Making Mickey Proud!

Thankful Today

2009-11-20T10:03:00.001-08:00

Me and my guy

Michael was diagnosed with leukemia 18 years ago today. It is also my mother-in-law's birthday. I choose to celebrate and remind myself to be grateful for every moment with my husband, my best friend, my life.

Haven't Update in a While

2009-10-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

I had high hopes of posting a report after the Philly Distance Run on September 20, but I was surprised by a visit from our Illinois/most recently lived in Hawaii/now live in NJ cousins at the finish line, which was AMAZING! Then we went to see Dave Matthews Band that night, so it was a zany day. I decided to run the whole first 4 miles without stopping. Bad move. My knee started hurting. But I finished in 2 hours, 14 minutes. Not bad! That's only 8 minutes slower than my PR for a half.

Since then, I've turned 30, been to Disney on a GREAT vacation and back, and the Phillies have won their second pennant in a row! I'm signed up for a 5-mile run in Long Branch with my sister-in-law on November 7, which should be really fun. And Disney just announced a half marathon at night followed by a private celebration in Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival on October 1 - 2, 2010. Um, I think I was born to do this race.

Michael and I are toying with the idea of doing another TNT event....together! We're running in the morning about twice a week. It's so nice to have him by my side. We're looking at a few events in the early summer, so stay tuned!

The photo above is one of my birthday presents from Michael. 30 photos of us through the years. We also celebrated our second wedding anniversary on October 6. I'm a lucky gal.

One Year Later

2009-08-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's almost been a full month since I posted. Life hasn't been that interesting. I've just been lazy.

I'm only weeks away from the Philly Distance Run. I've been doing well with training. My longest distance has been 10 miles, which went well, and which I will repeat on Saturday morning. I got me some new kicks, Saucony Triumph, and I'm still not loving running in this humidity. I can't wait for the fall and the cool mornings. Remember I said this when it's 20 degrees at 6am.

It's been quite a year. I fully settled into a new job. I attended three weddings and saw two more couples get engaged. I have two many friends with babies to count. Oh yeah, I ran a marathon. I recovered from an injury. I mentored some amazing women with their TNT races. I lost my lovely cat, Peter. Michael was in the hospital. But we got through it all...the good, the bad, the blisters. Thanks for reading this blog for the past year.

Another milestone!

2009-07-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

I ran 7 miles this Saturday, which is the new longest distance I've done since the marathon. I felt great. I think I was never really paying attention to my body, and now I really do when I run. I suspect that I always felt achy, probably moreso than I do now, but now I'm more careful. I still want to run well into my life, so why kill myself now.

I ran on Kelly Drive early in the morning on Saturday. My headphones went kaput halfway through, but that was actually kind of nice. I focused on the pretty scenery and not much else and was able to completely zone out.

I needed that zen-ness for the rest of my day--Tara's Bachelorette Party! We visited a spa. The pedicure I got included a massage of my calves, which was sooooo needed. Then we went out dancing and stayed up way too late eating awful things, but it was a blast.

This week's long run will be 8 miles, and I'll get to do it at home in NY before we head up to a big family party at Michael's aunt and uncle's in upstate NY. I like the route I run by my parents' house, and it'll be a new milestone.

Also in the plans...new shoes. YAY! Happy Monday :)

Quite a week...

2009-07-22T06:56:00.001-07:00

Wow, it's been a week, I tell ya. Poor Michael had a horrible flu and landed in the hospital.

Let me start from the beginning. First he went to HUP for late effects testing two weeks ago. He got a pretty clean bill of health. They just prescribed a beta-blocker at a low dosage to help protect his heart. However, probably when he was at the hospital, he picked up a nasty flu. We wound up in the ER when his fever got out of control, and they discovered that his white blood cells and platelets were very low.

So as this blog almost reaches its one year anniversary, we thought for a second that we'd have to start a new battle against leukemia on a much more personal level. It was less probable that his cancer had returned, especially since he had good tests the week before. However, living on the cancer floor with Michael in isolation for three days was enough to full unnerve both of us.

He's been home for almost a week, and he's back at work and feeling well. In the meantime, I'm continuing my running, which has totally helped my spirits and energy this week. I did my longest distance since the marathon, 6 miles, last Saturday. This weekend, I'll try to tackle 7. I'm feeling well.

If I learned or was reminded of anything this week, it's that we have some amazing family and friends, and I am the luckiest girl in the world to be married to Michael.

Welcome America!

2009-07-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

What a fun weekend! We had our friends, Alison and Derrick, over on Friday night, waltzed around the city on the 4th, and did a lot of relaxing. Oh and our wine-blending party (good times, guys!) was a success, but it resulted in the need for the lots of relaxing. My first week of training went well. My midweek runs are about 9:15-9:30/mile, which I'm happy with. Michael and I did the loop at Cooper River yesterday. We went slow, but I felt great. Then we played at the driving range for a while. Note to self: wear sunscreen when on the top deck of the driving range!

My spinning instructor was finally back this morning. I don't know if it was the 7-8 miles of walking we did on Saturday or running yesterday, but my legs are exhausted! It's fun to be back in training. It's also interesting to train alone. I've never done that. I can always find people to run with, but I'm actually doing a program by myself. It's kind of cool.

And my thanks to Derrick for showing me his crizazy textbook about everything running (http://books.google.com/books?id=wAa9qq9kbncC&dq=lore+of+running&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=7zlSSubqNYPLlAfC-6GUDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4). What a good reference guide, and I'm impressed with Derrick for getting it. If you ever needed to know absolutely EVERYthing about running, here it is.

Apparently my black Hurricane 11's are at the new shoe shop in Northern Liberties for under $90. I might have to get them...again...

Training Begins!

2009-06-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

Today's the day! I officially start my training today. I didn't run today, because it's a "rest" day, but I went to my usual spinning class. I really like spinning, so I decided to keep that in my routine on Mondays and Fridays until it feels too hard. I'm also not doing every, single run on the training schedule. They recommend running 4 times a week, and I'm going to do 3. Deal with it :) That's how I've always trained. Also, my sports doc said to not run two days in a row, which would be impossible not to do with the program.

Anyway, I feel good, and I'm excited. I did 5 miles on Saturday with no complications. It felt great. I'm taking care of me and just enjoying each run as it is. I'm not thinking about time at all. I am thinking about the celebratory Dave Matthews concert after the half marathon!!

We threw Tara her bridal shower on Saturday. It was so wonderful. All of these big celebrations get me thinking about where I'm going and what I'm doing, which is always scary but fun. I can't not think about those nights in college when me and my girls would sit around and wonder why we couldn't find a nice guy to take us on a date to the Union Building or maybe The Olive Garden. It's funny how life turns out. If I learned anything, it's that you can't plan a darn thing.

Life without Peter is still hard, but the pain isn't as sharp anymore. Boots is so comforting, and we love spending all of our time at home with him. Ok, just got a sad pang. Maybe it's still a little sharp.

Short week this week! Happy day that we decided to be tough Americans!!

Goodbye, Peter

2009-06-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

We lost our dear cat, Peter, on June 17, 2009. He just dropped dead. He had a heart murmur, but nothing had been wrong. I wasn't home, because I was out to dinner with old friends whom I hadn't seen in a while. One announced her pregnancy. I was on a high. Then Michael called. I rushed home, we rushed to the Penn Vet ER, but he was gone. I miss him so terribly. He was only 5-years-old. The house is so empty without him.

Our other cat, Boots, is missing him also. He is completely attached to us, which is very comforting, but we can tell he's hurting just like we are. Poor Michael has been so strong for all of us. I wish I had been home with him. He is the best person I have ever met, which I always knew, but he is showing it so much through our grief.

In the meantime, I try to find the happiness and be grateful for what I have, which is a loving family, a beautiful pet, and fantastic friends. And I'm still running! I did 5 miles, my longest run since the marathon, on Saturday, and I felt great. Life goes on.

September 20

2009-06-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

I signed up for the Philadelphia Distance Run! I am excited to train for another event. Wait, who said that? Yes, I'm ready. I hope my knees and everything else is as well, but I think I'm good. Training starts on June 29. I have a schedule, and I'll try to do the best I can. For now I'm just enjoying my runs, staying stretched out, and enjoying life.

I went on my longest run since the marathon, 4 full miles, on Saturday morning in Port Chester. I felt really good afterwards. I think I'll know a lot of people doing the race, so that will make it even more fun. Plus, we have tickets for Dave Matthews that night. Talk about a post-race celebration!

On to the next run...

Why I Am

2009-06-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

Sometimes change is good. I ran a different route this morning for my 3 miles, which has become a nice standard twice during the week. I also listened to the new Dave Matthews CD while I ran, which is a change from my usual Preston & Steve radio show routine. What a difference it made! I was sluggish on Tuesday morning when I did the same distance. This run was really enjoyable and reminded me why I love running. I didn't think about time, I drank in my surroundings, and I must admit, I bopped a little, to my new favorite song, "Why I Am."

I'm also reading this great book called Once a Runner by John L. Parker, Jr. It is about a collegiate track runner, so it has nothing to do with my type of running at all. However, it's a cool read and makes me feel really laid back about my own workout routines. Then this morning, I read this lovely piece of prose about running at night, which I might have to try soon:

"A passerby might have thought him in a trance, but he missed nothing in his darkling backdrop: the smells of winterblooming flowers, clean coolness of blackjack oak, damp pepper of Spanish moss. The sounds were of early-evening TV silliness, dinner, children's squabble. He was a shaded meteor plumbing a twinkling universe. The night made even more acute the runner's senses, lent more poignancy to his aloneness, made his fast pace seem even faster, generated an urgency, a subdued excitement in the act of solitary motion."

I know exactly how that feels.

I've decided to start training for the Philadelphia Distance Run on September 20. It's a half-marathon and one I've done twice before. It was my first TNT event, and I love the course. Plus I have tickets for Dave Matthews that night, and 8 days later we leave for Florida. Nine days later, I turn 30, but we'll ignore that.

The training starts in 2 weeks. I'm excited! Plus, I might have my bro-in-law with me on the run. He expressed interest, so naturally I'm pestering his twin, my hubby, to join us.

It was a good morning :)

Reunion

2009-06-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a reunion of the Spring TNT team who did the NJ Marathon. It was SO much fun! There were 10 of us and lots of raucous laughter, funny stories, and touching moments. I had felt like such a bad mentor, because I had not been able to go on the training runs. Nothing helps you bond with people like running for miles and miles together in the freezing cold. However, despite my absence, the whole team made me feel so included last night. Heather, a survivor who originally did not think she could take on the half marathon, proudly announced that she'd be doing the Philly Full Marathon in November. She then gave me a photo of the team right before the race, which I treasure. Everyone talked about their "battle scars" as well as their magical finish line moments. It was inspirational and an absolute joy.

I met my friend, former boss, and neighbor, Ruffian, for a morning run at 6am today. She just did her first big race, The Broad Street Run, and she's a great athlete. I was proud of keeping up with her. We did 3 miles in the cool rain, which was actually nice, and we finally got to catch up. I hadn't seen her in so long. My knees felt a tiny bit sore, but nothing big. As my doctor said this week, this is just something I run through now.

I think I want to do the Philadelphia Distance Run this September. I love the time of year of this race and the course. Plus, my mentee, Abby, is a mentor this season and will be doing the race along with some other coworkers and friends. Here we go again!...

Bad Blogger

2009-05-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

Can you still technically consider yourself a "blogger" if you never post? I hope so.

It's been a busy month, so please excuse the lack of communication, all of my fervent readers. (all 2, 1, none of you?) Since my last post, Michael and I participated in the NJ Marathon. It was so so so unbelievable. We ran a Gatorade stop in the freezing rain, but it was such fun. I saw all of my mentees, and I was so inspired by the runners and the volunteers. My mentees were AMAZING! GO TEAM!! I felt like I had run a marathon myself afterwards, however. Six hours in the rain is rough! We celebrated with a lunch at Cracker Barrel, so all became right with the world again.

I have been running again, which makes me so happy. It's nice now, however, because I'm running, running isn't running my life. Read some older posts to see how the latter had been happening for a long time. I'm much happier now and in a better place with why I run.

I still have occasional knee pain, but the orthodics have definitely helped, and they're completely broken in now. This morning I did 3 miles, and I felt great. On Saturday, Michael and I ran 3.66 miles, the exact distance of Cooper River Park, together, something we haven't done in months. It was so nice to be out there again with my main man. He did so well having not run in a long time. Plus it was pretty hot.

Then on Sunday morning, at the recommendation of one of my running gurus and good friend, Derrick (http://www.reidwise.net/journal/), I tried an interval run. I used my trusty Garmin (1 year old and still my favorite toy!), and sprinted for 1/4 mile (7:30 - 7:45 pace on average) and then rested for a minute. I did this 6 times. It was NOT easy, but it was fun, because it simulated the feeling I get in spinning class, which had been on hiatus last week because the gym was closed (one drawback to a University gym). I felt great afterwards, so I'll have to incorporate this workout into my regular routine.

I'm excited about the summer and all of the fun plans we have--the wedding of my best friend, trips, camping, Long Beach Island, culminating in my turning the big 3-0 in September...in Walt Disney World! I don't have a real plan or goal right now, and that's totally fine. I might see if I can train for the Philly Distance Run in September, but I might save my strength for the Philly Half in November instead.

For now, I'm just loving being a runner again and being outside. And I'm also enjoying a great book that my mom bought for me--Once a Runner: http://www.amazon.com/Once-Runner-Novel-John-Parker/dp/1416597883/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243438059&sr=8-1 I am nowhere near the caliber of the characters, but reading about running makes me happy.

Banner Day

2009-05-02T06:56:00.000-07:00

I ran 3 miles this morning with no pain in either knee during or after my run! That is the first time that has happened in 6 months!!!! Orthotics are a god-send.

Can't wait to cheer on my mentees in The New Jersey Marathon tomorrow! I'm so proud of all of them. Michael and I will be manning the TNT water stop. I hope it doesn't rain too much.

Feeling amazed...

2009-04-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

A couple of things have kept me amazed today.

1. My mentees are about to do their event, the New Jersey Marathon or Half Marathon this Sunday. Most of them are at or past their fundraising goals. One raised TWICE her minimum!

2. My TNT friend, who I've never met but has become my penpal and hero, did his event in Nashville this past weekend. He put Michael's name on the back of his race shirt to honor him: http://racn4acure.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-purple-shirt-of-honor.html

I can't stop tearing up. I'm in awe of all the good there is in this world.

I get my orthotics on Thursday, and I ran my longest distance since the marathon, 3 miles, on Saturday. Life is so good.

Orthodics to the rescue?

2009-04-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

It's hard to feel motivated to write anything as I feel like mission:accomplished and why would anything I have to say from here on out interest anyone...hence the drop off in posts.

If anyone is interested, I am waiting for my orthodics to come in, and I can now run 2 miles with very little pain during and afterwards. I am afraid to push it much further just now, because I was fitted for orthodics just 2 weeks ago, and I'm waiting for them to come in.

Lately when I run, it's my left knee (not the original pre-marathon injured one) that hurts. My podiatrist was not surprised by this, because my arch is quite fallen in my left foot, and it overpronates a lot. Basically, I stood in front of him with my back to him, and he said, "I shouldn't be able to see some of the toes on your left foot, but I can see about 3 of them." So my foot sticks out funny, which would explain the knee pain. Probably, after overcompensating for months of training, my right knee just had it, and that's what happened in December. So I'm looking forward to orthodics and will keep on running.

I was a demon last week. I ran 2 miles and did weights at the gym on Sunday, spinning on Monday, yoga on Tuesday, ran 2 miles and did weights on Wednesday, yoga on Thursday, spinning (interval class, which=death class) on Friday, and ran 2 miles on Saturday in the pouring rain (8:57 mile with no stops!). Think I worked out enough to compensate for the chocolate and ham I ate this weekend? I'd say!

