April 29, 2012

I have now run my first marathon! It was everything I thought it would be- all the joy, tears and pain I had imagined.

Hour 0-1: Because I knew it was likely to take me 6 1/2 hours (which is the course cut off time) I decided to do the early start at 4:30AM. It was already warm and humid at 68 degrees. I was the first person across the starting line, so excited to run this thing! Superman and Superwoman were at the first intersection waving the American flag and cheering us on. About a mile into the race, I turned to the lady running next me and just said, "Guess what?! I'm running a marathon! Isn't that crazy?!" She was running her first marathon too, and found it equally mind blowing. At the end of the first hour I had run 4.2 miles, putting me right where I wanted to be pace wise, even though it felt slower. Was doing well emotionally and physically.

Hour 1-2: Turning off 23rd onto Robinson it felt familiar. Running in the dark down almost deserted streets, it became a challenge to keep my mind interested. I was grateful that most of the course was lit and that police officers were accompanying us to block intersections as we passed. I still needed my headlamp to be able to see my watch for my intervals and pacing, and it got dimmer and dimmer but lasted almost until sunrise. By the time I crossed over I-44, I was bored and starting to hurt a little. By my GPS I was at 8.3 miles at 2 hours, still on target for my goal.

Hour 2-3: The race had officially started at 6:30, so the water stops where getting started. Chesapeake Energy's stop was great with lots of enthusiastic folks, loud rock music and pretzels (that were proving hard to eat). Their energy helped, but then I turned onto North Classen for a rather boring uphill run. Nichols Hills was nice, with friendly people, but it was hard to find enough to keep the mind going. Fellow early starters started falling off, trying to deal with cramping legs. At 3 hours I realized that my GPS distance was showing greater than the course distance (which side of the road you run on adds up over the course of 26.2 miles!), and I was just passed mile 12 of the course, but I had run 12.3 miles.

Hour 3-4: I had been looking over my shoulder since 7:20, looking for the elites to pass me. The TV helicopters were getting closer! It was exciting to see the top men and women run past me at miles 12 to 13! My family even got to see me on TV as I cheered the women's winner speed past me like I was standing still. Making it to Lake Hefner was a relief because at least there was something pretty to look at, but also a bit scary because my nemesis, the bridge over Hefner Parkway, was getting closer. It started raining at mile 14 and I spent a minute and a half trying to get my cheap poncho over my sweaty body with the wind blowing! I ended up throwing it away by mile 15 because the extra warmth was not welcome. At the end of hour 3 I was in Stars and Stripes Park, just past mile marker 16.

Hours 4-5: All during training I had dreaded facing the bridge over Hefner Parkway at mile 17. Coming up to the hill I walked with a man named Bob who had to be at least 75. It was his 162nd marathon. He encouraged me and told me that the other side of the hill was glorious, and then I decided that I was going to run MY bridge/hill. Things were hurting more when I would take walk breaks, but I knew that having trained with run walk intervals; I had to stick to the plan. I was feeling discouraged around mile 18, and then a man with no feet passed me. At that point most of the average marathoners who had done the normal start were passing me, reinforcing how slow I am. Wet, down and hurting, a received the most heart melting squeals of "Mommy!" just before mile 20. I burst into tears, just totally overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions. The girls ran alongside me for a couple of minutes, and all the pain was gone for a while, giving me exactly what I needed to keep going. At the end of hour 4, I was at 20.1, having lost some of my earlier pacing.

Hours 5-6: The pain in my knees and feet was increasing, but so far I was okay mentally. There were more fans at this point, and I doubt I will be able to describe how much they meant to me at that point. I received amazing high fives from a little boy with Down syndrome, a man holding a sign that said "Free High Fives," a woman who told me her 4 year old son was a Leukemia survivor, and a kid in a Captain America costume. At this point my Team in Training teammates began to catch up to and pass me, which was a relief because I had expected to see them sooner, and was a little worried about some of them. By mile 22 my walk breaks were lasting longer than the running intervals, mostly because making the transition in gait from slow to fast hurt too much. When my watch hit 6 hours, I hit the bottom. And then a stranger came alongside me and lifted me up. After the water stop at 20th and Classen, I was crying with exhaustion, pain, and frustration at my pace as I tried to run. A woman standing on the side road holding a sign saw me and came out into the street and ran alongside me. She asked if I was okay, and then told me that what I was doing was amazing, that the cause I was raising money for was so important, and that if it was easy everybody would do it. She told me I was awesome, and then she asked me if I realized that, I blubbered out a yes because I was crying even more then. She gave me a hug and told me I was going to make it. God put that woman in my path at my darkest moment to give me the strength I needed to carry on. I don't know her name, but I will never forget her.

