Reflecting back on 2012... (Part 1)

I'm sitting here looking back on a year that started out with so much optimism only to come crashing down mid-year with a severe depression and subsequent effects on what had been a promising year of running and health. So, let's take a month by month look at this bumpy year that I hope to leave in the rear view mirror in hopes of a much improved 2013.

January 2012
After a slightly rough start with being injured and in physical therapy since Oct 2011 and having to limit my newly found love of running things began looking up when I was released from PT and restarted training for my very first half marathon, the inaugural TinkerBell HM at Disneyland. I met my fundraising goal for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training and would be heading back out west to see if I could meet the challenge. I did and I made some good running friends while at it. Probably the most close relationship I've developed from this race are my friends Melanie & Dianne. It was Melanie's and my first half marathon ever. We were previous non-lovers of running and both RNs in the psych/mental health nursing world. We started the race as virtual strangers other than meeting once and communicating via Facebook but finished together as friends. We shared many similarities in our lives and I've come to think of her as a very good friend. I can't wait to see her again at TinkerBell in 2013 (we're rooming together). :D

Love ya, Melanie!! :D

Dianne had already been running for a while and while we didn't communicate much face to face at the race other than at our Facebook group meetup where she brought some Ghiradelli chocolates for everyone and a brief chat after the race we have been very communicative online. I think the connection has to do with the fact that we're both California girls and Asian...we understand things that others sometimes don't! LOL! I'll be seeing Dianne again at Tink 2013 and then we're rooming together at the Princess Half Marathon at Walt Disney World in February where she will attain Legacy runner status (running every year of the first 5 years of the race). I don't have any pics of Dianne aside from our group's meetup pic below. :(

TinkerBell HM Facebook Group - Inaugural Meetup
That's Dianne sitting down near the middle in the white long sleeve shirt.

February 2012

Nothing major really happened in February that I can recall other than running my second half marathon for which I only had to travel an hour and a half. I ran this one with a newly formed running group here in town, the Clovis Area Run/Walk Club, which was started on 1/3/12. Of course I was the slowest one to complete the half marathon in the group but I made a very good local friend, Teresa, who had been running for about 4 years after beating cancer. We communicate regularly on Facebook now, see each other occassionally in town and I introduced her to the Bountiful Baskets food co-op program here in town because I know whe is a very healthy eater (something I am still working on). I consider her my local running partner in crime...I don't think she knows that yet. We got together and participated in a couple more races in 2012 (Wayland Wellness Run Half Marathon and the New Mexico Centennial-TX/NM Team Challenge (she did the full and still finished before I finished the half!). We'll be participating in the Bataan Memorial Death March and hopefully The Color Run 5K together (but apart...she's way faster than me) in 2013.

Big ((hugs))  to you Teresa!

March 2012

The biggest thing that happened in March was finishing my third half marathon with what is still my personal record to date (PR) of 2:37:xx. This enabled me to join the Half Fanatics as member #1982...the same year as my high school graduation (not by accident). This led to the start of a quest to finish 30 half marathons in 30 different states in 365 days. I was well on my way but by May things would be different and I won't be reaching my goal. But for a previous non-runner to join a group of exceptional people who run for different reasons and at varying speeds is something I never in my life would have thought would have happened. 

April 2012

This was the month that I started noticing the depression coming on. It's not like it was unexpected because I typically do go into a depressive state during the spring, but it was just my hope that I could skip a year without one...it was just not to be. I kept racing finishing the OKC Memorial Half Marathon and meeting running legend Bill Rodgers. The month was not extremely bad, but the downhill slide was gaining momentum.

Me with Bill Rodgers, Olympian, marathoner, author.

Probably the most meaningful medal so far.

May 2012

This was the month that the sh!t hit the fan. I've always been pretty good at hiding just how bad I was feeling when depressed but I had always managed to maintain a relatively active online presence. Not this time. I basically went offline for the first time since the late 90's. I disappeared from all my social networks, I rarely left the house other than to run and I spent many a day not getting dressed, showered or eating. Not a happy time. I did manage to finish 4 half marathons and registered for an all women's trail running clinic.

I traveled all the way to Illinois and Wisconsin to race. I met up with another good running friend and TNT alum, Kat, who is originally from Wisconsin and the chance to see her again and knock out another state was my momentum to run in the Wisconsin Half Marathon. Not only did I meet up with her again, but I also met Dave Mari...running celeb extraodaire who gets to so many races and takes so many pictures that it's totally crazy. You can always identify him because he always has the Paul Frank monkey on his shirt! I also spent a couple of nights with my cousin, Maria, who lives in Illinois and I hadn't seen since they moved to Japan after being stationed in New Mexico (where we met for the first time, while stationed at the same base). I have no idea of how we managed not to get any pictures while I was there!?!

Kat with the Captain!

Dave and I.

Unfortunately, this trip also resulted in the ending of the relationship with my daughter who also suffers from bipolar disorder. We have cut off communication with each other under mutual agreement. The last bridge has been burned and I'm done.

Probably the big personal thing that happened was that I reached my fundraising goal for Relay for Life and shaved my head...again! I had done it in 2006 where it was a big deal because my nursing students who helped me with fundraising got to shave my hair off. This year it was much more low key because I was sick (mentally and physically) and I didn't have hoards of people actually wanting to shave my head. It because a non-big deal as I showed up at the team's camp and they proceeded to shave everything off.

June 2012

By June I was pretty much deep into this depressive episode with the high points only being concerned with running. This was also the month that my thinking got too stupid and had some really bad repercussions. I was at my lowest at this point, skipping my 30 year high school class reunion which I had been looking forward to for over a year. Friends who I had not seen since high school were going to be there and instead I spent the week in bed with such a low self-worth that I couldn't be scraped off the floor with a sharp edged, metal scraper. At the beginning of the month before a major emotional crash I managed to complete the Wounded Warrior Half Marathon in Irving, TX with my cousin Ausa who I had not seen for years during which she completed her very first 10K. I also attended the trail running clinic with Teresa at which I discovered something I already knew...I was not born to be a trail runner!

