The Lemon Run

The itch to run is back. Not a marathon, for sure. But to get on my tights, lace up my shoes and run.

The Lemon Run is this Sunday at Memorial Hsll, and I am so tempted. Will you come and run/walk with me? What a great way to finish my Team Lemon experience - a 5K for Alex's Lemonade Stand.

Register here: http://www.alexslemonade.org/campaign/lemon-run

Pictures from the MCM

A few good, but mostly hilariously bad photos from the race.

Enjoy!

Marine Corps Marathon

Let me spoil the ending for you: Dan & I finished the Marine Corps Marathon!

On Friday afternoon, we drove to DC just in time to hit rush hour. Yay! We made it to the Expo, where we had enough time to buy some official race jackets (hey, you can't wear your medal every day, but you can wear your jacket every day!) and take some silly pictures:

From there we went to the First Timers Pep Rally in DC. We figured the speakers wouldn't hit the stage until 8 PM, since the event was from 7-9 PM. We got there around 7:30 PM, and then remembered we were surrounded by Marines and of COURSE they started right at 7 PM. We basically missed all of the free food and good speakers. Bummer. We hung out for a little bit before eating dinner at the hotel and heading back to crash.

Saturday was a very calm day, since we wanted to save our legs for the marathon. We met up with our DC friends for brunch at Busboys & Poets, where the food was delicious and the wait staff pretentious. From there we went to the Women in Military Service For America Memorial, where my Grandmom was a charter member. The Women In Military Service For America Memorial is a unique, living memorial honoring all military women - past, present and future. I haven't been since 7th grade, and a lot has been done since. It was very moving, and appropriate given the marathon we were about to run. We gave our thanks and then went off to the Team Lemon dinner.

Photo Courtsey of Journey of a Canuck Mom on the Run

It was great meeting new people hearing everyone's running stories and how they found out about Alex's Lemonade Stand. We didn't stay long because we wanted to meet up with Katie and Kathleen before the big day.

Before we knew it, it was race morning!

We actually got up with the first alarm, got ready, and then took off for the big day. Between walking to Runner's Village (the staging area for all of us), checking our bags, and using the bathroom the time really flew by. Before we knew it, we were starting.


The first half of the race was great. If I didn't have a 15(?) minute bathroom stop right before the halfway mark, I would have PRed for my half marathon time. Despite a huge blister on my right foot, I was feeling good. I was confident we'd finish with our 5:30 group, maybe a little later. I thought for sure we'd finish under 6 hours though.

After my bathroom break, I started to get tired and hungry.

After I beat the bridge at mile 20, I emotionally hit the wall. Then, after mile 21, I physically did too. Something in my ankle snapped, and it hurt to put too much weight on it. I would try running in one minute intervals, but even then the pain was too much. I kept thinking, "Why am I doing this? This won't bring Justin back. What is the point?"  It was a long 5 miles. Dan pushed me to run up the hill, where after my medal I hobbled to the medic tent.

The end!

 Running up Iwo Jima with soliders from the UK Army.

We finished in 6 hours and 33 minutes. A full hour slower than I had hoped. At this point Sandy started to kick in, and we met up with our cheerleaders and personal assistants Katie and Kathleen so that we could head back to the room to decompress and shower before the long ride with Sandy home. In New Jersey, Sandy has kept us busy enough that processing the marathon hasn't really been an option. We were lucky that our town was spared.

I had my final PT appointment today. While they were taking measurements, we hashed out the marathon and my ankle and everything else. I told them that I was glad that if I was going to do one marathon in my life, I'm so glad it was this one. While my time was disappointing, my training and race day was not. I've learned a lot about myself during this journey; I also never realized what a support system I had around me. People from all different parts of my life have cheered me on these past four months. It's been incredible every step of the way. As I was gushing about how great Dan has been since the first time I attempted Couch to 5K, they gave me the great news that I've met 90% of my goals and that I wouldn't need to come back!

309.58 miles. 68.15 hours (not counting cross training).12 PT visits. 6 states. $1,813 raised. It's been a long journey. Thank you to everyone that's followed it.

