Spring break is upon us.
I ran earlier today.
It was hot.
My run was terrible.
The end.

Not really. But my run was terrible. I've been thinking... Maybe I'm not cut out for this. I'm in it now- too late. But I could bump it down to the half marathon. Whenever I think about that, however, I feel like I am letting people down. Specific people, actually. I am letting down Ron Jones, Bill Pittman, and Betsy Dobbins, only one of whom is still around to realize that I am letting them down. At the same time, it can't be letting them down if I am still raising the money to research, right? But I'm not dedicating myself wholly to the cause by not practicing as much as I know I should...

This is tough.

It is possible to fail in many ways...while to succeed is possible only in one way.
Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC), Nichomachean Ethics

Sail away

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -Mark Twain

So, recovering from being sick has gone well. Sucking it up and running in this freezing cold weather-- not so much. I have to constantly remind myself why I'm doing this. When it gets TOO cold (like it has been) I normally swim or bike (inside) instead of run. Today I biked on a high level for 45 minutes, then did p90x and refereed a soccer game. Sunday was awesome. I ran five miles, then played soccer for two and a half ish hours, then had a Frisbee game that night. I slept through my 8am class. But it was so worth it. Soccer has been giving me great extra workouts- some awesome sprints- but unfortunately, I haven't been doing enough long distance. I actually got a little hurt in my game tonight... my right ankle is swollen and my left knee has a huge knot under it. I don't think that's good. But tomorrow, I will keep pushing on. Or at least, I'll try. I'll let ya know. Until then, I think I'll pull my shin guards out of storage...

Stomach bugs and Valentine's hugs

Today I ran 6ish miles in 56 ish minutes. Including the two times I stopped- once for water (approximately 15 seconds) and once because my knee was hurting (a few minutes). And I had to slow down a couple times because of my knee. But I did start out a little slower than usual, which I think was a big help, and really hard for me to do. I think I may have felt the most accomplished when I passed a man. He looked like he was in shape... gave me a run for my money. But in the end, my competitiveness and agile athleticism dominated. Or it may have been because he was old and overweight. But not much overweight!
The reason I haven't posted in about two weeks is because, honestly, I haven't run in about two weeks. I got a bad stomach virus that had been going around right after my last post. It is only supposed to last 24 or 48 hours. Mine lasted six days. Yes, 6. You don't need to get your glasses. I lived off of Gatorade and Pedialite- well, the generic, which by the way, tastes alot like Gatorade these days. Needless to say, I didn't want to see Gatorade again for a while. I did not even try to run during that week, knowing that it would be worthless. Once I was finally over the bug, It was cold outside. Being the wimp I am, I decided to bike and swim instead of run. I only ran once-- about three miles. What I learned: you can effectively cross train and not lose any running skill! The six miles I ran earlier, aside from my knee bugging me periodically, was surprisingly easy! My breathing, and therefore heart rate, was not too heavy the whole time, and my leg muscles weren't burning at the end. (Of course, I was going kind of slow.) I would be willing to argue that a person could just do one long run and one shorter run per week, cross train the rest of the time and effectively train for an event- such as a marathon.
Well, I have nothing further to report on this subject today, except to keep in the forefront of our minds the reason why we are doing this. Not to lose weight (although I really hope I do =]) and not to gain friends (even though I have and am really glad of it), but to raise money for cancer research and hopefully contribute to a cure. That's what we're here for...

"Dreams come true. Without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them."
John Updike

http://pages.teamintraining.org/al/rnr10/sforster
Please visit my site!

Birthdays and Classes

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said: Many people die with their music still in them. Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.