My cousin Ausa after finishing her very first 10K race.

To be continued...

Until there's a cure...there is no finish line!

A few days ago, when I had my TNT purple hair dyed back to a more normal dark auburn, I found out that again cancer had struck someone I knew. I hadn't seen this particular person, a nurse I used to work with when I first arrived in town, much over the years after I left the hospital. I'd bump into her occasionally at a doctor's office, in the mall or at WalMart. The last time I saw her was probably about, if not over, a year ago. She seemed well and we chatted briefly before going on our separate ways. When I went to get my hair colored I found out that she had been diagnosed with cancer back in October and was not expected to make it through the day. I have not heard anything yet but it really wasn't looking good as of early last week.

So, I'm going to take this post to ask you to please join me in the fight against cancer. Please support one of the following organizations that I have been fundraising for with a donation. Simply click on their logo to go to my fundraising page. Thank you!

Accepting donations until the end of February 2012

$5 minimum online donation, mail in form available

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 43
• 33 minutes strengthening PT exercises

What I Ate Today:

• French bread Pepperoni pizza on a Bolillo roll
• 60 oz G2
• ½ cup Mongolian beef
• 1½ cups white rice

Reflections of a first time half marathoner

Pre-race approx 0500.
It wasn't cold, my hands
are just always cold.

This past weekend has been a whirlwind of activity! I completed something that I thought I never would have done in my life, I met some wonderful people, worked with a great organization and got to visit the Happiest Place on Earth for the first time in something like 15 years.

For the past 5 months I have learned to run from scratch. My serious dislike of running has turned into a very much liking of the sport. I wouldn't say "love" but it's getting there. I've gone from the girl who avoided running in school like it was the plague to a person who misses running on her rest days. The change in my attitude just astounds me! I thought I had really gotten into Zumba after starting in May, even to the point of becoming licensed to teach; but this whole running thing is way more than that even! Today I registered for 3 more half marathons within the next 3 months. I mean, really...I did that?!?

The experience of racing for 13.1 miles was so different from the practice half marathon I did on my own a few weeks ago. I felt tired after I finished that but after finishing the Tinkerbell HM I felt like I could have run even more! My next half marathon is in 26 days and will be near my home elevation of 4,300 feet so we'll see how much of a difference the elevation  really makes for me.

So let me get specifically to discussing Tinkerbell, the race, itself. Having not ever been a participant in an event this big, it was a whole new experience. My only experience with an event this big was volunteering at the Nike Women's Marathon last October. The New Mexico/El Paso Team in Training team met in the lobby of the hotel a 3:45am to make sure everyone had their gear and was ready to go. We took some team photos and eventually headed for the race around 4:15am or so. Once we got to the staging area we all broke up to head to our corrals. I walked around to find the husband and we figured out where he would be during the race so that I could look for him. After a final farewell I headed to corral B to join the other runners. I walked around kind of blankly just trying to look for some of the ladies that I had met at the Facebook group meetup the day before. I happened to see a status update on Facebook from Melanie who was also looking for people in corral B...we were actually only about 10-20 feet away from each other. We hooked up and ooooh'd and aaaahhh'd at everything (this was the first half marathon for both of us) and finally when the race started we started to run together. It was a nice conversational pace...a little bitching and moaning at the first "hill" (an overpass...hey, I train on primarily flat roads) and watching as we passed others or (as was more common) we got passed...especially by the guys who had been relegated to corral C. We looked out for people we had just met, wing shirts made by one of our friend Alissa (Balancing Act Clothing) and hamming it up for the Brightroom event photographers spaced out along the course in Disneyland. As we came up to just past mile 4 we both saw our husbands at different times...I ran to Troy and gave him a hug and kiss for actually holding up the "Go Beth!" sign that I made for him at the expo. Then off we went along the streets of Anaheim...most of which I don't remember having ever been on in all the times I've been to the area in my life. We saw several funny, supportive signs held by spectators, spectators yelling my name (it was on my jersey & bib) and just the overall excitement of the race.

Around mile 6 or 7 we slowed down a little because Melanie had developed a couple of blisters, I tried to keep her spirits up...to keep the "bling" (race medal) in sight. Melanie was a trooper and kept on going! I've gotta give the lady some props because she was just off a very light month of training due to some medical issues but she knew what she wanted and she was going to get it one way or another. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen with us together. I told her, "We started together, we finish together!"

During mile 10 we were heading back into Disney's California Adventure, a park I have never been to, and into the last few miles of the race. The final push. Then there was the 13 mile marker...for some reason that last 1/10th of a mile seemed long! We pushed with whatever energy we had and crossed the finish line 1 second apart. After a big hug we parted ways until later that afternoon when I would deliver her some moleskin for her blister(s). In the excitement of the finish, during which I had held my fist up as if yelling "YEAH!" (I'll buy the event photo later and post it) I forgot to look for the husband in the Platinum ChEAR Squad area as I crossed the line. Ooops! Anyway, I picked up my medal, checked out at the TNT tent and finally found the old man over by the finish line. I promptly  took my space blanket (which I have saved as a souvenir) laid it on the ground changed out of my running shoes into sandals and downed my post race snack. We then went and got my medal engraved and headed back to the hotel.