Hour 6-6:49: Mile 24 the wheels fell off. I was only able to run twice during that mile, but I made up my mind that there was no way at all that I was going to stop moving forward. By mile 25 my goal had simply become to keep my pace at least a 20 minute mile. Mentally that was devastating because it meant that it would take longer to finish, and thus to end the pain of moving. I walked, groaning and muttering, until I rounded that last corner onto Broadway. Seeing the finish line up ahead was one of the most beautiful sights! I held back, knowing I couldn't make it those last 5 blocks if I sprinted, so I waited until I got to 10th St, and then I made the shift to running one last time. It hurt, I wanted to puke, I cried, but there was no way I was going to stop running until I was done! I felt like a rock star, people were lining the street cheering, the announcer called out my name, my mom and sister and kids and husband were there hollering. It was one of the most overwhelming moments of my life.

Stats:

Time 6:49:54

Overall: 2563/2660

Division: 175/183

Tuesday, April 24- 41:17, 3 miles. I had been lacking energy all day, but ended up feeling fine on the run. Made it a point to run as easy as possible. Both knees a bit twingy.

Monday, April 23- 41:10, 3 miles. My right knee has been bugging me since I worked in high heels Sunday, but not bad enough to make me skip running on such a beautiful day! Ran at the park and the honeysuckles were in bloom along the trail, families were fishing, couples were holding hands. Felt grateful.

Trying to maintain the confidence I felt Saturday has been a bit tougher since I started going over the course map with Seth and planning where I would be when. It was a bit daunting to put all the pieces together like that and actually visualize the whole course at once. One way or another, I am crossing that finish line under my own power. I have decided to take my coaches advice and do the early start (4:30AM instead of 6:30) so I can finish when it is cooler and so I cross the finish line before they take down the finish line!

Saturday, April 21- 1:22:55, 6.1 miles. Smiled the whole run. I don' think I have ever felt this confident before in my life. I have put in the training, I have a strategy in place, and I am ready for next weekend.

Thursday, April 18- 12:30, 1 mile. Beautiful night, went running at Little River with my little sister and her puppy. We were having a great time, but a lightening storm was moving in and we decided to play it safe.

Tuesday, April 17- 37:13, 3 miles. It was warm this afternoon! I suspect that is why the run felt harder than yesterdays. No warm fuzzy retrospective today.

Monday, April 16- 35:18, 3 miles. Ran inside at the Y during my daughter's gymnastics class. I felt great. By the time I finished, I was sweaty, but not winded. Its amazing the transformation in my body and what I feel capable of now. I started running September 2010 and hated every second of it. I threw up after and/or during almost every run. Today I stepped onto the track confident that I could acheive my mileage, a mileage that in November and December felt hard and I sometimes fell short of.

Saturday, April 14- 2:49:15, 12 miles. I ran this solo! A work committment kept me from the team's run this morning, and I have to say I was nervous about trying to accomplish such a long run without the support of the coaches and encouragement of my teammates. I ran at the Little River trail in Moore for the 1st time, which is only 1 mile, so I was also worried about getting bored doing the same path 12 times, but it proved to be pretty and interesting. I even got to pet a baby beaver that some teens had rescued (cutest thing ever!), and got bit by a young husky. The wind was a really big challenge, and at times the weather was menacing enough that I almost cut it short. Very proud that I did my full mileage by myself.

Thursday, April 12- 12:57, 1 mile. Knees have been bothering me all day. When it didn't clear up by the 1st mile, decided it was a better to play it safe tonight than to risk injury this close to the race.

Tuesday, April 10- 50:31, 4 miles. I really enjoyed my run. I feel like I am getting stronger and a little faster (for me at least!). I am looking forward to finishing this marathon so I can change up my training and step up the pace a little bit and work in more weight lifting.

