Marine Corps Marathon ... a photoblog

Marine Corps Marathon is just around the corner

I'm feeling woefully unprepared.

I missed our 20 mile run because my brother got married that morning, and the next morning I was recovering from the wedding... and that night was Canadian Thanksgiving... and the next morning we got in the car for a 9 hour drive.. and the following morning I spent the day traveling to get home.

And then it took a week to recover from my travels... and besides, we had a 12 mile run to do on Saturday and then it was time to taper before the race.

So, no 20 miler.

Not that that is a crisis, because in each of my previous two marathons I also missed the 20 miler for one reason or another.

But, since getting home I've really been struggling with fatigue. Some days are good, some days I feel like it is all I can do to muster up the motivation to do the daily household tasks.

My runs are getting slower, and involve more walking.

And I'm feeling a little down on myself because of it.

That said, when Sunday morning rolls around, I will be up and out of bed early... off to meet my friends and Teammates at the start of the race... I'm going to complete the race on my own two feet, no matter how tired I get.

Because I can.

And because there are people who can't.

this one's for you, Grandaddio

Yes, we're still in training, folks!

I know I've not been around for a while, but life gets busy that way... The Virginia Beach Rock & Roll Half Marathon has been and gone, and it was a rocking good time. Now on with the training for the Marine Corps Marathon... This weekend we're doing 18 miles.

I'd like to take a few minutes of your time to tell you all who I'm running for on Saturday... I'm dedicating each and every aching step of those 18 miles to my Grandad, Derek.

In 1994 he lost his granddaughter (my cousin) Amy to brain cancer. 

In 1997 he lost his nephew (my mom's cousin) John to lung cancer. 

In 1999 his wife (my grandmother) Gladys was diagnosed with breast cancer. After several surgeries and years of treatment, she died of the disease in 2006. 

In 2007, his brother (my great-uncle) Art died of colon cancer.

And on Monday he was himself diagnosed with colon cancer.

He knows full well what to expect from his up-coming treatment. He's sat with it all before. He knows the pain and the illness and the fear and the hope against hope.... And he knows that in the end, it may not work for him.

Personally, I'm holding onto the hope. I hope that they've caught it early enough that the treatment is successful. I hope that he doesn't suffer too much. I hope we'll get to play golf together next summer. I hope we'll get to go out for a drive just so we can listen to the baseball game on the radio. I hope he'll get to finish making himself that cello, and learn how to play it. I hope that my (future) children will get to know him.

I know that none of my family (so far) have been afflicted with a blood cancer... but I'm here, raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in the hopes that every step we take toward finding a cure for blood cancers also advances our efforts in finding a cure for cancer, period.

So when you're on the trail on Saturday, if you don't have a personal honoured teammate that you're running for... please feel free to send a little thought out to my Grandad.

here i am... for my monthly check in!

the summer is just flying by, and the first race of Fall season is now just three weeks away.

Saturday was our 12 mile run... the last LONG long run before Virginia Beach Rock & Roll Half Marathon. it was lovely, cool and overcast... and the icing on the cake was that my sweetheart got up at 5:30 on his day off to come out and support us on the course.  it was his first time volunteering as "water stop guy"... handing out water and gatorade and pretzels and such, and more importantly cheering as the runners came in to see him.

what a trooper! and he had such a good time that i'm SURE he's going to volunteer to do it again.
doesn't hurt that i had rounded up a few other guys to keep him company :)

it has been a challenging season for a lot of our runners.... the heat has been oppressive. there have been a number of injuries, loved ones have become ill... but these are the things that draw us together and turn us into a Team.

oh, i'm a slacker!!

you see, i've been meaning to write...

in other news, it's been crazy hot and humid... which makes training (and all other things that take place outside of my air-conditioned walls) unpleasant and rather miserable.

we hosted a big yard sale fundraiser this weekend... lots of former TNT teammates donated stuff for the sale (thank you!) and a colleague of my husband donated his driveway and yard (because he lives in a good yard sale-ing neighbourhood)... and we raised almost $350.

unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on whether or not you're standing in my kitchen) there was a lot of donated stuff left over... so i'm now at a loss about where to store it (other than my kitchen) until such time as we can throw another yard sale.


the team is rapidly approaching it's first double digits run... Saturday will be a 10 mile run, and the majority of the team has never run that far. in fact, many of them started saying "this is the furthest i've ever run" once they hit the 4 mile mark.... and every week thereafter!

one of our teammates has yet to come to a group training run... and i was telling him that he might really enjoy the group runs now that the mileage is getting up there. saying things like "20 miles is a really long distance to run by yourself"

and then, my little brother called to tell me he and his fiancee have finally set a date to get married... and it is Oct 9th of this year... which just happens to be the day we're scheduled to run our 20 miler.

so it looks like i will be running 20 miles on my own... at high altitude (well, significantly higher altitude that Virginia).... possibly with a touch of jet-lag... and possibly the morning before the wedding.

which means i'll probably sleep through the whole ceremony. every wedding movie shows an elderly relative who nods off... i'll do the honours this time 'round.

if they're lucky, i won't snore.

hot hot hot

if i knew any of the lyrics to that song (beyond "hmm hmm hmm hmm... hot, hot, hot...") i'd sing it for you.

but what i really want to do is talk about the weather. (ha!)

it has been excruciatingly hot and humid these last couple of weeks.  it is a struggle to get out into it, even if i get up early in the morning to try to beat the heat. i was asking myself a few days ago how on earth i managed to train last summer, and then realised that aside from the group runs, i did most of my training in the air-conditioned gym.

too bad we don't have one of those at the new house!

i think that this will be my last season of training in the summer... even though i'd really love to run Nike Marathon in San Francisco some day. maybe someday when we move to a more temperate climate!!

in the mean time though, the miles keep going up. we ran 7 miles last Saturday, starting at 7 am to get at least an hour of running done before it got too hot.

there was a race going on on the same trail... so it lifted our spirits to read the signs of support along the way....

Honoured teammate picnic

Saturday was our honoured teammate picnic for the season.
The morning started out with a very hot hills run... and finished with a spread of snacks and drinks and some inspirational messages from our team and personal honoured teammates.

There were people speaking who have been in remission for years, thanks to the advances in treatment that the LLS has supported over the years. There were people speaking who had lost loved ones. There were people speaking who were currently in treatment... or their children or parents or friends are in treatment. And everyone ended their speech with something along the lines of "from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for what you're doing... for me, and people like me."

this is me with our team's honoured teammate... David's been
involved with TNT since he first started treatment 11 years ago.
he's now in his last semester of university... and is not only
healthy and happy, but has run a marathon with TNT, done a century bike ride with TNT...
and aims to do a triathlon with TNT next year.

a little note of explanation...

so, i was just reading back through some old posts on this blog, and marveling at how different things feel in my fourth season of marathon training than they did in the first. now i know i can gut it out, even if i'm not totally prepared for it. so i'm unafraid.

i know there will be a lot of work over the next five months, but... in the end, i'll enjoy the time with my teammates, and i'll enjoy the races. even if i'm not particularly fast.


herein comes the note of explanation...

i wrote several times through the course of the winter that i was really struggling. struggling with fatigue, mostly... but also with the feeling that i was not only not improving, but getting worse at running as the weeks went by.

there is a reason. and it's not the unkind one that i had been telling myself (mutter mutter, fat and lazy, mutter mutter...)

i've been diagnosed with Lupus.

and now, it all makes sense.


so i'm kinder to myself now. a little more forgiving on the bad days.... a little more delighted on the good days. i'm still a runner... just one who listens to her body more, and is okay with the fact that she'll never be a fast runner.

running, running...

last Saturday was a "hills clinic" for the team.... which essentially means we ran up and down hills for three miles while the coaches watched and gave us tips on how to be more efficient both going up and down.

fun stuff!

but i got to meet some of my mentees, which was great... and got some positive feedback on my Mission messages, as well as a tentative offer to volunteer at the Life With Cancer Family Center event on the 28th.


