The Passing

Today a member of the TNT team who was a close friend to so many, passed away. Doug Oxendine, who is noted as a wonderful husband, father, mentor and friend. I know so many of them are aching, as he passed away from the very diseases and cancers they are railing against by raising money. This is a reminder of why to raise money, to race and to find a cure.

Rest in Peace dear Doug

Training with Dad

So in honor of Father's Day, my dad joined me for my Saturday run. We joined the team in the early morning heat to do some hillwork and get in 4.5 miles. In our running gear (TNT shirts & short running shorts), we hit the hills. Ran a little, walked most, as I wasn't feeling super fabulous.
There are a couple photos somewhere of us on the trail, but it was good. We talked, walked and had a good time. It was cool for him to come out and see my long distance day of training. Now he's lived through a 19.5 mile training in winter, so this was really nothing. But surviving the heat was a challenge.

Afterwards, we met up with the family to visit Animal Kingdom. Exhausted at day's end, with the running around and heat. But it was good. We got to celebrate my niece's birthday as well. You know I was tired, as I couldn't even muster some ice cream cake that evening.

Now it brings a new day with the sun, some rest, plus pool time and maybe Downtown Disney.

Happy Father's Day to my absolute biggest supporter (emotionally not size-wise). I love you!

Disclaimer: he actually ties with my mom for that title.

Pool Time

Well, I've been fortunate to get in some pool time this week. Workout pool time. On Monday night my team trained for over 45 minutes doing laps with noodles, kickboards and freestyle. My legs felt like jell-o. It was a good workout.
It was really nice to be out of the heat as well to enjoy the pool, as it was 103 that day. Glad I wasn't running.
On Tuesday, I went to a friend's house and had a great pool time with dinner. We had a yummy black bean burger with veggies and kale chips (eewww). In the pool, I worked on working out vs. lounging. Great times.

This week is a rough week at work with some classroom training, so it's been draining me. Tonight is an early nite.

Whew, summertime is hot

So this week was decent. I've been dealing with some stress, but still got in some exercise.

I used an elliptical for the first time. Didn't do high resistance, but focusing on continual lunge-style position so to avoid bouncing. That also works my muscles harder. It was good. Afterwards, I met some friends at a cute little coffee shop and enjoyed a hummus salad (maybe some chocolate milk too).

Today was good with a hot 3 miler. I felt silly since others were doing 4, but it was good. I did a nice mix of running and walking, and I continue to improve.

I'm enjoying the strength training aspect of training.

Still here and working it

Well, over the past few days I traveled into the past with friends at my alma mater for reunion. All I can say is whew! It was great to see everyone, and I was unaware of all the free alcohol...it is so much more fun to drink when there's open bar.
Nonetheless, I did get in some work at the gym right before my trip and just once during. I got right back into it upon my return from the trip, and I will probably be sore tomorrow.
So good!

When?

When did it happen? When did I suddenly become 'athletic'? Well, I can say that I'm an athlete, but I still question my level of athleticism. When?

When did I start drinking protein drinks instead of soda? When did i start finding healthy alternative to yummy gu chomps?

I surprise myself! Three years ago a journey began...like life in general, I didn't know I had trekked a new path. My BFF asked me to join her for a 5K at Disney; I laughed of course because 3.1 miles is for people trained to do so. I wasn't 'fit', and I couldn't imagine being so. For some reason, I said yes. It was a long three miles; she left me after 100 feet. I was shocked that I finished, and I wanted to do it again.

Later in 2007, I did a 6.5K at Disney (Tower of Terror), a night race, and again, it was almost fun. That hooked me. I started exercising more, and in 2008, I did about 7 races. I even did the Minnie Marathon 15K. 2009 brought a half marathon challenge; I thought I was prepared but not really. I finished it, but I struggled; struggled more than I liked.