Monday, April 9- 34:57, 2.9 miles. Okay, so I fell a little short of my 3 miles tonight, but it was the first time I ran in my SportsKilt this spring, and I kind of forgot the body glide... Felt strong though and went out faster than usual. If it wasn't for the, um, discomfort from my unfortunate lack of proper planning, it would have been my strongest training run yet.

Saturday, April 7- 4:09:01, 16.7 miles. Today was supposed to be 20 miles, but I was paying for past mistakes and graciously bowed out before I had a chance to injure myself. This week I had trained hard, hitting all my miles and starting to commute to work on my bike 2 days a week. That is a good thing, BUT since I had cut some corners and let my schedule be an excuse from training at that level all along, this left me less prepared than I should have been. That combined with my coach's advice that I should not try to jump to a 20 miler when my previous furthest was a 16 made me decide to do the smart thing and live to run another day (specifically April 29th!).

All that said, it was a good run. My pacing was the best I have had on a long run, no wall, no meltdowns. While I am sick of food and feel like I have been eating like a hobbit, the feuling this week was spot on and I didn't run out of energy like I have in the past. It was also the most mentally positive long run. I am getting better at putting one foot in front of another (which is harder than it sounds after an hour or more), and I think I am mentally ready for the marathon. I'm not too worried about not hitting 20 today, in the grand scheme of things it is less important than the work I have put in so far, and the work I will carefully put in over the next 3 weeks. I can and will complete this marathon!

Thursday, April 5- 37:05, 3 miles. It was a nice night for a run. Felt pretty good tonight, pleased with my energy levels and getting more confident about this weekend's 20 mile run (yikes!). Its really crazy to look how far I have come.

Tuesday, April 3- 56:04, 4.1 miles. Worked till 9 so I didn't get to run until almost 10. Felt really good to run, until about mile 2 when I had a serious cramp in my right leg just above the knee. Started limping home, but then realized it hurt as much to walk slowly as it did to go faster, so decided to finish the run. Only 70 more miles left, and I am determined to do get in all of them if at all possible. So close, now is the time for increased training and discipline.

Monday, April 2- 39:31, 3 miles. After eating pizza with the family, I ran the longway home. Ate 3 slices of pizza, burned off 2 before I even made it home, I like that! Still don't know where all the sidewalks are in Moore, and had to wait on lots of stoplights. Went well though. It was warm and windy, but I felt good.

Saturday, March 31- 2:55:42, 11.9 miles. Didn't hurt that much, but I could really tell that I had not got in enough training this week! Ran with the team at Lake Hefner, beautiful day, but the humidity and warmer temperatures added to the effort. Also swarms of bugs tried to kill me. Got a mouthful of gnats as I greeted some fishermen and ended up tossing my cookies on the side of the road.

Wednesday, March 28- 17:03, 1.3 miles. Didn't get to run as scheduled on Tuesday (closed on the house and started moving!), but when I found myself locked out and waiting on Seth to come let me in, I decided to take advantage of the time and squeeze in a run since I was wearing my old running shoes to paint in. Gotta say, I like the sidewalks by the new house! Wednesdays are usually crosstraining days, but a few hours painting= lots of squats and reaching over my head. I'm gonna be feeling this tomorrow!

Monday, March 26- 19:29, 1.56 miles. I knew after an exhausting work day and stress from dealing with the mortage company (supposed to buy a house tomorrow), that I did not have a training run in me tonight. So instead I ran for the joy of running. I didn't pay attention to pace or intervals. It felt so good to just run after 10 hours in a dress and high heels. The weather is great, and the moon was pretty at this late hour.

Saturday, March 24- 3:08:55, 13.5 miles. Excellent weather with a beautiful sunrise as we ran east along the Oklahoma River. I usually keep my fundraising and training logs upbeat, not dragging out sob stories to guilt people into giving. but I want to honestly share what today's run was like. Running is exhausting (duh!) and it breaks down the barriers that usually keep up between ourselves, our feelings, and the rest of the world. When I run I don't listen to music, sometimes I count my steps, sometimes I just think, but almost always I pray at some point during my run (thanksgiving for beauty around me, ask for safety and strength, and healing/strength/comfort for those battling cancer). Before our run, our Mission Moment was about a 17 year old girl who is being treated for Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. At about mile 7, I was praying for this girl when I found myself crying as I ran along the river. Life is beautiful and fragile. Around mile 10, I found myself worn out and had to adjust my pace. All in all, today was a beautiful gift.