It was a GREAT weekend filled with family and fun. I am so lucky to have the family that I do. My parents are with my brother and his bf in LA right now, so I spent Easter with my in-laws. It was fantastic. I always hoped that I would have a good relationship with my husband's family, but I never dreamed I'd become as close to them as I have. I feel like I'm "home" when I'm with them, and I know I'm the luckiest person ever for that.

Happy Easter!

And we're back

2009-03-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

I have been too superstitious to post this, but now I think it's time. I ran a mile on Wednesday, and I ran TWO miles on Saturday, and my knees don't hurt!! Could I be out of the woods with this injury?? AND I finally have my podiatrist appointment this week, which I've been waiting to finally have for two months. Hooray!

In more important news, many of my mentees have reached and surpassed their fundraising goals for the NJ Marathon, and it's 5 weeks away! Way to go, ladies :)

Reinvigorated

2009-03-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly (yeah right), I was talking about the marathon at lunch today to a new staff member. She is so nice and was interested, so of course I told the whole story. I'm the worst.

However, it really reinvigorated me and reminded me what an AMAZING thing that entire journey was. I don't feel like it ended, because I'm still mentoring, and I'm talking about Team in Training all of the time with my mentees. But just now I was reminded how incredible that whole experience was. I went back and reread the gorgeous notes that my friends and family left on my webpage when they made donations, and I was reminded of how much we all accomplished, and it brought me to tears.

I feel another event coming on....tri this time? If I wasn't so deathly afraid of dying on a bike, I'd sign up in a second. Hmmmm....

Thanks to all of you who read this and who made this experience something I will treasure forever.

On the road again...

2009-02-25T10:45:00.000-08:00

I went out for a run this morning. I've stopped doing yoga as frequently, and I started to feel less achey. I thought it might be time for a small run. I have my new insoles now, so I wanted to try them out.

I was a little nervous, but I didn't have high expectations. It had been 5 weeks since I had run, and I had had pain off and on during that time, so I wasn't expecting a miracle. It felt so good to put all of my gear back on and get out there. It was brisk but nice outside. I loved feeling the cold air in my lungs. I ran a mile with no pain at all! That was amazing to me. I turned back towards home, and the familiar twinges started again. I stopped, stretched, walked a little, but I got home having completed about 2 miles. The first mile was at my usual 9-min/mile pace, which surprised me. I felt like I was going slowly and taking it easy. I guess spinning has kept my fitness up.

Both knees are sore now, but I'm not concerned. I'll keep doing my stretches, and I'll try for another run next Wednesday. I felt so good when I got home. I missed my friend, Running, but I'm glad I don't depend on running anymore.

Michael's birthday was so much fun. I hope he had as good a time as I did. We didn't do anything too special, but for us, even the silliest things are awesome. I was just so happy to be spending time with my favorite person in the world. Ahhhh... :)

To My Husband

2009-02-24T11:24:00.000-08:00

Dear Michael,

Happy birthday!! I'm so glad that I'm no longer older than you.

I think one of our first unofficial meetings was on your 21st birthday. I believe you came to visit La Salle to celebrate, and I am pretty sure I popped over to Tara's and said hello. As usual, I was too shy to say hi to the cute, shy boy in Tara's livingroom. I'm so glad that at a future birthday party I did get up the guts to talk to you.

I hope you have a wonderful day. I know every day of my life, no matter what happens, is better because you're in it. You're my best friend, my partner, and my love, and I will spend my life trying to make you half as happy as you make me.

Only a few hours until presents and birthday feast!

Love,
Therese

Resting is SO not easy

2009-02-18T08:39:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun this weekend in LBI. I definitely overindulged, but I felt very happy (as is evidenced at right). However, as my husband reminds me now that I'm back to being hard on myself, I am not training anymore, and I have to realize that.

Since the marathon, I had it in my head that if I didn't work out just as hard as I did before, I'd gain a ton of weight and be miserable. Now I'm just miserable, because I've been trying to do too much. I was really discouraged when spinning hurt my knee last Friday, because I really like spinning. Then this morning, the elliptical hurt my knee also. However, I'm being pretty stupid about this recovery. My schedule for the past few weeks has been as follows:

Monday: Spinning at 6:30am

Tuesday: 45 min yoga at home at 6:00am

Wednesday: Bike for 30-45 minutes at the gym at 6:30am

Thursday: 45 min yoga at home at 6:00am

Friday: Spinning at 6:30am

Saturday: 45 min yoga at home whenever I get up

I think that amounts to more activity than BEFORE my injury and during training. No wonder the knee started hurting again.

So now I'm going to try to work out 3 times a week. I might try a non-cardio class at the gym. I'm cutting back on the yoga. Maybe I'll try to keep doing the spinning classes on Mon and Fri, but we'll see.

I'm further discouraged, because I know I need orthodics, but I can't see a podiatrist until APRIL! I was really looking forward to training with my mentees. Maybe I'll just start going to their runs to greet them and cheer them on.

I know it's ridiculous, but I just have this fear that I'm going to become completely unhealthy. The Therese of 3 years ago wasn't totally unhealthy, but she was about 30lbs heavier. The Therese of 9 years ago smoked and was 50lbs heavier. So I guess I've come a long way. I'm just too much of a control freak for my own good.

I'll try to focus on the positive and give myself a rest (and some more much-needed sleep)! Now I just need a new habit :)

LBI here I come!

2009-02-13T06:29:00.000-08:00

Ah it's Friday...Friday the 13th, but who cares? I'm going to one of my favorite places in the world, Long Beach Island, in a few short hours (that's me there for our anniversary in October). Aaaahhhh.... We are spending a long weekend in a house that we rented with 6 of our friends. This is the group that we go camping with every year, so we're having a winter "camping" trip. I'm so excited.

I need this after this week. I was a juror on a murder trial from last Thursday until this Wednesday. And I've been working out like mad to get ready for the gluttony of this weekend. I did spinning on Monday and today, the bike at the gym on Wednesday, and yoga on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Phew!

This morning in spinning we did a little too much climbing for my knee. So I'm still laying off running, which is fine with me. I'm really enjoying these other ways of working out. I still have this sense of accomplishment now with running, kind of like, "Yeah, been there, done that," so I don't miss it too, too much. It's such an easy way to work out, so I miss that. Waking up at 5:15am for a 6:30 spinning class is much harder than rolling out of bed for a 4 mile run in my neighborhood. But I like the class dynamic.

This morning, my spinning friend and now TEAMmate (she's doing the tri with TNT) were talking about fundraising ideas and events. It's so nice to be on the other side of things and be able to offer help.

I went to the shoe clinic on Sunday and met a lot of the team. Then I was sad that I couldn't run, but I will soon. Everyone's so positive and motivated. I think it's going to be a fantastic season.

We had a TNT reunion last Saturday night at Chris and Tiff's house. It was so amazing. We shared pictures, stories, and lots of laughs. I'm so attached to my team, and I love when we all get together. They're some of the best people I've ever met.

Only a few hours until a very fun weekend. I am so grateful to God for all of my wonderful friends and all of the blessings in my life, especially that wonderful man who promised to be my partner for the rest of our lives.

We are the Champions!

2009-02-03T06:48:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of me and Derrick, who just completed his first half-marathon in Miami for Team Challenge, and our medals! I envy the fact that Derrick's medal spins and has a jewel in it, but I still love my Mickey one. We had a fun evening of celebrating our achievements with our other 2 team members, Alison and Michael. Thanks again, guys, for all of your support!

I'm so excited that a new friend from my spinning class (did I mention I'm obsessed with spinning??) is joining the team!! She mentioned how she couldn't get into the Philly Triathlon, and I mentioned TNT. Now she's joining! Very cool stuff.

I'm still not running, and I start PT tomorrow. However, I'm not missing it that much. I am happy with my accomplishment, and I'm also having fun exploring other ways to work out, like spinning and yoga. I'm looking forward to meeting our whole team. Also, our Disney/Arizona TNT reunion is on Saturday. I cannot wait to for that!!

I wonder if anyone is still reading this, but I will continue to post about TNT. I can't get enough!

Welcome TEAM!

2009-01-30T07:30:00.000-08:00

We had an information session last night at the Cherry Hill Library. I cried, of course, when I was asked to speak to the group. Does this high ever go away? I hope not!

I met a lot of great people last night. Two of the runners are survivors. They're doing full marathons. Wow. I continue to be in awe of these people.

I hope I helped people feel better about the fundraising aspect of the events. It seems like the economic situation is getting people down. However, look at our totals--almost $1,000 above goal, and that was a hefty goal! I hope I helped persuade the participants that it can be done.

Tiffany was at the meeting! She started training with us with her husband, Chris. Then she had every bad thing imaginable happen. She had stress fractures in her leg, and she's been on crutches for months. She just got off of them and will be training for the NJ Half! Chris and Tiffany are pretty much the most dynamic duo I've ever met. They have four kids under the age of 10, I believe. They do everything with a smile and a sharp sense of humor. I adore them. They're hosting a ton of us for a reunion party next week. I cannot wait to see my TEAM again!

I am still letting my knees rest. I start physical therapy next week. In the meantime, I signed up for group exercise classes at my gym and started taking spinning classes. I did one at 6:30am this morning. Wow! I LOVE spinning!

I met a woman in class this morning who was saying she was bummed she couldn't get into the Philly Triathlon this June. It's full already. I told her about TNT (the only way in), and she said she was interested, because her father has lymphoma, but the Philly TNT office never called her back! She lives in Southern NJ, so I hope I convinced her to join our team. I think I did. I love Penn. So many great people work here.

What a great start to a Friday. And to think, at this time 3 weeks ago, I was the most nervous I've ever been. Nope, the high isn't gone yet!

As If I Couldn't Feel More Proud!

2009-01-28T07:29:00.001-08:00

From The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's e-newsletter:

" Big Weekend for Team In Training
Team In Training (TNT) came up big this month in two of the program's hottest events - the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Marathon Weekend and P.F. Chang's® Rock 'n' Roll ArizonaTM Marathon & ½ Marathon.Disney, in Orlando, FL, was held Jan. 10-11 and attracted more than 1,800 TNT runners and walkers. Participants raised an extraordinary $7 million for LLS's mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.What's more, the 2008 fundraising total is $1.4 million more than last year! John Kellenyi of New Jersey was the top fundraiser at more than $67,000 - once again making him TNT's No. 1 fundraiser. Across the country, in Phoenix, AZ, 1,066 TNT participants raised more than $3.2 million at P.F. Chang's. All 68 LLS chapters sent runners or walkers to the Jan. 18 race."P.F. Chang's and Disney continue to be among the most popular destinations for Team In Training," explained Donna Grogan, vice president, LLS Sports Training Programs. "And it's no surprise. Both events feature beautiful surroundings, great courses and excellent accommodations."

I was one of 1,800 people helping to make a difference on January 11, 2009. I have yet to come down from that high.

I was just assigned my first mentee, Abby. She's awesome. Not only is she participating to honor the memory of a dear friend, she's an architect like Michael and cut her hair for Locks of Love like me! I like her already.

Boy, am I glad I don't have to run in this weather...sigh of relief...

The Most Amazing Week of My Life

2009-01-15T12:47:00.000-08:00

As I sit here with my medal still around my neck, I am still astounded by the extreme feeling of happiness and accomplishment that I have after this week. Our honeymoon was amazing, but this was the greatest vacation/trip of my life. I'm sure my husband would agree. Here's the full report (feel free to skim).

Day 0: Wednesday night I have my final "I can't do this" moment and cry. Michael tells me that he's already so proud of me, he believes in me, and he makes us take a picture of ourselves to look at when it's all over. I'm all red-eyed and sad-looking.

Day 1: We leave around 9am on Thursday morning and get to the airport with tons of time to spare. I'm feeling really nervous, because now my heels hurt. The crazy in me has me convinced that I'm developing plantar fascitis and am completely falling apart. However, during the plane ride I decide to just love every second. There's no turning back now. Michael gets bored with "Tales of Beadle the Bard," so we're both happy to arrive in Orlando, the most beautiful airport ever. There's a welcome sign at baggage claim and about a billion runners. We wait in line for the "Magical Express" to take us to our hotel, Coronado Springs. I meet some lovely women, one spectator, one first-time half-marathoner. Michael fumes at the weird lady doing stretches while waiting in the baggage claim area.

We head to the hotel and get there around 6. We put our bags in storage and decide to go to the race Expo tonight, since from now on, it'll be a zoo there. I sign a wall for the race--"For Michael, my love." We are starving, so we eat some Clif bar samples. Michael goes back for seconds. I buy 50 sample packs of Biofreeze, which everyone said was great for using during the race. It's a cryotherapy gel. Before we leave, I take a picture by a photo of Donovan McNabb in the hopes that we'll both have a good Sunday.

Back at the hotel, we get dinner and check into our room. It's a gorgeous resort. The Zaccs and I stayed there in 2000, and it's prettier than I remember. I organize all of my TNT and race information, and we pass out early.

Day 2: We wake up early for breakfast and see some of my teammates. They've all already seen at least one park and are heading off to more. We go to Epcot that morning, my favorite place. We walk around and see lots of interesting things, including a guy doing skywriting that says, "Praise Jesus" and "U+God=smiley face." It's weird. I thought Disney was a no-fly zone.

The TNT Pasta Party is in Epcot, so we meet everyone at 2pm for that amazing event. Hundreds of people are there. They showed a slideshow of survivors and people who lost their battle from every chapter. I felt part of something so great. Michael stands twice when they ask for all of the participants' supporters to stand and for all survivors to stand. I choke back tears and feel the proudest I've ever felt to be married to this man.

After that inspirational and emotional afternoon, we decide to check out the pool at the resort. It's a little cold for the big pool, but the hot tub is just right. After dinner, I had a team meeting where we got final instructions and decorated our singlets. I put Michael, my TNT buddy Art, and at the last minute, Sheila, our family friend who was battling ovarian cancer and had just taken a bad turn, on my singlet. We hear a mission moment from a half-marathoner who was diagnosed with Stage 4 lymphoma and is walking the half tomorrow and doing really well. She makes me cry. Now I'm really nervous but more excited. Michael and I then purchased some "marathon wine" called "Miles of Smiles" created for the race. We sit around and watch TV, and around 11pm I notice that there is a sign on our door. It's from TNT and says, "Some angels don't have wings, they wear purple singlets," and "Behind this door sleeps a hero." What a way to end a great day.

Day 3: The half-marathon was at 6am this morning. I decided to conserve my energy and sleep in, but we saw all of our teammates as they came back around breakfast time. I was SO impressed by them and so elated to hear it all went well. It got me so excited for my "finish" moment. Mom, Dad, and Uncle Lou arrived at the hotel around noon. We got lunch together and headed to Downtown Disney. I was inspired to get a temporary tattoo of Dash from The Incredibles on my arm for good luck.

After some shopping, we headed to Saratoga Springs, our timeshare homebase and where the family was staying until Monday. We open up some of Uncle Lou's favorite Lambrusco, and we start telling old stories about Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Peg, and old times. I feel my loved ones with us as we laugh and laugh and laugh! Then my mom notices that she has a voicemail. I'm a little quicker with cell phones, so I grab it, put it on speakerphone, and play the message. I don't know what possessed me to do that. It's my Dad's coworker with the sad news that Sheila died at 4am that morning. We're all very upset, but Dad's happy that he saw her on Thursday, Mom talked to her the other day, and I'm even more motivated to carry her name with me for 26.2 miles the next morning! Mom said that Sheila never complained while she was sick. She would just say, "I'm offering it up." I decide to do the same tomorrow.

