I'm a little behind as I had intended to write something up about Tuesday night's training. Now these many days later, I'm not sure I remember all that I had hoped to write.

Tuesday nights are coach-led training nights. We meet in the evenings at the Los Gatos High School track. This first Tuesday we ran laps, interval laps, with a partner. Basically trading off and tagging one another as we each finished our lap. Luckily, my partner ran about the same pace so I was able to rest nicely. Some people seemed to zoom around the track, almost effortlessly. I mean some of them looked like they were just walking, just taking a little walk, and I couldn't catch up. Anyway, interval jogging with some warm-up and cool down and some stretching followed by a wee bit of core strengthening.

After the meet is what they call a 'hang with the gang' time. This first time was at Pedro's in Los Gatos. I didn't really want to go since I was tired and sweaty and had eaten a little before the meet so I wasn't really hungry. That however didn't stop me from devouring three baskets of chips with salsa. I ordered some vegetables only, while everyone else ordered great big plates of beans and rice and bits of fried meat. Why would anyone want to eat so heavily so late in the evening? But it was a good time and that was mostly why I had decided to go. That and the possibility of earning a little fundraising money with half the bill total being donated. That actually went to someone who had no money raised. So a good cause regardless.

Well, today was the second Saturday of training. I ran 6 miles in 1 hour and 20 minutes. Today I was very tired. I don't know if I was tired because I did yoga yesterday, and was tired then too, because I wasn't hydrated enough, or perhaps because I had slept poorly. Since I haven't trained before I've decided to use the run-walk method. I did a great deal of walking today, more I think that I thought I would. But it's only the second week and guess what? I've decided to change marathons. Since day one almost everyone I've been meeting has signed up for the San Luis Obispo marathon and it'd be nice to run with some of them. It's a really pretty area too. Just hopefully I won't suffer any dry eye syndrome like the last time I was there. But that was summer. And I've hopefully taken care of the dry eye thing with two freaking rounds of Restasis, Hydro-eyes, and multivitamins galore.

So SLO means I have four more weeks of training, on top of the seventeen I get for the Oakland marathon, and can possibly slow my training down a little. Which apparently I have already done. April 22 I think is the new date. Yay me and Go Team!

W00T! Had my first Team in Training day this morning and I'm not nearly as tired as I thought I'd be. Though since I unthinkingly went for a 4-mile run yesterday I was quite tired during the first 2 miles and then again for the last two. Did a total of 5 miles this morning at Hellyer Park with an average of a 12-inute mile. And I was wearing my new shoes which are wonderfully cushiony.

Today I also met two honorees though only one spoke to us today about her battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Happily she's been cancer-free for about thirteen years/ I'm looking forward to talking more with her as well as other honorees. They are the reason that I'm doing this. The getting into shape thing is just a perk.

Now that I'm home and must return to work tomorrow, there's things I need to complete. Like follow-up letters for the first one I sent out, a bried letter for those quick 'please support me!' plea when I only have a few minutes to hopefully reel someone in, and the family ltter which I probably should have sent out first.

Anyway, now I'm tired and hungry and I still need to go out and do things. Damn. But here's a pic of my new awesome shoes.

Thanks and Go Team!

Saturday was the Kick-off Celebration for this seasons Team in Training. So much information. I still feel nervous about raising enough money before early March. I'm definitely not fundraising as much as I could, but I feel at a loss. I have no talent. None. I don't sing, dance, knit, sew, make cute crap that people want to buy. I don't bake, but if I did so many of my colleagues are used to being spoiled at work with free food I have a feeling they would look at me askance if I tried to charge them a dollar of rice crispy treats. An I can't say that I would blame them. I have nothing to raffle. I might have few things to sell at a garage sale, now I just need a garage to sell it from. I don't even know if I know anyone who works at companies that do matching gifts. All the people I work with work for the county and the county's bankrupt. I know one person, definitely, who works for Apple, do they do matching gifts?

There's a doctor who used to consult with Google. They do matching gifts. I'm gonna have to send him a special email.

Anyway, so far I've raised $700+ for the cause. Hopefully, once I tell my family, more donations will come in. I think one of my cousins works for HP. Do they do matching donations? I'm hopeful that my family will pull through with significant help though I don't believe any of my family has had any blood cancers. Two of my dad's brothers, however, were diagnosed with other cancers. I hope they won't feel that I'm neglecting them. Because I'm not. I want to help them all. And this research will help, even if it's not immediately.