then later that afternoon, i drove to Annapolis with my former TNT mentor Ronda, as we had signed up to run the Zooma Half Marathon on Sunday morning.

it was already over 80 degrees F/ 27 degrees C when we left the hotel at 6am... and humid.
ugh!!!

upon arrival we met up with another former teammates, Laura... chatted with a bunch of TNT peeps, decked out in their purple singlets... and then made our way to the enormous line ups for the port-a-johns. where we stood for the next 20 minutes. and where we were still standing when the starting gun when off.

fortunately there were enough runners that we were still well in the thick of things when we finally did join the runners.

by mile 1 we were already, as Laura called it, glisteny...

by mile 3 we were all beat red and over-heating.

by mile 5 we started to hear the wail of the ambulance sirens.

around mile 8 we were held up because the road was blocked by the paramedics and their vehicle trying to get an iv into the arm of a runner who had passed out from heat and dehydration.

i was about ready to kiss the little boy around mile 11.5 who was standing out on the sidewalk with his hose, spraying the runners as they struggled by.

and when we made our way past the finish line to collect our finishers necklaces, we were all dismayed to find that there were no more bottles of water or bananas... just some dry bits of bagel.

however, once into the finishers expo, there was shade, a cool breeze, a cool boxed lunch and cold water and we were happy.


no more half marathons for a while, just regular training...  as i've run a ten miler, 4 half marathons and a marathon in the last 11 weeks.

Blue Nose Half Marathon

I went back to Canada for a few days... to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday, and to run the Blue Nose Half Marathon.

Not exactly part of my Team In Training training.... but a good long run in part of the overall training scheme of things.






I missed my TNT buddies the morning of the race. It is amazing how much psychological and emotional support one gets from participating in a team. Even if you never say the words out loud, it is reassuring to have people you know standing beside you, giggling with nervous excitement.... reminding you to pin your bib on right side up, etc.



Still, it was wonderful to run in a city that I am familiar with.... running past places that already hold memories for me. It was not my fastest race time, but probably my most enjoyable race ever.

As I ran past an old friend's house, I knocked on the door... gave my very surprised friend a sweaty hug, chatted for a few minutes, and carried on my way.






When I reached the corner where my mom and brother were directing runners, I stopped to have a chat and  a laugh with them...

As I ran along the waterfront, I passed my dad's office.... passed the Thai restaurant where I used to work... passed the train station where I first met my youngest (adopted) brother.... through the park where my mom and I ran our first 5km race together....

Coming out of the park I was delighted to see some TNT purple.... even though I never saw the TNT runners themselves, it was great to know they were on the course.


My dad called just as I was passing the 19 km mark to tell me the whole family had come in to see me finish.... my grandad, my aunt and cousin, my sister and her kids, my foster sister and her boyfriend.

My nephew was waiting for me a couple hundred feet from the finish line. As I reached him, he grabbed my hand and ran with me to the finish line. I hung my finishers medal around his neck and he nodded as he held it in his hand and said "i AM pretty fit for a six year old...."





I love that my family is all proud of me and supports my running, even though I will never truly "compete".... I will always be a long distance plodder, and they think that is great.

Every race holds its own special memories, and I have loved (and sometimes hated) them all. But I think this one will hold a special place in my heart for a long long time...

i must be mad...

i've signed up to run with the Team again for the fall season. which starts next Saturday...

i thought i'd take a break, maybe do one Team In Training event per year from now on.... just so i could recover from fundraising fatigue, really.

but, since i'm already signed up to do Marine Corps Marathon at the end of October anyway... (due to medical deferral last year)... and because i know i will find it difficult to train through the heat of the summer on my own.... and because i love my TNT buddies.... and because it is a great cause....

i signed up to be a mentor again. this time for the Virginia Beach Rock & Roll Half Marathon in September.

so... the blog stays open. as long as i'm working to "save lives, one mile at a time".... i'll keep writing about it.

you lucky ducks!

a wild and crazy season...