Thursday, March 22- 59:08, 3.7 miles. Great muddy trail run! Trees in bloom, wild violets along the trail, a herd of deer, and the sound of the rain on the leaves. I really enjoyed the run. Feeling much better even though my voice is still harsh. Its nice to feel confident about this weekend's long run.

Monday, March 19- 26:49, 2 miles. What an amazing run! The rain quit and I witnessed a beautiful sunset to my west and a thunderstorm off in the distance to the east. Trees were in bloom and the pink clouds were reflecting in the big pools of water standing in fields. I've been fighting a cold and sore throat since Saturday so I decided to do only half of my miles for the day, but the coughing let up while I ran. I feel so refreshed.

Saturday, March 17- 3:56:30, 16.1 miles. Went into today's run worn out. Seemed like cancer was everywhere this week and left me drained physically and emotionally, as well as causing me to miss mileage earlier in the week. Run started earlier than usual, so I had to get up by 5 this morning, after working the closing shift last night. The weather was amazing this morning, and I got to watch the sunrise while I ran. Around mile 10 I was feeling on top of the world, but at 12.5 miles I hit the wall mentally and physically. I was reduced to a walk for about a mile and a half, but was able to finish the run under my own power, even if I did shave 2 miles off my scheduled mileage. After the run I met my sister and her friend for corned beef and cabbage and my spirits were lifted by a drum and bagpipe band. Now to let my exhausted body rest and hopefully heal from all this abuse I have been putting it through.

Tuesday, March 13- 51:26, 4 miles. Got to try out my new headlamp I got for my birthday and I saw the first toad of springtime! Started out feeling strong and fast, but it got rough on the way back. Pushed through and finished strong.

Saturday, March 10- 1:45:37, 7.8 miles. What a surprisingly beautiful day! The forecast had been gloomy and wet, and it seems like every saturday run has been a trial by weather for months, so I was shocked when I woke up to hear birds singing. This was just the kind of run I had been needing to refresh my spirits and keep me from swearing off running forever. Ran along the Lake Hefner trails enjoying the nice weather and the company of my fellow TNTers.

Tuesday, March 6- 31:42, 2.2 miles and 35:59, 2.7 miles. Was excited to go trail running, but once I got to the split for the longer trail, I felt ill at ease and decided to come home and do the rest of the miles here. Changed shoes when I got home (trail shoes were giving me blisters for the first time), and then headed out to run against the 25 mph winds! I have been having trouble keeping up my 3:1 intervals and I was discouraged my even slower pace, but on the last part of my run I greeted a stranger who was walking along. After exchanging hellos, I asked how he was doing and he said he was having a bad day., so I stopped running and walked along talking with the man for about a half mile. Sometimes we are slow for higher purpose.

Monday, March 5- 53:59, 4 miles. Extreme winds and fatigue made this one of the hardest runs yet, but atleast I got in the miles. All the trees are in bloom and it smells like spring, being outside in the sunshine is a nice change of pace.

Saturday, March 3- 1:47:26, 7.9 miles. Ran from Red Coyote to Lake Hefner and back. We finally got our new library open (yeah!) but the long hours have drained me of my energy and I missed a run and 2 crosstraining days. So I did the prudent thing and listened to my body and only did half the days mileage.

Tuesday, Feb 28- 39:45, 3 miles. So stiff and sore tonight when I started. Ended up racing a thunderstorm home when I started to see lots of lightening about 1/2 way through. Exactly 200 more scheduled miles of training to go!

Monday, Feb 27- 27:45, 2 miles. GROSS ALERT: Had to cut my run in half due to the runs. Seth made me quit when he saw how pale and exhausted I looked.

Saturday, Feb 25- 1:33:19, 7 miles. Decided to skip the 7:30am 32 degree team run in favor of a 62 degree afternoon run in the sunshine! It was fun to have the hubby and kids crew for me. Had been a rough week with not quite enough time for all the mileage I needed, but made it through my long run atleast!

Wednesday, Feb 22- 41:26, 3.26. So when does a busy librarian trying to get ready to open a new library find the time to workout?! At 9:30 at night. Not ideal, but there just aren't enough hours in the day right now. Really tight muscles on the run, still haven't worked out the stiffness from Saturday.