So, you guessed it. Today was the day where I officially aged an entire year. yes, I did. That said, I didn't eat well today. I mean, I had a ton of calcium (chocolate) and a whole bunch of energy (carbs). And some chicken. That's about it. But it's totally okay because I ran about four miles. Well, I have a confession.
I didn't want to.
You would think that, since I signed up to do a marathon, I would LOVE running and want to do it constantly. Well, you would be believing a lie. I enjoy running once I get out there- most of the time- but today I did not want to get out there. It was a tiny bit cold outside (lower 60s- hey, I live in the South, that's chilly) so I went to the gym here on campus. All the machines were taken. But I was already in workout apparel. One thing I have learned- once you're in the clothes, it is really hard on your conscience to NOT do something athletic. Or at least for me it is. So I called my dear friend Emile, who was on her way to run, and went with her. Once I started, I was good to go.
It was tough to start, but once you jump in the water's great, right?

"The courage of life is a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man does what he must, in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures. And that is the basis of all morality." -John F. Kennedy

Racing a four month old.

I ran today. App 4 or 4.5 miles. I normally run about a nine min mile or so, but I had to stop b/c of my knee... wah... which slowed me down, and then I was fine. I tried to make up my time by stepping it up a notch. My last mile was about an 8 min mile... which is great. But allow me to tell you the real reason why it was faster. I happened to glance around behind me when I was about a mile out, and I saw this man running behind me. He wasn't just any man... He reminded me a whole ton of Vin Diesel in the Pacifier. He was ripped, about thirty years old, and looked as if he could run an ultrathon in about twelve hours and be fine. BUT, not only was he in amazing shape, he was pushing a baby stroller. I was not about to let a thirty year old man with a baby stroller pass me. I don't care if he did have the amazing ability of running a 2:00 marathon- he was running with a baby. I could hear his breathing and the wheels rolling right behind me the whole rest of the way. (Then again, I was running by a highway, so maybe it was just cars?) Fortunately, my stop was before his, and I ended up a ways ahead of him. But steadily he tread on... That is most definitely dedication.

I am completely new to this whole "blogging" thing, so please bear with me. I'm training to run in the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team in Training. I actually went to my first group run this past Saturday [at 6:30 in the morning... yes, there are two 6:30s a day, and the sun wasn't even up yet for this one.] I ran 7 miles, which is my LRE (longest run ever) [- I learned that term on Saturday!]
All of us participating in Team in Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. After my introductory courses in biology and chemistry (I don't wanna talk about it...) I believe that once we find a cure for one type of cancer we will not be far from finding a cure for all cancers. That said, the two people I am running this race in memory of did have cancer, just not blood cancer. Pawpaw (aka Bill Pittman, my mom's dad) passed away this past August from lung cancer- not developed from smoking. He was one of my closest friends, and I love him more than anything. He was so supportive of everything I did, and I miss him dearly. This Christmas was really hard without him. Every family get together was difficult knowing that there was one member who was not physically there with us and should have been. But I'm sure most of us know exactly what that feels like, so I won't dwell on it anymore. The other person I am running for is Ronnie Jones. He was my foster dad a long time ago, and he died this past spring from a brain tumor. I was living only an hour away from him in the months preceding his death, but I couldn't bring myself to visit him while he was in so much pain. I never regret anything, as everything is a learning experience, but that is the one thing I do regret-- not spending time with him. I did, however, learn from that mistake. But since I can't alter the past, I will do everything in my reasonable power to change the future. I don't want anyone else to have to go through what he and his family went through. There is a cure out there for cancer, and I want to help find it.
When I stop and think of what Pawpaw and Uncle Ron and their families- those nearest to them at the time- went through, it makes running 26.2 miles not seem like so much. Every time I slip on my tennis shoes I know that I can't complain. What I am doing in training is nothing compared to everything that they went through- and both stayed strong right up until the finish. And so will I. Running is the easy part. Raising money to find a cure for cancer- that takes serious dedication. I want to be able to share as much of this experience with you as I can.
If you've made it this far, thank you! Please visit my TNT homepage, even if just to look. If you have the ability to give- that is great! If not, prayer is the most powerful thing in the world. I would ask that you at least remember this cause in your prayers, if you are a praying person. Thank you!