this last training season has been... an adventure, lets say.

we trained in snow storms. we couldn't train because of unsafe roads and trails and mountains of snow. we trained in pouring rain. we raced in record high temperatures in March... we trained some more, it got cold again, it got hot again...

it's no wonder that on Country Music Marathon race day we had thunder, lightning, heavy rain, heavy winds... and a tornado warning that had us all pulled off the course before we could finish the race.

some people might take that as a sign... as in, mother nature's way of saying "give it up already!"


but we didn't.


a few determined TNT teammates and i decided we really wanted to get that 26.2 mile run in.

this season.


so we signed up for the Potomac River Marathon, which took place last Sunday. just one week after attempting to run Country Music Marathon...

when we left the house at 5 am to get to the marathon start... it was hot. And raining.

it got hotter.... once again, record high temps for this time of year.  and it rained off and on. sadly this was not really a respite from the heat... it just made for an over all sense of running in a steam room.

for hours.

and hours.

people were getting sick from the heat. i gave my gatorade and pretzels to a guy that was rolling on the trail in absolute agony from cramps and exhaustion... he wasn't even coherent to start with. we waited for the medics to arrive to take him off the course.

many of the participants simply stopped at the halfway mark.


our little TNT group didn't all finish together... but we all finished.


what a season!

Country Music Marathon Weekend

this past weekend I :
~ joined 500 other Team In Training runner in Nashville to run the Country Music Marathon (and half marathon).... we raised over 1.25 million dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, putting our Team Fundraising Total (over all the years) at over a billion dollars.

~ went to hear a concert at the Ryman Auditorium... original home of the Grand Ol' Opry.

~ ate a lot of barbeque

~ resisted the urge to buy pretty cowboy boots, 'cos i know i'll never wear them once i get them home... but i sure did want them at the time! all the other cool kids were buying them...

~ met John "the penguin" Bingham while picking up a bagel at Panera for Saturday morning's 4:30 am start

~ arrived at the race starting place in the dark, in the rain, with lightning dancing across the sky.... and a tornado warning threatening to cancel the race

~ skies cleared and the elite runners were off the mark by 7 am... there were over 33 thousand other runners to cross the starting line, so it was 7:26 by the time I got started

~ it was a hot and humid morning, until the clouds rolled back in and the winds picked up... and the racers were all diverted back to the finish line, no matter where they were on the course.

~ shed a tear or two and said a few bad words that are not fit for public consumption

~ accepted my marathon finishers medal, but didn't much feel like i had earned it

~ ate more barbeque in the pouring rain, thunder and lightning

~ had an awesome phone call of support from my six year old nephew

~ drank quite a lot of gin and tonics, participated in some line dancing lessons at the post-race party, and danced the night away (something i likely would not have been able to do if i had been allowed to run the full marathon!... hello silver lining)

~ got a ride home from the airport with my coach and friend, only to find that i had brought the wrong key and was locked out of the house for the next 5 hours or so, until my husband got home from work at 11:30pm

~ feel like a million bucks today, and am looking for another full marathon to attempt in the next couple of weeks, to make up for not being allowed to complete the one i had trained for.

taking it off

so, in order to stimulate a flurry of donations... i made the commitment to cut off all my hair and donate it to the Locks Of Love, to make wigs for children who have lost their hair due to medical treatment... as long as i made my fundraising goal by today.

well, i have made my goal of raising $3000... even though it doesn't all show up yet on my fundraising website. it takes a while to process donations that were not made online...

so, i will be cutting off all the hair that it has taken me two years to grow... and sending it to Locks of Love for someone who cannot grow their own.

i thought it was a fine idea at the time, but now that i actually have to do it... i have been looking at the box of hair clips and pins and elastics and sticks and ties, etc sitting on the shelf in my bathroom and finding myself feeling nostalgic for long hair already. even though i still have it... and even though i was looking forward to how cool i was going to feel in the heat of the summer.

will post photos next week when i get it cut. and in the mean time, i think i'll go brush it for a while... maybe give myself an up-do or something... celebrate the fact that i have long hair for a few more days.