In 2009, I decided I was going to do a full marathon, 26.2 miles of craziness. Everyone I know thought I was crazy. Nonetheless, I signed up for Team in Training, and my journey follows in the older blog posts. I learned about sneaker shopping and rediscovering the joy of spandex. I ate Clif Shot Bloks and Gu Chomps. I even got addicted to the Biggest Loser season 8(?).

In January 2010, I completed the full marathon. It wasn't easy. I pushed through that event and finished. Aw, the glory. My pain would ease up quickly, while those I walked for were stuck in hospitals.

This year, I decided to do it again. I am a fast walker, and my new challenge is running a good distance of the half marathon. I joined the Y, and I'm even exploring new 'healthy' smoothies. Scary enough, I may actually learn how to swim and get back on a bike; not turning into a tri-athlete yet.

I've been pushing myself in new ways. I'm learning to train without machines to do strength training, and I just went to my first boot camp class. I've done some yoga too.

So I ask when did this happen? When did I actually get a little excited about going to workout? It's surprising, yet exciting.

What's great is that I can embrace, love it and leave all the sweat behind (or on the road, treadmill, weight machine or studio floor).

So thanks for letting me share my journey with you.

little weekend work

Well, quick inventory of activity:
Thursday swimming
Friday rest
Saturday strength/cardio

So, one of my buds let me enjoy her pool on Thursday. Since I'm still new to swimming, I took the 35 minutes to practice breathing and get comfortable in the water. I'm not trying to stroke myself across the pool yet. Just learn how to regulate my breathing. I know it sounds funny, but the next step is to figure out how to get the swim cap on; it's not as easy as I thought.

On Friday, I took a long nap in the evening before going back to sleep.

Today, I did session #2 at the Y. It shows some additional strength plus using the elliptical (intervals). There was supposed to be a small group of us, but it was only me, so it became a personal training session. It was good, and I worked up a good sweat. I like the fact that they show you how to use machines and work without machines. The staff, for the most part, is really nice.
Apparently Saturday has a kids day element where the kids are in the studio doing exercises and such, so there was a huge group of parents watching in awe. It was so cute; the parents were so proud.

So after a good workout today, I headed to a chocolatier to make my own chocolate with a nice group of women I met through a meetup.com. They do lots of fun activities, and it's nice to meet new people.

The rest of the day is projects and soon I'll be off to bed to get some good sleep. Tomorrow is another adventure.

Butt Workout

Well, earlier this week I accidentally :) took a break from my normal workout. I didn't get to join the team for a group run session due to work that kept me there past the deadline to get out of the office. I made up for it (not that you can really do that) with some workouts the past two days.

Yesterday, I got a guest pass to Gold's Gym, so I could attend a Step class. I haven't done step aerobics in YEARS, and it did show. I'm good with coordination but it was fast, couldn't understand a damn word the instructor was saying, and there was a tall guy blocking my view. Needless to say, I laughed a lot through it all. Today, I can definitely feel it in my rear. yay!

Today, I got told I have a strut in my step, like I shake my hips or something. I don't know what to say about that at all, but "check it out boys!"

So after work today I headed straight to the gym (Y) to do some cardio. I did a nice 20 minute workout on the treadmill with a nice mix of walking and running. Then I got a 15 minute stretch class where I really worked out my chest muscles that get cramped from sitting over a computer like this all darn day. After the stretch, I went straight into yoga. Wow, there were some moves...nothing killer though. I felt a really good stretch like I can feel myself getting stronger. It was nice because one of my buds was there in class, and it's always more fun with friends.

Now I can enjoy a protein shake and a documentatary on the Future of Food. Food Inc is better but still good education on the food I consume.

Getting Faster

This morning was a nice 3 mile jaunt in a pretty park in Orlando. I was less aggressive than I was earlier this week, as I didn't want to hurl. I did a great time for me, but didn't kill myself. I did interval training with running and walking so I can continue to challenge myself.
Afterwards is the fun part where we eat breakfast together. Not everyone can join, but it's a great time to chat and bond over our experiences. I can tell this season is going to be fun.

