Apparently, I have been doing too much training and not enough writing. I've missed out on sharing so much with you but there is one thing that I cannot help but share with you - I am so overwhelmed by your continued generosity. Your support is the only thing that could have brought me this far!

Training has put many more miles on the soles of my shoes. Even got new shoes as the old were wearing out. Run the Wailin 10K. Wailed a bit about my hip pain.

Just found out today, in fact, that the pain is due to a torn labrum. The cartilage separating the hip from the leg is torn and, in some places, torn off. To get me through the race, the doctor will inject the joint with lidocaine and cortisone. Post-race, I'm likely looking at surgery.

That aside, I had an amazing (and busy!) training weekend. Saturday, I did my last long run. Ten Miles. That's as far as we'll train and now we taper. The strength and endurance I've built will get me the rest of the way to 13.1.

When I got home from the run, Jason and I held a bake sale. Ashley provided all the goodies and we supplemented items for a bit of a garage sale. A few hours in the sun brought in over $150! Thank you to Stevie and Amy, for stopping by, donating goods, and hanging out. And a huge thank you to Ashley, who made it all possible!

Sunday, Jason and I walked the 12K annual Bay to Breakers. What an experience! All told, between walking to the start and home from the finish, we put in about 10.5 miles. By 11am, we were back home and climbing into bed!

I hope that I will bring you more news shortly but, in case I do not write again publicly before the race, please hear it again - THANK YOU! Each step is possible because of you and each dollar you have helped me to raise will make the fight against cancer that much more possible.

~Melissa

A month has passed and it is definitely time to check in! On my last post, I was getting ready to take on 6 miles. Wait for it... 7.41 MILES!!!! What a rush! For the first time, I KNEW I was truly going to be able to conquer the half marathon. Not just saying the words but knowing.

Since then, I've kept up with buddy runs, track nights, and 8 am Saturdays. With a heavy workload (hence the lack of posts) and lots of travel, I've still managed to get in my mileage.

Last weekend, work led me to Orlando. 90+ Degrees. Humidity like you wouldn't believe. And.... 8.77 MILES!! On my own! Nope, I didn't pass Mickey, Donald, or even Shamu. It was me, all alone with my iPod and the scorching sun. Came "home" to the hotel to find that 2 hours out there, even at 9am, had made their mark with a bright red burn. But the burn in my muscles and fire I felt inside made it all worth it.

This Saturday, we start at 7am and are apparently up for a whole new challenge. I'll keep you posted!

GO TEAM!

I've got another big run coming up tomorrow. We'll be out at Land's End, out in my old Outer Richmond 'hood. Pouring rain and lots of challenges (read: hills!). My minimum is 6 miles....I'd really like to aim for 7 though. At 8am.

The mileage just keeps racking up. It's just amazing to me. However, with that mileage comes a little wear and tear on my body. Going from couch potato to going and going and going - well, some pain was bound to appear. My right hip is killing me but the coach assured me that he's got some exercises for me to strengthen the muscles around the joint.

So, while you read the morning paper, think of me. Or while you sleep off tonight's fun (or some leftover fun from last night's St Patrick's festivities!), just dream a little dream about me crossing the finish line! GO TEAM!

Struggled with 3 miles. Barely hitting 4. Legs filled with lead and a head full of doubts...

NO MORE! Tonight, I conquered the big 5! Me?! Yup, I did 5 miles

Somehow, that made me feel like a legitimate runner. 13.1 is gonna be just fine...

1. I should really keep on top of this more - it's been almost two weeks

2. It's a shame that I'm actually writing on the day of a terrible workout. It will color my whole outlook - sorry

My TNT group runs are really fantastic. Buddy runs are great, in a small group with people I love, and on flat ground. Really, it's my favorite run of the week, always flies by, and it's fun!

This week, timing was off for me to get there on Tuesday though so I did it on my own. I had a terrific run! Found a groove and went with it. My longest route to that point (2.88 mi), my fastest times (even got in one mile under 11 mins!), and felt great doing it all. The best part? I even ran into my buddies as they were headed back in the opposite direction! So glad I got some team spirit to power me through the rest of the work out.

The Thursday night coached runs are good for me, even if they start out tough. As a Level 1, I'm working with Coach Leslie and she is just a dream. I was intimidated by her at first but she is really great to work with. Calm, patient, yet willing to push. Really, the worst part of the whole night is the 1 mile warm-up but once my body is going I'm ready to work.

I ran last Saturday at the Marina Green and even tried out the run/walk team. I'm starting to incorporate a bit of this into my training, as I'm nearly able to maintain the same pace even adding the 1 minute walk intervals (that's sad!). I really want to run the whole race but if the walks help me get through and I'm still keeping up my speed, I don't think that's a bad thing.

This Saturday...I skipped. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't drag my butt out of bed, into my shoes, and out the door. It felt good in bed - for about 20 minutes. And then the guilt and regret set in. Then I told myself I'd just do the workout later on my own. Did I? Nope. Uggghhh...

Finally got those 4 miles in today, 2 days behind. And it sucked. SUCKED! On my own, feeling negative about myself and my training, and it was just an awful run. Seriously, at one point, I sat down on the pier and threw a pity party. A temper tantrum. I became a sobbing mess. Why did I come out this morning?! What on Earth was I ever thinking for joining this team? Did I really believe I could do this?! As my sister would say, I needed a "Waaaambulance!"

I got up. Wiped up my tears and snot. Walked for a few minutes. And then I made my feet move. The run did get easier. I was glad I'd gone out. But DANG it was tough to get through.

Two things I've learned:

1. Don't skip a run - especially the group runs. They're good for me, keep me on track, and I'd rather be with a group than on my own.

2. Don't skip a workout - even the ones on my own! I really need to find a good cross training option and STICK TO IT!

Tomorrow, it's back to Buddy Run. I consider Tuesdays the start to my training week so let's hope it's a better one!