Once at the hotel (we walked the 15-20 minutes or so...took longer than usual due to heavy foot traffic) I immediately went into an ice bath even though housekeeping was still cleaning the room. Played on the internet for about an hour and then headed to Disneyland. It's funny how things have changed yet stayed the same there. We hit most of the larger attractions but I was disappointed that the newly refurbished Small World was closed because they were taking down holiday decorations. The fireworks also were canceled due to technical difficulties...not that we were going to watch them anyway. At about 9pm my feet were so sore and my ankles were almost non-existent due to swelling. We called it a day and headed back to the hotel. Another hour on the internet, back to the room to finish packing and a few hours sleep before leaving for home in the morning. Seriously, that was a lot to fit into one day!

So, what have I learned with this experience?

1. runDisney races are FUN!
2. Running with a friend is FUN!
3. I really, really like to run!
4. I really, really need to buy a new camera to replace the one I can't find.
5. I'm glad I'm not a picture taker when it comes to Disney characters...would mess up my PR.
6. That I'll be doing more runDisney races in the future.
7. That I am ready for the half marathon distance, but I need to work on speed.

Well, I guess that's it for now but since I missed posting yesterday...I was just worn out after all the traveling...my updates for yesterday are included in this post.


100 Days Challenge:

• Day 30 (1/30)
• 30 minute walk on the treadmill 1.46 miles with legs/feet still sore from the half marathon on Sunday!
• Day 31 (1/31) 
• 2.31 mile run/walk with the local run/walk club in 31:54
• Hatha flow yoga class for 1:20

What I Ate (Yesterday &) Today:

• Yesterday
• Peach Yoplait yogurt
• Pre-packaged bowl of Corn Pops
• Low Fat milk
• 16 oz orange juice
• Quizno's regular size double cheesesteak sandwich + mushrooms
• Snack bag of pretzels
• 2 Chocolate chip cookies
• 20 oz G2
• 18 ozs of Pepsi
  
• Today
• 1 pack chicken ramen
• 16 oz Pepsi
• 16 oz G2
• 1 fried chicken breast
• 1 fried chicken thigh
• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• 4 Tbsp chicken gravy
• 1 cup green beans

Flying with Tinkerbell!

Me, my purple hair and
my finishers bling

I did it! I finished my first half marathon! One down and six more to go this year. It was a great experience from the online training with Team in Training, to learning the science of running from the ground up, to meeting some 30+ new friends in person from my Tinkerbell HM Facebook group to running the race from start to finish with Melanie...one of my new friends.

I didn't have the tears of joy at the finish line that a lot of people have talked about, but I did have a great sense of accomplishment at finishing at 2:51:17...8+ minutes faster than my practice run a month or so back. So now, I have an official PR for a half marathon! The course was nice, with only a few overpasses/hills and for the most part was flat. I've definitely got the bug and can't wait for my next half at the end of February. No traveling for that one hardly as it's down in Roswell, NM...just 1½ hours from home. So, that's going to be it for now. I'm getting ready to head to Disneyland!! :D

I'll try to update this more later tonight! Got things to do, places to see and characters to visit with!  ;)

My running partner, Melanie, and I.

Starting line courtesy of Tony Conticelli from the
Tink HM Facebook Group.

The night before the Tinkerbell Half

Sandra & I...after 30 years!

Well, I'm just writing a quick post before going to bed super early for the half marathon tomorrow morning. It's been a great day starting off with meeting up with one of my besties from high school, Sandra, and having lunch at Brennan's at Downtown Disney. Then the Tinkerbell Half Marathon Facebook group meetup at Compass Book in Downtown Disney...it's great to be able to put faces to names after all the online communication we've been doing! It was a great bunch of people who I now consider friends and whom I hope to run into (nearly literally) while continuing on my running journey. Lastly the Team in Training Inspiration Dinner was fantastic! Amazing stories, amazing people...really good food too!

Tinkerbell Half Marathon Facebook Group Meetup

I've loaded up my Fuel Belt with 3 packets of thinned Gu Chocolate Outrage gel, grape G2, water and some Clif Shot Bloks just in case. My ensemble is all set up so I shouldn't forget anything although I have to fill out the back of my bib with my safety information. Our chapter is meeting in the lobby at 3:45am...race starts at 5:45 am. I made sure that the husband (who was a good sport and took probably 15 cameras and shot pics for our group meetup and held the meetup sign) is all set up with the top of the line ChEAR Squad package (breakfast, prime seating, luxury portapotties and lounge at the starting/finishing lines) so he should be good for the day while I run.

After the run the plan is an ice bath, maybe the pool, food and Disneyland for as long as I can remain standing. Then a quick sleep and back to New Mexico early Monday. It's a great weekend so far! Good night and wish me luck tomorrow!

100 Days Challenge:

• 30 minute round trip walk from hotel to Downtown Disney + walking around Downtown Disney an addition 1+ hour

What I Ate Today:

• Yoplait Peach Yogurt
• Corn Pops pre-measured bowl
• 1 pint non fat milk
• 72 oz water
• 40 oz G2
• Shrimp Cobb Po' Boy
• ~½ cup coleslaw
• ~2 cups Oriental Salad
• ½ cup marinated mushrooms
• ~2 cups p
• ¼ cup meat sauce
• 1 Roll with ½ pat of butter
• ~3oz grilled chicken breast
• ~1 cup steamed vegetables
• Lemon bar with raspberry sauce

Wow! That was a lot of food!!;)

Tinkerbell Thinking

NOTE: Written as I was sitting on my flight from Albuquerque to Denver this morning.

Well, here I am, on board my first flight headed back to California but this time it’s not the my hometown in the San Francisco Bay Area that I’m headed to. Instead I’m headed to Southern California to the home of Mickey and Minnie Mouse…and Tinkerbell! My goal this time is to complete my first half marathon, the inaugural Tinkerbell Half Marathon, with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. Since August 6^th I’ve been learning and reading and experiencing running in such a way that I’ve never experienced in my life. For as long as I can remember I have had a dislike of anything requiring an extended amount of running. Only while I was in basic training at Lackland AFB did I actually enjoy running and I think it was just because we ran in formation and the group basically pushed you to keep up.

