And with it, the Woodbury Country Mile Half-Marathon! Thanks to all of you who have given so generously to my fundraising efforts! Your kindness and generosity are appreciated much more than words can express. With every step I run, I am reminded of all of you and all of the reasons I'm doing this - each of us are making a difference in the lives of blood cancer patients!
The training runs haven't been as long as I would like them to be prior to a half. I'm not too bothered by that as I'm actually doing this one to support one of my Titus2 girls who is going to be running her first half this weekend. Setting a personal record is not a goal for this race. Encouraging Cara and ensuring that she finishes with the best possible experience possible is the goal.
I keep coming back to the importance of having a support system, don't I? I'm supporting Cara in her efforts to run a good race while you support me in my efforts to race money for cancer research. Somewhere out there, there are doctors, nurses, oncologists, whole teams of people working to support blood cancer patients and their families. It becomes a circle of sorts.
And so I run.
Friday, August 26, 2011
It's personal
I can no longer lay claim to not having a personal experience with blood cancers. It's starting to get personal now. My son-in-law's father Mike was diagnosed with hairy cell leukemia and I've learned that my cousin PJ was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma seven years ago.
Hairy cell leukemia is one of the rarer leukemias and is curable in most patients. It's a form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and is a slow growing blood cancer, starting in the bone marrow. There are between 500-800 cases of hairy cell leukemia a year. Mike is one of those statistics this year. I'm sure he'd much rather be counted as a retiree with a hot sports car, if he had to be counted and knowing Mike, he'd rather not be counted at all.
On the other hand, PJ is in a much bigger group of folks. In 2010 alone, there were over 600,00 people living with lymphoma or in remission and almost 475,000 of those folks with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
PJ has benefitted greatly from Bexxar, a lab produced protein that targets antigens in the cancer cell's surface to interfere with and destroy the cells. It's kind of like the Search and Destroy treatment. (Cue the Metallica).
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, together with other agencies, funds research that can help change the lives of people like Mike & PJ.
They also provide:
co-pay assistance http://www.lls.org/#/diseaseinformation/getinformationsupport/financialmatters/copayassistance/,
education
http://www.lls.org/#/diseaseinformation/getinformationsupport/patienteducation/
and support for patients and their families http://www.lls.org/#/diseaseinformation/getinformationsupport/supportgroups/
And so I run.
Hairy cell leukemia is one of the rarer leukemias and is curable in most patients. It's a form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and is a slow growing blood cancer, starting in the bone marrow. There are between 500-800 cases of hairy cell leukemia a year. Mike is one of those statistics this year. I'm sure he'd much rather be counted as a retiree with a hot sports car, if he had to be counted and knowing Mike, he'd rather not be counted at all.
On the other hand, PJ is in a much bigger group of folks. In 2010 alone, there were over 600,00 people living with lymphoma or in remission and almost 475,000 of those folks with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
PJ has benefitted greatly from Bexxar, a lab produced protein that targets antigens in the cancer cell's surface to interfere with and destroy the cells. It's kind of like the Search and Destroy treatment. (Cue the Metallica).
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, together with other agencies, funds research that can help change the lives of people like Mike & PJ.
They also provide:
co-pay assistance http://www.lls.org/#/diseaseinformation/getinformationsupport/financialmatters/copayassistance/,
education
http://www.lls.org/#/diseaseinformation/getinformationsupport/patienteducation/
and support for patients and their families http://www.lls.org/#/diseaseinformation/getinformationsupport/supportgroups/
And so I run.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Can't slow down
Life has a way of moving into fast forward and time slips by so quickly. Seconds to minutes, minutes to hours, hours to days - well, you get the idea. Somehow I got caught up in the whirlwind that is my life and when I stopped moving for just a moment, I discovered that it's 6 weeks until Light the Night! SIX WEEKS!
When I set my goal, I determined that I would have run 400 miles to make my goal of $2,000. It didn't seem that outrageous a feat at the time. Thus far, I've run 45 sponsored miles and 67 unsponsored miles. I've now got six weeks to run 288 miles! That's 57 more 5 mile runs - 57 more $50.00 sponsors needed or
ONE REALLY BIG SPONSOR!
You can't blame me for putting it out there! I do have a half-marathon coming up on August 28. There's still time to get a name printed on my running shirt!
The past few runs have been fun even if challenging. Running Buddy and I tried running back to back days this past week and let me tell you, that just didn't go well. Our legs were tired from our efforts the day before and someone forgot to bring her rescue inhaler along. Ok, I didn't really forget. I've gotten kind of cocky lately with my inhaler and I left it at home. A few months ago, I would need to use it somewhere around mile 3, but it'd been getting to be less and less of an issue, so I stopped bringing it along.
Monday was a warmer day, humid and we ran later in the day. I think the combination of the tired legs, the humidity and the allergens in the air made it harder for me overall. I'm embarrassed to share that our time was close to 13 min/miles. My chest hurt and I couldn't do my deep calming breathing. I hate that feeling.
Whine, whine, whine.
I have to come back to the reason why I'm doing this.
