The Cause, the cause, the cause

We had a TEAM meeting tonight; we discussed proper footwear, which, since I am a tireless internet researcher, I already have. And we also discussed fundraising. Tons of cool ideas to help me reach my goal. I'm going to implement some of them over the next few months, so if you get multiple emails from me begging you to - SERIOUSLY, COULD YOU AT LEAST GO ONLINE AND GIVE ME A DOLLAR OR SOMETHING!!! just go about your business and delete them with all the other junk you get. Or you could check out my TEAM website, donate some cash, help some people struggling with a terrible disease, you get the idea.

I have gotten lots of support already from random people that I wouldn't expect, and I do appreciate it.

Tonight's run was on the treadmill again, 5 miles. And I did it in honor of our TEAM's honored hero, Oliva Cheek. Much more on her later.

Chance of Rain Inside The Gym - 0%, My Friend

I've been feeling a little puny the past few days, but I knew I had to get my "long" run in. I missed the GTS (Group Training Session) with the TEAM, due to them kidz and I in Dublin for Thanksgiving syndrome or TKAIIDFT syndrome for short. Plus it's been raining off and on all day, and I don't want to push the puny into full blown sick.

So, I decided to run on the treadmill today. Once I got going it went really well. I ran 10K in about 57 minutes, which is a record for me. I know the treadmill is way easier than the road, but still.

Tonight, I thought about Michelle, a friend of mine. She sent me a quick email and told me about her family and their struggle with cancer. Four of her Aunt's: Nell, Shirley, Cricket, Margie, all died from it. So, tonight's run is in honor of them.

If you want to donate to my TEAM in Training cause and our fight against Leukemia and Lymphoma you can click on the link to the right. You can also go to my TNT webpage, or the society's, and learn more about what they do and how your donation will make a difference.

Chance of Rain during my run 60% - Better Make it 100%

Happy Thanksgiving.

I set out on my 10K run this morning, thinking of my Mom, Sandy. Today's run is in honor of her. She has been a great devoted mother to me, and she has fought off liver cancer twice. I remember that day in the hospital in Thomasville, when the doctor came in and said, "It's Cancer" Truly one of the worst days in my life, but we and she got through it, twice. So, I thought of her often as this run progressed. Today was not easy; it started pouring down rain, I broke down and had to walk some, and it was really hard to start back up each time and try to finish, if not strong, then just OK.

I feel pretty good now, and I'm about to go to Dublin to spend Thanksgiving with both sides of my family. And I'm going to give my Mom a bear hug when I see her.

My Grandmother Payne

I just finished tonight's run, and it was tough. Not the run itself, but the running in the first place. I worked until 8 and got home around 8:35. The whole way home I was thinking, "Well, I won't run tonight. I'll run in the morning. I've got things to do, and I'm hungry" These kinds of excuses keep me and lots of others from just getting out there and doing it.

But one of the TEAM in Training video's I've seen had a scene in it where one of the coaches was telling everyone that the first mile sucks (everyone laughs), but it doesn't suck nearly as much as what someone battling cancer is going through. I thought about that as I was pulling in the driveway, and I thought, "All right, you are going to go inside, throw on your shoes, and do your 5K" And the run tonight felt like nothing. It was one of the easiest runs I've ever done. I didn't stop, I didn't take water with me, I didn't fade at the end, I just ran, and it felt great. It's the getting going in the first place that is the hard thing.

As I was running, I thought about an email that my Daddy sent me. He told me that my Grandmother Payne, who died of cervical cancer, would be proud of me for supporting this project. That led me to think of all the other people that I know personally or know of who are the real heroes.

So, I'm going to dedicate every run from here on out to someone I know who has fought or is fighting cancer. I may run out of people, we'll see. If you want me to run in honor of someone that you know, send me their picture, or tell me their story. I'll do the run, and I'll include them (if you don't mind) in an email or a blog posting. Having those thoughts running thru my head as I'm going are much more motivating than my ipod or the cool new shoes I felt I deserved.