Rain Rain, Go Away

I’ve been freaking out about the upcoming hurricane that’s ready to crawl her way through the marathon with us on Sunday. I’m trying to keep positive though. Negative thoughts will not ruin this experience.

I’ll think of the man who greatly shaped the athlete I’ve become – my tennis instructor, Dan. My dad dragged me to tennis lessons in 6^th grade, and I was not happy about it. Dan didn’t care. He taught me week after week for six years. Dan served in the Marine Corps for four years, and that must have taught him patience and perseverance to deal with me. Two things I’ll need when shuffling along this weekend, for sure.  I’ll also think of my grandmother, also known as one of the coolest ladies to ever walk the planet. She was a Marine during World War II. Thinking of her tough love has forced me to suck it up. It’s not like I’d be comfortable even if it was 60 and partly sunny.

I’ll be thinking about how around 2pm on Sunday, this will all be over. Training will be done, and I will get to celebrate my accomplishments. For children battling cancer, this is not the case. There is no end in sight. I’m sure they’d love to run around in the rain for 6 hours and then be free from pain. I’ll be thinking how grateful I am that this does have an ending. How lucky am I?

I’ll keep in mind the hard work I’ve done. I’ve run almost 290 miles since the end of June. I’ve gone to 10 sessions of physical therapy, with my final session being tonight. I’ve spent hours cross training at the gym. Hurricane Sandy does not get to discount all the time I’ve put in:

Sandy can take her rain and 22mph winds and bring it on. It’s a MARINE CORPS Marathon, after all!

The Final Countdown

It's official. The marathon is in less than a week. I'd like to say training has been going well, but my last two long runs have been a bust. On October 13, I was supposed to do 12 miles, but then this happened:

Took it easy all the next week, got my runs in when I could. This weekend I was supposed to do 8, but then this happened:

So now, after the party of the year, I get to switch gears and focus on the Marine Corps Marathon. Oh boy.

"You're running on guts. On fumes. Your muscles twitch. You throw up. You're delirious. But you keep running because there's no way out of this hell you're in, because there's no way you're not crossing the finish line. It's a misery that non-runners don't understand."
-Martine Costello

First time.

Lots of firsts for me this weekend. First time in Syracuse in the fall.

Green Lakes State Park

First time at the LaFayette Apple Festival.

 Jabba the Pumpkin

Carbo-loading with apple fritters.

First time needing to pee in the woods during a run.

Finding privacy was a challenge at Old Erie Canal State Historic Park.

First time being heckled during a run. Said I was cheating for walking. He's lucky he didn't end up in the bottom of here:

No seriously, it's a good thing he caught me at mile 19. Too exhausted to be violent.

First time running 20 miles. I was only supposed to go 14-16, but around mile 8 I decided that this needed to be my last super long run. It was slow. After mile 15, it was painful. It was the first time I had to walk for a solid mile during a run just to keep my sanity.

 Time to start tapering!

Race Recap: The Four Seasons Parkway Run

The Four Seasons Parkway Run for Children’s Cancer Research is a 5K that starts at the Four Seasons outside of Logan Square, runs along West River Drive, and then back to the Four Seasons for a complete breakfast.  Good cause and good food!? I was all:

But then I was sidelined, and then when I tried to run again, with every step the pain got worse. I was supposed to run 9 miles on Saturday, how was I going to swing that plus a 5K on Sunday? So instead, Dan and I decided to do 6 miles after the 5K instead, making time for this:

Oktoberfest celebrations made it tough to get out the door in the morning, but knowing we were meeting up with Christine provided the right motivation to not ditch the cheese to my macaroni. We stayed with Christine until about the first mile or so, and then Dan and I slowed it down. Between my busted hip, and his bruised ankle, we were feeling pretty blah around mile 2.5. We sucked it up, got through it, found Christine and then ate a feast before going back out for another 5.8 miles.

Without the pressure of 7,000 other participants, we took the rest of the run much easier. We ran from the hotel to Kelly Drive and back. A very pretty run, and a nice change of pace from south Jersey. The last few miles killed me though.