Monday, Feb 20- 30:25, 2 miles. Squeezed in some time on the indoor track with my hubby after taking my kid to gymnastics. Didn't have enough time to get in a full 4 before the nursery closed.

Saturday, Feb 18- 14.3 miles, 3:09:48. This was the furthest I have ever gone!!! Woo Hoo! It was rainy and windy, and it hurt, but I am glad I did it. Such a good feeling to complete such a big distance. Today the team ran in honor of Larry and Priscilla's friends from the RV park that are still fighting their cancer battles.

Thursday, Feb 16- 3 miles, 35:47. Felt pumped from the donations made today! Weather was excellent, my body was 95%, and I totally enjoyed my run tonight. Oh, except for the skunk.

Wednesday, Feb 15- 3 miles, 34:48. To make up for skipping my 4 miles yesterday, I squeezed in 3 miles today before I got in my crosstraining (a 500 yard swim!). So tired! That combo kicked my rear!

Monday, Feb 13- 4miles, 47:03. Very proud of tonights workout. After making it through my laps on the track, I went and did 1 full upper body circuit. I feel great!

Saturday, Feb 11- 2.4 miles, 31:13. TNT canceled the group run this morning because of single digit windchills. Never got around to the gym, so decided I could make up the 6 miles by doing my usual 3 mile track twice with a coffee break in between. I was wrong. Had to turn back after 15 minutes because the cold was making my arms hurt so much.

Thursday, Feb 9- 3 miles, 35:03. Got a chance to try out the waterproof hoodie I got for Christmas! It was 41 degrees and raining, but the inside of my hoodie was still dry when I got home. I enjoyed the run, even though I couldn't see because of the rain in my face and I threw up at mile 2 (haven't done that in a while!).

Tuesday, Feb 7- 4 miles, 50:57. Ran inside at the Y. Worn down and tired from work and cloudy day. Really appreciated Seth walking parts of it with me and not letting me quit early.

Monday, Feb 6- 3 miles, 34:40. Such a good run, had trouble slowing down to my pace. Cold morning (32), but nice to run at sunrise instead of after dark.

Saturday, Feb 4- 5.74 miles, 1:14:52. Did better than I expected and was enjoying the run when my left knee started bothering me so I asked for a ride back at the half way point. Wish I could have done the full mileage for the day, but glad I played it safe.

Thursday, Feb 2- 2.5 miles, 31:02. Finally a run that didn't hurt (more than usual)! Saw a doctor about my pulled glute and starting to feel better. That combined with a bright night in the 60s was exactly what I needed. Ran a little slower and 1/2 mile less than scheduled just to play it safe with the recovery.

Monday, Jan 30- 3 miles, 36:36. Ran on the track. Still having problems with my left glute and foot, but tonight I toughed it out and did not allow myself to quit. I sure hope I get a good run soon to revive my love of running. Feeling like when I first started running, like before I liked running.

Saturday, Jan 28- .46 miles, 6 minutes. Body was out of whack and achy so I gave up on the treadmill and lifted weights instead. Gave platelets that afternoon.

Thursday, Jan 26- 3.3 miles, 40:13. Great night for a run, temp was a very comfortable 50. Went to Red Coyote to finally replace my old shoes (goodbye perpetual blister!) and then joined their Pack Pint Run. It was such a nice change to not have to run the same 3 miles of sidewalk by my house, and to run in a group instead of alone in the dark.

Tuesday, Jan 24- 4 miles, 1:05:39. Went trail running. Got lost (or at least I thought I was) so I turned back and retraced my steps. Never any real danger (I had my GPS watch, flashlights and emergency supplies), but being disoriented like that was scary for a moment. Haven't felt like that since my (mis)adventure on my first trail run last February.

Monday, Jan 23- 2 miles, 24:11. Ran on the track at the gym. Left glute gave me trouble so I only 2 of the schedule 3 miles.

Saturday, Jan 21- 10 miles, 2:10:30. Passed a bank sign on the second block- temp was 20 degrees! Today's run was hard and VERY cold. I got a new blister.

Thursday, Jan 18- 3 miles, 36:17. 39 degrees but felt colder. Had a long day with an after hours networking event, so I all I wanted to do when I got home was sit on my couch. Didn't want to run, but glad I did. Grinding out these miles is the foundation of running a marathon.

