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!

Help Me Reach My Goal!

I have finally set up my fundraising page!
Last year my goal was to raise $3500 to go to Napa and you all helped me reach that and MORE. I raised $5300 last year! WOW! I hope to do that again. But of course, I can't without your help. So donate today! It's 100% tax deductible and if your company matches what you donate, that's even better!

I want to try something different this year. An incentive if you will. I got this idea from a participant this last season in Kona. For anyone that donates $100 or more, I will dedicate a mile to you. There are 13.1 miles, so there's plenty of room for everyone. If I get an overwhelming amount, I will just have to double you all up! I've also been thinking about writing names on my jersey for those who donate in the $100+. I will definitely let you know if that works out. If I can get enough $100+ donations to fill up the shirt, that would be awesome!

So here goes...

Click here to donate. And pass the information on to everyone you know! Seriously. Do it!

Let the fundraising begin!!

The Mentor Challenge

So after much consideration and deliberation with friends, it's been decided that I WILL be a mentor. I know in my last entry it seems to go down the opposite direction, but my friends (who are awesome) have made me realize that this really is something I would be really good at. I think the whole situation with my mom has effected me more that I care to realize or admit (until now). I've been on this emotional rollercoaster. Doubting myself and my abilities and whatnot. I think now that I've acknowledged it, things will be easier to manage.

Yesterday I attended my second info meeting at the Carmel Mountain Ranch library. There were a lot of mentors, but I think we had more guests which is really exciting to see. I'm hoping most, if not all of them will sign up and join our team. It's going to be a lot of fun. The more I go to these things, it just confirms how much this organization has touched me. I really do want to help and find a cure for all those living/surviving/suffering quietly with the diseases. Until I found out about CCFA, I did everything for the American Cancer Society, and though there is nothing wrong with that, I just feel that there are other organizations out there that need help and funds to do the research to find the cure. This doesn't mean I will stop with my ACS involvement. I will still do the Relay For Life next year in May. I have to. My mom is a survivor of breast cancer (diagnosed in Feb) and I have to help. Now I just have to find an event to do for MS since it also affects a VIP in my family.

But anyways, I'm getting off track. I'm really looking forward to the first training day and meeting everyone. I'm sad I won't be at the kickoff party next week, but I'll be there in spirit.

I'm going to leave you with one last thing. At all the info meetings, we have been showing this video about CCFA and Team Challenge. Everytime I watch it, it makes me all teary-eyed. I thought I'd share it with you and give you a better glimpse into what Team Challenge is.

Undecided

So I've been thinking lately about this whole mentor program for Team Challenge. Thinking that maybe it's not something I want to do completely. It's not that I don't want to be a mentor, it's that I've just become undecided. Pretty much all of the people Jess has asked to be mentors have just finished their race in Napa or Kona. They're super pumped off that high you get after running a race, they are still in running shape, and they all know each other. Not that I have a problem not knowing people because I'm good at making friends, but somehow I feel out of place. And I don't know why. Plus, I'm definitely not in racing shape.

I've been doing a little over 2 miles a day and I'm beat. Seriously. I think it's mostly because the sun is beating down on me and I can't take it anymore - and it's only 9:30am!! I've been getting up earlier and earlier to try and beat the heat from the sun. It's just not working. Today I was out of the house by 8:30 and though at the beginning there was a nice breeze and a little overcast, as I continued on my route, the sun peaked out and blasted it's rays down on me. Ugh! Stupid heat. I even checked the weather before I left and it said, 65˚. PERFECT! But about 20 minutes into my run, the sun got me. I had no chance. I think it's been 80˚ since.

So let me get back to my original point. Mentoring. I heard Jess say she has about 19 mentors. Wow! Things have definitely changed since I ran with TC last year. We didn't have one single mentor, and now there's 19. Wow. That's all I can say.

I think that's great for Jess. She's made the program such a success that all these runners and walkers want to come back and do it again and help out. I want to help out, but at the same time I'm not sure. Maybe there's a way to be like a mentor's helper? I can have all the same responsibilities of keeping people motivated and help when needed, but without the "mentees." I don't know. I think I just need to sit down and talk to Jess about it. I'll have to remember to do that on Monday before the next Info Meeting.

Speaking of which, I went to the first one up in Carlsbad at Lululemon Athletica. The store has some nice clothes, just a little to pricey for me. :) Anyways, the info meeting seemed to go well. There were a lot of mentors-to-be there as well as quite a few people interested in joining the team. There's only one more meeting that I can go to before my Canada trip next week. So Monday, before my soccer game, I'll be up in Carmel Mountain trying to recruit some new people.

I was kind of hoping that maybe one of my local friends would want to do this with me, but no one has stepped up. They sound interested and like the idea of it, but just not quite ready to take that leap and just do it! Oh well. I just hope that I can get a group of friends to come up and cheer me on. That's what I was missing last year. There really wasn't a cheering squad besides Jess. I mean, there were LOTS of people cheering as we went by, but it just makes it that much better when your friends/family are there. My parents were going to come last year, but it was too far in the end. BUT, they will be there this year which I am super excited about.