aaah... taper time!

last saturday was our 20 mile run day.

i would love to have started this post with "i ran 20 miles last saturday"... but i'd be lying.

i tried to run 20 miles last saturday... and the first 16.5 miles of it were GREAT!

chilly... but great.

then i took a step and felt a twinge, and then more than a twinge... and suddenly i was limping my way on to the 17 mile marker, where we had a water stop and people who could drive me back to the parking lot where we started.

i believe i'll pulled something in my groin. after a couple days of rest, it is already feeling better.

really, i only feel it when i'm climbing stairs, or trying to lift that one leg up into bed.

i'm going to be fine by next weekend.

because i said so.

less than a month now until race day!!!

embracing the suck...

National Marathon was two days ago... and what a wonderful morning for a marathon. Chilly to start, but gloriously warm and sunny to finish. Almost too hot, really.... What a shocker, in a season that had us running in snow, not being able to run because of snow, running in pouring rain the week before... and now an unseasonably hot day!

It was great to get out and run through parts of DC that I have never seen before, and certainly never run before. Because I'm still in training for the full marathon, and because I am scheduled to run 20 miles this coming Saturday... I approached the National Half Marathon as just another training run. But with 12,000 friends and a medal.

So, I didn't push too hard. Didn't set any land speed records. Didn't even set any personal records. But I had a good run and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The TNT staff, coaches and volunteers were outstanding as usual, which really made the race a great experience for everyone.

And now, I shall focus on a little more fundraising and one more month of training to get ready for Nashville Country Music Marathon. Woot!!

As always, thanks so much for your support.

first blisters of the season...

so yesterday was a long one.... 18 miles in the pouring rain. and i mean POURING rain!

when we finally reached the end and i took my wet clothes off i had to wring them out before putting them in the truck... and even then, they still created puddles on the floor during the drive home.

my running shoes are still seriously wet... had to break out an old pair for my 30 min run this morning. and my feet are still pretty tender.... running in wet shoes set the stage for the first blisters of the season :(

18 miles is the longest run of the season so far.... there's only one longer run before we hit marathon day.

next week, an easy cruiser of just 13 miles.... the National Half Marathon in Washington DC.

the next week, 20 miles... and then we start to taper in preparation for Nashville Country Music Marathon.

so exciting!!

i'm still fundraising, as i'm about $400 shy of my fundraising minimum.... and about $800 shy of my personal goal.

as always, you can click the link in the upper right hand corner if you want to help me to reach my goal.

and, as always... thanks for your support!!

fundraising update...

the problem with my fundraising website is that it can take a very long time for donations to process if they are not made to the online website itself. this is rather frustrating, as it appears that i'm not making any progress, when in fact i am.

i have to remind myself of that regularly when i look at my funds raised and it never seems to go up.

the Dinner Done fundraiser was post-poned due to snow... happened just a couple of days ago, in fact. it was an absolute hoot (thanks ladies!) and although i don't have confirmation yet of how much it raised, i am thinking it will be about $150.

i volunteered for two shifts at the IHOP National Pancake Day fundraiser last week as well, and that brought in about $200 per shift last year. we're still waiting on the final numbers, but they're looking good so far.

and then, my husband's company Radiant Blue Technologies has also made a very generous donation...

so i'm actually only hundreds of dollars away from reaching my goal, not thousands as it seems.

a few more fundraisers, and i'll be there!

* * * * * *

we are just a few weeks away from the National (Half) Marathon... very exciting!

we're almost 8 weeks from the Nashville Country Music Marathon. and get this... when i was talking to my mom yesterday, she let slip that she and my dad are looking into flying down from Canada for race weekend!! how great is that???

blue skies day

after a couple tough weeks of trying to find places to run safely (what with enormous snowbanks and ice and traffic etc), it was so nice to get back to one of our usual training sites this morning... there was still a fair amount of snow and downed trees, but it was clear enough to spread out and enjoy the morning.

a surprise sixteen miles this morning.... the schedule showed just ten miles, after a long run of fourteen last week. but, to get us back on schedule, we skipped the ten miler and just leapt up to the longer miles.

ooof!

feeling very tired this evening....

tired, but good.

a cautionary tale...

so, this is what happens when you forget to apply BodyGlide before a 12 mile run...