In less than 43 hours I will be making my 2^nd attempt at running 13+ miles. I did a practice run of 13.3 miles, much to the chagrin of my TNT coach, just to prove to myself that I could do it. Now, when I say “run” please know that I actually mean more of a run/walk/run situation. Right now my max distance while running is only about 1½ miles…on a good day. More times than not I run about ½ to 1 mile at a time before walking.

As I continue on this journey of my first run with TNT I ask that you remember those who have had to struggle and/or succumbed to the various forms of leukemia, lymphoma and myelodysplastic disorders. It is for those who can’t run due to illness that I run. It is for all cancer patients living and those no longer with us for whom I run. It is to do something for those who might similar or better actions once they get some relief from cancer. 

To all my TNT teammate, all of whom I have not yet met and some that I’ll meet this weekend…GO TEAM!!

100 Days Challenge:

• Brisk 2.39 mile walk back to the hotel from dinner

 What I Ate Today:

• 1 whole wheat Bagel Thin
• 2 Tbsp cream cheese
• 12 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 20 oz G2
• 3 slices French toast (IHOP)
• 4 sausage links
• 32 oz hot chocolate
• 24 oz orange juice
• ½ Tbsp butter
• 50 oz water
• Hawaiian BBQ mixed plate (beef, beef short ribs, chicken, white rice, macaroni salad)
• 3/4 Spam masubi

Tink is getting more real

Well, things are getting more and more real as far as getting to the Tinkerbell Half Marathon. Today I received my information packet, race jersey and a half zip technical pullover from Team in Training as well as final race information from runDisney.

Front of the race jersey.

Back of the race jersey.

Back of the half zip pullover.

Front of half zip pullover with 2 pockets
and thumb holes in the sleeves.

Tomorrow I'm taking the race jersey to have my name imprinted on the front and "Tinkerbell HM 2012" on the back.  I think I'll also have the pullover imprinted with "Tinkerbell HM 2012" as well, now that I think about it!

I had planned to go to Zumba tonight, but as I was running this afternoon my hips started to ache just a little so I thought it would be better to sit it out for now. I'm going to try to get back on the same running schedule as the rest of my Flex team so I'll try to get my 5 mile run in tomorrow morning after physical therapy.

So, that's it short but sweet...I'm just tired today and not thinking quite straight for some reason. Gonna try to get some decent sleep tonight so until tomorrow...

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 10: 3.13 mile run/walk - 45 minutes

What I Ate Today:

• 3 cups bacon fried rice (diced bacon, scrambled eggs, green onions, white rice)
• 20 oz G2
• 15 pieces of  Pork & Shrimp won ton with 4 baby bok choy leaves
• 36 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 6 chocolate chip cookies
• 1 peanut butter cookie
• 3 oranges (really late night snacking at 1am)

Not a very good day for eating: no breakfast, very little fluids. Geez, really need to work on fluid intake! :-/

It's gonna busy at the land of Disney!

With it being 19 days out from my trip to Disneyland to run in the Tinkerbell Half Marathon, there's a lot of questions that are popping into my mind and not enough time to do everything that I want to do while I'm there. I have this elaborate schedule planned out of how my 3 days in the land of Disney will go. Some of it meeting an old friend, some of it meeting new friends, events associated with Team in Training and hitting up the Expo. I got word from my coach that there's even more to add to the plate which I should become aware of once I receive my TNT jersey and jacket in a couple of days. My immediate thought is...when? I need about 2-3 more hours added to the day! lol! Here's my schedule so far:

Friday-
1:30pm - Arrive at LAX
3:30pm - Arrive at hotel via shuttle
4pm - Be at the Expo at the Disneyland Hotel

Saturday-
11:30am - Lunch with a high school friend I haven't seen in 30 years!
3:30pm - Meet up with members of the Tinkerbell Half Marathon Facebook group
5:30pm - Team in Training Inspiration Dinner
~9pm - TNT Team meeting
10pm - I hope to be tired enough to sleep since it'll be 11pm at home in NM

Sunday-
~3:30am - TNT Team meeting
5am (or earlier) - Be at the starting line in my corral
5:45am - Race starts (guessing that the last corral, where I am, won't go until closer to 6:30am)
10am - Finish the race (if not sooner)
11am - Recovery (protein) and ice bath, if needed
12:30pm - Disneyland for the day until I'm too tired to walk (haven't been there in over 15 years!)
2am - In bed!

Monday -
7am - Be at or at least headed to LAX for the flight home

I think I'm pretty good with what I'm actually packing for the race. Now I need to get things ready for my personal wardrobe. It's going to include Team in Training stuff, pixie wing shirts, jeans and maybe some running skorts to choose from if the weather is warm enough.

Still trying to decide when to bleach and dye my hair purple. Maybe tonight? Whenever I do, I'll post a pic! :)


100 Days Challenge:

• Day 9: Attended Run/Cycle class at the YMCA. Mostly walked instead of run on the treadmill for 25 minutes since I ran 13+ miles yesterday. Spin/cycling for 26 minutes.

What I Ate Today:

• 1 3/4 cup beef stew
• 1½ oranges
• 2 peanut butter cookie
• 1 chocolate chip cookie
• 12 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 6 oz Swedish meatballs with gravy
• 1½ cups mashed potatoes
• 1 cup mixed vegetables
• 1 banana
• 20 oz G2

No breakfast...not good! Still need to work on drinking water! :-/

I CAN run (mostly) a half marathon!