Recovery

Whew! I am enjoying the day off. This evening I've been preparing for my fundraising activities by prepping letters to mail over the weekend. I am excited for exercise tomorrow. Three (3) mile run in the morning, some volunteering and hopefully some pool time in the afternoon. It should be fabulous!

The Pool Excitement

Let's start with the fact that I didn't exercise yesterday. Holy crap sore muscles. I could barely walk on Wednesday, so I decided to take a recovery day. It ended up working out great because I met up with a couple people I had gone skydiving with, and we watched the videos plus the additional footage some of us hadn't seen yet. Hilarious!

So today was a new adventure. Two of my fabulous friends, Julie & Leslee, took me to a Y with a pool. I was shown how to swim many times as a child but never picked it up; I feel like people laugh at me regularly for my 'inability' to swim. This evening, I changed. They showed me to float, to use goggles, to breathe while stroking, etc. It was an adventurous time, and I felt frustrated that I still don't like water on my face. What changed, however, is that I did well. The two of them provide great encouragement, so I felt safe and inspired to do well.

I definitely see myself buying a swim cap and some goggles. I'll probably see a bit more of the pool, though I am not ready to conquer a triathlon yet (though I have friends at work encouraging me to do so).

This week has been great with improving fitness.

New Mantra

Well, tonight a new mantra chose me. I was singing random songs in my head, when the song "Hands" by Jewel came out. Only Kindness Matters. I know this doesn't have to do directly with training or eat healthy, but it does. It's about kindness to others and to myself. It's about pushing my body in a healthy way, eating food that nourishes my body & doesn't hurt it, and being gentler on the level of stress I place upon myself. It's not about being angry on the road and letting the guy in in front of you; it's about smiling at the grocery store cashier.
It's about kindness - to me and everyone around me. It starts here!

Yack is Back

Dear me, I decided to push myself and ended up hurling a couple times in the last 24 hours. After training last nite, 'bleck'. This morning I went to a Total Body workout; I hadn't attended a class like this with heavy weights, floorwork and a medicine ball. At the end, whew! I headed to the bathroom and hurled up my light breakfast. Rough! Then I went to the Y 1st Go Session where we talk about warm-ups, nutrition, learn some of the machines and get it in gear. The same trainer from the total body, and she was so excited to have me back a second time. She was awesome! She's high energy and a marathoner, and she's excited for my training.
While I was there, I saw Tom, who I consider one of my coaches; he got me to the finish line of the marathon, and he continues to be my cheerleader.
So yes, I hurled, but I recovered. Can I tell you how much my quads hurt? I'm afraid I won't make it downstairs in the morning or even to crawl into the shower.
It's time to kick it!

training time is back

Holy crap, today was the first TNT training. It wasn't difficult in comparison, but I wanted to push myself hard. I did. I also tried to puke my brains out as well, but was able to maintain. We did a 2 mile loop in which I ran and walked in TWENTY minutes; I maintained a 10:10 pace for that two miles. That is unbelievable for me. A new record. It felt great that I could move so quickly when I added some jogging. I got to catch up with one of my mentors, who is super nice; she and i kept pace together for about a mile, and it's so good to be back with her and other coaches/mentors. It's going to be a good season!
Got my shower now, ate a banana, now I need to find a bit of dinner.

The New Beginning

Today I officially began a new TNT adventure. I'm doing the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Fran. I can't believe it, and I'm so excited. We kicked it off today. With that, I signed right up at the YMCA. Yes, I now have a gym, where I can train on machines and do group classes. I'm excited about the classes. It's all here. New dollar figure to raise, and I have an excitement in my heart. It's going to be fun.

The Big Day Recap

It's the day after, and I'm not comatose, so I'm excited. I don't even know where to start with sharing the fun and drama of the day. I could make it sound so glorious but parts of it were brutal.

First, I must tell you that the support of my coaches and mentors is outstanding. We attended an Inspirational Dinner on Friday night, and it was moving. Team in Training in support of Leukemia & Lymphoma Society rocks!