When we get home, I do my stretches, lay my clothes out, and try to go to sleep at 8pm. Wake up call is 2am. Michael says he wants to go back to Downtown Disney, because he wants to make a t-shirt for tomorrow. I fall asleep miraculously at 8, but then there's a knock on the door at 8:15. Jen and Lori sent me a bottle of wine! So sweet!! What amazing friends. Then I get a few texts, so I'm sleeping an hour or so and then waking up. I'm nervous, really, really nervous. I start to pray out loud. I thank God for Michael. I thank Him for the moments we have together. I thank Him for the moments tomorrow that will be hard and will be amazing. I thank Him for Sheila. I pray to Sheila and wish her peace and happiness. I cry quietly and fall asleep.

Michael comes in around 11pm with his shirt. It says, "My wife ran the Disney marathon and all I got was this t-shirt. Way to go Therese!" It was supposed to say "stupid t-shirt," but he was censored by Disney. Hahaha!

RACE DAY: At 2am, I get the wake up call. I barely slept, but I'm ready. I pack on my gear, put on my TNT tattoo to match my Dash one. I read the note Michael left me saying how proud he is of me. I write him one in return. I kiss Michael goodbye, and off I go to meet the team. Everyone's in great spirits. We get to Epcot at 4ish am. We stand around for about an hour and then head to the starting line. We're walking in almost complete darkness on the back alleys of Epcot. As one teammate said, "This is where Epcot goes to die."

The start is amazing. The national anthem is sung. Fireworks go off. We're READY! I'm scared, but with my team by my side, I just want to start. We cross the start line around 6:10am. We're going slowly to stick together and conserve our strength. At every mile, we meet up again. It's crowded and REALLY dark. However, by mile 3, I'm still feeling good with no knee pain.

The sun starts to come up. We've run through Epcot, seen our first of many characters, and now we're on the highway for miles 5 - 9. Gary, our coach, and I stick together for most of this stretch. I'm still feeling good, and we try to up the pace a bit to get through the crowds. It's hard to weave around people for 10 miles. We play Gary's game of picking someone far ahead of us and trying to pass them before the next mile marker. We win every time. We're taking a break at every mile, and I still feel good.

Then we enter the Magic Kingdom. I knew this was a spectator spot, but I thought I wouldn't see my family until mile 13 as we had planned. When I see my mom's face in the crowd at mile 10, I burst into tears. Dad yells, "You look great!" Michael snaps one of my favorite photos ever. Off I go!

Around mile 13, I see them again! I'm starting to get tired, and it's officially hot now. But I complete a half-marathon in about 2.5 hours, which is just a little slower than my PR for a half. However, my knees hurt now. I see Chris. He's nauseous and not looking good. I start to feel tired. Then I get a sharp pain in my right foot. I have to stop. What could this be? I stretch for a minute and keep going. Now I'm just going to try to keep going to each mile marker and then take a break. I'm alone now. Gary's with Chris and circling back for others.

Mile 15 - 18 were boooooring. We were actually at a recycling center and on a narrow, boring road for most of this. I'm hurting. I'm good once I start, but then there's a water stop, and I'm getting dehydrated, and then it feels like my bones are breaking when I start to run again. This is not fun anymore. My run mix of music is boring me. I want to be done. Gary told me to count up the miles until mile 17 and then start counting down. We get to Animal Kingdom. I hate Animal Kingdom. It smells, it's hot and not that interesting to me. I stop at a real bathroom, which helps my spirit. My Garmin loses reception, and for a second I think it will stop tracking me. I'm wrong, thank goodness!

Mile 19 - 20 is highway...hot highway. I see a girl throw up. I see a man lying on the ground waiting for an ambulance. I can't do this. I think of all of my "ammo," as Gary calls it--Michael, Sheila, my family, my friends, the finish line. Nothing's working. Then Gary appears. I burst into tears. I sob, "I hurt so badly. I just want to be done. I am so thirsty." He calms me down. I pour water on my head, which helps a lot, I take another gel and drink more than I have been at stops. I can't stop crying. A nice man passes me, sees my face and yells, "You can do this, come on!" I laugh and start to run again.

From here on out, it's pretty awful. Everything hurts. I have to stop every 6 minutes or so to walk and stretch my IT bands. My foot is sore. I feel a blister pop. We get to the Wide World of Sports Complex where the Expo was. I know from the map that we run a mile and then turn around and then head to Hollywood Studios. I need a theme park. The course has been so boring. This out and back mile is killing me. Then I see the wall I had signed at the Expo Thursday night. I am reinvigorated. I see Manon, Jeff, and Wendy. I feel better. Gary stays with me. I don't know how he kept me going, but he did. I'm still distraught that I have 5 more miles. My brain can't even imagine going another 2.

We get to Hollywood Studios. There is some shade, and they gave out chocolate mini bars. I get a Mr. Goodbar, my favorite, and walk for a little while. I pass the set that looks like a NYC street and I remember taking a picture there in 2006. I hate this spot now. I want to be done!!

Miles 23 - 25 are along the river. At this point, I'm trying to run for as long as I can and then walk. I'm probably doing 5 minutes of running and 3 minutes of walking. I don't care. I see Jeff. He makes me laugh, and I'm ready for the end. I get a text from my teammate Gail who finished well over an hour before me. She reminds me to think of Michael and Sheila. I have 1.5 miles to go.

We get back into Epcot near my favorite spot, Italy. I remember Michael and I being there two days earlier. I take water cups two at a time. I run, I walk, I cry. I cry just thinking about the ending. People are screaming my name. Earlier on the course, I got a lot of "Go TheresA!" Now I'm going slow enough that people can read my singlet and say, "Therese" (well, sometimes "Ter-rez").

Gary finds me again. He starts saying, "You're almost in the Lifetime club!" I'm crying every 30 seconds now--partly because of pain, partly because I'm almost done! I see the finish line. I'm scanning the crowd for Michael. I cry and cry and lift my arms in the air. 5 hours and 42 minutes and I finish the marathon!!!! I get my foil wrap, my medal, and call Michael.

I see him before he picks up. He's walking away. I scream, "I see you!! I love you!! Come back to where you were!! I DID IT!!!!" I'm crying writing this. We all hug, we cheer, I can't describe it anymore. It's one of the best moments of my life.

The Jesus skywriter starts writing again as we board busses to go back to the resorts.

The Aftermath:

I had one black toenail and I still have a MASSIVE bruise on the inside of my right foot. It doesn't hurt at all. I think I just popped a blood vessel, but the whole side of my foot is deep purple now. I took an icebath and enjoyed the rest of the day. McNabb and I had a great Sunday.
Day 5 - 7: I was the sorest I've ever been on Monday, but we went to Hollywood Studios and checked into Saratoga Springs. We had a FANTASTIC rest of our time there. Check out some pictures here: http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=260597611/a=3130054_3130054/t_=3130054
Thanks to all of you who read this, donated, or just have been my friend throughout this journey. I don't think I'll ever do another marathon, because nothing could have rivaled this experience. Thanks to my TEAM and coaches, especially Gary. I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks to my family who cheered me on in person or in spirit the whole way. Thanks to my best friend, Michael, who I can't live without. Thanks to God, who made this world so wonderful and blessed us all so much.

GO TEAM!!! WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I DID IT!!!!

2009-01-14T18:20:00.000-08:00

Much, much more to follow, but I just got home, so until tomorrow... I finished in 5 hours and 42 minutes...the hardest and most rewarding experience of my life. I'm still wearing my medal.

THANKS TO YOU ALL!!!!

Here We Go!

2009-01-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

In 24 short hours, we'll be about to touch down in Orlando. I cannot believe it's finally here!

I am letting go of all pain, worries, fears, and enjoying every second from now until we come home. I cannot wait to pack tonight, snuggle with my kitties before leaving them for a week, and wake up with my husband and leave for the airport. I am officially emotionally coasting. I spent weeks and weeks worrying, fretting, doubting. Now all that's left is the joy. WE DID IT!!!!

I look forward to the physical manifestation of this feeling when I cross that finish line. My bib # is 20615. Feel free to log on to the Disney marathon page and watch my progress, if you're up at 6am on Sunday. Something tells me I'll be on the course for a while, so you do have time.

From my family to yours, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making this moment happen!

Seven days...

2009-01-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

A week from this moment, I will have already crossed the finish line of the Disney Marathon!!!! I took a complete break from running for 2 full weeks, and I went out again yesterday. At about a half a mile in, my knee started to hurt again. However, it eventually kind of mellowed out, and I did 3 miles, but I could have done more. Michael came with me, and the rest of the team did 9 miles. Then we all got together for our big Team Breakfast, which is where we celebrate getting to the end of training and get all of our final instructions before we leave. It was awesome. I felt so much more confident, and it helped me focus on the real reason I'm doing this. Plus, I'm so excited to go to Disney.

At one point, a staff member asked all survivors who are participants or heroes to stand. Michael wasn't sure if he was included in the group, but he's my hero, so the staff member goes, "Michael, get up!" I felt so proud and so grateful to have this healthy, wonderful man by my side.

Later in the day, both knees hurt, so I was a little discouraged, but today I feel fine. I'm not going to run until January 11. Plus, I'm getting a Cortisone shot tomorrow.

I want to thank all of you who have read this blog, donated to my race, and been my support throughout this journey. In the end, I am glad I got injured. It made me focus on what's really important in life and why I'm doing this. I thank God every day for the blessings in my life. I thank you for helping me along this path for 5 months. I'll be thinking about you as I cross the finish line. You'll be with me every step of the way!

Taking a Break

2008-12-24T06:54:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays, all! I cannot believe it's Christmas Eve! I'm at work for part of the day today, so it totally doesn't feel like it's Christmas tomorrow.

I went to the doctor yesterday. I did not get a Cortisone shot, because the doctor thought more rest would be better. Through all of his tests, I had no pain, so he's perplexed as to why I had pain on my run. He suggested wearing my knee brace to run from now on. So I'm going to rest until 2009, and then I'll try to run again. If my knee is still flaring up, then I'll get the shot right before we leave for Disney.

I probably won't blog much until after the holidays. I'm going to focus on resting and not thinking about running or the race. Instead I'm focusing on the great things that happened in 2008:

1. I got a new, amazing job.
2. Michael passed his LEED certification exam.
3. We expanded our family to include Boots Marmion, another massive orange cat.
4. I ran two half-marathons and exceeded my personal longest distance with an 18.5 mile run on 12/6/08.
5. We raised $4,265.00 to help eradicate blood cancers!!
5. Many of our friends got married, engaged, or had babies.
6. We have a wonderful family and more great friends than we can count.
7. We're healthy and happy.

That's the important stuff. I hope you all have a nice list of things to be happy about from 2008, and here's to a fantastic 2009!

This Could Be It

2008-12-20T07:08:00.000-08:00

I went out for my test run this morning. I got a mile in and was in the exact same amount of pain again. I walked home and realized, this might be the end. And that's ok. I know it's disappointing for everyone and for me, but what can I do? I think my body's telling me it got as far as it can for now.

This was never about running a marathon for me. That was just an incentive, because I love to run almost as much as I love a challenge. This has been a really hard journey, and this might be the end of it.

I'm going to see my doctor on Tuesday, and I suspect he'll confirm this. And again, that's ok. Disney World will always be there. Hopefully, cancer will not be, and whether or not I cross that finish line won't change that either way. But the money we raised will.

I watched the end of one of my favorite movies, "It's a Wonderful Life," before my run this morning. I cried, as usual. My favorite line expresses exactly how I'm feeling right now:

"No man is a failure who has friends." Thank you all for being my friends. I love you all so much. I hope I made you proud. Merry Christmas.

Does this make me a yogi?

2008-12-18T08:41:00.000-08:00

Status update: I'm feeling pretty good. (Knock on every piece of wood you can find right now!) I've been doing the recommended stretches, which take about 10 minutes, three times a day. I've been taking Motrin and icing my knee, even though it's not hurting anymore nor is it swollen. It's not even as tender when I press on it. I haven't felt any pain walking down stairs in days. I'm not wearing the knee brace. I think I am getting the rest I need.

Plus, I've done yoga 3 times since the injury started. I adore yoga. I know I'm not even working off one of the many cookies I had last night, but not only do I feel focused and refreshed, but I feel stronger. I think I have to work that into my new routine, which will involve LESS running beginning January 12.

I'm going to try to run on Saturday. I'll be doing a tenth of what my teammates are, but I've finally come to grips with that. Michael and I are going to go out leisurely, and we'll see how I feel with new shoes (that I've walked about 5 miles in) and stretching before and after. Then if that feels ok, the plan is to do a short, 3-mile run on Monday, and then I see my doctor on Tuesday. Then I might rest again until our 10-mile run the following Saturday. By then, I'm hoping I'll be back to normal. If I'm not, I'll force myself to rest some more.

I've received such an outpouring of support from my family, friends, even people I've never met. I don't deserve it, but it has REALLY helped me through this. Dad says this is my badge of honor now.

And the BEST news----Team in Training asked me to be a mentor next season!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited!! I cannot wait to meet the new team. At least I'll have some good stories for them now.

All I want for Christmas is for my knees not to hurt.

10607

2008-12-16T18:28:00.000-08:00

I was logging in to post something, and I was entering my password, which includes "10607," our wedding date. This changed the entire feeling behind my post. Be thankful for what you got, Therese.

I went to the best sports doc in Philadelphia tonight, and he said I should not run the 20 miles this Saturday. The original title for this post was 12/20/08, because I have been dreading/excited about this date since I got my training schedule. He wants me to rest. I might get a Cortizone shot in my knee next week so I can do the marathon.

The most discouraging thing he said? "If you can't do 10 miles, you can't do 26.2." Excuse my French, but screw that. I'm doing it no matter what. I'm taking a break, a well-deserved one and coach-approved, and I'm running a freakin marathon in a few weeks. I don't care if my leg falls off.

It stinks. This isn't how I planned it. When do I get to rest on my laurels? But as my husband reminded me, this is part of my journey. I'm never, ever taking this journey again. Right now I feel a bit lost on my journey. But it will make the finish line (God willing I make it to the start) that much sweeter.

I'm not going to be down about this. Screw this. Again, excuse my French, but I wish I had a Size 10 shoe to throw at my doctor. We all came too far. We have to see this through.

My husband, who promised to take me out on a 2-mile run on Saturday, thinks I can do it, so I do also. God knows he's gotten through worse than an illiotibial band strain.

A Long Walk

2008-12-13T10:06:00.000-08:00

I went out for our 9 mile run this morning. Our coach and I decided that this would be a test run. If I didn't feel right, I'd go back.

At about mile 2.25, I realized that I was doing more harm than good, and I made the very hard decision to go back. I thought I'd run the rest of the way back. I couldn't do it. My knee, even with the brace on, hurt. My other knee has started to hurt in the same way.

I walked over two miles in the wind and freezing cold, and I cried. I passed all of my landmarks that always make me so happy at Cooper River--the hotel where we got engaged, the dog park that's always filled with adorable pooches, the parking lot right before the one I park in when I know that I'm almost done with my run and start to congratulate myself. It broke my heart. This walk took 30 minutes. I wanted to run, because I was so cold, but I couldn't. I did a lot of soul-searching out there all alone. Unfortunately, I didn't find much except a massive feeling of failure.

I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, and I'm not attempting to run until then. My coach suggested I take the week off, which I will probably do. Our 20 mile run is scheduled for next Saturday, and I really want to be able to do that.

I cannot tell you how awful I feel. It's like there's this bad thing hanging over my head all of the time. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. I can't figure out why it won't get better.

I don't feel like myself anymore. I've come to define myself through my running. I don't like changing my routine. I miss my shorter, solitary runs. I feel broken, bad, wrong, alone. I feel like a failure.