Tuesday, Jan 17- 3 miles, 34:47. 31 degrees, but as crazy as it sounds, the run felt great. Well, it hurt at times, and was cold and dark, but it was refreshing after a day spent in training.

Monday, Jan 16- 2.2 miles, 31:00. Now that is how running is supposed to make you feel! Had a great trail run. I could feel the fatigue of the accumlated miles (just over 101 so far) in my muscle responses, but I really enjoyed the run.

Sunday, Jan 15- 4.77 miles, 1:12:45. Lack of sidewalks made me run in ditches at an angle which really hurt my left hip/groin muscles. Limped home. That route was a mistake.

Thursday, Jan 12- 3 miles, 36:45. Had to take 2 days off of training to get a root canal, but back strong tonight. Super cold (24!) so I ran inside at the Y again.

Monday, Jan 9- 3 miles, 35:21. Had ever reason not to run: tired, cranky, too cold, too dark. But I sucked it up and went to the gym anyways. Horrible tooth/jaw ache when I got home!

Saturday, Jan 7- 9 miles, 1:52:28. Ran with Team in Training at Lake Hefner. I had every excuse not to run this morning: I was running late, got lost on the way there, it was cold, I've been exhausted. Glad I didn't give in to all the excuses because it turned out to be a really enjoyable run on a glorious day. Running with a team mate helped keep me moving at a good pace in good spirits.

Thursday, Jan 5- 1.58 miles, 26:59 AND 1.57 miles, 19:11. My 5 year old asked to go "running" with me! It was alot of fun: looking at trees, planes flying over, and picking pine cones with her as "gifts" for her daddy. Put me in a great mood to finish out my miles by myself while the sunset.

Tuesday, Jan 3- 2 miles, 23:35. Calves cramped up for 1st .7 miles, but stuck it out and worked the pain out.

Monday, Jan 2- 3.7 miles, 56:08. Went trailrunning at Thunderbird today. Beautiful day for running, I felt strong.

Saturday, Dec 31- 7.65 miles, 1:36:14. Ran with Team in Training this morning. I had been afraid of this run because it was one of the longest distances I had ever attempted. Broke through about mile 6 and was ecstatic! I can do this.

Thursday, Dec 29- 1.5 miles, 18:20 and 1.5 miles, 16:57. Starting to feel better. Did half my run slowly this morning to see how I did. Ran th other half after the kids went to bed, and felt much better and faster.

Tuesday, Dec 27- 2 miles, 26:01. Sick today so I took it easy and decided to run inside on the track.

Monday, Dec 26- 3 miles, 34:56. Ran right after dinner, but I could tell it was one of thos evenings where if I didn't make it out the door first thing, it just wasn't going to happen. Run felt great and the pain in my hamstring is finally gone!

Saturday, Dec 24- 4 miles, 51:07- Christmas lunch made me slower. Ran with my sister through the park and around my mom's neighborhood. Upper body was very sore from yesterday's cross training.

Thursday, Dec 22- 3 miles, 37:35. Tummy didn't feel very good...

Tuesday, Dec 20- 2 miles, 24:33. 36 degrees outside, but atleast it stopped raining! Decided to run by effort, rather than by walk run intervals tonight. Just took it easy and kept going. My right hamstring gave me some pain, but I really did enjoy tonights run.

Monday, Dec 19- 3 miles, 34:44. Ran inside on the track at the gym on the way home from work. My feet are hurting, probably from the combination of high heels at work and the pounding of running in the evenings. I knew that if I didn't do it before I went home, there was no way I would find the energy after the kids went to bed. As a reward, I soaked in the hot tub before I went home!

Saturday, Dec 17- 2 miles, 24:40. Impromptu trip to Dallas disrupted my scheduled training. Squeezed in 2 miles on the treadmill, didn't have enough time/energy to do the scheduled 7. One kid sick, feel like I'm on the verge of sick too.

Thursday, Dec 15- 2 miles, 23:31. Cold is making it harder to get motivated to get out the door each time I run, but once I get started its not actually that bad. Did some sprints, and ran slowly the rest of the time.

Wednesday, Dec 14- today was scheduled as cross training, but I went and gave platelets instead. Why is this on my TNT page? Because cancer patients rely desperately on donors to help provide them with platelets, plasma, whole blood, etc.- all the things their bodies can't make.