Today I did something that I would have thought a year ago would be impossible. I finished a half marathon length long run/walk...that's 13.1 miles. For someone who has, throughout life, avoided running as much as possible I see this as a great accomplishment. Now, I'm by no means fast. My pace was about 13:30 minutes per mile and it took me 2:59:03 to finish the run. But like the image below says:

I broke with the training schedule which called for a 10 mile run which was supposed to be the longest run during training, but I just needed to know that I could run a half marathon. Now that I've done it, a lot of the anxiety of wondering whether or not I could do it has melted away. I know that if I've done it once, I can do it again and during the race that self talk that "you've done it before!" can really mean something. 

Now that I know that I can do the distance, I counting on two things to make my time faster. First, the fact that I'll be running at an elevation of 147' rather than my normal 4,300'. That elevation change was a big help when I ran my first 10K in Big Sur, California back in October. Secondly, the adrenaline rush of a big race. By no means am I out there to place...lol! That would take a miracle!! :) But even when I volunteered at the Nike Women's Marathon in November, I could feel the adrenaline push...and I wasn't even running. In the majority of my races so far my times have improved into the 11-12 minute mile range (my  normal training is 13-14 minute miles), so I'm hoping that trend will continue.

I think that it'll help that I'll actually be able to look for the husband and a friend from high school (whom I haven't seen since graduation 30 years ago) cheering for me on the course. The fact that I won't be so "alone" in running in that I'll be running with Team in Training and a wonderful group of ladies from the Tinkerbell Half Marathon Facebook page. I may possibly be alone running at times, but that's okay, been there done that as long as I don't give up!

What are my biggest fears between now and the race? Injury. You can bet that I'm going to take care of myself and not push too hard. I'm on the taper end of training so the runs will be getting shorter. I'm going to avoid anything that has triggered pain in the past and I'm going to do my stretches and exercises to keep strong. I'll be damned if I end up not participating due to injury...I'll crawl if I have to!! lol!

So, here's to happy running until and throughout the Tinkerbell HM!! Hoorah!! :D

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 8: 13.3 mile run in 2:59:03

What I Ate Today: 

• 1 slice whole wheat toast with 1 Tbsp Skippy Super Chunk peanut butter
• ½  banana
• 8 oz warm water with 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• ½ pack of Power Bar Energy Gel - Chocolate (YUCK!! Gag me!! Threw it and another unused one away!)
• 1 full Clif Shot Bloks - Tropical Punch (Eh. Too rubbery when it's cold out. Will use only in warm weather from now on.)
• 6 oz water
• 6 oz G2
• 2 fried eggs
• 1 regular sausage patty (Half a monster patty that I burned beyond recognition!)
• 15 pcs Pork & Shrimp Wontons
• 12 oz lowfat chocolate milk
• 1 3/4 cups Texas style beef chili (It's that kind of weather!)
• 2 Tbsps Fiesta blend shredded cheese
• ~1 ½ c Tostitos Scoops
• 24 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 6 chocolate chip cookies

So, this is how a long run feels...

I'm writing this on Christmas night. This morning I went out for my scheduled long run with a plan to do 9 miles. It had snowed lightly overnight but it looked like the roads were just wet rather than icy so I decided to go ahead with my plan. When I got to about 3 miles it began to snow lightly again off and on and would continue through the run sometime heavier than others and occasionally the wind would make it sting my face. When I got to the pre-planned halfway mark I looked down the road and thought, "Only a half more mile and you'll have 10 miles when you get home." That last half mile was uphill...nothing steep, no such thing as a real hill here but enough so that I was wondering if I could actually make it. So, I went for it. I made it up that extra half mile, turned around and crossed the road. At this point I was rather proud of myself for adding that extra distance and knowing that this extra distance would put me back on track with the rest of my Team in Training group. I broke out with a Chocolate Outrage Gu Energy Gel; now, I had heard that these things had a frosting-like consistency but in the 30°F temperature it was like a runny fudge...actually chewable! I ate half the pack and took a swig or two of G2 (low calorie Gatorade) and took off running again. It was at about the 6½ mile mark that I began thinking, "Why did I add that extra mile?" In order to keep going I began setting short goals..."Just get to the next street/driveway/corner." Using that method, I managed to get the next ~2 miles with only a couple of short 20'-30' walking breaks.  I broke out with the last half of the Gu gel and another couple of swigs of G2. I ended up walking for about 5 minutes and then broke out into a slow run. As I got 50'-100' I began feeling the twinges of oncoming cramps in my right calf. I slowed back down, stopped and did some stretches and then started running again with a very short stride. Again I fell back to the "just get to..." method of perseverance although my goals started getting just a bit shorter than before. When I got to the 9¼ mile mark it became..."Just  3/4 of a mile more...just run as much of that as you can!"  I did have to walk just a short bit of that distance but once I got short of the corner that I needed to turn to get home my energy returned and I ran the last ¼ mile to the house.

So all day today I've been waddling around with sore legs and hip. My left IT band gave me no issues but my right IT band is in a mild amount of discomfort. I have tape burns from where I adhered tape using tincture of benzoin to ensure that the tape stuck around my knee joint (note to self - avoid tincture in the mobile areas of the knee). My turf toe is in full effect but luckily just at a Grade 1 severity and with time/rest it shouldn't hopefully pose too much of a problem. I am going to invest in some carbon graphite Turf Toe plates to see if that helps with the problem. So, after a nap and 45 minutes in a hot bath the legs are feeling a little less tight, but I know I'm going to be feeling them tomorrow. I'm using my massage stick to help massage away some of the tightness and I think it and myself will become very good friends in the days to come.

This is the longest training distance that is scheduled to be run before the Tinkerbell Half Marathon at the end of next month. I keep thinking that I want to run 12 miles just to know that I can...after all if I can do that I should be able to squeeze out that last 1.1 mile, right? But I'll follow the taper and hope for the best. I don't regret taking up running...it has shown me what I can do if I really set my mind to it which is something I have lost in the last couple of rough years. It's been painful at times, but as the saying goes...no pain, no gain!