I know I have friends and family members out there who read this, and I don't want you to worry or feel like you need to cheer me on. I'll be fine. I just needed to get these feelings out. I hope that in a month, I'll read this and wonder why the heck I was so upset. I pray that will happen.

I guess this is the hard part

2008-12-11T06:04:00.000-08:00

I went out for my scheduled 4 miles this morning, the last back-to-back mid-week run on the schedule, and I had to turn back after a mile. I eeked out 2.25 miles at a 9:05/mile pace. I could have gone longer, but my knee hurt from start to finish, so I thought I shouldn't aggravate it anymore.

I'm frustrated. I feel like I'm doing all of the right things, but it's still not cooperating. I left a message for my sports doc, so hopefully he can give me some advice. Now my other knee is getting achey.

The hardest part is dealing with the unknown. I don't know if I should wear a knee brace, change my shoes again, stop running, etc, etc. I wish someone could just tell me how it's going to turn out, because I feel like I'm not in control of anything.

While I had my personal pity party this morning, my husband reminded me how proud he was of me. Between my tears about how I was going to let everyone down and how I would be ruining our vacation if I can't do the marathon, he just kept saying how proud he was of me.

Then I'm reminded of people being diagnosed with blood cancers. Talk about the unknown and not having control. Maybe I should count my blessings more.

So that's it. Deal with the unknown. I feel like a failure, but I know I'm not. I may not run the 20 miles next Saturday. I may not run the marathon. Anything can happen. I'll just keep on keeping on and hope that God and my knees will allow me to cross the finish line. It's hard not to feel discouraged when you've trained for so long, but I should be proud of how far I've come, right?

If I make it, this will be my one and only marathon. This stuff is for the birds.

Back to training

2008-12-10T08:02:00.000-08:00

I went out this morning for my scheduled 5 mile run. It started well. It was 60 degrees at 6am, which was a nice change. It was raining, but I don't mind running in the rain too much. About a mile in, I was doing an 8:35-mile and I felt good. Then I started to feel a little nagging pain in my knee. Pretty much all of the muscles in my legs are sore from the 18-mile run on Saturday and the yoga I did yesterday. My abs are killing me from yoga, but that means it was working. However, because I was tentative about my knee, and a little annoyed, I slowed down a bit. It didn't feel bad or worse than it's felt before. I was just used to about 24 hours of no pain at all, so I was annoyed that I felt anything. I was wearing my knee brace. At about mile 4, I had to stop twice to stretch out and kind of "pop" my knee back into place. As the doctor explained yesterday, the IT band gets moved out of its correct place on your knee, and that's why you feel pain in that spot. I found that if I just moved it back a little, the pain subsided. And when I got home, I walked down the stairs without my knee brace on, and I had no pain. I could not have done that last week, so I see that as a good sign. I'm wearing this brace all of the time, just in case. It ruined my plan to wear a skirt today, but that's alright.

I wound up finishing the 5 miles at an average of 9:35-min/mile. That's slower than I've been on short runs in a long time, but that's ok. Every part of me kind of hurts now, abs, shoulders, arms, quads, etc. I'm supposed to run 4 miles tomorrow. This is the last week with 3 training runs, and I already skipped one, so I'm going to go for the 4 tomorrow morning. I'll rest on Friday and not work out at all, and then we have 9 miles on Saturday morning. I'll see how everything feels during the 4 miler tomorrow, and if I have to stop, I'll stop. It's so hard to force myself to rest, but I have to do it. One month until race day!

Great News!

2008-12-09T13:56:00.000-08:00

I saw a sports doctor this morning, and he said I'm fine to continue my training, and I should be fine for the marathon. PHEW! I currently have no pain. I skipped the training run scheduled for Monday and opted for 30 minutes on the elliptical. I also did yoga this morning, which seems to have really helped. I don't feel sore at all from the 18 mile run on Saturday. I feel no pain at all in my knee, even when I go down stairs. The doctor thinks my knee was just aggravated, not injured, which is such great news. I'm going to try for 5 miles tomorrow and see how I feel.

Thanks to all of you who offered advice, pain relievers, and prayers. It worked! I feel such support from my family and friends, and I could not be more grateful.

18 Miles

2008-12-06T13:25:00.000-08:00

Alison, you were right. I had a great run this morning! For the first time I feel like I can do a marathon. I'm not going to lie, this was my longest run ever, and it was pretty hard. My brain was good to go. Having Gail and Chris by my side the entire time made the time pass so quickly. My knee felt ok. Towards the end, I would get some twinges of pain, but it was never severe pain in the least. It actually felt best when I was in my zone and going. Stopping anf starting wasn't as comfortable.

We did 18 miles in about 3 hours and 15 minutes. There were some bathroom and refreshment breaks, but overall, we were between a 9:45 and 10-min mile pace throughout. We stayed consistent, which was key. Gail and Chris are two of the most positive people I knew, so the conversation was light and happy even in the hardest moments (another hill on Forbidden Drive??). At about Mile 4, I was screaming quotes from "Wedding Crashers," (MOM! The meatloaf!) By Mile 13, we could hardly believe we ONLY had 5 miles to go and were congratulating ourselves on finishing a half-marathon. At around Mile 16.5, I was done. My mind just went, "Therese, for reals? This is ridonk. I'm outtie." So it left, and I zoned out. Following my two buddies was the only thing that got me through.

They ran up the Rocky steps at the end, but I chose not to. The steps up wouldn't have been a problem, but I have my worst pain when I go down stairs. I cheered them on, and yes, this is embarrassing, I started crying. Just a little. I had been so nervous about this run, and I could not believe we did it. As Gail ran down the steps to give me a hug, I felt and said that this is the happiest I've been in a long time. What a feeling.

I did an ice bath (seriously, I love them!) when I got home and took a nice nap. I'm definitely sore, but I think my old shoes are to blame. I was too superstitious to wear my new ones, but I think that was the last run with my old tried-and-trues. The best part is that all day, my wonderful husband keeps saying, "I'm so proud of you." I still don't think he gets that I do all of this for him, so hearing those words makes every step worth it.

Thanks for your love and prayers. We did it!

Your Words Are My Strength

2008-12-06T03:53:00.000-08:00

It's 6:45am. In a little over an hour, I'll start my biggest run to date, 18 miles. I'm nervous. I saw the doctor yesterday, and he thinks I'm doing all of the right things for my knee and will be fine. My pain when he was checking my range of motion was minimal. The knee brace I got has really helped. I'm going to see a sports doc on Tuesday, so no matter what happens today, I'll have some medical support early next week.

Because I was feeling a little scared, I decided to go to my webpage and reread all of the amazing things people posted on my page when they made donations. All this week, I have been feeling badly that I might be letting all of these people down if I can't do the race. This morning I realized that this is not the case at all. I remembered the reason I'm doing this. It's not to win, it's to finish. It's to put a mark on the fight against blood cancers. I was so inspired by the words of my family and friends, and I remembered that we have already accomplished an even bigger goal--raising almost $4,300 for research! I'm going to go kick some you-know-what this morning for all of you!

Personal Pep Talk

2008-12-04T06:32:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I'm an injured runner. I probably have an ITB injury in my right knee. It's one of the most common overuse injuries, but it's got me SO down. I know I can get through the run this weekend, but I'm nervous about it getting worse. I have 3 more big runs...18 miles on Sat, 20 miles on 12/20, and 26.2 miles in Disney. I want to be able to do them without pain. I don't know if I can. I'm scared.

More than that, I'm frustrated. I'm so damn close to the end. DAMN this! Come on! Of course it makes sense that this is when I would get injured, but it's so annoying. I am angry at my body. I just wanted to do this. I am obsessing and I need some perspective. I have to stop feeling sorry for myself.

So that's it. I will finish. I will. I will always be a runner, even if I have to take a break, even if I have to walk, even if I can't compete. I raised the money, I'm helping people, this isn't all for nothing. I will do this.

Now I just have to read this every time I walk down stairs in pain and curse my right leg and start to cry.

39 Days!

2008-12-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, I cannot believe how close the marathon is! We got a bunch of information about the event weekend today. Breakfast at 2:15am on race day. Yikes! I'm so excited.

I went out with my new kicks for the first time this morning. They are great. I had a really good run. I did 5 miles without stopping halfway through, which I always do. I ran an 8:47 average mile and finished in 44 minutes. Another contributing factor to my good run was that I bought new headphones last night. They're the kind that hook around your ear so that they don't fall out. I swear, I was pushing those earbuds back in my ears every 1/2 mile with my old ones. I had no idea what a difference that would make. Plus, I had Michael with me. He did almost his entire 2 miles without stopping. I told him he's a serious runner now. I'm sure his new iPod helped his motivation also. It was a cold morning, but not windy. That made a big difference.

My right knee is a little twitchy. That's the best way to describe it. It's not sore. It feels out of whack, like I need to pop it back to its happy place or something. It hurts when I walk and go down stairs, but it felt fine to run on. I'll take it easy in preparation for our 18-mile run this weekend.

Here's a picture of most of my awesome team. We all went out to dinner two Sundays ago after the Philly Marathon. I did the half, and our coach, Gary (second in on left), did the full. His wife, Bobbi (third in on left), is a walk coach. I don't know what TNT would do without this dynamo duo! And I don't know what I'd do without all of these guys. Thanks for the picture, Ed!

Bad Blogger

2008-12-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

The holiday this weekend has made me super lazy with this blog. Since my last entry, I've had 3 training runs. On Thursday, yes I worked out on Thanksgiving, I went with Kristin and Kara to a Zumba class at Kristin's gym in Toms River. Wow, it was the most fun I've ever had in a class. I had never heard of it before. I hope my gym gets in with the Zumba soon. It's basically a dance/cardio class, but it's so much fun. Sure, I'm not going to be hired as a backup dancer for Britney's new tour, but I had fun. There was a wide range of types of people there, and we had a blast. Then we ate lots of yummy food and had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

On Friday morning, Michael and I went to the local community college and ran on the track. I did 4 miles without stopping, which I don't usually do. I averaged an 8:32-minute mile! Michael did really well also. His high-five every time I passed him definitely helped me power through 16 laps around the track.

Then on Saturday morning, I did 8 miles. It was a little bit of a struggle, because I had essentially done cardio 4 days in a row leading up to Saturday. Also, I have a wicked cold. All in all though, I did a sub 9-min mile throughout, and I felt good. Then it was off to NY for more Thanksgiving gorging and family fun.

This morning I was really not feeling great. Now I'm coughing also. It was warmer out, about 50 degrees, and Michael came out with me. I did 4 miles at an average of 8:42/mile. I'm going to reward myself by getting some new sneaks today. I am in desperate need of new ones. According to my running journal, I have logged over 300 miles since the middle of August, and I've had these sneakers since January. Oops.

TNT also asked me to apply to be a team mentor next season. I am honored. It was a great experience last year, so I hope I can help again.

I need another cough drop...

Turkey Lurkey

2008-11-26T07:25:00.000-08:00

I'd say I'm sufficiently ready for Turkey Day! After the half marathon on Sunday (and yes, I did shave 2 min off my best time!), I ran 5 miles this morning against the wind, and I think I did pretty well. I averaged an 8:53/mile. YAY! It wasn't too too cold this morning, but I have a slight cold, so my chest hurt a bit trying to breath through the congestion and the cold weather. However, nothing cures a groggy morning like a run, and now I feel wonderful.

I'm looking forward to a great weekend with both sides of our family. We leave this afternoon for my mother-in-law's. Tomorrow morning, my sis-in-law and I are going to a Zumba class at her gym. It sounds so fun! And Michael asked ME to bring my running gear so that we can run on Friday morning. I know, he is so great! I am very impressed. So this trip to Toms River, I am packing more workout gear than regular clothes. How odd. At least we'll all work off the crazy amount of good food we're going to eat.

I'd like to add how grateful I am for all of the blessings in my life--my job, my ability to run, my TEAM, my friends, my big extended family, all of my parents, my in-law sibs, my hysterical brother whom I miss dearly, and, of course, my partner in life, Michael. I love you all. May you all enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Philly Half Marathon

2008-11-23T12:50:00.000-08:00

What a weekend! It started on the best note ever--Michael passed his LEED exam on Friday afternoon! I am so excited for him and thoroughly impressed. It's one of the steps towards him getting his license, and what a weight off his mind.

Then we had a surprise party for my mother-in-law in Toms River on Saturday. We started the day with a quick 2-mile jog. Michael's getting better and better every day, and he's my favorite running partner. The party was SUCH fun! Everyone was there, even my parents and Joanne's as well. It was such a wonderful day. I only wish I could have stayed over, but the Philly Half Marathon was this morning!

I was not totally into it, what with all of the other excitement going on. Plus now that I've done 16 miles, 13.1? Pishaw! Just kidding. It was 28-degrees when I left the house at 6:00 am. TWENTY-EIGHT. I wore three shirts, two pairs of pants, a hat, and two pairs of gloves. These were actually very wise decisions, and I felt fine. I was least excited about waiting at the start, but I shouldn't have worried, because by the time I packed myself in with the other 18,000 runners, we were starting!

It was a really cool route, through Center City, Old City, Delaware Avenue, South Philly, Society Hill, West Philly and the Zoo, and then back down MLK Drive to the Art Museum. I would have loved it more if there hadn't been so many hills. Thank goodness no one told me about that beforehand, because that would have been a mind-killer. I kept on keeping on, waited for the Clif shots that never materialized despite being on the map for mile 9, and I finished in a little over 2 hours. My Garmin said it was 2 hours, 6 minutes. I ran the last 3 miles without a break, because I think I'm a superstar. The Philly Marathon website has no results, so I have no idea what my chip time was. However, if it was 2:06, that's 2 minutes faster than I did the Philadelphia Distance Run only 2 months ago. Yes!

I feel fine now. It was an anti-climactic end, and I just went home and did homework and slept, but tonight I'm off to dinner with a bunch of people from my team. Should be fun!

Oh and because I love how Amy and Derrick do this, but I can't figure out "jumps," here are my stats:

Distance: 13.21 miles
Time: 2:06:44
Average Pace: 9:35/mile
Average Speed: 6.3 mph
Total Calories: 1346 (which I ate at the party last night)
Average Heartrate: 169 bpm
Total Ascent: 4,241 ft (ridonkulous)

Hello to my avid readers from the Passarella family! You're so sweet to keep up with my progress, and your love and support means the world to me.

Seventeen Years

2008-11-20T18:53:00.000-08:00

Today is a very special day. Not only is it my mother-in-law's birthday, it is also the 17 year anniversary of the day that Michael was diagnosed with leukemia. He was 11-years-old. Every year, Mom Marmion commemorates it as a celebration. Today, on her special day, she made a point to reach out to all of her kids and remember this day as the day that their family was forever changed. It's amazing. That must have been one of the most terrible days of her life, and rather than try every day to forget those dark and difficult days, she works hard to remember it on this day and every day. She appreciates every moment with Michael and is grateful that they all made it through such a horrible ordeal. If you can't tell, I am extremely impressed by my mother-in-law.

I don't know about you, but I find myself often getting annoyed by lots of things. Why did I miss that train? I'm tired. Of course the cats knocked something over again. I don't feel like doing my homework. I don't feel like running. Pooooooor me. Days like today make me realize how lucky I truly am. We are all usually a lot luckier than we realize.

I know it's not very cool to gush so publicly about my husband, but I adore him, so I don't care. Sorry, baby. Michael is the nicest and most caring person I have ever met. He teaches me compassion and patience. He supports every stupid thing and every (rare) smart thing that I do and say. I cannot imagine loving a human being more than this selfless, kind, intelligent, hysterical man.