I have BLISTERS, people!!

Mt Vernon Trail... a photo blog

Yesterday's training run... cold and snowy!

ugh!

i'm still feeling like i have lead weights attached to my limbs.... and have no reason or explanation why.

fundraiser at Uno's was something of a flop as well.... in spite of weeks of e-mail advertising by myself and my teammates, putting flyers on windows, and sitting at a table in front of the restaurant and handing out flyers as people walked in. really, how much easier could it be?

so, a lot of effort in organizing for very little return.

ugh.

feeling very discouraged at the moment.

however, the sun is shining and it's not too cold. i'm going to drop some things off at the Salvation Army and then go for my Thursday afternoon 4 mile run.

things can only get better.

set-backs and keeping on going...

i feel as though i was fighting myself pretty much every step of the way during my run this morning.... where i'm normally just getting warmed up by 2 miles, today i was pretty near done in by 2 miles. where normally in 45 mins i'm a little over 4 miles... today i had a hard time getting to 3 miles in 45 mins. and after 5 miles, i packed it in for the day before i hurt myself.

it was supposed to be a ten mile day... but nothing helped. more gatorade... didn't help. a Gu... didn't help. more water... didn't help. turning up the tunes... made me feel better, but didn't make me run any better.

it was just a struggle.

so tomorrow, i will go out and try to do it again.... maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

***

just checked my e-mail only to find that my Famous Dave's fundraiser on Thursday only brought in a grand total of $18. and i know for certain that 8 dollars of that was from the bill at our table.

all that energy put into getting out the word.... and it's a pretty effortless way to contribute to a good cause. just go for a meal, and the restaurant will make a donation...

however, the lovely people at Famous Dave's are going to round the donation up to an even $50.... which lifts my deflated fundraising spirits just a little.

hopefully today's Uno Chicago Grill fundraiser has a better turn out.

deep sigh.

getting my gear together to go spend the evening there.

wish me luck!!!

fundraise, run, fundraise!!

okay, fundraiser #1 completed last night... still waiting to hear how well we did.

tomorrow morning, ten mile run... solo, as if i want to have the truck i have to drive my sweetheart to work.... and if i run with the team, i won't be back in time. and i need the truck to do fundraising tomorrow.... hence the solo ten mile run. beurk!

then we're off to Uno's to try to raise some more money....

it's all go go go around here ;)

unfolding

I almost never read the electronic updates I receive from Runners World.... I get the magazine in the mail every month, and find it much more satisfying to hold it in my hands and flip the pages. Much nicer than staring at the computer screen and scrolling down....

However, for some unexplainable reason, when the Runners World update landed in my inbox this morning, I opened it... clicked on some random links (and registered for a draw to win some yoga gear, and a new car!)... and then came across an article about stolen moments. I have of course since then deleted the e-mail, and cannot now find the article on their website... but, in essence it was a story about unexpected gifts. Little bits of time that turn out differently from the way in which you had planned or expected... snow days where you get to stay home with the kids and realize just how much you've been missing them; begrudgingly taking the dog out for a quick walk on a cold and blustery day, and having it turn into an awesome run that left you feeling exhilarated and excited to do it again...

And she finished her article with the following quote:

I love when joy is tucked into a corner of life like a note, and I unfold it.

Kristin Armstrong, Runners World

It's always there, isn't it? We just have to keep our eyes and minds open enough to recognize that note when we see it, and then to remember to unfold it...