The Parkway Run raised over $850,000 for the Cancer Center at CHOP, and the Four Seasons really accommodated the large group with the same excellence as they do with their hotels. While the race festivities were going on, the Cancer Center at CHOP held a candlelight vigil for the children that passed this year.

We miss you buddy.

Because Cancer Doesn't Care About Setbacks

Did you know?

• One in every 330 Americans develops cancer before the age of twenty.
  
• On the average, 36 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer everyday in the United States.
• On the average, one in every four elementary schools has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are current or former cancer patients.
• Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15 in the United States.
• Childhood cancers affect more potential patient-years of life than any other cancer except breast and lung cancer.
• The causes of most childhood cancers are unknown. At present, childhood cancer cannot be prevented.
• Childhood cancer occurs regularly, randomly and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. In the United States, the incidence of cancer among adolescents and young adults is increasing at a greater rate than any other age group, except those over 65 years.
• Despite these facts, childhood cancer research is vastly and consistently underfunded.

Source: ALSF

In celebration of Childhood Cancer Awareness month, Alex's Lemondade Stand's founding corporate sponsor, Volvo, has announced that they will match all donations made to Team Lemon fundraising pages. Support me and double your impact in the fight against childhood cancer. This means a $25 donation becomes $50, which funds one hour of childhood cancer research.

If you were considering donating some spare change in Justin's memory, now is the time. Please consider donating to my Team Lemon page here.

Thank you, as always, for your love and support.

Back in service!

My hip and knee were tight, but nothing I couldn't handle. We'll see how tomorrow goes, but so far I'm feeling good!

Hippy dippy

After two doctor appointments, x-rays, and an MRI, I have been diagnosed with greater trochanteric pain syndrome and a hip flexor strain. Despite the long and scary names, I am still cleared to train for the marathon, and go back for a follow up appointment the week after the race. I am to go to physical therapy 2-3 times a week for 6-8 weeks for “dynamic core stabilization, hip flexor and hip external rotator stretching and strengthening.”

The doctor said it will not necessarily be pain free to run, but with physical therapy and modifying my running plan from 4 times a week to 3 times a week, things shouldn’t get worse. If the pain becomes unbearable, I can make an appointment for a cortisone shot. That is definitely a last resort though.

This is some great news, since my doctor was very concerned it was a stress fracture. Thank you to everyone that listened to me freak out over having a broken hip before 30. The MRI proved that my bones are nice and strong, even if my tendons were inflamed and angry with me.

From here, I modified my running plan, and sent it over to my Team Lemon coach to get her feedback. During my two week vacation, the fall weather has arrived. I’m so glad not to miss my favorite running season. Best part – not having to wake up at 6 AM to get a run in without melting.

Less than five weeks to go!

Sidelined

Here we are, 5 ½ weeks out from the marathon, and I’ve been sidelined.

Sometime last week I noticed I had a little hip pain that would work its way out if I warmed up and/or stretched. I took a couple days off before the 16 miler, and took the long run nice and slow. We started with a 5 minute warm up, kept the pace when running around a 12 minute mile, and made sure to walk every 5 minutes with a 1 minute walk break. My only concern was finishing in under a 14 minute mile, which is the pacing requirement. We did the 16 miles at an average 13:35/mi pace. Goal accomplished!

Monday was a scheduled rest day. I noticed my hip was sorer than before, but you’d think everything would be sore after 16 miles. Then Tuesday Dan and I went out for an easy 4 miler and I noticed the pain was way worse. Running made the pain shoot down from my hip, down my inner thigh, and to my right knee. We kept it to a simple walk, and stretched that night. Yesterday I woke up and the pain was worse, and more focused on my knee. I called the Rothman Institute and set up an appointment with a Sports Medicine specialist, and went on a walk later that night.

Today I woke up and the pain is almost exclusively in my knee. I asked my resident exercise expert about the pain moving and she said:

Haley:  your body compensates for itself, so your knee and quad muscles are probably taking more of the stress and taking it off the hip

Fabulous. So now what?