Tuesday, Dec 13- 3 miles, 35:26. Was odd to actually run my usual sidewalks during the daytime! Been rainy so it's gloomy and 43 degrees. Still doing 3:1 run walk intervals. Wanted to quit, but I didn't.

Saturday, Dec 10- 2.19 miles, 29:10. Normally I train with the TNT crew on Saturdays, but since my training schedule only called for 2 miles this week, I thought it would be a great chance to fit in a trail run (which are my true running joy!). Turned out to be the perfect day for it, sunny sky and 47 degrees. Most enjoyable run I've had in... well since my last trail run back at Thanksgiving!

Thursday, Dec 8- 2 miles, 22:28. 43 degrees with no wind, felt pretty good after the weather we have had this week. Today was the first day donations were made, and I have to say that was exciting and pumped me up for my run.

Tuesday, Dec 6- 2 miles, 23:15. 27 degrees, extra long day at work, but I needed to get this run in to stay on track.

Monday, Dec 5- 2 miles, 24:15. Treadmill at the gym.

Saturday, Dec 3- 4.77 miles, 1 hour 1 minute. Ran downtown with TNT. Getting mentally harder because this has been my upper limit, and we're just getting started.

Tuesday, Nov 29- 1.6 miles,17:59, 41 degrees. Skipped my run cause too busy and lots of family discussion. After vegging in front of the TV looked at my to do list and realized I couldn't mark it off. Can't stand to leave it undone so I went running at 11 PM. Glad I did.

Monday, Nov 28- 2 miles, 25:00. Did 3:1 intervals on treadmill with the husband at the gym after my kids karate and gymnastics classes.

Saturday, Nov 26- 4 miles, 47:09. Really cold, windy and rainy. Ran downtown with the other TNT runners. I debated whether to drive all the way to OKC or just run at home. Glad I went because without the support of the group I doubt I would have had to willpower to get out and actually do the miles in this weather. Now for some hot chocolate and dry socks!

Thursday, Nov 24- 2 miles, 23:09. Happy Thanksgiving! Beautiful morning for a run. Decided to try out the stuff Coach Jen taught us last weekend, so I did 2 minutes running, 1 minute walking. My time was a minute faster than it has been in months for that running route.

Wednesday, Nov 23- 2.23 miles, 30:33. The sunshine was too beautiful, 72 and not a cloud in the sky! So I did the obvious and left work 3 hours earlier than planned so I could go trail running. Hard to see the trail for all the leaves, only saw one deer this time, probably because of all the other people on the trails enjoying the day. Made up the missed miles and then some with all the hills.

Tuesday, Nov 22- work got crazy and had to stay later than planned, then company. Was too late and too tired to do the assigned milage for the day(1-2) 1st day I've missed on the training plan.

Monday, Nov 21- 2.47 miles, 30 minutes. Raining and miserably cold so Seth and I did the treadmills after the kids sports.

Saturday, Nov 19- Run/Walk clinic with TNT. Fun bunch of people. Getting to know one of my team mates, I asked him what he did in real life. He first said "I sit around all day and play video games.... nah, I'm an accountant, not very exciting I know." After a pause I told him I was a librarian, and then we both started laughing. 2 miles

Thursday, Nov 17- 1.56 miles 19:08, 6AM run because only time I could fit it into my day. 30 degrees so I tried out my new cold weather running pants, which seem to work well. More pain in the right hamstring.

Tuesday, Nov 15- 2 miles 24:13 Ran after dinner, weather great with temps in the 60s.

Monday, Nov 14- ran at the Y on the inside track 1 mile. Hamstrings tight and sore all day, but running made it feel a little better.

Saturday, November 12, 2011- Kick off with Team in Training! Very pumped to get started with this journey with such a great group. Not used to running with a group, but I think I will like it. Nervous about such big goals- both distance and fundraising, but here I go!

My name is Jessica Conley. I am a (mostly) mild mannered librarian, busy mom and not-so-fast runner who hates cancer.

Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

My goals: complete the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on April 29, 2012 and raise $1,000 towards the fight against cancer.

I can't do it alone.

Team in Training's mission is to raise money to help the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society find cures and better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma.

Please make a donation in support of my efforts with Team In Training and help advance the research for cures.

Giving my blood and sweat because we've shed enough tears.