South Mountain

I said I would do 6 miles at South Mountain today. I lied. I did 4.8. It was a great 4.8 though. There were lots of hills, the reason we were there, and I did a mostly consistent run 3/walk 2 for the entire first 2.4. I arrived at the marker 36:30 into my run (walk) and turned around. I continued the pattern of running 3/walking 2 for five minutes. At 42:00, I began running and continued until arriving back at my car at 1:09. That makes 27 minutes of straight running. By far the most I've done since starting my training. And it felt great!

In totally unrelated news, I was witness to a beautiful wedding this afternoon. My friends Shawn and Mindy got married in a small wedding that was just perfect for them. Mindy's dad performed the ceremony in a quick 10 minutes. It was wonderful! I am so incredibly happy for the both of them. It was a long time coming, but they have founded this marriage with much work and prayer, and I know that they will be a beautiful example of a loving husband and wife!

the run that nearly killed me

I discovered there was this neat little 3.4 mile loop around my condo a couple of weeks ago and have been meaning to try it for some time. It goes east on Van Buren a couple of blocks until Galvin Parkway and then heads north towards the zoo/botanical gardens. Once coming to the intersection with the zoo on the right, you turn left to continue into area of Papago Park where there is a nice paved path perfect for walkers, runners and bikers alike. This paved trail continues around a golf course and eventually dumps you out onto 52nd street where you head south to return to Van Buren.

I thought it would be a lovely run - a perfect chance to see some desert landscaping. I saw some desert landscaping, alright, but I forgot that with the Papago Park comes papago hills. The papagos are, after all, mini mountains themselves. People actually scale these things. So, even though I wasn't going up them, my path was nowhere near flat. Also, in case you hadn't heard, we have been flirting with record highs the last couple of days. It was 85+ degrees out there!

I started the run/walk doing the perfect 3/2 split - 3 minutes jogging/2 minutes walking - keeping focused on my HRM to see how I was doing. Through the first couple of cycles, I was still able to get my heart rate back down while walking. But, once I hit about 25 minutes, I was done. I could no longer get my heart rate down and had to walk extensively to recover. I think I did about 8 minutes of walking at that point, until I came towards the golf course. Then, I stopped all attention to the time. I was still monitoring my overall time (goal was 51 minutes for a 15 minute mile), but no longer paying attention to the splits. Once I arrived back at 52nd St I think I had about 7 or 8 minutes to make it to the condo. This required some running. I jogged until my heart rate got too high again and then walked until I hit the 48 minute mark. I still was not at Van Buren, so I started to get nervous. I began to jog to the corner. Once there, I began an all out sprint. I had about a minute (maybe a bit more) to get from 52nd St to my entrance at 5345. I made it in the exact time. I pushed my heartrate up a bit higher than I probably should have (I think it hit 184) and was almost certain I would throw up as I arrived and slowed down.

I walked (quite slowly) back to the condo and realized that chafing really does happen. I had worn shorts for the first time ever while running, and as I made my way back I wasn't sure which was worse, the desire to puke or my thighs yelling at me. I eventually made it into the house and collapsed on the living room floor, making sure to dry all the sweat off of my legs and not move for quite some time. I needed to convince my poor thighs that I did not have it in for them.

So it's been awhile...

My apologies.

We were fortunate enough to spend last weekend in San Diego with my parents. The weather was wonderful, and I got to run on Coronado Island - quite fun, really! However, the brief weekend created a rather hectic week. My workload has been quite high lately (for which I am very grateful!), so I was a bit stressed and tired all week.

The last two Saturday long runs have been 4 miles. I have done both runs in under an hour, keeping pace with my goal of 15 minute miles. Like I said before, this past week was quite hectic, which unfortunately did affect running. I only got in one good run on the week. So I was surprised when I still managed yesterday's four miles in 55 minutes.

I went to a fundraising seminar on Tuesday evening. It was full of great ideas. I'm excited to hopefully put some of them to use. First, I am looking for babysitting opportunities to raise some money. Like I've mentioned before (I think), all money that I donate directly gets matched by my company 2:1. So, any cash that I can make is triple valuable. If I can get a couple of $100 babysitting nights (oh, to be so lucky!), I would be very close to my goal! I'm also going to be selling Gold Canyon Candles and Arbonne products. In today's economy I understand if people don't have a lot of excess money lying around. But, if they were going to buy skincare products or candles anyway, maybe they will be willing to buy through the fundraiser. I sure hope so!

As of this morning, I am over halfway to my goal of $3500!! This includes money that Matt and I will be giving as well as my company match money. How exciting! This may actually happen!!!