I started researching some injury-adjusted marathon plans. Sunday was 7 weeks from the marathon, so here’s the internet recommended plan:

Injured 5 to 8 Weeks Before Marathon

Recovery Time	Adjustments
Up to 1 Week	Pick up with current training week @75% of recommended volume for one week. Then resume normal training.
1 - 2 Weeks	Pick up with current training week @ 50% of recommended volume for one week and 75% of recommended volume for a second week. Then resume normal training.
2 - 3 Weeks	Pick up with current training week @ 50% of recommended volume for one week and 75% of recommended volume for a second week. then resume normal training. The limited time to complete training will make meeting your goal difficult. I would strongly recommend reducing your goal or going to an alternate marathon.
4 Weeks or more	Difficult to recover from and still run your goal marathon. Consider an alternate marathon.

I am hoping that by the time my appointment rolls around on September 20, I will be recovered and will only need to ask for prevention advice and hope the doctor agrees with the 1-2 weeks plan. Normally I wouldn’t go to the doctor, just rest, but being so close to the marathon I don’t want to do anything stupid. In the meantime, I bought The Stick to help stretch out my muscles, and will be starting these circuits at the gym to try to prevent detraining.

What happens if I get bad news from the doctor?

I have always said I will not let the marathon cause permanent injury. I will not train and run hurt. I will happily go to DC and cheer on Dan and Patty on the sidelines. Since my appointment is after the deferral date, I will probably lose my bib money. Upsetting, but I’ve lost more money at the casinos. From there, depending on how I heal up, I have a few options:

·         The Harrisburg Marathon or Richmond Marathon would be my best bets. They’re only 2 weeks after the Marine Corps Marathon, so I wouldn’t be that far off track.

·         The Rehoboth Beach Marathon is December 8. This would be a good option if I really feel like I’ve lost my training, especially since I’ll be working during the Philly full and the following weekend is Thanksgiving.

·         I could decide screw it and ask Team Lemon if I could use the money I’ve raised so far to count toward the Florida Keys Ragnar Relays. It's not a marathon, but it's a unique event that requires a lot of training!

The planner in me feels more comfortable knowing there are other options; that all my training wasn’t a waste of time. I’m going to be positive though and assume I will still be good to go for October 28. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Have you ever been sidelined by an injury? How did you get past it? Got any old wives’ tales or pieces of advice to share?

No one knows what to say about a beautiful boy who died.

Yesterday, Dan and I ran 16 miles. We actually had a good time. We ran in Medford Lakes, hid Powerades in my dad’s mailbox, and followed every Courtesy Route sign we say until the Garmin said we could stop. It was the first time in a while I enjoyed running, that Dan enjoyed running with me, and that running the marathon actually seemed possible.

I was set to have a happy blog post today, and then while reading my celebrity gossip blog I came across this article:  Ronan's Mother Responds To Taylor Swift Song

Curious, I clicked the story... and then I started skimming. I tried not to read too much about Roman’s story. I already knew it. We all do. Life is wonderful until a brain tumor suddenly invades a child’s brain, and then the world might as well stop spinning. I didn’t need to know the particulars of how cruel and unfair cancer was to this little boy. I didn’t want the guilt of knowing we had Justin for 11 years; the world only had Roman for 4. How have I been lucky enough to be given 27, and hopefully even more?

I couldn’t stop thinking about Roman and his bright blue eyes, eyes as bright as Justin’s. I read the song lyrics and cried. The song was written about Roman, but for all parents that have had to bury their babies. For all of us that have been touched by little angels, that have prayed for miracles, that are left behind.

President Obama declared September National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month on August 31. Thanks to Taylor Swift, maybe now more money will be raised for pediatric cancers. Regardless, I’ll keep putting one foot in front of the other, hoping it inspires others to donate in memory of Justin, Roman, Alex, and all the other children who’ve lost their lives to cancer.

Race Recap: Disneyland Half Marathon

So here’s my disclaimer: I went into the whole Disneyland experience thinking it wouldn’t be as magnificent as Disney World. I don’t know why. If anything Disneyland should be better than Disney World. After all, it is the original; the framework to making Magic Kingdom “The Most Magical Place on Earth.” As a Disney lover, I should be paying homage to the resort Walt actually saw to completion. Instead, I was afraid I’d spend the entire trip saying, “Well in Disney World…”

I was right. I couldn’t help it. Disneyland is the perfect snapshot of Disney World; it has all its greatest hits. I had hoped for more Disneyland originals in terms of the rides and shows, but they were far and few between. It did make it easy to determine what rides to check out, and allowed up to maximize our day between the two parks. It’s a snippet of the Disney World experience though, and it left me wanting more.