I like reminders such as these... taking your mind and your heart to new places. They remind us to really see the world, to be aware of the beauty in every day life. And they take us to those places where joy is tucked in like a little note.

four hilly miles

so, there is this paved trail that runs along a fairly major road, and it starts about a mile and a half from my house. this is where i had planned to do my mid-week runs when we first moved here, and then it snowed and the trail was a mess....

and then i finally got out there and ran it. problem is, it pretty much starts at the bottom of a long, and fairly steep hill. this has not been doing wonders for my motivation, let me tell you.

the sun is shining, and i feel like a run.... and then i start thinking about that hill, and i don't much feel like running any more.

this afternoon, i finally got smart. i drove myself to the top of that hill, parked the truck... and carried on with my run. still hilly, still along the edge of a busy road.... but no longer something to dread.

i had a great run... and i'm looking forward to Thursday's great run too, starting at the top of that hill.

more tasty fundraising opportunities!

Another fundraising opportunity!! This time in Manassas...

January 23, Uno Chicago Grill (10701 Bulloch Dr, Manassas... just off the 66 and Sudley Rd) will donate 20% of your bill to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, as long as you show up with one of our advertising "tickets".... see below.

I shall also be guest serving that evening. So far, we haven't exactly discussed what that will entail, but come on in and check me out in action!! I promise not to drop your food in your lap.

If you're interested, or know someone who might be... download the ticket below, distribute widely (wink wink), print it and bring it to the restaurant with you so that you can make a difference in the life of someone with a blood cancer simply by having dinner.

Couldn't be easier.

honoured teammates

Ran 6 miles with the Team Saturday morning, in the snow, uphill both ways, with a wind in my face... okay, so not uphill both ways, but otherwise... all true.

Then we had our "Honoured Teammate Picnic", where some of the people we are running for come in and share a post-run breakfast with us, and talk about their experiences with blood cancers, with Team in Training and the LLS, and about how what we do has impacted their lives. Very inspirational...

The photo below shows me still red-faced from the run, and our honoured teammate Carsten and his sister. Carsten was diagnosed with Leukemia when he was in kindergarten... he told us that some treatment days were really painful... "kind of like some of your long runs"...

Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

another chilly day for a run..

this morning i got up early to go staff the TNT booth at a local 5km race. as all the participants were collecting their race numbers and such in the local gym, i was kind of itchy to be participating too.... but as they began to stream back in after the race, saying what a hard race it had been due to the wind and cold temperatures, i was kind of glad to have missed it.

went out for a run on my own this afternoon though.... still blowy and cold, but at least as soon as i got home i was able to step into a warm shower to recover, rather than stand about waiting to hear the winning runners in each age category.

i like running in the winter, even if it is cold. i definitely prefer it to the August heat and humidity!! but it does have it's challenges...

c c c cold!

well, first group run of the year was a cold one! cold and windy and blue skies and sunshiney... glorious, really. except my legs felt like lead, and i just couldn't seem to find my rhythm for some reason.

it's still cold and windy and sunshiney... so blowy the power went out for a few hours.

which has made it rather frosty in the house.

making a hot chocolate to warm me while the heaters take their time in heating up the house.

not one of my mentees made it out for the run today.

:(

hoping that it is just the holidays... i know some people are still away until tomorrow.

next run, i hope to meet them all at last!

FUNdraiser!! Come eat some BBQ and support the efforts of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

Famous Dave's BBQ in Woodbridge VA (2430 Prince William Parkway) will be hosting a fundraiser for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on Thursday January 21, 2010.

Dine in or take out - Between 11 am and 10:30pm, if you let your server know you're there for the fundraiser, 10% of your check will be donated to the LLS at the end of the night. Better still, save the flyer below, print it and present it to your server so there can be no mistaking the fact that you're there for the fundraiser!

It's a great opportunitiy to enjoy some tasty BBQ and help to save someone's life at the same time! (And help me to meet my fundraising goals too)

Happy New Year!

2009 was quite the year... lost my mother-in-law to cancer, and four days later lost another friend to cancer. two weeks later, ran my first marathon. my husband retired... and found a new job. i completed my Masters degree. we bought a house, and moved two weeks ago...

2010 is looking to be a big year too... in a good way.

may the coming year bring you great happiness, success, adventure, love, and joy.