali!

My trip to Canada was spectacular. It rained. And rained. And rained. And then we sped through the mid-west of the USA - North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, New Mexico, and finally Arizona. Didn't really get to see much, but it was fun. Though the days were really long in the car. It's a good thing that Lea and I get along so well! :) Her dog and cat are great travelers. Mine is the same. Zoe, she likes to lay down in the back of my car on her dog bed. Things are gonna change with her though. I bought her a dog seat belt thing. Lea uses it for her puppy. It'll be safer for Zoe and she have non-stop access to the open window.

So I went for a run/walk today. More walking than running. I really haven't done any exercising in 2 weeks! Yikes! I definitely felt it today. I'm all gross and sweaty and exhausted. But it felt really good to get out again. Team Challenge had it's kick-off party Saturday to officially start the training season for Vegas...and I wasn't there. Boo! But Saturday is our first offical group training where we will find out what pace everyone is at and I'll get matched up with my mentees. Should be exciting! My goal this year is to be more diligent about getting out EVERYDAY and doing at least 30 minutes of training. There actually is a training schedule for each week that we are to follow. So as long as I have that posted somewhere on the wall where I can see it, I can follow it. I know myself, and there are days when I'll just get lazy and not want to run and instead I'll jump on the elliptical. Which I guess is okay too. It's something. But I'm definitely looking forward to this season. I'll try to be more on top of my blog writing. A few times a week, if not a chance to write every day how things are going. Last year I seemed to only have a few every month. So I'm going to change that! Yes I am!

Alright. I hope everyone is having a good week so far. Don't forget to donate!! And please pass my fundraising website on to all your friends and family. I really want to reach my $5000 goal this year!

Luv Ya!

Hello From Canada!

Today I pretty much spent on a plane to Canada. Winnipeg, Manitoba to be exact. Why? you ask. One of my best friends, Lea, has spent the summer out here running a day camp and she needed someone to drive back to the USofA with her. I gladly accepted. I've never been to Canada and I've been itching to travel again. So this was nice. I've been looking forward to this for a few months.
Lea had told me to expect cold weather, and I've got to say, it is anything but cold here. It's hot and muggy, just like NYC! Though I am totally loving the lightening tonight! I can see it as I stare out the window. It's awesome. I haven't done much today. Rode on 2 planes, went to the Winnipeg Zoo briefly to see the statue of Winnie The Pooh (though we didn't get a chance to see anything else). Went shopping at the ROOTS outlet (it's the clothing company that did all the Olympic gear for years). I had dinner with some of Lea's family and on the way to Lea's cabin at the lake, we stopped for a shake. It was really good, but super sweet. I mixed 3 flavors - chocolate, peanut butter, and marshmallow. It tasted like a Fluffernutter with chocolate. It was oh so very yummy for my tummy. Though I have to admit, I did not eat the whole thing. I put the rest in the freezer to have later. It was just too much sweetness.

The time difference is about 2 hours ahead of California. I'm tired but I'm not. It's very peaceful here tonight. As I stare out the window I can see the moonlight reflecting off the lake. Very calming. Looking forward to seeing the land in the morning. I'll take pictures.
Lea works at a camp about a half mile down the road. I plan on doing some walking tomorrow to check out the area and meet her for lunch. And I'll get my workout done. How convenient. :)

I hope this posting finds you well. I have just received 2 donations so far! Shout out to Sara Turner and Sal Pecoraro! Thanks so much!! Sal has become my first $100 donation. Way to go SAL! You are first on my list of dedicated miles. I hope there are more $100 donations to come from all of you. I am 3% closer to my goal of $5000!

OMG! I just heard some THUNDER! Awesome!

Getting In Gear

So I'm getting ready for the season. I just got some new running shoes and they are really comfortable so far. The nice thing about getting shoes at Road Runner Sports is that I can try them out for like 60 days and if they give me any issues, I can return them and try another pair. It's awesome. But I have a feeling that these shoes will work out.

My dog, Zoe, loves when I train because she gets to go out for runs with me. This dog has so much energy. She can keep up with how ever long of a run I go on. 2 miles or 5 miles, she's right by my side. I love it!

I'm back to playing soccer again. After taking the last 4 months off to let my ankle heal from injuries, it's so nice to be able to play again. I've totally missed it. Last night was my first game in a while and we kicked butt! 9-2 and one of those goals was scored by my boob!! Yes, I said boob. It kind of just bounced off it and into the goal. It was awesome! No one really saw it, but I felt it. :) What a great way to start the season.

The kickoff for Team Challenge Las Vegas is in a few weeks. I won't be able to make it, which I'm bummed about, but the first training starts on the 29th and I'll definitely be there. I leave for Canada next week to visit a friend and drive back with her to the states. I probably won't get back to San Diego until the 24th, but I'm looking forward to the road trip home. Should be lots of fun. I'm hoping to keep up the training in Winnipeg. I've been doing about 30-45mins a day, either walking or running. Lea says there's not much to do in Winnipeg Beach, but at least I could walk around the lake or something.

I'm super excited about this season. It's going to be a lot of fun.

I'm Gonna Be A Mentor

So last night was the mentor meeting group for Team Challenge. I got to find out more about what the duties are and all that jazz. I think it's totally something that I can do. I'm good at motivation, right? I've experienced the ups and downs of training and fundraising and everything else. I think I'd be good at this. Most of the interested mentors are runners, so I think I'll be mentoring the walkers. Cristal is the walking coach, so I know for sure she's gonna need some help. I can walk. I can jog. It'll be good. I can do the walking at the training sessions and do some running training on my own time. It'll work out. This'll be fun.

Jess has also decided to start a Team Challenge committee and I'm totally going to join that too. I want to help with events/fundraising. I love party planning! Just ask all the people who have come to my themed birthday parties. :) I have a really good feeling about this.

The Kick-Off party for the race is Aug 22 and I don't think I'm going to be back in time for that. I'm leave for Canada Aug 12th to see Lea and drive back to AZ with her. I know we'll be back to AZ in time, but I don't think I'll make it back to San Diego. I believe my parents are going to drive out to AZ to pick me up at my Aunt and Uncle's place (who I intend to visit with for a few days). But Jess said it wasn't a big deal. She just needs to know who will or will not be there. But for sure, I'll be back in time for our first group training session on the 29th.

I'm getting super excited. This is gonna be a great season!