If you get a chance, please check out my Team in Training Website. You can donate to the cause, and help support my Marathon training. You can also follow the links to learn more about TEAM in Training and the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

Thanks

Politics and Runnin'

I think the story isn't "What if Hillary tanks??" because we don't know if that is going to happen or not. The story is that Rudy "911" Guliani is getting stronger and stronger, and could be capable of showing some real depth. Scroll down a bit in this Slate article and see what you think...

Oh, yeah... Did I mention that I'm running a marathon next year, and that I would love you forever if you helped out and donated to this cause. My TEAM webpage is the perfect place to go to. Every dollar will make a difference. Please help me reach my goal and help fight cancer at the same time.

I'm going to run three miles tonight and 5 more in the morning. I'll report back how I'm did.

Monday

Got up around 6am this morning and went for another short run. I went out and ran a little over 2 miles. I really need to get back in the habit of running just about every day I can in order to prepare myself for my long distance goals. Again, I was nervous about running in the cold, but it wasn't that bad.

I'm sending out my first email about the TEAM and actually asking (and hoping for donations). Fingers crossed. This first effort is just going out to family and friends. I want to put a few dollars in the tip jar before I start going whole hog.

If you want to check out my TEAM website and donate anything yourself, Here's the LINK. It really is for a fantastic cause, which I'm going to elaborate on and on about I'm sure.

Sunday

We had our first GTS (Group Training Session) with the TEAM this Sunday. I stayed out way too late on Sat. night, and totally struggled to make the 7am meeting time, but it was so worth it. Thirteen of us showed up, plus Tammy and Kathy, and we ran 3.37 miles together down Millege, on Prince, around the hospital and back to Millege. It was the first time I've ever run in chilly temps, but it wasn't that bad. Kathy, one of our mentors, gave me some great advice on how to layer properly, and it worked out great. Cold before, perfect during the run, then hot leading into the cooldown afterward.

It was also the first time I've ever run with anyone, except in a race which really doesn't count. I really liked the flow of everything; I'm definitely going to do as much group training as possible.
I know my competitive nature is going to help push me further and faster than I've been doing on my own. Let's go TEAM!!

The other really cool thing that happened was that I met up with some quote unquote real runners. One of my neighbors, Greg, is extremely fast. I caught up with them near the end of our run, and then ran into his group at Jittery Joe's afterward. He, Lisa, and the rest of the "real runners" were very gracious to me, and I really felt like a runner.

He probably should have... you know?

There's been a lot of gum flappery about Obama breaking the law and such. But he really should have, no matter what he thought, put his hand on his heart during the National Anthem. You can read more about it on the Slate

...if you are so inclined.

Today's Run

Just did a quick 30 minute out and back run this afternoon on a break from work. I managed to make it back about 40 seconds faster on the back half - going uphill most of the way. My Nano's battery was dead, so I'm guessing I did a little under 3 miles.

I'm going to do the Double Pump in Savannah on Dec 1, so I'm doing a quick two week ramp up for that. I want to do more than just finish this one; I really want to do well. Runner's World online has a really cool training program; you can put in your parameters and it will custom generate a fairly specific training schedule for you.

Speaking of Brian Williams

I love how he keeps his cool no matter what... He just corrects her, no jab at Fox for being "the real news"

1234 - I know that now I love her more.

Run, Forest, Run

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On Sunday, I completed a 10K trail run outside of Watkinsville, GA. It was EXTREME - people falling in the water, gashing their hands on trees, tripping and falling uphill and downhill. I finished in 1:05:51 - which was a little faster than my 10K in March in Charleston. So, I feel pretty good about that, because this thing was re-donk-ulously hard. Thanks to the drought, I made it over all the water crossings and stayed dry. I stumbled over a couple of rocks and roots, but never went down.

I've attached a post race picture. It was so cool wearing the Team in Training jersey; I had several people come up and ask me about it. It really felt like I was a part of something. I can't wait to start the group runs, and really try to improve my speed and stamina.

My next big challenge is doing the Double Pump over the Savannah river on Dec 1. I'll do the 5K, then turn around and do the 10K - three times total over the bridge.

P.S. - Yes, I know I am a huge squinter... Note to self: Buy super cool running sunglasses.