February 14, 2010

OK then, that was that, Mercedes Half Marathon done. What an experience too. I had so much fun. I accomplished three goals; to raise the money, to finish the raise, and to run it in 3 hours. Done. Done. And done. What now?

Thank you Team in Training! And thank you to everyone who donated and contributed and encouraged me through this experience. You all ROCK.

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January 13, 2010.....

WOW!!! I know it doesn't show it yet but I have REACHED MY GOAL!!! THANK YOU TO ONE AND ALL for your generousity. You guys ROCK!!!

It was yesterday that I sent in all the other amounts which equaled out to be $348.00 - so you see, the goal has been reached!! I'm so excited and relieved beyond belief.

Seriously, this means so much to me but not only that, imagine all the people this is going to help. I am so thankful and grateful to know such kind and loving people as you all. I keep thinking about the 13-year old girl (Olivia Pacciano) I read about recently who is still battling this disease. Olivia was diagnosed when she was three years old. She's been fighting this fatal illness for 10 years now. Can you imagine?!

Anyway, reaching the fund raising goal is probably more exciting than crossing the finish line for my half marathon is going to be.

While I have met my personal goal of $1,800.00 it doesn't mean you can't contribute. Of course you can keep contributing. In fact, my dear friend Carolyn Lawson is hosting a Dove Chocolate party for me where The Leukemai & Lymphoma Society will receive 10% of all sales. You know I'm going to that and will make a personal purhcase because I mean come on, it IS chocolate after all! :-)

THANKS and check back to see my training progress. My half marathon is only ONE MONTH AWAY!!!

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January 2nd Update....

Happy New Year!

I was all prepared to go run outside this morning, even with the windchill making it feel like 11 degrees. Well, I wasn't mentally prepared but I was going through the motions this morning and getting ready to do it when the phone rang. It was our Team In Training coach calling to say they canceled the run due to dangerously cold weather.

WHEW and THANK GOODNESS!!!!

Oh wait, I still need to get in my long run (because I was lazy and didn't do it last week). This leaves only one other option - the treadmill up at the gym. Oy! I've never done a long run on a treadmill before, I could only imagine. The most I've done on a treadmill was four miles.

All I can say is thank goodness for iPods.

My first 4 - 6 miles were easy-breezy, piece-of-cake, no problem whatsoever. Then miles 6 - 8 became a little more difficult and this may be where I started to mess up. I SLOWED my pace. Which was OK I guess but then after recovering a little bit I pumped it back up to my regular pace. I don't think I should have done that, it made those last two miles extremely challenging. But this is all part of the process, right? Determining what works best for you as a runner?

The Gent (my husband) recommended that if I slow down at any point, that I should probably just keep it at that pace and not try to go back up at my regular pace - during long runs that is. I think he is probably right. But man, I just wanted to get DONE and OFF that treadmill.

I was on the thing for 128 minutes and I kept waiting for someone to come up to me and say, "Um, excuse me, but you do know about the 30 minute time limit for machines, right?" The gym was a bit more packed than usual, apparently, from New Year Resolution people. I am not normally at the gym on a Saturday morning but a friend of mine who is told me that it was more crowded than usual today.

At any rate, I did it! I ran TEN MILES today and on a treadmill at that!!! I will attempt ten miles only one more time before February 14th - my half marathon. That is a suggestion of the Team in Training running coach. Well, maybe I can squeeze in two. I will wait and see what he says. I am ahead of my training schedule anyway. So we shall see. Otherwise I will just keep it at eight miles.

Oh and I owe Madonna and Tina Turner a big huge thank you.

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December 26th Update....

I found a bunch of inspiring stories over at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I needed to find these stories so I could take the focus off the fear of running 13.1 miles on Valentine's Day. I'm not running for me and I need to remember that part.

So I found the Life Mosaic portion of LLS and WOW! I must say that after reading a few of their stories, running my little teeny tiny half marathon and all that goes along with that is NOTHING compared to what the people who have been diagnosed with Leukemia have gone through, along with their families.

Take for instance Olivia Pacciano. She is a 13 year old girl and she was diagnosed when she was THREE. She's been living with this deadly form of cancer for ten years now. Man oh man, what a little trooper she's been too with all the treatments she has had to put up with in order to keep living!

Here is a snippet of her story, but please feel free to go on over and read the whole thing. It will take 5 minutes of your time.

Olivia's mother tells their story:

"During our first year of treatment (which all of my thoughts go by year of treatment), we met two other little girls who were fighting leukemia. They used to have nail-painting parties with Olivia at 3:00 in the morning while in the hospital. During the day I would bring in sugar, slice and bake cookies and all the trimmings with icing, colored sugar and colorful sprinkles for cookie decorating contests. These two girls have since passed away. Both girls were 12 years old."

Please, consider donating. If you don't feel comfortable donating online then send me an email at cmarks1990 at gmail dot com and I will give you information on other ways you can donate; check or cash with receipt.

Of course you can donate right now on the right side of this blog and get your contributions in before the end of the year for tax purposes too.

So yeah, the little butterflies I had in my stomach earlier are now gone. Running that 13.1 miles is NOTHING. Bring it!! I am now reminded of why I signed up for this in the beginning.

It's not about me, I'm just a part of....

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December 14, 2009 Update -

Welcome new readers! Thanks for stopping by this site to read about my progress and, hopefully, while you are here you will find out a little more about The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Team In Training.

First, in short, here is my story in how I got involved in Team in Training:

On June of this year, a girlfriend asked if I wanted to participate in a 5K. My automatic first response was something like, "Um no thanks, I don't do outdoorsy stuff." However, at that time, I was trying to live outside of my comfort zone. This would be something to help me do that so I called her back and said, "Sure I'm in." I could at least WALK the 5K and besides it was to benefit a little girl in Tennessee and her family's medical expenses.