 Aw, it's so tiny and cute!

Since I was comparing Disney World to Disneyland, I couldn’t help but contrast the Disney Princess Half to Disneyland Half. The Disney Princess Half was everything I had hoped, which is good considering the price tag. The Disneyland Half rarely matched up. This isn’t to say it was a bad race – on the whole, it was a fun race, and if it was in the Philadelphia area, I’d sign up again. I wouldn’t, however, go all the way across the country to do it again.

I loved how close and convenient it was to get to the starting line from all of the area hotels. We had to walk through Downtown Disney, and a lot of the food places were open at 4 AM, ready to feed and caffeinate us. I wish Disneyland had told us the businesses would be open, but that’s okay. They could have and we just missed it. The finish line was also next to the start line, which made it an easy trip “home” in time to shower and check out. An easy start/finish is crucial to the experience, especially when you need to be in your corral by 5 AM.

The race itself was pretty boring. The first couple miles were through the two parks, and then it was all industrial roads until we hit the Anaheim Angels stadium. After that it was more boring roads until the end. Running through the stadium was probably my favorite part, even if it was really crowded. The course was also pretty narrow, and with 17,000 it really stressed me out. There were a lot of spectators out cheering for us, which was awesome, but I was expecting more of the Disney flair. The characters that were out were limited, and on the whole the race was less dramatic than the Princess. Probably because the race was on public roads and not Disney World on ramps, but still – don’t tell me Disney doesn’t have enough money to put a pirate ship in the middle of the road!

That being said, I wouldn’t have been able to see any of it anyway. We were running into the sun the majority of the time. Looking at my official race photos, you’d think I ran the entire race with my eyes closed:

I wanted to buy the photos, but I’m not sure I can justify $99 on photos of me sleep-running.

The Coast-to-Coast medal was absolutely worth pursuing, because I doubt I would have made it to Disneyland otherwise. Dan and I had a blast in the parks, and I PRed at the race by over 10 minutes!

#EveryMileMatters

I’ve been lacking motivation. The running has been taking a toll on my body. Skin, muscles, brain – you name it, it’s exhausted. Dan and I have the Disneyland Half Marathon coming up Sunday, and I’m not even excited about it. All I can think about is how I have 146.2 miles to run in September alone. That’s only 37.82 miles LESS than what from the end of June through tomorrow.

Then I saw someone posting on Facebook about a new running app. Always a sucker for anything that might make me move faster, I clicked to find out more.

Now you can change the world just by walking, running or biking. All you need is an iPhone or an Android and the free Charity Miles app. As you walk, run or bike, the app will track your distance and you'll raise awareness and earn money for your charity:

• bikers earn 10¢ per mile;
• walkers and runners earn 25¢ per mile;
• all up to One Million Dollars, courtesy of our corporate sponsors.

So wait, just by getting my butt in gear I can earn money for charity? And I don’t have to beg my friends for it? Sign me up!

But wait… Where does the money come from? According to the Terms and Conditions:

We have committed a $1,000,000 purse (the “Purse”) for users like you to earn on behalf of the Charities.  We hope to increase the size of the Purse by attracting sponsorships from third party sponsors (each, a “Sponsor”) who, for various reasons, may desire to sponsor Charity Miles and our users.  If we are able to attract sponsorships in excess of the Purse, then we will increase the size of the Purse—thereby increasing the amount of money that you and other users can earn for the Charities. 

Okay, fine. There’s got to be a down side. The biggest “problem” with the app, according to iTunes and Android reviews? You’re forced to have a Facebook account, and you have to sync your activity from the app to your Facebook. People across the reviews hate this. However, it makes sense why in the Terms:

When you finish a session, the Application will summarize your achievements and offer you a sponsorship for your Charity.  To accept the sponsorship, you will be asked to share your achievements, raise awareness for your Charity and (please) thank your Sponsor on Facebook and/or Twitter.  In each instance, we will present you with a proposed but editable message to share.  Subject to the User Content Rules (described below) you can say anything you want in these messages.  However, as we discuss below, we encourage you to thank your Sponsors.

