September 13, 2011: Delusions of Invincibility

I've had two consecutive runs that were really good -- great, even. I'm feeling strong, powerful and downright invincible. Let's hope that I can ride this wave into race day on October 16.

July 19, 2011: Timed Miles

At the start of training, 9 weeks ago, we did timed miles. I clocked in at an abysmal 10:58. I still hadn't figured out how to deal with my foot, and my cardio endurance was pitiful. Fast forward to tonight: 9:13. No, it's not as fast as I was this time last year, but that's a huge improvement, and after my good long run on Saturday, I really feel like I've got everything under control again.

July 13, 2011: Hill Repeats

My race is in San Francisco. Nice, flat, San Francisco. (Yeah, right.) Needless to say, the course has hills so we spend our Tuesday nights doing hill repeats. Full steam up the hill, then walking down. Repeat ad nauseum. Last night was unseasonably windy, cold and cloudy, and featured this strange view as I looked to the East. It almost looks like someone draped the valley in a blanket.

July 4, 2011: Firecracker

I'm proud to say that I finished today's 5K in 30:35, 14th out of 49 in my age group. No, it's not Olympic pace, but it's within 35 seconds of my best 5K performance prior to my injury. This is good news!

June 25, 2011: Proud to Run Chicago

What do you do when you're out of town on business and can't make it to the weekly long run with the team? You search for a local 5K and make new friends by roping complete strangers into running with you. Check out the full story on my blog.

June 18, 2011: Inspiration Point

We ran at Inspiration Point this morning: a 50-minute run at a "conversational" pace. (For those who don't run, you can measure your effort by how easy it is to have a conversation.) Inspiration Point is on the Orinda side of Tilden Park. It was gorgeous and vaguely foggy in the valleys. We ran a hilly course through fields and eucalyptus groves. The end total for mileage was 4.20 miles, a decent base to set me up for my 5K next weekend in Chicago.

My foot is still achy when I run, but I've been doing this long enough to know that it's just going to be a nuisance, possibly forever, and that I'm not hurting anything by just running through it.

This week's schedule was busy: yoga at home on Monday; kickboxing and Team strength circuits on Tuesday; walking and Pilates on Wednesday; walking and gym for abs and arms on Thursday; scheduled rest on Friday; and then this morning's Team run.

Next week will be challenging for me because of business travel, but I know that I'll at least get in a few miles of "netwalking" with my conference colleagues at 6 AM on Thursday and Friday, and then I'll run my 5K on Saturday.

May 28, 2011: The First Team Run

Part of my brain is aware that the world moved on in my injury absence. Why, then, did I expect to show up at Berkeley Marina and have to run 10 miles or more? Needless to say, the required 3-mile run seemed like a piece of cake in comparison to what I'd psyched myself up for. Want to read more about this week's run? I blogged about it here.

I'll probably be skipping next weekend's Team run because long ago I registered for the See Jane Run 5K in Alameda. I know from my experience in Oakland that I can run a 5K without too much trouble, but I'm not sure that I've built up enough endurance to do it the day after a 4-mile Team run. I suspect that it would be wise to ease into it.

Team in Training: What Brought Me Here (Again)

Remember last October when I ran the Nike Women's half marathon as part of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training to honor the memory of my friend's husband, Bob? No? That's because I broke my 5th metatarsal just three weeks before the big event.

Eight weeks of immobilization and countless weeks of rehabilitation have led me to the point where I finally was strong enough to run my first post-injury 5K in March. Now I'm ready to take on all of the hill repeats, strength training and distance runs that Coach Tim throws my way. I think.

All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am completing this event in honor and memory of all individuals who have battled blood cancers: Carol, Art, Cheryl, but mostly Bob, my inspiration for beginning this journey last spring.

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission. I thank you in advance for your financial and emotional support in the coming months.

Keep an eye on this page and my blog for updates on my training.

Go Team!