In 1991, I was in seventh grade. My biggest worries were if my ultra hair-sprayed bangs would look nice today, if I would get a part in the Christmas play, if the boy I liked would talk to me, and if I'd ever meet Johnny Depp from my new favorite movie, Edward Scissorhands. My parents were worried about the public school boys I was hanging out with, the makeup I was wearing, and if I was growing up too fast.

At the same time, Michael's parents were worried if he'd make it through this. If only I had known that the love of my life, my partner, was fighting for his life at the same time. We only met thanks to the advances in medicine made possible by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and by the grace of God. And I thank them both every day for letting me meet this wonderful man.

Twilight

2008-11-19T06:46:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not going to gush about the movie or book about vampires, although I am not-so-secretly looking forward to seeing the movie and delving into Book 2 of the horribly written yet compelling book series. However, I did have a weird Twilight moment last night. I was giving blood, and the nurse saw my Francesca Lia Block book that I had with me. She asked about it, and when I started describing it, she admitted that she was crazy about the Twilight series. We talked about it for the duration of my donation, which was super weird, talking about vampires while blood's pouring out of my veins. Ew.

This morning's run was like running in twilight. The sun was just coming up, so it was dawn/duskish and so beautiful. I was a little tired from my donation, so I did 5 miles at a 9:10/mile pace. I was proud of that. It was 28 degrees and windy, however. Bundled as I was, my hands still managed to become completely numb. When I got inside, I guess the blood rushing back into my fingers caused EXTREME pain. It felt like I had just slammed both hands in a car door. I was in tears, and it lasted a good five minutes. Poor Michael had no idea what to do and was trying to be so helpful, but I couldn't even bend them. Thankfully, it didn't last long. I need two sets of gloves, I suppose.

Speaking of, Michael has been so incredibly busy this week, and he still wanted to run this morning. I was so impressed. He took my stop watch and old MP3 player, and he did 2 miles at about a 10 min mile pace. He only stopped twice. When I first started running, I couldn't even run for more than 5 minutes without stopping. 3/4 of a mile took me 40 minutes. I'm really impressed by his progress.

This weekend is the Philadelphia Marathon. I'm doing the half on Sunday morning. Sounds like I better bundle up again. The high for Sunday is 42 degrees. I guess it's officially winter!

Then we're having a Team dinner at Pizzeria Uno's on Sunday night. I'm so excited to hang out with my teammates in normal clothes and meet the special guys/gals in their lives. We are all going to have so much fun in Disney!

And if you haven't checked lately, I'm at my official grand fundraising total--$4,210!!!! Thanks everyone. Giving blood yesterday and reading all of the stories of people in need made it even clearer how important this journey truly is. Thank you all for taking it with me. We are really making a difference!

Poor Thighs

2008-11-18T06:43:00.000-08:00

After Saturday's run, standing all night Saturday night at the wine auction, and walking around on Sunday at Harry Potter Day at work, my poor thighs were so not feeling a run on Monday morning. They're still a little sore. But I did 4 miles as scheduled on Monday morning. I did about an 8:40ish mile (can't remember). I'm officially much faster now. It's weird, it's just my pace now. I am curious to see how I'll do at the Philly Half Marathon this Sunday compared to the Philly Distance Run two months ago.

I just have to say that I'm so grateful that I'm still healthy and I'm done with my fundraising. Sure, the long runs are getting harder, but I'm actually pretty fortunate with everything.

I'm looking forward to chowing down at Thanksgiving. How is it only a week away?? There's so much I'm grateful for. I joined a Yahoo group of TNT people, and a lot of them are survivors running their 3rd, 4th, 5th marathons. I continue to be astounded by people. It really puts it all in perspective how lucky I am. My poor thighs can shut up :)

New Milestone!

2008-11-15T10:02:00.000-08:00

I ran my longest distance, 16 miles, this morning! I did really well, considering the circumstances:

1. It was pouring for most of the run.
2. I didn't get the message before I left the house that the team run was cancelled, so I had to do it on my own. They are meeting up tomorrow, but I'll be at work, so I had to get through it today.

I did 16 miles in 2 hours and 31 minutes. My average speed was 9:27 min/mile. I can hardly believe I did it! Around mile 11, I was done. I never wanted to run again. I was annoyed and bored out of my mind. 2 and a half hours is a long time to be alone and in pain.

But I powered through, thanks to all of the love and support I continue to receive from my family and friends. I really thought of all of you in my darkest moments, especially Michael. When I finished, I was smiling to myself while stretching, and a nice fellow runner asked, "Is that it for you today?" I told him I just passed a new running milestone, and he congratulated me. I came to find out that he is also doing the Disney Marathon. We'll probably be at the airport at the same time. Runners are nice people.

I took an icebath when I got home, and it was actually soothing. I was dreading it, but I knew I had to combat the impending soreness. I stayed in for 10 minutes, and it was really nice. I think it'll make a difference in my recovery.

Now I need a well-earned nap before Satchmo and Kate arrive and the wine auction starts tonight! Wish I didn't have to wear heels tonight :)

8:37!!!

2008-11-12T08:54:00.000-08:00

That was my average time on a 5-mile run this morning at 6am!!! I am so darn proud of this. There were a few contributing factors:

1. Michael fixing up a nice date last night that started soooo late, because I had a meeting after work. We didn't put the TV on. We just talked and caught up, and it was lovely, which led to me having the best night's sleep ever.

2. I'm back in my weight training routine, and I've been working out my hamstrings, which felt really strong this morning.

3. I think I wore exactly the right outfit to stay warm. It was 42 degrees this morning! The Underarmour, long-sleeved top from my mother-in-law was perfect! Plus I busted out my running gloves, and my fingers didn't go numb.

4. Michael got up and ran with me, but he let me go at my own pace, so I felt comfortable warming up and then pushing my speed a bit. Notice how my husband is 50% of the reason I rocked this morning.

So I did 5 miles at 8:37/mile in 43:05 minutes. I feel so awesome. Well, not really, I'm actually starving right now and feel kind of exhausted, but I'm excited that I got through a speed barrier. I know it will be easier the next time. Now I just need to find some caffeine.

Another Monday

2008-11-11T08:25:00.000-08:00

I had a great run on Monday morning. It was 4 miles, and I was trying for a little speed. I've been doing the longer runs at a little over a 9-minute/mile pace, so I thought I should try to kick it up a notch for my shorter runs. I did this one with an 8:48/mile average pace, and I felt really solid. It's funny, because I have always felt wiped by the afternoon when I run in the morning. Yesterday, I couldn't remember in the afternoon if I had run that morning. I can usually more than tell that from how I feel. I guess I'm an athlete now.

Michael was right there with me. He let me go ahead and work on my speed, and he's getting better and better. He seemed to have had a great run.

I slept like a baby last night, so I must have worked hard, but it was a great night's sleep. This weekend is another milestone--16 miles. I'm a little nervous but more excited than nervous. I'll be totally prepped and ready! Now I just need to get new sneakers...

What a TEAM!

2008-11-09T14:44:00.000-08:00

FINALLY, on Saturday I got to run with the team again!!! I have had to miss the group runs every week since October 5. I had no idea what an effect that had on me, but I was so glad to be back with my teammates. I can even see through my blog posts how this was affecting my training and my attitude. Thank goodness I'm back!

We did 8 miles yesterday, which is considered an "easy" run now. Ha! It felt easy, and I had fun. Brandi, an alumna from last spring, came out, which was awesome! It was so nice to catch up with her, and she's good at keeping me motivated. I ran primarily with Gail. We seem to have identical paces, and she is just the nicest person in the universe, so I definitely lucked out meeting her. We did about a 9:15/mile pace throughout with a little variation here and there. We had a few sub-9-minute miles, which was impressive, because we really didn't feel like we were working that hard.

After we all finished, one of my teammates, the amazing Don, handed me $50 and apologized for missing my fundraiser. I know, my jaw's still on the ground, too. He is too much!! I was floored by the generosity and support of this man who is an alumnus and a current participant, and he took the time and effort to help ME! Then we all started making plans for times that we can hang out in non-running clothes and have drinks or dinner. I felt so included and so happy. We are changing the world, I know it.

It's been such a great weekend full of relaxing and seeing some of our favorite people: SiSi, Linda, and Mike; Noah (who has TWO teeth now!), Michelle, and Doug. We are truly blessed with our friends, family, and most of all, each other. Speaking of, time for me to find my love and have some dinner and watch the Iggles!!

Getting Back in the Swing

2008-11-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

I was pretty sick yesterday, but I still tried to run in the morning. Bad idea. I felt like I had a fever, but I thought I could power through. I'm kind of insane at 6am, it seems. I ran one mile and walked back. It was sad. Then I confirmed that I did have a fever, and I was actually sick. I stayed home from work and recuperated.

This morning I definitely didn't feel back to normal, but I had to get my miles in. I did 5 miles at a 9:13-minute/mile pace. Not bad. I felt sluggish, but nowhere near as bad as I did yesterday. The rain held off until I was done, but the wind seemed to constantly be going in the wrong direction and slowing me down.

Nevertheless, I got through it, and I'm still on a high for reaching my fundraising goal!! I still can hardly believe we did it!

I had lunch with a good friend who I hadn't seen in way too long who just got married and just finished treatment for cancer. I could not believe her strength and endurance. Her only complaint was that she couldn't run and work out during her treatments! I'll think of that the next time I can't get myself out of bed. What an inspiration. It made me feel bad for complaining about a cold! That really put things in perspective.

I'm listening to Christmas music on the radio. Too early? Never!

Yes, We Can!!

2008-11-05T12:59:00.000-08:00

No this blog is not about our new Prez, but the sentiments the same.

WE DID IT!!!!

I can hardly believe that it's only November 5, and I'm writing this. As of today, I have officially met my fundraising goal for my Team in Training marathon in Walt Disney World!!! My website does not reflect the full total yet, pending receipt of one more check, but officially, I have raised $3,910!!!

I am so incredibly grateful to each and every one of you. If you made a donation, came to my fundraiser, encouraged me in person or via email, read this blog, or even just read my emails, I am eternally thankful for your help in getting me to this challenging goal, and I could never have done it without you.

If you still want to make a donation, I won't stop you--every dollar gets us closer to a cure for blood cancers.

The hard part's done, now I just have to run 26.2 miles! I'll be thinking of you when my legs get tired, when I'm on the plane to Florida, when I cross the finish line on January 11, and mostly, every time I hug my husband, who would not be here if it wasn't for the work of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the generosity of people like you.

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

Good Friends

2008-11-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

I've been struggling lately with balancing my training with my food intake. As a Weight Watchers Lifetime Member, I am pretty conscious about my eating habits, and I try to be as healthy as possible. A few years and almost 50 lbs ago, I was not so much, and I'm proud of how far I've come and I don't want to go back. Michael is very good at reminding me that I'd really have to try to get back to that place, but it's still hard to let go of that fear.

We went to brunch with Alison and Derrick yesterday right after Derrick did a 5K. He's training for his first half-marathon (check out his blog and fundraising page in my links), so whenever we're hanging out, we talk gadgets, pace, fuel, general athlete-speak. Who would have every thought I'd consider myself an athlete! I mentioned my struggle with eating enough and not too much or, as I have a tendency to do, too little. He and Alison were really helpful in suggesting that I see a nutritionist or at least consult my doctor. I'm going to try that. Thanks for listening, guys.

I'm afraid of starting bad habits again that will be hard to break after my training is done. Basically, I reprogrammed my brain one way, and now I have to temporarily turn it back. It's not an easy task, and I know I have not been easy to be around because of that. But I'm working on it.

Michael and I had a great run this morning. I did 4 miles, and he did 2. He told me that he ran most of it, which is awesome! I did an 8:59-minute mile average and felt good. My legs felt heavy, which my coaches tell me comes from muscle exhaustion. I guess it's a good thing this is an easy training week to prevent over-training. We only do 8 miles this weekend--pishaw! I tried trickin' out my Garmin a little more, like Derrick showed me yesterday. That thing can do so much, it's scary. And as always, it was so great having Michael beside me as we ventured out this morning. Plus, it was light out!! YAY!

This blog has become so training-centric. I guess that's natural, given that I am almost at my fundraising goal but have a lot of miles to go. However, I'm remembering the reason, and I continue to be so grateful to everyone who has supported me with donations and shoulders to lean on, literally and figuratively. THANK YOU!!!!

New Milestone

2008-11-01T03:48:00.000-07:00

I have officially surpassed my longest personal distance. I ran 14 miles! I did it in 2 hours, 14 minutes, and 16 seconds. That's only 4 minutes longer than my best half-marathon record and a mile longer. I wasn't going for speed. I just wanted to keep going and feel good. I think I did go a bit faster than I should have. Most of my laps were a little under 9 minutes per mile. I think I went a little fast, because some of my path was unfamiliar, and it got dark out.

I started at work at 5pm. I went down the River Path, which is so nice and very close to my office. Then I went up Kelly Drive all the way to Falls Bridge and back. I had to run around campus a little bit to finish up my miles, but that was easy and better populated. I lost my Powergel at the beginning of the run, which I was going to eat halfway through, so by the end, my muscles felt really stiff and tired. My knees are a little sore this morning, but I think I just need new sneakers. Pounding asphalt for 2+ hours is not easy on your bones.

Then we had a fun night of homemade pizza (thanks, Michael!) and watching Night of the Living Dead. It's totally cheesy and actually a great movie. We got no trick or treaters, surprise, surprise.

All in all, I'm pretty proud of myself, especially because I did this mileage totally on my own. From here on out, I get to do every long run with the team. The marathon will be here before I know it! I am so excited. Now that I've tackled a new milestone, I am really feeling more confident that I can do it.

Off to Penn's Homecoming this morning. Go Quakers!

A New Day

2008-10-30T07:12:00.001-07:00

Well, today is much better than yesterday. The Phillies won the World Series, I had a great night's sleep, and I had a good workout this morning. My training schedule called for 0-3 miles, so I did 2 on the treadmill at the gym. It went quickly as I upped the speed to an 8:57-minute mile pace and was distracted by all of the Phillies Phun coverage on the local morning news shows. It's such a great day in Philadelphia!

I am working on not trying to take on everything and taking some time for me at the end of the day. I feel like I'm constantly going, going, going between training, school, work, chores, etc. My very wise and understanding husband helped me realize that I have to take a break every now and then.

Tomorrow after work I'll be doing my 14-mile run that's scheduled for Saturday. I have to work at Homecoming on Saturday morning, so that's the only time I can do it. It'll be a new milestone for me. My to-date longest distance is 13.1 miles, so I'm excited! I'm going to forge a route from my office and down the Schuylkill River Path to the Art Museum, which should be nice. The weather's going to be perfect. I kind of wish I didn't have to work and could just go to the Phillies parade.

Wish me luck! Hopefully the Phillies will give me some inspiration tomorrow.

Ugh

2008-10-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

That's how I'm feeling today. Ugh. So I'm not going to sully this blog with my complaints. I'm going to take my own advice and read some older posts to find some inspiration. It's a hard day to feel motivated. My 5 mile run this morning was cold, windy, and I was not feeling well. I did a 9:07-minute mile, but something was definitely missing/wrong. So enough about that. Now I shall remember the reason I'm doing this while trying to forget that I'm utterly exhausted.

GO PHILLIES!!!

2008-10-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

There is a definite energy in the city today. I woke up to homemade fireworks going off at midnight last night, presumably not long after the Phil's big win. I slept really well after that and felt great for my 4-mile run this morning. Michael started with me. I feel a lot more comfortable knowing he's out there with me, even if I'm a little ahead, since it's so dark in the morning. When do we turn the clocks back already?

I did a 9-minute mile exactly for the 4 miles. I felt really good. I think this is my speed now, which is so awesome. I listened to Preston & Steve as usual while I ran, and their energy was super high also, and they were hysterical. It's so fun to be a Philly Phan today!

