catheroominations

November 27, 2007

I mean, I’m going to run 13.1 miles anyway…

…would it be THAT much harder to do twice that? Really?

It seems I have some very generous donors and I have surpassed my $1,800 minimum fund raising goal in less than two weeks. You know who you are, and I thank you from the bottom of my bottom (which is so much larger than my heart). Honestly, every dollar you donated proves to me that you have faith that I can complete the half marathon. I am ever grateful for that support. And your motivating comments will help me push through the miles. And thank you for joining in my endeavor to tell cancer to SUCK IT.

So since I’m almost to the minimum fund raising goal required to participate in a different, bigger, crazier event, I might do it. Sure, it’s a full marathon, but why not go all the way? Oh, and did I mention the name of this marathon? The Napa Valley Marathon. I like running. I like wine. It’s the perfect combination, yes? Well, except for the whole 26.2 miles thing. My ultra-supportive and fabulous mentors think I should go for it. I’m not yet convinced. I still cannot fathom running THIRTEEN MILES in one day, let alone double that. Running a half would be symbolic of kicking cancer in the ass. But going 26.2 would flip cancer the bird. With both hands. That is tempting.

November 25, 2007

Commitment

When I joined Team in Training I knew I was committing myself to hours and miles of running, and fund raising thousands of dollars. I figured I’d have no problem raising the money, but what I didn’t bank on was how much money it would cost me to be appropriately attired and accessorized for my new hobby.

Here’s what I have purchased so far:
Dri-fit tops (two long-sleeved, two short) – $70
Warm-up jacket – $20 at TJ Maxx
Running socks – $10 for 3 pairs
New running shoes – $110
Garmin GPS training watch – $179 rather than $375 (thank god for Costco)
Fuel belt – $45
Gloves – $4
Ear warmers – $10
Dri-fit running underwear. (Yes, I bought running underwear) – $16 for one pair
Sports bra – $33
Jelly Belly Sports Beans – $1 each bag

I never thought I’d be running with jelly beans in my pocket, but they really do give me a boost of energy when I start lagging. Plus, they’re CANDY!

keep reading Commitment

November 22, 2007

I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve really gotta run

Race Bib

November 17, 2007

Hey, so, yeah, that wasn’t a good idea

During today’s SIX MILE run, it started out kind of chilly. My feet were freezing, and my two big toes were rather numb. But, that was welcome as I’ve been worried about pain in my feet. No feeling means no pain, so yay! Eventually my toes thawed out and I started to feel like there was a little something sharp poking one of my toes. Maybe there was a tiny rock in my sock? Whatever. I blew it off and kept running for SIX MILES. And all was fine and lovely and when we reached the finish line, we were greeted by BREAKFAST! Scrambled eggs! Pancakes! Bacon! And coffee and orange juice. And I ate it all, sitting on a freezing cold bench (which was nice, kind of like a giant ice pack).

Then I came home and found Matte STILL IN BED. He was awake, but lounging and watching the Ohio State/Michigan game. I took off my shoes and noticed one of my socks was kind of pinkish. When I took the sock off, there was blood over the entire toe of my sock. I am SO hardcore, dude! Running while bleeding. Awesome.

Awesomely stupid.

My toes are lame. They don’t lie right, but pile atop one another. And one of them had smooshed itself against its neighbor, and dug it its toenail into it. It was the tiniest little cut, but I guess with the constant pounding for SIX MILES it irritated it more.

I should have stopped when it first started hurting (I know, Matte, I know!) and next time I will.

But I still sort of feel like a badass chick, pushing through the pain and all. And I have a nice bloody sock trophy to show for it.

November 13, 2007

Uhm, can I see what’s behind Door #2 please, Bob?

Those of you who know me personally know that I do not wear shorts. If you have seen me in shorts, it was by accident. I have been to Vegas in July and I didn’t bring shorts. DisneyWorld in late summer? No shorts. I wore them in a race once, but on race day I was the fittest I’d ever been. That lasted one day, until I drank a celebratory keg of beer and bucket of fries. On my honeymoon in Hawaii, I wore shorts because well, I was delirious with the joy of being a newlywed and I wore them in the kayak we rented because a skirt would have been lame. There is no photographic evidence of this short-wearing excursion.

Tonight, at our TNT workout, one of the captains hosted a drawing. All I had to do was bring a printout of my fund raising web page, and I was entered into the contest, to be held after we sweated buckets and pushed our bodies to the limit. Sweet!

At last, it was time for the drawing! (The suspens eis killing you, isn’t it?)

She announced the Third Prize winner, who wasn’t me. They received a TNT water bottle filled with goodies.

The Second Prize winner, who also wasn’t me, won a TNT towel and other goodies.

When she called the name for the Grand Prize (drumroll, please!) it was MY NAME! She called ME! I won! OMG! I won!

A pair of TNT shorts.

November 11, 2007

Inspiration

motivation

Today, we had an OYO (on your own) run, only I didn’t do it on my own. My two TNT mentors organized a 4 mile run near my neighborhood. Two other newbies form my ‘hood and I ran on one of the local trails with our mentors. This trail is so near my house and all this time I have lived in this city, I had no idea it was there until today. One of the other newbies was telling us that there is no way she could have completed a 4-mile run on her own. I concur, because I totally lose track of time and distance when I have people to talk to. And for once, I am running at a pace where I can keep up my end of a conversation. When I was in bootcamp earlier this year, I was regularly overexerting myself. But now, with these running coaches, I maintain an easy pace and I don’t tire as quickly. I’m also less sore after a run, not having overdone it. Plus, every time I’ve run with the TNT people, I have made new friends. It is SO MUCH FUN. I don’t even mind waking up at 6:30 am on a Sunday morning to go out.

Oh, but today I realized that the half marathon I’m training for falls on SuperBowl Sunday. So, if my toes hold out until February, and I make it to the race, and then the finish line, I will be useless at any SuperBowl party we might host. It’s possible that I might feel invigorated, having completed a 13.1-mile race, but I’m guessing I will be on the couch, covered with bags of ice. Maybe, instead of using a big tub to hold the beers, Matte can just set the beers on top of my ice-covered self. Then I’d be sort of useful.

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