Hello to all those who have been watching my progress!!! Sorry I haven't kept you up to date more frequently... We did our long run January 8th (12 miles!!) and it actually felt pretty good. Got a blister but that's gone now and I feel ready for Sunday. It was hard to stay focused on training through the holidays but I did the best I could! I'm a little scared, trepidacious, apprehensive... you name the word and I'm probably feeling it about now. I'd like to send out a huge thank you to everyone who enabled me to continue on this amazing journey. I truly couldn't have done it without all of your support. An extra special thanks goes to my mom for having to listen to me scream in her ear every Saturday that I increased my mileage. She (and my stepdad Claud!) just started answering the phone on Saturday mornings with "Ok, so how far today?"... I never thought I'd be the girl who said she was running those distances regularly. Yay me!! A special thanks also to my brother Greg who generously donated from my Dad's estate what I needed to finish making my fund-raising goal. It's kind of neat when you think of it... Dad donating to his personal cause. He's making a difference so hopefully one day other people won't have to go through what he did. I'm counting on him come Sunday to boost me with those wings when I might need it! I'm ready. I'm going to do this thing -13.1 miles this Sunday. The marathon starts at 7. My wave starts at 7:10. Send me your good thoughts! I'll send one last post out when I'm done! Go Team!!!

Hello to everyone keeping track of my progress! 8 miles... can you believe it?! Training is going well. Have had a mild case of runner's knee but think I'm getting it under control. Wasn't able to run all week so was a little scared to attempt the 8. I've been doing 6 for the past 3 weeks. Anyway, did the 8 and felt really good about it. Next week is another 8. That's about it for now. I'll update again soon! Go Team!!

I can't believe it's been almost 2 months of training! I was chastised by my mother (sorry Mom!) because I've been a little lazy at keeping you guys updated. So, here goes... First, the recap of my first 4 miles... It was just as easy as 3! Can you believe that? I couldn't... It felt amazing! I did 4 miles 2 weeks in a row - the second time while I was on vacation for Labor Day! Yes, I'm patting myself on the back for keeping up the focus that week. I even had a cold! It was a pretty nasty one. Still feeling the effects in my chest. I took some days off after that. When the next Saturday (last week) rolled around we had the option to do 4 or 6 miles. I did right in between and ran 5!!! It was a little difficult because of the cold but manageable. And today... insert drumroll here... I DID 6 MILES!!!!! FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN MY LIFE!!!! I did have to stop a couple of times and walk for a few steps to catch my breath. Due to the remnants of the cold in my chest I found myself losing my wind but I DID IT!!! I'm still in shock that I (me, it's ME I'm talking about!) am able to do what I'm doing. Thanks Dad and all of you for keeping me going! Go Team!

So just finished the fourth Saturday morning group run... It came early today! With it being so hot and humid (in Houston? Really?!!) we're meeting earlier - 6:20am. Thank goodness! I don't think I've ever sweat so much in my entire life. Each week my stamina is growing. Next week's run is already mentally intimidating though. It's our first 4 miler. Just need to keep reminding myself that if that's the hardest thing I'm doing then I guess my life is pretty darn good! I'll keep you guys updated on how next week goes... Wish me luck! Go Team!

Today was our second Saturday run (the big ones! Although not so big right now I guess...). It was a 40 minute run. I'm happy to report that it was easier than last Saturday! Yay! My training plan has me running M, T, W, and TH along with a longer run on Sat. So far, so good. Thank God for good running shoes, dry-fit clothes, and i-Pod's! They are becoming my very bestest friends! More to come next week... Wish me luck! Go Team!