In other news, without a few offline donations being counted on my website, I believe I am within $100 of my goal for the marathon!! If that doesn't get me motivated, nothing will. Thanks, everyone!

GO PHILS!!!

Whirlwind Saturday

2008-10-26T05:15:00.000-07:00

I had to do my 8-mile run without the team on Saturday morning, because I had to go into work for a few hours in the AM. This wasn't a big deal, however, because, as my coach said, it's only an 8-mile run this week. Only. Haha! I have to agree, though. A run of that distance isn't that big a deal anymore.

I went down Delaware Avenue all the way to South Philly and back. I was going about 8:30-8:40 min/mile for most of it. I did the standard 9:00 run/1:00 walk model, and it served me well. I'll do the whole marathon that way. I finished with an average 9-minute mile, even with the stops. I felt great. The rain held off until I was done, and little did I know I had created an awesome MP3 playlist that was exactly long enough for this distance.

Then I worked for a few hours, went directly to looking at a few houses, and then right to the La Salle fundraiser. I was totally exhausted by the end, but it was a fun time. Now me and Becca are off to try on bridesmaids dresses for Tara's big day!!!

"Let the children come to Me..." Luke 18:15-17

2008-10-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

My mom organized a bake sale at her school, Corpus Christi-Holy Rosary, in Port Chester, NY today. She and her 8th graders worked for weeks to organize this event, which raised $250!!! I am so overwhelmed by the generosity, dedication, and love of these children. I think this blog would be best told in the words and pictures of the inspiring children of CCS-HRS.

"I think we'll raise a million dollars today." ~ a first-grader

"How much does it cost to cure cancer?" "I brought $5." ~ two wonderful CCS-RHS students

God bless you all. Mom, you continue to inspire me every day. I will run my heart out for all of you!

Wow, almost there!

2008-10-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

Without counting the proceeds from last week's fundraiser, I have cracked $3,000!!! I'm almost there! Thanks so much to everyone who has supported me so far. I am astounded by how generous everyone is.

I did 5 miles this morning in the COLD! Michael started with me, which is always the best. I was a little sluggish this morning, so having him by my side helped me get through that first mile. I cannot wait until we turn the clocks back, because I feel like I'm running in the middle of the night. It's so dark!

I did well this morning. I averaged a 9:15-min mile, and that was with a slower first mile. I felt a little pain in my right quad, which is totally weird, but it let up by the time I was done, and I feel fine now.

I have a test in Italian tonight, and I'm soooo exhausted. It's hard getting up, running, working, and then going to class. But as soon as I'm home, I'm kicking back and watching the Phillies. GO PHILS! I'm in my Phillies red today!

The Blessing of Friendship

2008-10-20T10:08:00.000-07:00

I am still on a high from this weekend. It could not have been more wonderful.

Friday night's fundraiser was a huge success! I think we had about 20 people there, and in total, we raised over $350! A lot of that money came from tip jars I had on the bar. I really enjoyed bartending, and I think I got the hang of it by the end. The Field House totally hooked us up with a huge amount of food. Everyone seemed to have an amazing time. I just felt so blessed to have so many friends come out to support this. Our realtor and friend, Tim, and his girlfriend, Kim, Dave, Mike, Becca, my teammate Jeff and his wife, Nicole (and their infant Sophia!), Andrew and Joanne, Kristin and 4 of her friends, Jen and Lori, my hero Michael of course, and THEN Andy and Jess showed up!! I was so shocked when they walked in. I haven't seen them in over a year. Michael was in on the secret. I don't know how he kept that from me, but I'm so glad he did. Jen, Lori, Andy, Jess, and Kristin all stayed over. We had so much fun.

The next morning, I had to take Peter to get some shots at the vet (he was a trooper), and then we all had some breakfast and chilled. After Andy and Jess left, Jen, Lori, Michael, Kristin, and I went into the city and checked out the Reading Terminal Market. Then Lori had seen something about Eastern State Penitentiary, so we went there and did the tour. It was so much fun! Then everyone went home, and Michael and I crashed.

Sunday morning, I had to run 12 miles. Michael offered to come with me and run the beginning lap. We went to Cooper River, and we stuck together for most of the loop. Michael did a 5k! Then he waited in the car for another 90 minutes for me to finish. What a guy! I did really well. I averaged a 9:00-mile, and I finished in 1 hour, 56 minutes. That was the longest distance I've ever done alone or not in a race. It was a little boring, but being with Michael at the beginning really helped. And he seemed to like going out on a Sunday morning like that. I hope we'll do it again. We were like such yuppies getting up early to work out together. All we need is a Mini Cooper and a Jack Russell terrier, and we'd be set.

Then we went to Linda and Mike's for football and had an awesome time. We were seriously asleep at 8:30pm. What a fabulous weekend! I did a quick 2-miler this morning to keep my muscles from cramping up, and I feel great.

I sent out thank-you emails to my friends who came on Friday, and I got so many back saying that they were "inspired" by me. Are you kidding?! It's the other way around, people. I don't know how I would even come close to accomplishing any of this without my friends. I am the luckiest girl in the world. Thank you to all who have supported me throughout this journey.

In 82 days I will run 26.2 miles in honor of all of you!!

Like Peas in a Pod

2008-10-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

This will be short, because Jen and Lori are here, and I'm having the best time ever with them! They arrived last night. We had a fun-filled night of wine, NKOTB, and laughs. Poor Michael had to work today. I just had to run 3 miles, which was a piece of cake. I did an 8:50-minute mile! I felt great.

My fundraiser is tonight!!! I'm so excited. Ok, off to hang with my wonderful friends. We're like peas in a pod. I love them, and it means the world to me that they came down to visit and support me! Hope to see some of you tonight!

He feels the need for speed

2008-10-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

Reluctantly, Michael and I headed out at 6am this morning for a run. I say "reluctantly," because our darling kitties decided to keep us up a lot last night. They have gotten into the habit of starting to act up around 5:30am, which is SOOOO annoying, because I wake up at 5:45am every day. Can't I get my 15 minutes??

It was a great morning, cool and clear, but we were not feeling it. However, once we got going, I think we both felt better. About 3/4 through the first mile, Michael seemed like the speed wasn't perfect for him, so I said I'd go ahead. I've gotten a bit faster over the last few weeks, and he's been very busy with work, so he's missed a few runs with me. We were going about a 9:40 mile, and I didn't want to pressure him to go faster. So I go on ahead, start fiddling with my MP3 player, and then I hear the pitter-patter of New Balances behind me. Michael goes, "I decided to try to catch up." I was so impressed! I had already started going faster, and he stuck with me for the rest of the first mile. He looked great when I got home, so I think he had a good run.

I did 4 more miles after that in 45 minutes almost exactly, so I averaged a 9-minute mile. Nice! I felt fantastic. I wasn't tired or anything by the time I hit mile 2. It was a great morning. I even made a couple of green lights that usually annoy the heck out of me.

Jen and Lori are coming to visit tomorrow night, and I could not be more excited!! I'll have to get a 3-mile run in on Friday morning, but I'll just go after my kitties lovingly wake me up to feed them, and I'm taking a vacation day anyway. Then my fundraiser is Friday night!! I'm so excited for that.

On the training schedule, I'm supposed to do 12 miles this weekend. Since we have guests until Sat night, I'm going to do this on Sunday morning. Michael offered to come with me and do a longer run than usual. He rocks. We're going to do the run for 9 minutes, walk for a minute routine on Kelly Drive. I might do 3 miles with him and then do the loop (9 miles) to get my miles done. Then we're watching football and hanging with our buddies, the Gilberts. Should be an awesome weekend!

Wish me luck on Friday!

Trying to keep up

2008-10-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

I will start by apologizing to the avid readers of "Making Mickey Proud" for not posting in a while. It's been a busy week, and I've spent a lot of my time running. I did 4 miles at the gym on Thursday, 7 miles on Saturday, and 4 again today.

The run at the gym was hysterical. I have a new MP3 player that my parents got me for my birthday. Of course I was fiddling with it, and I almost became one of those people on America's Funniest Home Videos who slips right off the treadmill! It must have been hard for the people around me not to laugh. I also fought with the new-fangled machine that only wanted to allow me to work out on it for 30 minutes. I spent the whole last mile upping the speed as it tried to make me "cool down." I've changed my mind again. Treadmills are for the birds.

Saturday's run was great. I did two loops at Cooper River alone, because I had little time to squeeze in breakfast with the Richardsons and then Reggie's wedding. It was a beautiful day, and I had an awesome playlist of Rihanna, Outkast, Kayne, etc. to get me through. I had a great pace of a little over a 9-minute mile.

Reggie's wedding was awesome. The reception was picnic-style with lots of German traditions, even lederhosen and a Tastykake cake (not really German, but definitely Philly-German). I was tired from my run, but that didn't stop me from dancing! (Photos courtesy Jeffrey Melodick)

This morning's run was a piece of cake. My abs are sore, which is super weird, but I think it's from the dancing and running. I did an average 8:53 minute mile. Whoa! I was impressed with that.

I'm getting a little stressed with all of the time I have to allot for running. My weekends are being consumed by the schedule, and weekends are already so busy as it is. But as always, when I'm feeling a little discouraged, someone wonderful in my life puts it all in perspective. Our Aunt Marcie connected me via email with her friend, who is also doing the Disney race with Team in Training in NY. We have become email buddies, and she really reminded me why I'm doing this and how important it is.

My event is Friday, and I cannot wait! Hope to see lots of friends there: http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?inviteId=AJSDHWFHDOMUACXWAVUI

Fall is in the air...

2008-10-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

It was 51 degrees when I headed out at 6am this morning, and it stayed dark the whole time. I felt great. I took my coach's advice and did not dress like I felt before I walked outside. I have a tendency to overdress, because I'm perpetually cold. I wore a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, and it was actually perfect. This was the first morning since last winter that I have felt my fingers go numb and then eventually come back once I got into mile 2.

I went out this morning after a blissful night of sleep. We had an event for work at the same bar where MY EVENT IS NEXT FRIDAY, OCT 17, THE FIELD HOUSE! http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?inviteId=AJSDHWFHDOMUACXWAVUI I'm so excited for that, and I hope lots of people come out for it. Then when I got home kind of late, I did laundry and homework. I didn't get into bed until midnight, which is much later than usual for me. However, I slept really well. Our adorable cats definitely helped in that regard. Also, we read before bed, which actually got me much more relaxed than just watching TV. I might have to start a new habit.

I ran a 9:10 mile for 5 miles. I felt fantastic. I noticed how much the weather really makes a difference. I still feel good from the run this morning, and I had no soreness. Tomorrow calls for another 4 mile run, which might be a little tough, but this is an ease-down week to prevent overtraining.

At my event last night, I met my coworker's cousin, who is also a Team in Training alumni. I started saying how nervous I was getting about it, and he was really encouraging. I love TNT. Everyone involved is so nice and supportive. I just can't wrap my brain around 26.2 miles. I know my body can do it. We all can do just about anything if we really needed to. It's more my brain that's having trouble. What if I get bored? What if I get tired? What if I get sick? It excites me, but I'm definitely anxious. I'm hoping that I will feel better after I get some bigger distances under my belt. 14 miles on Halloween! Unfortunately, because of work, I have to do that one alone, but I think it'll be a good test. And hey, it's only 0.9 more miles than my personal best. Peace of cake... :)

One Year of Bliss

2008-10-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

Today is our first wedding anniversary! We had such an amazing weekend in Long Beach Island. It was just what we needed and full of fun. We got home around noon today, so I did my 4-mile training run in the afternoon at home. It was a gorgeous day today. I was a little sore from Saturday's run and from walking all over LBI and Chowderfest, but overall, I felt great. I averaged a 9:04/mile, which is great! I got all of my information for the race weekend, and it got me so excited. I cannot wait!!

At the exact same time that I was running today, one year ago, Michael and I were saying "I do." What a fantastic year it's been. Can't write more, because there's still a few more hours of celebrating to be done. I love you, Michael. I am so lucky to be your wife.

Broad Street Run--it's nothing

2008-10-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

This morning I did 10 miles, the equivalent of the Broad Street Run, which was my first official race in 2004. This was a piece of cake this morning. I ran with Gail, Jim, and Chris, the "lead pack," as our coach calls us. We did an exact 10 min mile the whole time. So we were doing about a 9 min mile with a 1 min walk break in intervals. It was great. It was cool this morning, so I wore my new underarmour long-sleeved shirt from my mother-in-law! It was perfect for this weather. I felt great, and it was just about as perfect a run as can be.

Now we're off to LBI for our anniversary weekend! I can't wait to show off the gorgeous bracelet my hubby got for me!

Belated Celebrating

2008-10-01T07:26:00.000-07:00

Since I had work and class on my actual birthday, I took last night as an opportunity to celebrate with the hubby and our adorable kitties (they spent the whole night on the couch with us and didn't kill each other!). However, that made for a slow start this morning. I had to do 5 miles, and I'm proud of myself for powering through. The most important thing in distance running is staying consistent with training, so I'm trying really hard to stay on track. I averaged a 9:43 mile, but I'm fine with that. I don't care about my speed. I just want to make sure I'm feeling well and don't injure myself.

It is amazing though how much of my schedule is affected by my training. Weekend plans are dictated by how many miles I'm doing in the morning, even weeknights have to end earlier so that I can get my miles in before going to work the next morning. It's crazy. I have to allot at least an hour of my day to running 4 times a week. On Saturdays, it takes no less than 2 hours with traveling to NJ, waiting for everyone to get together and start, walk breaks, etc. And then 2-3 days a week I do weight training to keep my muscles strong and protect my knees and ankles.

However, I still love it. That hour in my mornings, especially when I'm alone, is so precious and really brings me back to center. No matter what, I feel great when I'm running. I could probably run with no music or anything, but I like the Preston & Steve morning show too much to do that. But it is like meditating at times. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't run.

The most important thing about this journey is that it's bigger than me. I can't imagine training for a race without a purpose behind it. When I'm feeling down on myself or struggling through a run, I "remember the reason," as they say in Team in Training, and I'm honestly amazed. It feels like everyone I know is aware of the race and my fundraising. I guess I had something to do with that, but it still astonishes me when someone asks me about my training. It makes me feel so great and so supported. Also, because of this, I get to tell our story, how leukemia almost took Michael away from all of us, how his family struggled through his sickness, how it affected everyone in his life, and how he won. I hope we can all help make that story possible for more people fighting these awful diseases.

On a lighter note, when I was walking up from the subway this morning, I saw a pair of crutches in a garbage can. It was at the bottom of the stairs. I was baffled. What on earth happened? Did someone decide they had had it with the crutches (they are a pain, I know)? Did they suddenly get healed like on a televangelist show? Bizarre!

It's My Party

2008-09-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm officially one year closer to the big 3-0. It stinks that my birthday's on a Monday and I have class tonight, but I had a great weekend of celebrating with my hubby, my parents, and our TWO kitties. Saturday night was fun night out in NoLibs with Michael. Then we went back there for brunch with my parents on Sunday. The phermone-blocker we got for the cats seriously made a difference, and we spent most of yesterday with both of them coexisting on the couch with us! They still nip at each other every now and then, but it's a vast improvement.

My parents got me so many presents, and they got us nice anniversary gifts as well! I got a new MP3 player, which made a huge difference on my 4-mile run this morning. I had a great run at a 9:17/mile average. I'm a tiny bit sore from Saturday's run, but not too bad. It was a cool morning and so nice to have that "me" time to start my birthday.

Thanks to everyone for all of their birthday wishes and donations! I'm at 62% of my goal!! YES!!!