So kick-off on Saturday and I worry that I won't raise the money that I need. I'm not so concerned right now that I won't be able to run 26.2 miles though I hope I'm up for the 6 mile run on Saturday. I went to yoga on Sunday (twice, all core, ouch) and stopped by at Running Revolution after and got a jump on the Tuesday evening clinic. As in my last post, I'm worried about how tired my feet are in the Five Fingers. Apparently, I'm not the only one with tired feet. So the man there showed me a different brand of running shoe with extra cushion at the balls of the feet. They felt very comfortable when I tried them out and wonderfully cushiony. Unfortunately, they didn't have a 7.5, though the size 7 fit nicely, they salesman mentioned allowing for swelling. I'll try to work out before going in tomorrow so my feet might be all warmed up and sore before going in and then try on the size 7s again. The shoes are roomy enough but if not for the mesh upper, they might be too short and close to the big toes. But I'll see how things are tomorrow.

Still, money! Give me money! Or... Please help me raise funds for a good cause!

I am damn tired. Damn tired.

I was able to leave work 20 minutes early and as I drove today I went directly to LGCT for my pre-training jog. I was tired from the get go. And I hadn't been tired at work. Perhaps it was my light lunch of tomato soup and two fruits, but I just couldn't pick up my pace till I was almost done. 3.8 miles in 50 minutes. I had to walk a bit too. A little disappointing but I guess we're all allowed slow days.

Also my feet were excessively tired and sore during my jog. I wear Vibram's Five Fingers

after speaking with a couple of friends about running on your toes and the comfort of the shoes. They are interesting and it is like being barefoot. But then, it's like being barefoot. I stepped on a few rocks today that could have been crippling if I had stepped just a little differently. Our first session with TnT on Tuesday is actually at an athletic shoe store to help people get the right equipment. I think I just need something with a thicker sole. Hopefully there'll be someone there on Tuesday who knows this brand. I think I need more socks too. I had been wearing them without socks, but now that it's a little cooler I've been wearing my toes socks and I find that the seam in one of the shoes doesn't bother as it used.

Needless to say, I didn't make yoga or First Friday. Bummer.

Anyway, seventeen more weeks. Hopefully, I'll find something before then.

And please support me!

Early Thursday.

Well, I still have until this tomorrow before actual training begins. All this time I've been trying to get myself up to at least 3 miles at a time, which I've done. Managed the SV Turkey Trot 5K in just under 40 minutes which I will say right now is awesome as I hadn't quite managed 2.5 miles at the time. Also, on Tuesday I repeated the 5K and today I plan to jog for 50-60 minutes after work. Then hopefully by Saturday, before the TnT Kick-Off Celebration at 9am, I will have succeeded in jogging at least 5 miles, maybe 6, in 1 to 1-1/4 hours.

See, I have a plan. Because the TnT plan is to have us Oakland Marathon runners jog 6 miles in the first training session so I need to be up to par come that day.

So, training. It's really tiring. And my feet and legs hurt afterwards. Who knew? So now that I am completely reminded how tired I used to get after a 30 minute jog, I am starting to get worried that 26.2 miles might be a few miles out of my league. And I still have to raise the $2200 before early March. So far, I'm 30% there and I still have to tell my family and do some more shameless fund raising at the various yoga studios I frequent, not to mention all those doctors and nurses I work with, and maybe hit up those second job peeps once again as I haven't heard a word from them.

And if any of you are reading this, don't be shy! Pledge me some money and I'll send you a thank you not telling you how awesome you are! Promise.

Several hours later.

So yeah, the jogging thing didn't happen. So hopefully I'll make it tomorrow after work. That's part of the problem. It's difficult to go jogging when one is tired and possibly still digesting lunch and before the sun sets. I know I could have used the treadmill in the gym but I then I would have been very tired and probably hungry again. And it was such a bright afternoon too.

On the plus side, I learned that Guadalupe River Trail opened up right after Little Italy neighborhood so I may have even more trail to run. Hopefully it's safe. Now I think of it, maybe I should drive to work tomorrow and go straight to the Los Gatos Creek Trail from work. Then I can get my jogging done and be home in time for Candle Light yoga at 6pm. Possibly followed by by First Friday.

Yea, so... 5K! Yay me!