Stressin' a little about Tinkerbell HM

So, as of today I have 32 days until the Tinkerbell Half Marathon. I'm starting to get excited/freaked out at the same time. Off and on today I've been trying to think of what I'll need to pack for the race. I'm not so much worried about my regular clothes, but I'm definitely afraid of forgetting something for the race. We've gone to a race before thinking that we had brought everything, but found that we had left our shoes on the bed at home; we ended up having to buy him new shoes to run in, but luckily I was wearing some old running shoes. So, just to ease my own mind I'm going to list my race equipment in this post so that I can have a single place to remember what I need to bring. Why not do it on a piece of paper...simply because I have a silly habit of losing pieces of paper that I make notes on (among other things like keys, wallets, money, etc.). Here goes:

Tutu (yeah, I know it's not really important...but it is for this race!)
Wings (ditto the above)
Purple running skort
Purple compression socks
TNT race shirt
Brooks Defyance 4 shoes (I have 4 pairs of running shoes, I need to specify!)
Sports bra
Tech underwear
Fuel belt with 2 bottles
Packets of G2
Extreme Sports Beans
Road ID
KT Tape
Sport tape

I'm sure I'm forgetting something so I'll be coming back to edit this list. It's my first half marathon...I just don't want to screw anything up by forgetting something).

Probably the biggest thing I'm beginning to stress out about is my "turf toe." After my long run on Christmas day the little bugger is still hurting...enough that I'm considering making an appointment before the end of the week just to make sure I don't have a fracture. I took the massive amount of tape I had on to immobilize it off last night because my foot needed to breathe, but this morning it is aching like crazy and becomes painful with just a little bit of pressure...not sure if I'm going to be able to make my short run today or not! *le sigh, le groan*

Things I've learned about fundraising

Until I signed up with Team in Training (TNT) my experience in conducting fundraising has been limited to selling candy, cookies, bowl-a-thons, etc. In these activities I was always a participant rather than an organizer, so all I had to do was take the stuff and sell it or take the forms and collect money. Once I signed up with TNT I had to be responsible to get the fundraising started, events planned and whatnot. So here are a few things that I've learned so far:

1. Plaster social networks with you fundraising events or requests (I use primarily Facebook but did a little on Twitter and Google+ as well); but be careful not  to overdo it (or what other people may think is overdoing it) as you may get bumped from groups. Ask me how I know!! lol!

2. Try to find a gimmick that might encourage people to donate. One I tried with a fairly good response was to design a badge (see below) of sorts that showed that people had donated, had their name prominently on it and also provided information as to how others could donate. Everyone who donated got one of these posted on their Facebook page when I received their donation.

3. Another gimmick I tried that didn't really work was to urge people to give up a trip to Starbucks, Jamba Juice or a fast food stop and instead donate that amount. Didn't have any takers, but it's worth a try. I also tried a $5 donation challenge which didn't work either.

4. I came up with several different images to rotate through advertising my fundraising. I just felt that people might be more apt to read what was on an image rather than what was scrolling in the updates bar on Facebook. If you couldn't tell already most of my stuff was done on Facebook.

5. Come up with some fundraising events. I did a 5K run/walk that went okay but wasn't a big money maker. Two problems...not much of a running community here and it was in November (read cold & windy). My big event was a Zumbathon. I'm a newly licensed Zumba instructor so between fundraising and training I haven't been able to get a set of music together to teach, but I did use my new network of instructors to organize a six hour event that was highly successful; enough so, that I'm working on a Zumbathon for next month for the American Cancer Society.

6. When planning an event do some advertising. For the first two events, I was fortunate enough to have a local print shop donate printing of 1000 half page flyers. I did have to have some signs and extra flyers printed out of pocket. For the current event I'm planning I had some postcards printed at Vista Print. I did print up a few signs to be posted on doors and such out of pocket but it didn't cost much.

7. Try to keep costs in control as much as possible. I have a tendency to over prepare and a lot of stuff that I bought for the first event I can continue to use for future fundraisers (i.e. - label maker, markers, pens, tickets, etc.). Now, these reusable items are not able to be claimed as donations. However, single use items can be claimed as donations (i.e. - refreshments, printing expenses, etc.).  

8. When arranging the venue for your event realize that having the event at a business similar to places that you plan to advertise at may limit your ability to advertise. When I went to bring a door sign and flyers to a local gym they specifically asked where the event was being held. Luckily it's going to be at the college gym because I'm pretty positive that if I had said it was going to be at a competing gym they probably would have taken any of the flyers or signs. So, try to hold you event at a neutral location.

9. Write and mail fundraising letters. It took me nearly two months to get around to this. I find it difficult to ask strangers for money, but I did. I mailed out letters to over 50 local businesses. I only got a handful of responses but every little bit helps.

10. Send follow-up notes/cards to everyone who hasn't donated after a month or two. I'm having 500 follow-up postcards printed at Vista Print that I can use for future Team in Training events. I'm also having another 500 printed for the American Cancer Society - Relay for Life events.

11. Send thank you notes. Try to do this in person, if possible.

That's all I can think of right now, but I'll add more if I think of anything else.

Future plans for century rides

In 2012 in addition to trying to do a race a month, I plan to do a sprint duathlon and hopefully at least a half century ride (50 miles). Now, my bike is a cheap bike from Walmart. I'm not ready to go out an buy a new bike so I think I'll just have to bring the bike to the local bike shop and have them do an overhaul/tune up. Hopefully that'll be enough to at least get me through training and the initial ride. Of course, that'll have to wait until next month when I have some spare cash again. At least I don't need any extra equipment...I have all the tools, helmet, padded shorts, etc. so all I really need is to start training. I probably will eventually get a bike stand so that I can train indoors during the cold weather. I'm kind of excited because it'll also be a good cross training exercise as well.

