29 km / 18 miles...

so, i was back to running with my old shoes this morning... a little worried about the potential for further damage to my toes, but it turned out okay. i have a repeat blister on one toe, but it's one that i'm going to lose the nail on anyway... so no big wup, as they say.

i felt surprisingly good running this morning, considering that i've been fighting off a cold for almost two weeks, and considering that i struggled a bit to finish 10 miles last week. but today, i'm feeling better... it was warmer, sunny and beautiful. we saw loads of flame red cardinals along the W&OD trail as we ran from Reston to Fairfax, Fairfax back to Reston, Reston to Herdon and back to Reston again.

i felt good up to about mile 14, then i started to get tired... and the last mile was a bit of a struggle, but i did it.

then i came home and took Bailey out for a walk... after i picked up the shredded remains of our mail (which he had eaten, including the latest movie from Netflix!)

it's probably good that he's here this week, as it meant i got out for a few short walks this afternoon and evening, and kept my stiffening legs from seizing up entirely. he does make it difficult to stretch though, with his sniffy nose in my face and climbing into my lap ...

oh so sad...

my beautiful brand new running shoes that i bought yesterday really really hurt my feet!

i've been wearing Mizuno Wave Nirvana shoes for several reincarnations now, and have always loved them. and these felt good to start with... but about a mile and a half into this evening's run my feet started to hurt like crazy. the only difference between this pair and the last few that i've bought are whatever changes the company has made, and i went up a size to try to prevent the purple toenail effect that the current shoes have on runs longer than 12 miles.

i had hoped to have my new shoes broken in at least a little bit (three days of wearing about the house and at least one run) before my 18 mile/29 km run on Saturday morning. and now i'm going to have to go back tomorrow afternoon and try to find a pair that fits me better... and won't get to have a run in them before Saturday, in which case i'm wondering if i should stick to the old pair after all...

(sad face)

pom-pom squad

i have always been a sporadic runner...

enthusiastic for a few weeks or months, particularly if i have someone to run with... and then i get bored or distracted and stop running for a while (a few months, or a few years). then i come back to it, and the cycle starts all over again.

the only time i ever ran consistently was when my mom and i trained for the Marathon des Deux Rives (Quebec) in 2002. we ran the second half of the marathon, across the St Laurence River and into beautiful Vieux Quebec.

it was tough, but we did it and were enormously proud of ourselves...



then i moved to Paris and got into inline skating. running shoes went back in the closet.

but now that i'm running again, my mom's been incredibly supportive. she has started running again as well, with my cousin. she checks in regularly to see how the runs are going, and to cheer me on. and, she has supported my fundraising efforts too (thanks mom & dad... hope you win that new Mercedes-Benz!)... and now, with race day suddenly just an intimidating 6 weeks away... my mom and dad are looking into the possibility of coming down for the race.

even if they don't make it, i'm touched that they want to come, and that they are so supportive. imagine, my own personal cheering squad coming from Canada :-)
(i hope they do make it though!!)

more shout outs..

Once again, I would like to say a big thank you to my friend Ron, who is an absolute gem. He has been nothing but supportive since day one (in fact, Ron's part of the reason I decided to join Team In Training)... and most recently he used his personal blog to encourage people to support my fundraising efforts.


And I would like to say thank you to Ron's friend Kerry, who promptly made a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society via my TNT Fundraising page.


Your kindness and generosity are greatly appreciated.

a little reminder

Feeling stiff and sore after yesterday's run, still having problems with my hip, looking at my running shoes and realizing that I really DO have to fork out the cash for a new pair, looking at my fundraising page and wondering if I'm ever going to reach my goal.... I thought I'd best remind myself why I am doing this.

I running to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society strives to find cures for Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkins disease and Myeloma, as well as improving the quality of life for patients and their families. LLS is making progress and a difference, and the five-year survival rates have risen significantly, but there's still so much more that needs to be done.

Every five minutes someone is diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma. Every ten minutes, another child or adult is expected to die from one of these blood cancers. Lymphoma is the leading disease killer in men/women under the age of 35. Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20.

And so, I'll put on my shoes this afternoon and head out for my run with those thoughts in my head. I'll find the money to go buy new shoes this week with those thoughts in my head. I'll brainstorm another fabulous fundraising idea with those thoughts in my head.

In those small ways, I can help the LLS to make a difference in someone's life.

(photo credit: Ron Carino ~ 2009 Kaiser SF Half Marathon)

shout outs...

just want to send out a few words of gratitude:

a big thank you to my uncle Chris for his generous donation...

$200 will fund a Family Support Group Program for one year, where comfort and support can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members, guided and mediated by a trained facilitator.

**

another big thank you to my friend Ron for his generous donation...

$100 will provide laboratory researchers with supplies and materials that are critical to carrying out their search for cures.

**

and a little thank you to my sweetheart for taking care of my tender tootsies this week.

when i'm out walking i strut my stuff...

So, I got these two little blisters on the tips of my second toes on Saturday. I've never had blisters there... They were a little sensitive, but no big deal.

That is, until I went snowboarding on Sunday. By the time I got my boots off at the end of the day, the toenail on my left foot was turning purple.. and the toenail on my right was threatening to pop off because the blister had grown so large underneath it.

NOT FUN!

I've done a little self-surgery... lanced the blisters and drained them (ew, gross!) and soaked them in an epsom salts bath. Sigh. Such a relief!

I am optimistic that I will achieve a full recovery. Hopefully before next Saturday's long run.