So this past weekend was big. I had 17 miles on the schedule for my long run. I started out with Jenny for the first 8 and they were great. We both felt good, ran steady & strong and the whole thing felt totally doable. Jenny was done at 8 miles so I hooked up with Jeanne & her sister Theresa for the rest. I had 22 oz of water and a bunch of sports beans. I thought I was all set. Everything was fine as i powered through. I ran out of water at mile 12 but didn't get too worried. At mile 14 I started feeling a bit "off". At mile 15 some pretty hideous cramps hit my calves. Pretty soon they hit my hamstrings and it was all I could do to walk. When the stomach cramps hit at mile 17, I was DONE.

We weren't quite to the cars so Theresa ran ahead and came back for me and Jeanne who was babysitting me. Jeanne said hanging out with me was a bit like hanging out with a drunk. Not quite all there. Theresa swung by a gas station and picked up a Gatorade which felt like a miracle in a bottle. I got home, passed out for 2 hours and woke up pretty stiff and a bit disorientated.

After some consultation with my running coach and the internet, I think I was both dehydrated and way low on sodium. When I sweat, I get salty. Literally, I had salt all over my face on Saturday. If your body doesn't have enough sodium, it can't properly absorb water. So you get in a weird dydration/water poisioning situation quickly. Sports drinks have sodium and electrolytes in them but they don't go to well with gus or beans which help replace carbs. So, what to do? First, bring more water. Second, salt tablets before and during run along with sports beans. Hopefully this will prevent Saturday's situation from happening again. I think this is what "real runners" refer to as bonking.

Well, I've been neglecting this, haven' I. Here we are at week 11 and things are intense. It is harder and harder to arrange the schedule for runs which just get longer and longer. I've had a lot of new experiences - double digit runs, cold soaks after, black toenails, etc. The good news is the runs get easier and the weather is better so most are outside. I have 15 this weekend and am actually looking forward to seeing how it goes.

I'm starting to worry about fundraising more than running! I have $616.74 more to go for my personal goal and our "mini-team" needs another $2,010.00. If we don't raise it, we are personally responsible for it. That is a bit scary. We have our big fundraiser this weekend and I hope it goes well. It should be really fun, if nothing else! We've cooked up a crazy amount of food and are excited to see everyone. Keep your fingers crossed for a big, successful weekend on both fronts!

As always, the support is truly touching. I appreciate everyone who is asking about my training, giving me advice and/or encouragement, and who are able to contribute financially. Thank you all!

My friend MJ so helpfully pointed out that I've been slacking on updating my training page. So very very true. Truth of the matter is that as the runs increase there is less and less time to get everything done. Nonetheless, I owe a post.

This week's long run was 9 miles. That is, without a doubt, the longest I've ever run at a stretch. The run was OK. The first four and a half felt really good. At that point, my hip began to bother me. It snowed a bit this week and the trail was covered. Running on that surface engages different muscles in different ways and WOW could I feel it. Also, at midpoint, I experimented with a gel shot. Runners use these things for a shot of carbs and sugar during a race. Ick. The flavor was mocha and the consistency was somewhere between jelly and jello. Thick glue, really. It did not sit well and by mile 6 my stomach was cramping. I kind of wished it would just come back up so I could get on with things. No such luck. Hours later, I am still feeling the effects.

I am also WAY stiff today. Walking is pretty slow. I should sit in a cold bath but that concept sounds so miserable I just can't bring myself to do it. I think some couch time and a glass of wine will be better for me.

Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement! It means a lot!

So, week two of 16 is behind us. This was a much better week for me, mainly because we were able to run outside on Saturday as a group. Running outdoors is INFINITELY better than the treadmill and the group dynamic is great. Someone to talk to, complain with, keep pace with, etc... Also, our running coach ran with each of us for a while which was nice. It was nice to talk about what we're doing right, wrong, ask questions, and get a little pep talk.

The start to week three is OK. Yesterday's 3 miles on the treadmill wasn't too bad. I am rotating between music, audio books, and movies on my i-pod to make the treadmill miles a bit more bearable. The weather is nasty cold so this might be a whole week indoors. Yuck. Saturday's 6 miles is looming...if I can't run around the lake with the group, I might have to find a track or other indoor area. Maybe if I can handle the cold, I'll put my "yak trax" on my running shoes and go out. We shall see.

In other news, my office is having a donor drive for our recently diagnosed co-worker. We have a big office and I hope we get a lot of people to register. If you're interested, check this out: www.marrow.org

First week of Training:

So, the first week of training is almost done. Well, MY first week of training. I was late to the party and missed the true first week and am playing a bit of catch up. Monday was two miles and it went fine. Tuesday was 3 and it was OK. Thursday was 3 and it was NOT FUN AT ALL! I was lifting as well and think I over did it a bit. I've got a 4 miler scheduled for today.

The team tries to run together for our long runs on Saturday. It is a nice way to bond, support each other, and get help from our running coaches. We had to cancel today due to cold & crappy sidewalks around Lake Z (where we run). I was looking forward to the group dynamic and some company on my run BUT I was excited to get to sleep in. So, it is "dreadmill" for me later on today.

Everyone is curious about my training schedule. This next week is a 3, 3, 3, 5 week. I run four days a week and rest the other three. I have total faith in my running coaches (less faith in myself) so I'm excited to work through the schedule and see what I can accomplish.