So I walked/ran my first 5K on June 27th, 2009 and it's also the day I smoked my last cigarette. That's right, later that evening I smoked the last one in my pack. Afterwards I half-heartedly decided not to buy anymore cigarettes, and so I didn't. I've been smoke free since June 28th, 2009 and I have been amazed at how EASY it was to quit. Well, when I think about it all I really did was to replace one obsession with another. Heh.

At any rate, I've been running ever since. I've participated in a total of five races (5K) this year.

In early July I was in our local Fleet Feet store buying my first pair of "real" running shoes when I overheard a group of people talking about marathons. We kept glancing at one another until they invited me over to hear what they were talking about; Team in Training for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. They explained that they had three races this year and that they were half marathons and full marathons.

Keep in mind I had only participated in ONE 5K event when I met the Team In Training people that day in Fleet Feet. Oh but did that stop me from signing up for a half marathon that was to take place in February? Why heck no. Besides, the people there that day said I had PLENTY of time to train for it.

So I was in. And as I stated earlier, that was back in July. Here it is December and I log approximately 17 miles a week. I'm about to get my second pair of running shoes because they say to get new ones every 6 months.

My training is going well and I've meet a lot of good people.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:

"The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. We have invested more than $680 million in research since 1949 - over $69 million in 2009 - specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, LLS made 4.9 million contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals."

You can also go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma website to learn more about what is happening to fight cancer and how you can help.

In the meantime, please feel free to donate on my site - the button on the right hand side is secure and convenient.

You can see that I am running in honor of The Gent's father; Preston Craig who was stricken with this disease. While I never had the privilege of meeting Mr. Craig I have seen photographs of him with is family and his personality jumps off the page at me and I know I would have liked him, a lot.

Thanks for stopping by, please feel free to return often and check on my training updates.

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November 14, 2009 Update -

Hopefully my updates will be happening more frequently now. The clock is ticking and it will be February before you know it - only three more months.

This morning we did our long run. I am up to 6 miles now but today I believe I could have done 8 miles. I am getting stronger and better. This morning's run was GOOD! It felt so strong and solid. Like I said, I could have added two more miles on the end of the run today

My hip hurts from time to time but not while I am running so I'm not worried about it. The pain comes and goes. I'm also cross training a little by doing a small amount of weight training for two days a week, sometimes three. There just isn't enough time in the day for all I want to do - work out wise. I do have to go to work ya know. LOL

I think I have finally found something, here with this whole running thing, that I can call my own. I can't believe I am loving this so much. It's weird. I never thought I'd love something that was good for me. Heh. I still can't believe I am smoke free too. WOW. It's coming up on five months since I smoked a danged ole cigarette.

I need to go and hit up Chic-Fil-A for some donations. Why? Becasue I eat three of their little chicken biscuit bites right before I go on my Saturday long runs and I ALWAYS do better when I do. I remember last week I did NOT get any Chic-Fil-A and my run was HORRIBLE. Granted, we ran at 10:00AM instead of 8:00 and it was so hot and I was dressed all wrong for it. LOL Oh well. Live and learn.

Sometime in the next few weeks I want to go to Birmingham and run/walk the course so I won't be so blind sided on the day of the race - February 14, 2010 - Valentine's Day of all days. I LOVE THAT. I love the fact that I will be running my first ever half marathon on Valentine's Day. It is has meaning for me.

At any rate, please keep coming back and checking on my progress.

I still need your help. Please consider contributing if you haven't already and please pass this along to all your family and friends.

Thanks for stopping by to read and remember......

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission.

I hope you will visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!

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November 6, 2009 Update -

WOW! I skipped an entire month in updating this site. Let me re-assure you that I have been running this whole time. I have not quit. In fact, I've gotten better and stronger!

I'm up to 6 miles for my long run now. WOOT!! AND I'm STILL NOT SMOKING!!! It's been over four months since I put down the nasty cigarettes. I'm still amazed at that fact!!

Also, I've just signed my recommittment forms for fundraising and participating in my half marathon - scheduled for February, the Mercedes Half Marathon.

We had a great Huntsville Havoc night not too long ago and I still have to send in that money and report it, it's something like a total of $200.00 so that tneeds to be added to the current amount.

Keep coming back and check on my progress.

I still need your help. Please consider contributing if you haven't already and please pass this along to all your family and friends.

Thanks for stopping by to read and remember......

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission.

I hope you will visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!

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September 21, 2009 Update -

Well good evening there my little chick-a-dees. Hope this finds everyone in a groovin' feel good kind of mood. I'm not feeling too bad myself. No, I'm not drunk. I've just recommitted myself to the training of a half marathon.

I've been somewhat lax lately and decided over the weekend that I only have five more months before my half marathon and that is not a whole lot of time so I am getting back to being serious again.

So I've gone back to keeping it simple. Run. I plan on running with my Team in Training on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings and on other days I'll run on my own. I will do something every day.

This morning I ran a good solid and healthy 1.10 mile on the treadmill. I was surprised at how effortless this was for me. I'm still working on my core body too. After the run I came home and did 20 minutes of core exercises.

It was a good day today and all I have to do is take it one day at a time and then next thing I know I'll be running in a half marathon in February!

ONE DAY AT A TIME!!!

Keep coming back and check on my progress.

I still need your help. Please consider contributing if you haven't already and please pass this along to all your family and friends.

Thanks for stopping by to read and remember......

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission.

I hope you will visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!