The cycling events I'm planning are the Santa Fe Century (doing the 54 mile ride) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Hotter 'n Hell Half Century ride in Wichita Falls, Texas and the Big Sky Duathlon in Bennett, CO. I won't begin really doing any training until after I run/walk the Tinkerbell Half Marathon at the end of January. My main thing now is to decide whether to do the Santa Fe Century with Team in Training (TNT) or not. I had planned to take close to a year off before doing another TNT event but the chance to do the training with them is very appealing. I've got about 6 weeks to decide whether to do it with them or not. If I do it would mean more fundraising...for a goal of about $1,500 or so. So many things to take into consideration. Well, I guess I'll just sleep on it and think about my options more tomorrow.

Back to running...sort of

Goodies from the race.
Including sweatpants!

I finally ran today for the first time in 7 or 8 weeks! I participated in the Reindeer Run 10K with the husband and after asking my PT if I could try to run a little and getting the okay I ended up running about 80% of the race and walking the rest. I even outpaced the husband who has continued training on a somewhat regular basis while I've been sidelined with my ITBS. I knew that I missed going on my runs, but I just didn't realize how much until today. I finished in what I believe was a 1:19:07 but I'm not sure if that was the final time. I did, however, manage to place 1st in the women's 45-49 age group (of course there were only two of us in the division). Lol!! The old man finished a minute or two after me which surprised me because he usually runs a little faster than me.

Metatarsal pad, the dark area.

I made sure that I stretched really well focusing especially on my ITBS on both sides. Maybe I should have paid a little more attention to warming up my feet as well because by mile 4 I started having some fairly significant pain in both my arches and the balls of my feet. Now, I have already bought some metatarsal pads to help alleviate the ball of foot pain but haven't installed them into my shoes yet. I forgot to grab them before we left last night so I'll be sure to install them tonight. Hopefully those will help alleviate both the arch and ball of foot pain.

I think this is my last race for the year. I may try to find a race to run in January, but it's time to start focusing on finishing the training for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon. So wish me luck and no further injuries. Disneyland, here I come!! :)

Just call me...Crafty

No sew tutu for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon, Jan 2012

I finally got around to making the no sew tutu that I'm going to wear while running (or walking if I'm still not cleared to run) the Tinkerbell Half Marathon at Disneyland in January.

I loosely followed the instructions on this blog making changes where I felt that I needed to. I had never worked with tulle before and let me tell you, it took me a while to figure out how to handle the stuff! Once I did figure it out though things went much smoother. Here are the steps that I actually did to make my tutu:

Supplies - 
5 yards of shiny purple tulle (88¢/yd)
2 yards each of shiny lime green, shiny red & shiny orange tulle (88¢/yd)
1 roll of 2" purple ribbon ($1.98)
Tape measure, ruler or yard stick
Scissors
Note: This was way too much tulle for what I wanted. I used all the purple, all the lime green and only 1 yard each of red and orange. I'm taking out some of the strips because I don't want it as full as it is, but if you want a fluffy tutu by all means use it all!

Steps -
1. Fold each piece of tulle in half so that selvage is as even as possible.

2. Cut into smaller sections if needed. (I cut mine down to easily handled 1 yard sections.)

3. Cut to desired length or simply trim selvage so that it's even. I wanted my length at about 15" so I cut my tulle at 16" from the fold which allows for 1" in the waistband.

4. Fold the tulle in half along the length (selvage to fold) and repeat until it gets to a width of 3-4".

5. Using your measuring device and scissors cut the folded tulle into strips at a width of 3-4" wide. Save the two end strips as standbys since they tend to be a little uneven.

6. Measure the length of ribbon needed to tie around your waist. I suggest leaving an extra 6" on each end which you can trim as needed when you're done making the tutu.

7. On one end of the ribbon at approximately where you want to tie the tutu on your waist (leaving a tail) tie a knot. You'll use this as a "stopper" of sorts for the first tulle strip.

8. Tie the ribbon snugly around the back of a chair so that the tulle will hang loosely after tying it on.

9. If you will be using more than one color, determine the layout of how you will spread out the colors and put the strips on in that order. Alternatively, you can do what I did...which was to put the dominant color on first, then determine where the other colors will fall within that. For mine, I put the purple on first, then determined that I'd use all the green and place it before every third purple strip. From there I decided that I'd put a red strip between every other set of purple strips and orange in all the other strips.

10. To apply the strips hold the fold in front of the ribbon waistband. Reach behind the ribbon and pick up the ends of the tulle and pull it through through the loop created by the fold of the tulle. Pull to desired tightness...I'd recommend leaving it just loose enough that you can slide the strip to adjust if needed. Slide to the knot in the ribbon.

11. Keep applying the strips as above until you either run out of strips or feel that the tutu is as full as you want it.

12. Try the tutu on and make sure that there will not be a gap of tulle when you tie it on. If there is a gap, you'll either need to add more tulle or spread out the tulle on the ribbon. The fewer tulle strips and the further spread out the strips are, the less fluffy the tutu will be.

13. At the point that you want to tie the ribbon closed tie a knot in the ribbon after the last strip of tulle.

14. Finish off the ribbon however you want (cut off the end in whatever design you prefer).

Now, I'm not quite happy with how the waistband looks because I don't every piece of ribbon covered up with tulle since I don't want it extremely full. So, here's a tutorial out there as to how to wrap the waistband (based on a child's tutu) using 7/8" ribbon to make it look cleaner so that's what I'll eventually do...that'll also help to maintain an even spacing between each piece of tulle.

All in all when I look at what I actually used of the supplies, this tutu cost less than $12 to make and less than 2 hours to put together (including the time it took for me to figure out how to work with the tulle). Not bad for someone who does not have a crafty bone in her body!! lol!

I am now all set "costume"-wise for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon. Now, I just need to be able to run and train again!! :D

Cancer...I hate it!