Also, please note: if you do not accept the sponsorship, then your achievements will not accrue on behalf of your Charity.  We have instituted this policy for two reasons.  First, walking, running and biking for charity is not just about raising money—it is also about raising awareness.  Therefore, we want to encourage you to use Charity Miles to promote your Charities as much as possible.  

Second, while our Sponsors are genuinely grateful for the opportunity to support you, we are just as grateful for their support.  So, if you are grateful for your Sponsor’s support, then we encourage you to promote them too.  It’s not required.  But the point of Charity Miles is to turn amateur walkers, runners and bikers into sponsored athletes.  And just like professionally sponsored athletes, we should try to do right by our Sponsors.  Remember: the more we support our sponsors, the more they will support us.  And the more they support us, the bigger the Purse will be for the Charities!

Okay, makes sense. You can also adjust your privacy settings so that only you can see the posts. I haven’t tried the app yet, so I don’t know how annoying the Facebook spamming is. However, my mother always told me to write thank you notes. If I’m earning free money, I am going to say thank you.

There are also some complaints about the GPS signal not being strong, and not all the miles being calculated. Well, that sucks, but it was free money to begin with. Something is better than nothing, and I’m sure as the app picks up in popularity, this kink will be worked out.

Two things that would make this app perfect? Allow us to sync our runs from our preferred GPS device (Garmin, Nike+, RunKeeper, whatever). I also wish you could somehow track treadmill running into this app. There are some days where I just can’t make it outside. It’s bad enough that I feel like I’m on a hamster wheel, don’t tell me that my treadmill miles don’t actually count!

I certainly don’t think I’d use this app as my primary mileage logger, but if I can turn my 146.2 miles into $36.55 for charity, why not? Especially if it goes to puppies and kitties.

Have you run or bikes with Charity Miles? What are your experiences with the app?

Gratitude

After my last post, I begged for more donations on Facebook. I was so close to my goal of $1,000, and I'm not above groveling. It worked!!!

Thank you so much to everyone that has supported me both emotionally and financially.  This money will not bring Justin back, but it will go towards childhood cancers. For those who haven't donated, the best part about your donation is you can specify where it goes. Thank you to those who donated, no matter what area you chose.

In other great news, in celebration of Childhood Cancer Awareness month, ALSF's founding corporate sponsor, Volvo, has announced that they will match all Team Lemon donations to my race fundraising efforts made from now through September. So please don't think that just because I hit goal means I am going to stop fundraising. Volvo will double my total raised, so I will work harder than ever!

Since I have started fundraising, I have run in honor of Justin:

 

Thank you Justin, for inspiring me in ways I never thought possible. We love you, and we miss you.

Running in Slow Motion

After I was finally feeling faster and stronger in my runs, the middle of August hit and I feel like I’ve been going backwards. It's been hard to blog because even with using childhood cancer as motivation, I still suck at this.

On August 11 and 12, the long runs were enough to make me want to quit. On Saturday, August 11 Dan came with me to tackle the 12 miles before our haircuts that afternoon. The weekend was packed – following the hair appointments, we were heading up to New Brunswick for a wedding, and the next day driving down to a friend’s place in Drexel Hill for an afternoon BBQ.

I don’t remember the specifics. I think I blocked them all out. I do remember we started late, my stomach hurt, my legs felt like lead, and 4 miles in I realized we weren’t going to have time to finish. We walked about two miles home, me pouting all along the way, and swore to do it the morning after the wedding. The wedding itself was beautiful, and it was great to catch up with Dan’s friends from Princeton. I hadn’t seen some of them in years!