Just another Saturday run

2008-09-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

We did 9 miles this morning at 7am with the team. I've found a core of 3 other runners who are about my pace. Most of them are doing Disney, which is cool. They're all pretty experienced, so I'm impressed I can keep up!

We had a great pace of about 9:30 - 9:45/mile with our normal minute-long stops every 9 minutes. I felt great throughout and at the end. My left ankle, the one I hurt in last year's PDR, is a little bit sore. I blame this on the boots I wore two days in a row this week. I walked way too much in them. I know it looks dorky, but I have to wear sneakers even with nice clothes. I usually have to do a lot of walking during the day, and I don't want to get hurt for fashion's sake.

The rest of the weekend should be awesome! Michael and I have some grocery and kitty shopping to do. Peter and Boots are almost civil, but every now and then we have to separate them. We're going to try this phermone-blocker plug-in thing so that poor Boots can have more free reign of the house.

Then tonight, we're going out for my birthday dinner, probably in NoLibs. My parents are coming down tomorrow, and we'll visit the Museum and have lunch. It should be a nice weekend. Farewell, 28!

I guess treadmills aren't that bad...

2008-09-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

I did 3 miles this morning at the gym on the...dun dun dun...treadmill. I am such a jerk about the treadmill. I just get so bored. However, this morning, I started to embrace it again. That used to be the only way I ran, and I have to get used to it, because it's going to start getting really dark and really cold in the mornings. The nice part is that my awesome gym hasn't become too overrun since school started. Students apparently don't like to work out at 6:30am. Go figure.

I also had the added advantage of being distracted by watching the morning news shows about the downfall of WaMu and all of the financial drama in DC. I did a 6.5 mph pace (9:13/mile), and I felt fine.

Tomorrow I'm doing 9 miles with the team. I hope it doesn't rain on us. Other than that, I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend and pretending I'm not getting older in a few days...

It's Not Always Sunny in Philadelphia

2008-09-25T04:11:00.000-07:00

It seemed like everyone was in a foul mood yesterday. We went out for a run at 6AM, and we were both pretty wiped. My legs still felt a little heavy from the half-marathon. I averaged about a 9:30, which given my week last week, is good.

Along my route, I came across lots of rude Philadelphians. One construction worker in NoLibs was too busy taking 10 minutes to put on a sweatshirt to stop blocking the sidewalk with his truck door, so I had to wait for 3 minutes for traffic to stop whizzing by to get around him. He didn't even notice me. Then some mom in an SUV almost hit me, because she ran a red light to get on the Ben Franklin Bridge a second faster. Yes, she had NJ plates. No offense, NJ friends, but I'm not surprised. Then some dude under the Girard El starts SCREAMING at me, "You're going to give yourself a heart attack!!" He was obviously "touched," as they say.

I then had a really long day of conferences followed by a test in my class. Ugh, I am still exhausted even after a good night's sleep. The nice thing is, I met a lot of colleagues yesterday who are also into running and did the Distance Run on Sunday. Running is sometimes a good way to make friends.

Now I'm off to bring Boots to the vet. Ew, we think he has worms. UGH! Consequence of life on the streets. Now he gets to live in the lap of luxury that is our home. Lucky dude.

Here's a pic of me crossing the finish line on Sunday!

The Eye of the Tiger

2008-09-22T06:14:00.001-07:00

Clock Time: 2:17:24; Chip Time: 2:08:54; Pace: 9:50; 10 Km: 1:02:31; 10 Mi: 1:40:07

What a great day! I rocked the Philadelphia Distance Run. The morning started a little shaky after a restless night's sleep. We adopted a new kitty, an adorable orange tabby, on Saturday afternoon. But having a new animal in our room all night made it a little hard to sleep. Plus, I was a tiny bit anxious about the race. But I got up at 5:30, was out my 6, and had an awesome parking spot by my old apartment in Fairmount by 6:15. I saw lots of friends at the TNT tent, which was so nice. Renee from TNT was sweet and said, "I remember when this was your first event a year ago!" She started to cry! How sweet.

We began at around 8. It took a while to get to the start. I was cheered on at the start by the Mayor...again :) After the first 2 miles throughout the city, I did the 9:00 run, 1:00 walk for most of the rest of the run. The city part (first 4 miles) was a bit cramped with the 15,000 runners. I wish they would send us down bigger streets than Walnut. The Eagles Pep Band was playing along the route, which got me excited about our afternoon plans!

Around Mile 6, I ran into Brandi and Jeff. Jeff is doing Disney with me, and Brandi was one of my mentees from the spring. She did the full marathon in Long Branch. Brandi and I stuck together for most of the rest of the race, which was nice. We had our identical Garmins, and our pace was awesome, about 9:00/mile consistently. Towards the end, my knee and one calf were sore, but that was mostly because of pounding on asphalt and not being on perfectly flat ground. Overall though, I felt great, and I finished TEN minutes faster than last year!! The consistent training clearly paid off.

I didn't see Michael at the finish, but he saw me and said I looked like I was doing fine. We met at the car and were home with D&D flatbread sandwiches by 11. It was so easy! Then we showered and headed to Linda and Mike's for some football viewing and beers before the big game. They live about 1.5 miles from the stadiums, so we parked there and walked. It was so fun seeing them. And what a beautiful day! The walk was a little hard after all the running, but a few Bud Light Limes numbed my pain--haha!

We visited some tailgating friends in the parking lot. My one friend was with a group that had an RV with a keg tap on the outside of the van! It was so souped up. And everyone there had something like this. It was about 3pm, and most people had been there since 10am, so just imagine the scene.

Our seats were AWESOME!!! The Linc is amazing, and we spent a lot of time walking around, eating lots of good food, and enjoying being there. Sadly, my boy, Westbrook, who's jersey I wore proudly along with my official race medal, was hurt. I hope he's not done for the season. The Eagles won, and we had such a fun time. Thanks again for the tickets, Tara and Jeff!

When we got home, we crashed. Running 13.1 miles and walking 3 miles wore me out! We were asleep by 9, no lie. Jack (name might change), our new furry friend, snuggled with us all night. It was one of the best days ever.

Thanks to everyone who texted me and congratulated me on the race!! I cannot imagine doing twice that distance, but I think I can do it!

14158

2008-09-20T08:37:00.001-07:00

Follow my progress in the Philly Distance Run tomorrow! Go to this website http://www.ingphiladelphiadistancerun.com/home.html, click on "Live Results," and enter my bib # 14158. I know I'll feel your support, so thanks in advance!

I had a great morning--spent 45 min in CVS (why do women love CVS so much?), went to the Expo and was harrassed by a Saucony salesman (but I saw my future sneaks, the sweet black Hurricanes!), and then I got a haircut. I love my hairdresser, Bleu, at Salon Blush. It's such an awesome place in Fishtown!! Everyone, go there.

Michael's making me a pasta lunch. What a guy. Then we're off to see if we can find a friend for Peter Jackson Marmion at the kitty shelter!

Also, my friend Derrick is training for his first half-marathon. He rocks, and it's for a great cause, to benefit the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. Read his story here: http://www.active.com/donate/MI09philadelphia/derrickwise and his training blog (which is far superior to mine) http://www.reidwise.net/journal/.

Ok, next time I blog, I'll have run HALF of what I have to do in Disney!

Treadmills are boring...

2008-09-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

There, I said it. I'd rather run in 100-degree heat or below zero weather than run on a treadmill. I have an awesome gym, but it's just so boring, no matter how you package it. I had to do 3 miles this morning, which I did no problem at a 9:13/mile pace (based on the machine). This new treadmill scares me. It has so many bells and whistles. Apparently you can even plug your iPod into it, and something will happen. I don't have an iPod, so that's irrelevant. I just used my radio to listen to the TV news that's on display on a few big TVs in the room. Ugh, boooooring!

Speaking of boring, my most boring birthday ever, my 29th, is 10 days from now. Oh hooray. We're going camping to celebrate, which is awesome. I just wanted to remind my vast readership that I don't need any presents this year. If you are inclined to get me anything, make a donation to my race. That's all I need, and that's the most important thing to me right now.

After my boring run, I walked through Penn's campus on a longer, but prettier route to my office. Penn is gorgeous! It was so brisk this morning, and campus was so quiet. The trees, the old buildings, everything was astonishing. I love working here and being part of this community.

Sunday is the Philly Distance Run! I'm excited, not as much as last year, but still excited. I'll post my bib # when I get it tomorrow and how to watch my progress on the race. It starts at 7:45AM!

TGIF, right? It's been a looooong week, and with the weird schedule, I missed my running partner this week. We'll catch up next week, right, hubby?

I Am Iron Man

2008-09-18T07:29:00.001-07:00

I have been trying to only blog when I have completed a run, and as fascinating as I'm sure that's been, I'm adding in a post about my day yesterday that involved no training at all. I got up early to donate blood for the first time. I was rejected last time for being iron deficient, so I didn't have high hopes, but thankfully, I was in perfect range to donate. My blood pressure was 98/50-something though. Weird. I think I was just reallllly tired. It was 7:15am.

I had no problem with the donation. I felt fine, just tired all day. And then I had class, so it was a long day, but a good one. I felt like although raising money for LLS is great, I can help even more by giving blood regularly. I was inspired by Uncle Rick who has given like 3 gallons of blood or something ridiculous! He goes every 2 months. I'm going to try to follow his lead. What a guy!

However, next time, I will not try to take off my bandage in the evening. My vein all of a sudden swelled and hurt SO bad! Then I got faint and nauseous. Thankfully, my lovely hubby was there with an icepack and some water right away. It finally passed, but I learned NOT to try to clean off a wound in my vein until the next day. Still worth it.

Then my mom calls me and tells me that she's organized her students to have a bake sale to raise money for my race! The thought of kids I don't know in NY baking cupcakes and sitting at a table to help our cause brought tears to my eyes. Thanks, Mom and the 8th graders of CCS!

THEN Tara called, and she and Jeff offered us EAGLES TICKETS for Sunday!! That'll help me speed through the half-marathon. What great friends :) It was a good day.

And if you haven't read it, go out and get Three Cups of Tea. It's a book about the real-life hero, Greg Mortenson, who was a mountain climber who was saved by a small, Pakistani village. He then dedicated his life to building them schools and improving the lives of thousands of Afghani and Pakistani people. If you're pondering what a small donation to something like my little race can do, this book is evidence of the difference ONE person can make.

Two-a-Days

2008-09-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

That's what they call it when you work out twice in one day, like a real athlete, right? Yeah, I don't want to be a real athlete ever again. I did my normal weight routine at 6:30AM this morning, but because I'm attempting to give blood again tomorrow morning early (iron don't fail me now!), and I have class tomorrow night, I had to do my scheduled 5-mile training run after work. Oy. I powered through doing an 8:53/mile. I am beat right now though.

A couple of good things kept me going--I have reached my "recommitment" fundraising goal, or halfway! Also, Michael is making us dinner tonight, a homemade pizza. And 90210 is on in less than an hour. Life is good.

6:16 a.m., 79 degrees!

2008-09-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

Wow, it was hot and humid this morning! When I passed the bank on Girard Avenue, the display said 6:16 a.m., 79 degrees! I thought I was going slowly, because it felt like a struggle with the humidity, but I actually had my best short run yet, 8:51/mile. I was shocked when I saw my time. I was alone this morning, because Michael had a bad night's sleep, but that was ok. I was pretty bleary this morning and would not have been an interesting running buddy.

It stayed dark for almost my entire run. Ah, the fall is coming. And I discovered one thing I'm not crazy about with regards to running in the city--the smell of garbage. I love to run in Northern Liberties past all of the fun restaurants and shops, but the problem is that I am running at the same time that the garbage trucks are picking up a weekend of fermenting beer bottles and rotten food along my route. Every block would hit me with another pungent odor. The heat over the past few days didn't help, I'm sure. Ick!

We had a really relaxing weekend, which I'm sure helped me run well this morning. Last night's dinner at an italian BYOB with Dave and Mike was pretty great. I am sure my stomach full of yummy marinated lamb and lemon sorbetto helped my speed this morning! On to another Monday...

Lose Yourself

2008-09-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

We had a long team run yesterday morning. It was a big group of really nice people that came out, and we did 8 miles. I felt great. The extra training runs during the week have kept me in good shape. I used to be down for the count all afternoon after doing anything around 8 miles in the morning, but I felt good all day following this one. I was in the "lead pack," as my coach, Gary, calls it. I cannot believe that my pace would be considered fast, but I guess it is compared to the rest of the group. I felt proud that I had a good pace, but I'm more concerned with just finishing. I also like being with the big group better than leading anyway, so hopefully we'll all gel together soon.

It's so cool to run with people who are new to running. There are two awesome women who hit new milestones on every group run. Can you imagine going from running 1-2 miles ever to doing 8 miles in a matter of weeks?? I am astounded by them.

We had a nice rest of the day visiting Victory Brewery with our friends, Alison and Derrick. Derrick is starting to train for his first half marathon for Team Challenge, another great organization that benefits the Crohn's and Colitis Society. We talked gear, GPS systems, and other running stuff over some hand-crafted, yummy beers. I hope he has a fundraiser at the brewery!

One week from right now, I'll be finishing up a half-marathon. I can't believe it's been a year since I did this race for my first Team in Training event. It was such an amazing day. Seeing Michael cheer me on, meeting my coaches near the finish line (and bawling my eyes out), and then the best part was when my mother-in-law and sister-in-law drove over to Philly to meet me right after the race. It was such an emotional moment for me. My mind had been so focused on my physicality, and that moment reminded me why I did this. As I shared the largest omelette in the universe with my new family, my teammate Michelle and her husband, and my best friend in the world, Michael, I felt such a sense of accomplishment that had nothing to do with athleticism. WE made a difference in the fight against blood cancers. That day, that moment would hopefully change the future of these diseases. That was a day I will never forget, and I look forward to repeating.

Oh TGIF!

2008-09-12T05:38:00.000-07:00

This morning, I wanted to do a quick run before our long run tomorrow. I'm feeling the effects of this week, however. Last night, we were out until after 9 looking at houses in South Jersey! I don't think we found our next home, but we got a much better idea of what's to offer, what we want, and we found a really nice agent, so we'll continue with the process. But between this, a meeting on Tuesday, and class on Monday and Wednesday, every day this week has been looooong!

This morning we were both tired. Michael did a little less than 2 miles, and I did 2. My average speed was 8:54/mile! I was quite happy with that, as I'm trying to up my speed on my shorter runs so that I am more prepared for the longer ones on Saturdays (and the BIG one on January 11!)

It's hard to believe that the marathon is actually not that far away--4 months from yesterday! Thanks so much to the many friends and family members who continue to support me and ask me how the training's going. You help me keep on truckin'!

Tonight is my first event at work, which I'm very excited about, but it will be another 12 hour day here. TGIF!!!!!

Speed Demons

2008-09-10T09:04:00.000-07:00

I don't know what happened, but this morning's run was super fast! It was nice and cool out, but I was definitely a bit tired. Michael and I started out in the almost complete darkness feeling ok. He had some shin splints, and I was just a little sore from weight training. About 0.7 miles in, Michael asked how fast we were going. I looked down and see that we're racing at a 9:18/mile pace! Holy moley! I was really impressed with both of us.

I went ahead and did a 4-mile run down to the river and then back up through Northern Liberties. It was a new route for me kind of combining two of my usual routes, and it helped keep me interested. It's easy to get bored seeing the same things. I felt great and had an average pace of 9:12/mile, which was pretty awesome!

When I got back, Michael reported that he ran most of the way home, and he seemed totally energized. I am so happy he's running with me. He's the best motivation in the world, and I'm so impressed with him for getting out there.

Hopefully my run got me focused enough for my first Italian quiz tonight!