Though I have to say that Caitlyn, who ran the race with me, was there when April and I crossed that finish line. It was a great feeling.

Vegas is not far. Everyone loves Vegas! So really there's no excuse this time. :0)

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.

Holistic Medicine

Yesterday I decided to take a chance and go see my mom's acupuncturist. My mom goes for help while she has her chemo. Dr. Wang gets rid of any nausia and keeps her healthy (as can be). I took her there a couple weeks ago and talked to the doctor briefly. She said she could help me with my asthma. So I figured I might as well try. If it helps me run better and makes me healthier, I'm willing to try it.
I was a little apprehensive at first, but I got over the fact that needles were going to be stuck all over my body. It actually wasn't that bad. The nice thing about Dr Wang is that she's not just an acupuncturist. She actually has a PHD and then she studied acupuncture. So I feel very comfortable with her.
It was kind of weird at first seeing the needles protruding from different areas on my body, but I got over it quickly and took a nap. I don't feel immediate results, but I did feel very relaxed. She gave me some herbal tea to drink over the next 6 days. They are the strangest looking herbs, but they have a nice smell. I'm supposed to let them soak in water for 1hr and then boil for 5 min. Interesting.
I told her that I'm running the half marathon in December and so she has this goal to make me better or close to, within the next 21 weeks. Though that does mean I get to be a regular patient - like 4 times a week. But if it helps, then so be it. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

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!

Testing The Waters

So I took Zoe out for a walk today. Not a super long one, but it was a good 30 min walk. I really need to do it earlier in the day, because at noon, it's just too darn hot! But we did it anyway. While walking, I got the urge to see if I could run without any ankle problems. It actually wasn't so bad. I didn't feel any tightness or soreness or anything to make me think I couldn't start running again. It was a nice feeling. Granted my lungs need work. I didn't bring my inhaler since I wasn't planning on running, but I survived.

I have to start taking the steroid inhaler again on a regular basis if I expect to run. I hate having this exercise-induced asthma. It really holds me back from doing what I want to do. And I never really found the inhalers to work that much. I'm thinking of trying out my mom's acupuncturist. Apparently she helps with asthma and I'm willing to give it a try. If she could make it so that I can run longer than 3 minutes without becoming out of breathe, I think I'd be in heaven. I can't remember what it's like to run without breathing problems. I've had this issue since I was 17 and I've felt that all it's done is held me back from any type of sport. I was able to survive soccer because it's stop and go running, but for me to run another half marathon, I'd like it to be a little easier. I'm very proud of myself that I was able to run a half in the 3.5 hours, and with 2 asthma attacks (mostly caused by emotions running high); but I would love to be able to do it in less than 3 or even 3 hours would be awesome! So we'll see.

Anyways, I have the Team Challenge Mentor meeting tonight. I still have to fill out the application, but I'm excited to find out more about the position and what it entails. Being that I'm not a "runner" per se, nor am I a full-fledged "walker," I'm hoping there's a happy medium. Maybe to be the "wunner" mentor. Ha! We'll see.

I should probably go hop in the shower now. I feel so diiirty. :) But good after a nice walk/run this afternoon. I know Zoe is completely pooped out and that's a good sign. She's got so much energy that she benefits from my training sessions too. She's a happy pooch.

At The Starting Line...Again

So I've been thinking about running another half marathon. There's this one in Las Vegas - The Rock N' Roll Marathon which also happens to have a half marathon too! My friend, Sara, is an avid marathon runner. She has this goal to run a marathon in every state. She's getting pretty far in that goal. But I guess she found this one in Vegas and it just so happens that the race is also affiliated with CCFA and Team Challenge. How perfect is that?! I can run again, this time with a long time friend, and raise money to help Crohn's and Colitis!

I got an email a few weeks ago from Jessica Johnson, the coordinator of Team Challenge. She asked if I'd be interested in being a mentor for this next race. How could I not? I get to train with a great group of people, encourage others to overcome any obstacles they have about running/walking a half marathon, and tell them my story about my first adventure. I think it's a great plan. I believe training starts in August so it works out perfectly.

I had an ankle injury back in March, which I injured again a month later. Totally sucks. I haven't played soccer in months. I haven't run. I've just walked and taken it easy. I'm trying to ease my ankle back into training mode. I've been doing some strength exercises for it so that I can try and prevent this from happening again.

I'm definitely going to have to invest in some new running shoes as I'm sure I've succeeded in passing the 300 mile mark on my shoes. I hate that they're so expensive, but my feet love that they are protected and comfortable. My running jersey from last year is all blinged out, PERFECT for VEGAS!!! Thanks Jessica! I'm pretty sure I can use it again. If not, I'll just have to enlisted Jessica's help again to sew on all the sequence, if she has some time. But I think it should be good.

I'm so excited!! This is going to be another awesome chapter in my life and this time, I hope my parents can come up and cheer me on. It's a little closer for them to get to. :)

Til next time!

This is Deb. And I'm running for you!

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