Slowly making progress

Sorry it's been awhile since I've written. I have continued to train. I ran/walked last Thursday (2 miles), Saturday(almost 3 miles), Monday (2 miles) and Yesterday (3.1 miles). I'm staying under the 15 minute mile pace which continues to be my goal. Yesterday was especially difficult as I worked out outside around my grandma's house since we're house-sitting for her. It meant lots of hills! But I finished the 3.1 in 44 minutes which is a little over a 14 minute mile. I was definitely proud of myself! I will hopefully run/walk the same route this evening. But that all depends on what time I get out of here and if I have any plans for tonight (those are still uncertain).

I am so grateful for all of the encouragement. Thank you everyone!

Oh, and please keep Dax in your prayers. He is a little boy suffering from AML Leukemia and has a very painful rash right now. I am running in his honor. You can track his progress through this disease on www.caringbridge.org/visit/daxlocke.

Thanks again!

Just a bit sore

I had a friend ask me if I'd be sore after Monday's workout. I confidently said no, and I was right. But today, after two tough workouts in a row, I am definitely feeling it a bit. It's a good sore, though. It's wonderful to know that my body is able to do what I request of it, and that I am able to push myself beyond my comfort levels, if just for a short while.

Speaking of pushing myself, I really pushed for the whole two miles last night. I finished in 25:45, beating Monday by 1:30. I was also able to jog about half of the time. This is of course nowhere near where I want to be, but it's fun to know that I am on the way!

I've spent lots of time talking about my training and pushing myself, but the real reason that I am doing this is for patients who are suffering. One such little boy is named Dax Locke, and it is in his name that I will be racing in May. He is a one year old who was diagnosed with AML Leukemia in July. He is currently at St Jude where he has undergone chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant and radiation treatment (his last day of radiation is today!). He has had to spend much time in isolation. What an amazingly difficult life for such a little boy. He is my inspiration. I look at the pictures of him, both when he has been sick in bed and when he has been feeling better and out and about, and my heart breaks for him and his family. It doesn't seem quite right or fair that children should have to suffer so much, and it seems that I, as a healthy adult woman, should be doing whatever little or much I can to help find a cure. This is why I run (or walk), and why my sore legs don't so much matter.

First official workout

So today was my first official workout. I was still by myself, but I was on the schedule given to me by my coach. The goal for the day was 1-2 miles walking or running. I jogged/walked at about a 4.5 mile pace and finished in 27:18 on the treadmill. Unfortunately the rain was coming down a bit hard to workout outside. I definitely want to improve that time, but it was only 2.5 weeks ago when it took me 52 minutes to do a 5k. It's amazing how fast your body responds as you begin to push it!

Today was great, too, because Matt came with me to the gym. He's decided to push himself as well. It's of course frustrating how easily he can do anything, but it's fun to be working towards goals together and have him there at the end of my workout. It makes it that much better!

I got my first donation this evening. Very exciting! It's quite overwhelming to be raising this money knowing the state of the economy, but I trust that things will come together, and I will train as if they already have. I'm sure I'll come up with some creative ways to raise the funds as well. Maybe a PF Chang's dinner or some homemade jewelry or something.

Thanks for reading!

Kickoff Celebration

Like I said below, I have decided to join TNT and complete the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon on May 31. It's a bit of a daunting task, but when I compare it to what the victims of Leukemia, Lymphoma and other blood cancers have faced and continue to face, I know that I can do my piece.

Today was the kickoff celebration for the Spring season. Athletes from all of the events were there, as were the coaches. What an exciting place to be! There were hikers, cyclist, triathalon competitors and, of course, us run/walkers. We also were able to listen to one of the honored heros speak. Honored heros are people who have faced, or are currently facing, a blood cancer. They put a face to what we are doing and why we are doing it. I don't have all the names and details complete, but I would like to relay a story that was told to us this morning. The gentleman who spoke was a former high school All American in football and track here in Phoenix. He went to ASU where he played football and graduated in 1995. In 1997 he was diagnosed with a form of Leukemia only treatable by a bone marrow transplant. He was given 3 years to live as no donor was found. In 1999 a donor was finally located. The transplant was in November of that year. He was in the hospital for 3 months and not able to see too many people as his immune system was completely shot. By the time he was released, he was so weak that he could only walk for 15 minutes at a time at a 3 mph speed. This disease stole 7 years of his life. Since then, due to LLS funding of research, a new drug has been created for this type of Leukemia. It is so successful that it was able to put a member of the LLS board into remission after only 7 days. This is what LLS is all about - providing cures and improving the quality of life for patients.

I am so humbled by this task of assisting to raise these funds. I hope that I am successful and able to compete. There is nothing I want more than to give my all in support of those whose suffering is far worse than I could ever imagine.

If you feel so led, please stop by my donation page. You can give a tax deductible donation straight to the foundation through the website. See me personally if you would rather give cash. Thank you so much for your time!