On Saturday morning, I went out in the bad weather to see the half marathoners finish up the race. I was around 12.2'ish, and I got to cheer my teammates and the general running population along. They trudged through hours of rain/sleet/flurries. It was so cold and so gross for Florida, but they prevailed.

The afternoon was spent with my parents at the big expo and visiting. We got dinner at Olive Garden (along with masses of people). My roomy Andy and I did a test run of our clothing...so many layers.

Sunday morning started at 2:30am with oatmeal, tattooing my face with TNT, and getting dressed in the many layers. The team met in the lobby for some last minute chatting, then we rode the bus to EPCOT. SOOOOOO cold. I wore an attractive trashbag over me, which lasted until mile 4 (i think). We huddled together for a bit before heading to the port-o-potties for a last stop then into the corrals we went. I was the only one assigned to the last corral :( so Coach Roberto stayed with me until 50 feet after the start. It took forever for the 20'something people to go...only 16883 approx finished due to time or injury.

I will pre-advise you that some of the locations (mileage, etc) is somewhat a blur. I don't remember where some of the stuff happened, but I did my best to give closeness.

I can't say how cold it was. Even when the sun rose, the wind cut right through. As the ran progressed, I slowly stripped off items. I went from three pairs of pants to one - removed the grey sweatpants and the borrowed grey yoga pants. I had 4 layers on top and never removed any of them. I did get rid of gloves and scarf as well. So cold!

I would like to mention again how cold it was. Some people move faster, some slower. I got slower. Don't know if it was the layers or what. I had a hard time regulating my temperature-either too warm or too cold. Even at mile 16, I still couldn't balance it. It was a real struggle for me, but I finished.

Early on, I faced challenges with making time. Bathroom break at 3 or what, I was slower. I could see the sweepers and the vans just behind me at mile 5. It made me so anxious that my stomach hurt. I met Matilda from Sarasota around mile 7 who stayed with me until mile 11 when I started cramping up. She was an older individual completing her 1st marathon (done 3 half's already), and she had a Garmin so we kept time together for awhile.

My Cheer Squad of parents and a couple close friends met me at Mile 9 around the TTC with signs and excitement. They said I looked stressed at that time, but my dad ran with me for about 30 feet and tried to pump me up. I did the eventful run through the castle, so I hope the photographers got a couple good photos.

There were DJs and entertainers along the way. Cheerleaders from high schools and lots of characters. They even had Captain Jack with pirates in front of the pirate ship float...no time for pictures though. There was a comedian-type out there saying that later in the day I could ask my friend what they did, and they'd probably say "did some laundry, ran a couple errands" to which I could reply "Really? I did a marathon!" I wish I could've done some photos, as I got a new camera for that purpose, but my time prevented me from slow periods. I mean, they even had goats at Animal Kingdom.

Those damn sweepers were on my butt for a good bit of time. I kept cramping with some leg pain and more painful was my lower back. I stopped a few times and stretched it out.

Mile 12.7 presented the Cheer Squad again with a great sign that apparently was a big crowd pleaser "Focus on the Finish Line, Leave the Pain Behind". They looked so cold, but they kept smiling.

I followed behind some TNT coaches and participants at different times, just trying to keep momentum. I saw some behind the scenes, like the water treatment facility (oooo).

I had a great surprise at mile 18 when my Cheer Squad appeared. My dad really wanted to run with me for a few miles, but the cop was right there so that didn't happen. They caught a bus instead to race themselves to the finish.

Just after mile 20, those damn sweepers came along again and stated that they were doing a hard sweep at 21. I started moving. I ran with a coach and participant from South Florida (the coach was great that she came up to me after the race and said that she had lost sight of me later on and was glad to see that I finished). Just after 21, Coach/Mentor Tom found me. The coaches had been worried that they couldn't reach me, as I didn't hear my phone.