We slept in until about 8 AM, found the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park, and decided we were going to run through New Brunswick to get there, run there, and then be back in time to check out from the hotel and then head down to Drexel Hill. We were completely unprepared, under fueled, dehydrated, and basically messes. Things were going really well for the first couple miles, and then we got lost. The sun was blazing. We had to travel on roads without sidewalk and no shoulder. We finally found our entrance to the park, and we basically had to ford the river. REALLY?! After we crossed the river (no oxen died), we hit a beautiful, shaded trail that I’d love to explore again.

By the time we hit mile 5 we were out of water and out Shot Blok was gone. We decided to turn around and surrender. We took a more direct route back to the hotel, which prevented us from getting lost, but provided zero shade and some scary neighborhoods. I think the only time I ran during those two-ish miles was when Starbucks was in sight. Dan and I spent over $20 in non-coffee beverages, we were so thirsty. We happily walked and chugged out beverages, and made it back to the hotel. We completed 10.1 miles of the needed 12. I tried to shake it off that we really did 14.33 in 24 hours, and that was close enough. I was very disappointed though.

Monday I excelled at the rest day, and went to Target and bought enough fuel so that Dan and I would never crash on a trail again.

Then Tuesday I woke up with a cold. My midweek runs were scheduled to be 3 miles, 7 miles, 4 miles, but I was scared that I was going to feel worse Wednesday, so I did the 7 Tuesday. Wednesday my car battery died, and I didn’t get home until 8 PM. Thursday I took a sick day from work and training. Friday didn’t go much better. Saturday was Natalie’s dress fitting and shower, so Dan and I just took a walk for cross training.

Sunday Dan and I set out for 15 miles. It took about a half hour longer than I would have liked, but at least this time we were hydrated and fueled. I was feeling pretty miserable from mile 1, but I finished and that’s all I care about. Here I am, sore two days later and praying my 3 miles tonight doesn’t kill, and that it doesn’t drag. I’m over these miles going in slow motion!

Gearing Up

I got my runs in this week. They were all on the treadmill and would have been super boring if not for the Olympics. I’m too obsessed with the Olympics to waste an hour running outside and missing some event that I’ll never watch again, like water polo. Spoken like a true faux athlete.

Let’s talk about gear instead! I acquired a lot of it this week. First up: new shoes!

 

I tried really hard to like my Mizunos. I went and got fitted, and I wanted us to be BBFs and run together forever (or until I hit too many miles). However, those little jerks loved to rub me the wrong way. I got fancy socks, fancy band-aids, and it didn’t matter. After getting blistered in the arch of my foot, I decided enough was enough. I Googled “shoes for fat runners,” did a whole lot more research, and then found these babies on sale at Nordstrom. Oh, they were so pretty, and Asics treated me so well when training for the Disney Princess Half. I harassed everyone on GChat that was available, and I think they told me to get the shoes so I’d stop whining. Considering I could barely walk, I agreed, and instead of watching the Olympics and getting my 3 mile run in, I went to the Cherry Hill Mall to surrender my wallet. I got my beautiful new shoes, along with my official “marathon” capris that are not only flattering but also on supersale:

I also headed to the Disney Store and got my Minnie ears for the Disneyland Half Marathon:

I hobbled back to the car, exhausted but satisfied. I swore I’d test out the new shoes for my 3 mile run Friday. Instead I went to Wal-Mart and spent a couple hours selling my soul in the name of a cheap DIY Minnie costume. Soul sucked dry, I came home and fell asleep on the couch. For hours. How productive of me.

Saturday I had 7 miles to do. By the time I got outside, it was approximately a million degrees and lasted 1.2 miles before resigning myself to the treadmill, yet again. I started from scratch and got done the 7 miles in 1:21:50. I realized during the run I’d officially cross over 100 miles complete since starting on 6/25:

Sunday I got up earlyish to watch the end of the women’s marathon, then watched some of the men’s singles gold match before heading to the gym and biking for the final 45 minutes of it. Since my legs were feeling sore, I decided to try out my super cool looking PRO Compression socks:

I have to say, my legs felt a lot better with them on than not! They didn’t provide any cushioning though, so I think they will have to be for recovery more than during a run. I came back and checked the mail finally (oops) and saw my Team Lemon shirt arrived!

I guess that means I really have to run this thing, doesn’t it?