Turkey Lurkey

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

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

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

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

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!

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!!!

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

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!

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

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!!

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

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

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!