The next 5 miles felt like hell. I had to use the facilities, but there wasn't much time. Tom coached me every bit of the way, making sure I was keeping form and keeping pace. The sweepers came by again and stated there was the final sweep at 23.5. I heard later they pulled 80 people at Mile 21. Tom got me jogging, and my legs didn't want to move. I kept coughing (b/c of the cold weather), but every cough brought shooting pain in my lower back...wtf.

The whole Hollywood Studios tour was a blur because the 23.5 mark was just outside the park. We moved and moved and didn't stop. Of course we made it past, but we kept a good pace in order to make it inside EPCOT. I did get a Twizzler from a TNT person along the way.

I should state that there were TNT supporters throughout the race, though they did appear more after the 16 mile mark. My singlet was under my sweatshirt, so most didn't know I was TNT except for the tattoo on my cheek. They had cowbells and noisemakers, and they really made me smile.

Tom and I met up with Coach Roberto just before 25 (I think). I asked if I was allowed to use the bathroom in Germany, since I had to go a bit more by then. Tom told me "no". I could use one once I finished the race, but we weren't delaying. They were both coaching me, ensuring I was breathing and not too tense.

Side bar: if you ever volunteer or cheer people on in an event, please do not say "you're almost there". I heard that for 2 miles. I know it's with good intention, but I just wanted to hit so many people.

After 26 right before I got into the park to finish up the final mileage, Coach Jen & Coach Janice were waiting for me. Janice hugged me and walked me to the 26.1 mark. She kept telling me not to cry, but they were saying how proud they were. They sent me off to finish the race with the Fab 4 waiting for me.

The photos show that I was smiling. I did feel that exhilaration as I crossed the chip timer. It was cool too because the announcer said my name just after I crossed. I met up with a friend at the medals who was volunteering, and he got to give me my medal. I then picked up every bit of food/drink I could find, and I was even given a Marathon bag to keep it all in.

I headed straight to the TNT tent, where I was met by 2 other friends who hugged me like crazy. They were so excited, and so was I. There are some photos of me looking a bit rough, but in shock still I think. I quickly grabbed a pb&j and said thanks to my coaches. I saw later in photos that they had walked just behind all the way to the finish line (they were with me all the way).

Eventually my parents, 2 cheer squad friends, and 2 more friends appeared. Hugs all around, and it was like paparazzi because they all started taking photos. I got some good shots with the medal, friends, family, and even showing off my singlet honoring others.

By the time it was time to leave, it 1:30'ish, and I could barely walk. My back, my legs, my feet. I didn't mention before but I had had issues with one of my toes, and during the end of the race, it was surging with pain. So I had to make it across the parking lot at a snail's pace because I couldn't walk.

We headed back to my hotel room, and then I decided to come home a day early. My mom ended up driving me home, where I lay for hours on the couch. I did get up and around, so I wasn't stiff, but damn. I took a hot bath (didn't have joint swelling) and got all cleaned up. I didn't wear sunscreen (oops), so I have a nice white patch on my forehead that my headband covered...sexy.

I'm sure I've forgotten a funny story or two, but that was the day. I finished...I have a medal. I couldn't have done it without the support of my team and family/friends. Not only emotional but financial...I raised over $2200 for LLS. I was told that it was 5.3 million raised just from all the teams that participated in this event. Incredible.

Now it's time for a nap. You probably need one too after reading this. Thanks for following along in my adventure!

Just Breathe

Just Breathe
Just Breathe

Less than 56 hours before the ran begins. Holy crap! With the threat of snow, I have put together an 'unsexy' set of clothing to wear that day to avoid freezing my 'nunus' (sp?) off.

Can't wait to tell you how it goes.

Last Team Training

A week to go before the big event. I can't believe it. This morning I gathered in really cold weather with my teammates for one last run. A nice 10 mile stroll around a lake to finish off a long season. Now just a couple days of cross-training before I head to Disney for the big weekend. I can't believe it!!

This has been such an incredible journey. I can't say that I love getting up and exercising so much, but it's been so healthy and wonderful. I am pushing myself to new heights, and I'm going all the way.

Thanks again for your support, and I'll see you on the flipside.