Monday Morning With the Hubby

2008-09-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

I have to dedicate this post to my husband of 11 months and 3 days, Michael. I know he's not a morning person, and I am to the nth degree. Nevertheless, he wakes up early to run with me twice a week, and when I say early, I mean 5:45AM! And he doesn't complain and actually motivates me more. He always encourages me to go faster and leave him in the dust, which I have to admit is not physically possible anymore.

Yesterday I did 4 miles. It was a perfect morning. I was sore from all of the dancing I did Saturday night, but I felt great overall. I slept like a log on Sunday night. We were both exhausted, but Michael went the first mile with me and did so well.

Then he waited at home all day (was only supposed to be until noon) for the fridge repairman to come and tell us there was nothing wrong with our fridge. It's apparently supposed to collect water on the shelves, because it's hot out. And did he complain once? Nope. He had to use a personal day for this, and I made him get up early on a day he could have slept in. And all of this was after he was such a good brother and best man this weekend. Look for his stellar speech on Youtube shortly.

So thank you, Michael, for being a great confidante, a wonderful support to my training, and my best friend. It's been a joy being your wife for the past 11 months and 3 days.

And They Lived Happily Ever After...

2008-09-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

What a magical weekend! I'm still coming down off it, hard. It's such a letdown when a fun time comes to an end. Andrew and Joanne got married yesterday!! I had an amazing time, but I feel like my adorable cousin Abby felt this morning when we were all leaving the hotel...I want to cry that it's all over. Being around my wonderful family all weekend long made me so happy. The bride and groom looked gorgeous, and the whole thing was non-stop fun.

Peppered in the middle of the rehearsal dinner and the wedding (and a little too much wine), I had to do a 7-mile training run. I went out on Saturday morning, a little groggy. We had a fantastic dinner the night before at one of the 12 Filomena restaurants in the Deptford area, and we were up a little late enjoying being together in the Fairfield Inn. But I went out at 6:30am on Saturday morning and did two laps around Cooper River Park. The team run was cancelled due to the impending Hurricane Hanna, so I ran alone, but that was fine, because I was in no mood to chat. By the end I felt great and enjoyed a nice breakfast with Michael and his grandparents. They had 4 kinds of cereal at the complimentary hotel breakfast bar! And I felt a kindred with the bridal party girls, who were getting their hair and makeup done before I even started running!

I did the run at an average of 9:30/mile, which I was happy with given the distance and the humidity. Plus, I felt very motivated by the joy of the weekend. Despite a little wound on my back from my abrasive fuel belt, I made out ok and was able to dance the night away.

Times like these put it all in perspective. Love and family are the most important things, and that's why I'm doing this. Sure, I might love running and all of the gadgets that accompany this habit, but I love Michael and our family so much more. Not even a hurricane can kill my motivation for them.

I'm hoping my 4-mile run tomorrow morning is ok, given that I'm still sore from all the dancing we did last night! And I also hope it lifts my spirits a bit, because now I just want to be with everyone celebrating again.

Have a great time in Disney World, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Marmion! Thanks for bringing magic into our lives with your beautiful love story and this wonderful weekend.

Back to School

2008-09-03T06:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, it seems that the school year has started. Michael and I went out at our normal time, 6am, this morning, and there were so many cars and people out! Michael was awesome this morning. I was working to keep up with him! I did 5 miles into Old City. It was like a video game--I was constantly dodging traffic, dog walkers, etc. It's nice to see so many people out and about, but I guess I have to have my wits about me a little more now.

As I was running a route I've run about 100 times down 2nd Street from Northern Liberties into Old City, I glanced to the right, which I rarely do (see paragraph above--must keep my eyes on the road), and I saw Independence Hall in the daybreak light. It was gorgeous, and it kind of made me a little awestruck for a moment. I didn't even know I could see it from there. Say what you will, Philadelphia is a really great city, and it's a beautiful place to run.

Speaking of back to school, my class starts tonight! I'm really excited. However, my day just started, and I'm already tired, so making it until 8:30 tonight might be a challenge. That's what they made coffee for, right, Mom?

Getting Up Early on Labor Day

2008-09-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

This is probably the day that most people in the country are sleeping in, but I was out there on the road at 7am this morning. I hear it's going to be 90 degrees today, so I thought I should get a 4-miler out of the way before the sun got too high in the sky. I have the rest of the day to relax.

It was a rough run this morning. I had a couple of things working against me--I have a cold, I clocked myself in the eye with the laundry basket yesterday, so I have a nice shiner (just in time for the wedding, great), and I was feeling a bit down on myself this morning. Running made me feel a little bit better, but the inspirational people in my life got me out of my rut.

First of all, this Saturday's run was awesome. I met a woman on the team who is in the Air Force and has been on seven, SEVEN tours in Iraq. I also met some other great men and women, and we had a good run. One participant has a 10-month-old baby and another little one! She told me she's doing this, because their friend is battling leukemia, and he can't afford his medical treatment. It's atrocious.

Then I logged on today and saw that I'm at almost $1,900 in donations from my amazing family and friends! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!! Then I saw my mother-in-law and talked to my mom this weekend, and they both said how they read this blog and share it with friends, and that just made me a) a little embarrassed, because I thought no one read it and was writing it as such--haha! and b) so impressed with the support I'm getting and so motivated to keep on going. I have the best moms ever. It's going to get harder as the weekend runs get longer and longer, but as TNT says, "Remember the reason." I've got it today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICHELLE, MY TEAMMATE ALWAYS!!!

Dark Morning

2008-08-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's getting dark in the mornings now! I like that it's nice and cool and not 80 degrees at 6am, but I'm sad that soon it's going to be pitch black when I head out on my morning runs. This morning was beautiful. The clouds were purple with the sunrise. I ran through Northern Liberties and really, really wished I was just sitting at a nice BYOB and not running and then heading to work, but that's what the weekend is for.

I did a 9:12 mile today, which is much faster than I usually do. I'm really happy with my time lately. And Eastern Mountain Sports was having a sale yesterday, so I'm better stocked with running gear. I just need one more thing. A pair of these hot puppies (at right).

Next week, my Italian class starts, so I'll be adjusting my running schedule and doing 3 days a week. It'll be hard to have a 15-hour day with a run, work, then class twice a week, but I'm excited for the class, so I'll get used to it. I'm a Penn student, an Ivy Leaguer. Woo hoo!

A whole bunch of friends have signed up for my bartending fundraiser on October 17, which is very heartening. I think it's going to be a LOT of fun. I'm looking forward to some relaxed running this weekend and taking quite a few naps :)

Michelle Obama's Messing With My Routine

2008-08-26T08:08:00.001-07:00

I thought the Olympics were bad, now I have Michelle Obama keeping me up late! Why do the interesting things for the convention have to begin at 10pm??

Needless to say, I was a little sluggish this morning. I did 4 miles at a good pace. It was a gorgeous morning, the first really cool one in a long time. I can't believe it's almost September. Michael did great this morning. His speed continues to improve. My favorite thing about running with him is when we start. I've got my Garmin all tuned up and ready to go, and I ask, "Are you ready?" and he always says, "I guess" with a sigh. Haha, it's so cute!

I was feeling the effects of running 4 times last week, as opposed to my usual 3. Get used to it, Therese! I was also given by our coaches a new abs routine to help "keep my alignment" while running, so I'm feeling sore from that.

I ran down Delaware Avenue and decided that I really want a boat. They looked so pretty in the marina with the sun coming up. And we could just walk down to our little boat and hang out on the Delaware. A girl can dream, right?

I cannot believe the generosity of my family and friends. We've raised almost $1,700!! Unbelievable. I wrote to some of my wedding vendors last week, and they made contributions also! How about that?? I had the best people for our wedding. I'm almost halfway there. WOW!

Thanks to everyone for their constant support!!

Me, a Bartender??

2008-08-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

Please join me for my fundraiser, Therese's Celebrity Bartender Night, at The Field House on Friday, October 17 from 7-10pm!

http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?inviteId=AJSDHWFHDOMUACXWAVUI

Respond to the evite, and maybe we can have a pool going of how many glasses I will break. And we might have TWO celeb bartenders, if my awesome hubby wants to join in the fun. Anything can happen! Hope to see you there!

Running on 3 hours sleep

2008-08-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

I woke up 20 minutes before I had to be at Cooper River this morning for my first run with the team. I only got 3 hours sleep, because we were out late for Joanne's bachelorette party last night, so it was a little rough. However, meeting new, great people from this year's team and seeing my buddies Jeff and Dawn kept me going. I was running with the "lead pack," as our coach calls it. I noticed at one point that we were doing an 8:45 mile. Phew! I got through it, went home, and have been vegging ever since. I was a good future sis-in-law and a good trainee this weekend. I'm exhausted!

Being a Chick Runner

2008-08-23T06:08:00.001-07:00

The hubby's off camping for the weekend for his brother's bachelor party, so I've had a lovely morning getting up early and not tip-toeing around the house--haha! I went on a short, 3-mile run. My training schedule has a few small runs added in to the usual 3 runs a week that I'm used to, so I've been starting to add them into my routine. This morning was a little rough, because I did a lot of walking yesterday. West Philly is so huge! I am walking a lot more at my new job than I'm used to, but it was a gorgeous day, so I can't complain. I averaged a 9:10 mile! I was proud of that.

So being a woman and running alone in the city is precarious enough. I usually have my game face on, and I talk to no one. Only in NJ will I say good morning to people. On Frankford Ave, where all of my home runs usually begin, there are perpetually, let's say, "colorful" people hanging out around 6:00 am. Today was no different. So I had my game face on and stayed on sides of the street that aren't usually too populated. However, because of construction, I had to pass a couple of guys waiting on a corner. "Great," I think. One man is really overweight, sitting on his stoop. Usually I get some lewd comment thrown at me, which is followed by a dirty look or dramatic gesture on my part, but this guy seemed like he was saying something friendly, so I took my headphones off and asked him to repeat what he had just said to me. He said, "I wish I had your energy!" Then he gave me the thumbs up.

So I learned that while I should be safe, maybe I shouldn't always make assumptions. And let me tell you, that guy's comment got me through a sluggish morning.

Take that Mr. Bolt

2008-08-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

This morning I did 5 miles. I averaged a 9:23 mile, and Michael was with me again for the first mile. I told you, he's getting faster! He asked what our pace was, and I looked at my Garmin and saw we were doing a 9:40 mile! Boys have it so easy.

It was a gorgeous morning. 65 degrees, the sun was just coming up. I ran to Old City and passed all of the art galleries and theaters. I can't believe the fall is around the corner. This morning it really felt like fall was in the air. I imagine training in the fall weather will be infinitely easier.

Saturday is Joanne's bachelorette party, and I'm really excited. I'll have to take it easy though, because we have a group run of 5 miles, which isn't bad, but it's at 8am on Sunday morning. This is an example of when my dedication will be tested--haha!

Here's one of my favorite pictures of my hero, my Michael, to keep me motivated!

What a Friend

2008-08-20T06:40:00.000-07:00

Now these are the kind of things that keep me going, especially on mornings like today when I really didn't feel like going to the gym to do cross-training (darn gymnastics keeping me up again!). This is from my good friend, Michelle. She read my blog and wanted to write this comment.

"Therese, I am so proud and in total awe of you! I never would have gotten through my training with TNT last year without your support and encouragement, and now here you are, training for a full marathon! Having a baby has kept me from running for the last year, but seeing you train may just inspire me to get the sneakers out again. You are an inspiration to so many, not just me, and more importantly, you are truly making a difference in the world. I am proud to call you my friend. I love you and wish you luck! Love, Michelle"

Michelle was the one who introduced me to Team in Training. She has been one of my best friends since we met 11 years ago as college roommates. I never would have made it through my training last time without HER!

I posted this not only to say what an amazing person Michelle is, but also to show the impact that one person can have on the world. Without Michelle, I don't know if I'd ever have joined Team in Training. With Michelle, we raised over $5,000, and now I'm trying to raise almost $4,000 more for cancer research. One person can make a difference. And this is what's keeping me going.

Thank you, Michelle, for being such a wonderful friend. I don't know what I'd do without you!

Running with My Hero

2008-08-19T06:47:00.000-07:00

Michael and I headed out at 6am this morning. It was a little rough getting up, since we were up late watching gymnastics and Nastia Liukin getting robbed! Bella Karolyi got me so fired up that I had a hard time getting to sleep. But those Olympians, especially the runners, make me just want to get out there and rock it!

Michael went much faster this morning as we ran together for the first mile. I'm telling you, in a few weeks, he's going to be waiting for me to catch up with him! I did a nice 4 miles on Delaware Avenue and watched the gorgeous sun come up. Delaware Avenue can be so beautiful, especially in the morning.

My knee was acting up a little after my 8-mile run on Saturday, but it felt good today. I'm averaging a little under a 9:30 mile, which I'm totally happy with. I'll slow it down for the longer distances, but this is a good place to start. I have to keep up with my teammate, Jeff. He's so much fun to talk to on runs, but he's fast!

My morning got even better when I saw the emails from some of my family and friends in response to my email and posting last night. I cannot believe the support I'm getting. It's so motivating. I hope everyone feels the impact we're making on the fight against cancer.

Have a blessed day!

And so it begins...

2008-08-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks for visiting my blog! This will be my way of sharing all of the nitty-gritty details of my training and fundraising for Team in Training and the Walt Disney World full marathon on January 11, 2009. If you've found yourself here, you're probably one of my wonderful supporters, friends, or family members. Thank you for being behind me 110% as I try to make a contribution to the fight against blood cancers.

I am running this race in honor of my husband, Michael, as well as all of the millions of people who have been affected by leukemia and lymphoma. Lucky for us, Michael won his battle almost 17 years ago! However, I never want another person to have to go through what he went through.

I've committed to raising $3,800. Please consider making a donation to this cause. Every bit helps. http://pages.teamintraining.org/snj/wdw09/therese

I cannot believe how much we've raised already! I hope we can keep it going and surpass my goal!

On to the fun stuff...training...

This is not my first endurance event, but it's the longest one I've ever done. We have our plane tickets for Disney, leaving at 1:55 p.m. on January 8, 2009. There's no turning back now. I'm armed with my newest toy, a Garmin Forerunner, which tracks my location, heart rate, distance, calories, I think it may be able to do my laundry, but I haven't figured that out yet. It's been a good motivator...so far...

I attended the Team in Training Kick-Off last week, and it was awe-inspiring and fun as always. Then I got my training schedule...3 half-marathons before the actual marathon...a 20-mile run on December 20. I am eating my face off at Christmas Eve and Christmas. Seven fishes will not suffice. I'm a little nervous, but I'm mostly excited. I've kept up a 15-20 mile per week regiment for months getting ready for the real training. I'm committed to staying healthy. I have to start with new shoes. Thankfully, my faves, the Saucony Hurricane 10, just came out with a black and silver version. Oh yeah...

Mom, Dad, Danny, Michael, and I were in LBI this past weekend. I ran 8 miles on Saturday morning down Ocean Blvd. It was glorious. The mansions are spectacular, and I always had something to watch going by. The weather was perfect. I wish I could run there every day. I wish I could live there every day.

Tomorrow morning, at 6:00 a.m., I'll be taking my Garmin and my hubby out for a 4-miler. Michael's running with me now, which makes me happier than you can imagine. It's yet another fun thing to share with my favorite person in the world. I'm trying to get my time down to 9:00/mile on short runs. Gosh, I cannot believe that 4 miles seems "short" to me now. I remember when I started running in 2002, it took everything in me to go on a "long" jog--0.75 miles. I clocked it on my Saturn's odometer, and I was so proud of going that distance.

I'm feeling good and ready to really start. Thanks for reading, and come back often. I'm sure there will be stories of bloody toes, iced-down knees, and more to come!