I got some terrible news from a friend this past week. This particular friend has been fighting cancer for the past nearly 3 years with periods of remission and recurrence. Right now, thankfully, a more peaceful time of year is coming up for her as she has to go through another round of chemo. While this break is short it will hopefully allow her time to get through the worst part of her treatment. It's a feeling of helplessness when someone you know and care about is going through such a terrible time. Please don't be surprised if you see me fundraising again after I finish with my commitment to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society/Team in Training. I have decided that I will be switching gears and going back to my roots with the American Cancer Society to lead a team for the Curry County Relay for Life in May 2012 in honor of my friend. I'm just giving fair warning...after May I'll definitely take a break from fundraising until probably a full marathon in 2013 again with Team in Training. Please keep my friend in your prayers/thoughts as well as any other patients and families that are having to deal with this disease in all it's forms. Thanks!

  

6 Hour Zumbathon Fundraiser!!

I'm sitting here watching the long lasting Zumba die hards during the 5th hour of a 6 hour Zumbathon to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We started with a field of close to 50 people and now we're down to about 22! So much activity!! It's been a great day although I would have liked to join in I did sneak in a few shakes and shimmy's here and there but I may have done just a bit too much because my hip is aching a bit. The final tally of the funds raised needs to be determined still but I sure that it's enough to have brought me over my minimum of $2,750 in my fundraising. I'll post an update here and on my training page once all the counting is done but I'm thinking it's over $800.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the instructors from the local area who volunteered their time to teach free to support this endeavor:

Robin Haislett - formerly of ENMU HPE Dept, currently a graduate student/instructor in mass communications at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX.

Brienna Scott - Zumba instructor at Clovis Community College and Pure Energy Fitness Studio and Zumba Toning instructor at First Methodist Church, Clovis, NM.

Ashley Pyle-Goldbaum - Zumba/Zumbatomic (Kid's)/Family Zumba instructor and owner of Pure Energy Fitness Studio and Aqua Zumba instructor at Clovis Community College.

Monica Vigil - Zumba/Zumba Toning instructor at V's Sports & More

Nicole Stine - Zumba instructor at Clovis Family YMCA & evening Zumba instructor at Cannon AFB Fitness Center

Nora Swanagan - Zumba instructor at Clovis Family YMCA

Brienna Scott

Ashley Pyle-Goldbaum

Monica Vigil

Without these ladies this event couldn't have been possible!! Many deep thanks for your support!!

I'm hoping that everyone who attended had a great time and a great workout!! Let's do this again soon...next one will be before May 2012!!

I'll post more pics after I get settled back at home later today!

Organized my first 5K race...Lessons learned

Today I hosted a 5K race to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society / Team in Training. I had been stressing all day long yesterday hoping that I had gotten everything right. Well, this is how the day went...

The hubs and I met the daughter at the college where I was holding the race. It was 6:30am and cold, but at least the full expected wind of 20-25 mph with gusts to 50mph hadn't hit yet. First off, I set up the tables at the wrong finish line, luckily hubs noticed and we only had to move about 75' to the east. It took a little while to find the starting line as well...red spray paint on asphalt is hard to see when it's dark. Finally we got tables set up and started setting out waivers and registration slips. Thankfully I had thought to pick up some big stones from the front yard to use as paperweights since the wind had started picking up since we arrived. The daughter tried to help but says that I didn't delegate...that I have control issues and tried to do everything myself. It was only the three of us working the race...as other volunteers didn't show up. As we continued to set up we found that of the two timers we had the newest one wasn't charged (didn't think to check it last night) and when I plugged it into the inverter in my car it needed too much power and smoked the inverter! Well, that made that particular clock unusable. Thankfully we had the charging station for the second, older clock which worked but took the old man awhile to figure out how to get it running in the right mode.

We were just about set up and I had the daughter putting together bibs with safety pins and stuffing t-shirts into the pre-registered participant's goody bags. The pre-registered sign in went easy enough, but same day registration was a bit rough. I think it would have been easier with more people working the registration table, but we muddled through. Next time (if there is one) there will be a specific table to same day and another for pre-registered check-ins. Another thing we found was that I'm apparently missing some t-shirts...I made the mistake of not counting them yesterday because I was so stressed and when it came to passing out shirts for some participants that I knew would be registering the same day I didn't have them. I'll need to check with the printer on Monday to see if they have some floating around the shop.

Once we got everyone and everything set we got the race started nearly on time and everything went smoothly thereafter. I managed to get times and pass out medals for  overall, women's and men's first through third places. We had bottles of water to pass out at about the midway point as well as at the end of the race with mini donuts. We had several people hang out after they finished running (most were walkers) and I spent some time talking to a couple of women who had been running for a while. One was training for the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Antonio and another had lost 40 pounds and is loving running having run several marathons, halfs and such. Very inspiring!

We were all cleaned up and ready to go by 9:30am. Not bad...short and sweet event but I'll have to think hard about doing it again. Why? Well,  I'd need to be sure I had at least a dozen volunteers...even though the turnout was small more workers would have made the process easier. If I did have it again, it would be held in warmer weather...maybe September or early October. I also think that I would put out mail in registration as well as online and same day.

I haven't counted the funds yet...and I also have to figure out how much in out-of-pocket expenses I had. I also need to figure out how to claim those out-of-pocket expenses for tax purposes. At least I see this as a learning experience and did have some fun in the process. Quite of few of the participant said that they enjoyed it and so I think some fun was had at all. I have a week before stressing out again for the Zumbathon on the 19th...at least that will be inside where it's warm!! LOL!!

If you'd like to support me in my fundraising efforts, please donate online at my fundraising/training page, "13.1 Miles to Never Never Land". If you wish to mail in a donation, please contact me via email at ClovisTNT(at)gmail.com. Thanks for your support!