Team in Training here I come

So, if you ready my facebook "25 Things" you would find out that one of my life goals is to "run" (complete, really) a marathon. Well, yesterday I was presented with a unique opportunity to do so. We had an organization called Team in Training come and speak to us about opportunities to work with them.

In case you are not familiar with them, TNT is a part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, " the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services," according to their website. As a TNT participant, I will not only complete the San Diego Marathon on May 31, but I will also commit to raising $3500 for the foundation, 75% of which will go straight to research and patient care. I will also receive training classes and coaching so that I am able to be successful at my goal of completing the marathon.

I will begin seeking support in the next couple of days. It's quite scary, but I am excited to see people continue to give their money to help others. I am blessed to be a part of such a group!

facing discouragement

OK, so I know that I say over and over again that I just want to be healthier and feel better about myself, but I am still so tied to the number on that scale. Especially on Saturday mornings at Weight Watchers. In case you hadn't guessed, my results were not near where I wanted them to be this past weekend. In fact, since working my butt out and eating right all week, I was still only down one pound. I was especially discouraged because I was .4 pounds away from 20 pounds lost and 1.4 away from my 10% goal I have been striving for for so long. I was in tears when I weighed in. I really thought that I had done it last week. I did stay for the meeting, though, and was a bit encouraged with the talk of goal making and hearing other members express their own frustrations. I am not in this battle alone.

When I got home, I talked to Matt about it a bit, and he put me in my place. He asked if I was looking for a number on a scale or to be healthier. If what I want is to manipulate that scale, I can do so with cheap tricks. But if health is what I'm after, I need to keep doing what I'm doing. It will pay off eventually. What a great husband to remind me of my goals and love me in my discouragement!

I did use that number on the scale as a tool to evaluate what I am doing and how it is working. Looking through my tracker, I don't think I have been eating enough, especially with the amount of trips to the gym I've been making. So, I made a conscious decision to go over the points that I'm allotted each day and use some of those activity points on a regular basis. Unfortunately, this also gave me a bit of license to eat how I wanted yesterday. I didn't do quite as poorly as I could have, but I did enjoy some lo mein, cake and pizza. Wow. That sounds bad. But I had the points to use, and we've all got to enjoy ourselves once in awhile. It was the big game and we were celebrating my birthday. Both good excuses :-)

I didn't make it to the gym on Saturday. I had a wedding shower to attend, and Matt and I celebrated our 2 year dating anniversary with a re-created first date. It was wonderful. I was going to try and make the missed session up with a trip on Sunday, but between church and lunch and hanging with his family, I just couldn't do it. So, I was one day shy last week. Hopefully I'll be back to 5 days this week, starting tonight. I also get to try a new recipe this evening after getting back home from the gym. It's Mandarin Chicken straight from the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.

Well, it's back to work for now. Here's to a great week 3!

spinning round

I took my second-ever spin class this evening. I drove straight there from work. I was surprised I made it on time since class was only 45 minutes after I got out of the office. This time the instructor was a guy, a bit heavyset, but he worked us hard. I quite enjoyed myself when I wasn't counting down the seconds till I got to get out of there! He did things differently than my last instructor. I had no idea what was coming next; he just took it song by song and changed what we were doing as the song changed. At least I knew that it could only kill me for 4 minutes at a time! I was about to walk out, though, when he told us we were halfway through at 6:20 (the class began at 5:30). I couldn't tell if he was joking. He was. It was the last workout song before the cooldown.

After finishing spin and stretching, I realized that my legs were really tight from all of this working out I've been doing lately. There was a yoga class at 6:30, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. As far as yoga classes go, this was relatively easy. It was a combination of Tai Chi, Pilates and Yoga. I definitely enjoyed myself and did not feel like giving up at all. The instructor was really nice, too.

I looked for Matt when I finished yoga (which I didn't tell him I'd be taking since I didn't know I would be) since I knew he wanted to get to the gym tonight as well, but I couldn't find him anywhere. I got out to my car and found that he had called and texted at around 6:40. Turns out he came right after work, saw me in the spin class and tried to wait for me. But he lost me and went home.

It has been so long since I've written. Please forgive me for my poor style. It will get better. I promise.

and so it begins...

Actually, the journey began a couple of months ago. I just now decided to write about it.

So far, I am down only 18.6 pounds in 14 weeks, but that is soon to change. The holidays (and one birthday) are through, the gym has been joined, and the commitment is renewed. I will lose this weight. Not just to look good in my sister's wedding (though a great motivator), but to be healthier. Whenever we decide to have children, I want to be fit enough to be pregnant. I want to pass good habits on to them instead of the bad ones I have built for so long. So it is with this motivation in hand (and the fact that I wouldn't mind feeling a bit sexier for my husband) that I begin the journey of a lifetime. Please join me.