I'm running for my teammate who lost his daughter to leukemia in February and another who lost her son 3 years ago this month.
I'm running for Kent who lost his mother two years ago to lymphoma.
I'm running for Mike, recently diagnosed with hairy cell leukemia.
I'm running for Cole, Charlotte, Noah, Heidi and Jon, who have all fought the battle and WON!
I'm a strong, healthy woman, blessed with a wonderful husband, great kids and even more amazing grandkids.
I want it to stay that way
and so I run.
When I set my goal, I determined that I would have run 400 miles to make my goal of $2,000. It didn't seem that outrageous a feat at the time. Thus far, I've run 45 sponsored miles and 67 unsponsored miles. I've now got six weeks to run 288 miles! That's 57 more 5 mile runs - 57 more $50.00 sponsors needed or
ONE REALLY BIG SPONSOR!
You can't blame me for putting it out there! I do have a half-marathon coming up on August 28. There's still time to get a name printed on my running shirt!
The past few runs have been fun even if challenging. Running Buddy and I tried running back to back days this past week and let me tell you, that just didn't go well. Our legs were tired from our efforts the day before and someone forgot to bring her rescue inhaler along. Ok, I didn't really forget. I've gotten kind of cocky lately with my inhaler and I left it at home. A few months ago, I would need to use it somewhere around mile 3, but it'd been getting to be less and less of an issue, so I stopped bringing it along.
Monday was a warmer day, humid and we ran later in the day. I think the combination of the tired legs, the humidity and the allergens in the air made it harder for me overall. I'm embarrassed to share that our time was close to 13 min/miles. My chest hurt and I couldn't do my deep calming breathing. I hate that feeling.
Whine, whine, whine.
I have to come back to the reason why I'm doing this.
I'm running for my teammate who lost his daughter to leukemia in February and another who lost her son 3 years ago this month.
I'm running for Kent who lost his mother two years ago to lymphoma.
I'm running for Mike, recently diagnosed with hairy cell leukemia.
I'm running for Cole, Charlotte, Noah, Heidi and Jon, who have all fought the battle and WON!
I'm a strong, healthy woman, blessed with a wonderful husband, great kids and even more amazing grandkids.
I want it to stay that way
and so I run.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Aspen Ridge Honey Farm Honey Stix and a Run with my Honey!
Today started off a little challenging.
Some background: My dear husband is also in training for the Outer Banks Half-Marathon. Hubbster started running after the kids and I ran it last year and thought it sounded like fun. (We're still trying to figure out how he got that impression - eh, oh well.) He's done a couple of 5ks since January, the Resolution Run on January 1 and the Get in Gear 5k in April. He trains at the fitness center on the DT and has been primarily doing 3 miles at a time a few times a week. Last night, I convinced him that he needed to start doing long runs on the weekends and that we should start that this weekend.
The growling and grumbling was minimal. I think he thought I'd drop it or that we would wake up and it would be raining. He knows me well enough to know that I will give up under both conditions. Ha! I fooled him.
The alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. today. I was up after one snooze, into my clothes and laced on my shoes and down the stairs to take care of the dogs so he could have just a few more minutes. I was hoping the sounds I was making in the kitchen would drown out the growling and grumbling which it did until he came downstairs.
After all the fussiness in the kitchen, we were out the door by 7:30, off to do 5-6 miles. The first mile and a half was more of the same. How could I expect him to run twice as far as he's run so far? Grouse, grouse, grumble, grouse. At this point, I'm praying for patience and a sweet spirit until finally I give into my baser self and tell him to lose the bad attitude or else. He must have seen something dangerous in my eyes, because he did stop with the trash talking and focused on his running.
I decided to try for 5 miles, rather than 6. It seemed like the right thing to do. We would run until he felt the need to walk and then we'd walk, probably farther than he really needed to, but I was trying to be nice.
At 2.5 miles, I think I found my running fuel! Something natural, something tasty and easy! Aspen Ridge Honey Farms Honey Stix! I had stuck two in my new Camelback handheld water bottle, one for each of us. I popped the cherry one, sucked half of it down and gave the other half to my better half.
I also had Lemon Tea flavored Nuun in the water bottle, after having been persuaded by my daughter to give it a try. I'm not a fan of the flavor, but again, here is something that doesn't seem to cause any issues! So very excited!
Okay - back to the run. We ended up doing 4.5 miles, short of my goal for the run, but I was letting Hubster decide when to quit. Now that he's done 4.5 with no adverse problems, I think getting him to do a longer run will be easier.
I'm ahead of my donations now in miles. I still have a ways to go to hit my goal at which point, I can turn my focus on helping my team meet its goals. If you're reading this, would you please consider a small donation. The company I work for matches dollar for dollar, so your donation is doubled! How cool is that!? I hope you'll consider.
I hope to tell you about my friend Heidi in my next post. I think you'll enjoy getting to know her as much as I do.
Until then, I'll be running along.
Some background: My dear husband is also in training for the Outer Banks Half-Marathon. Hubbster started running after the kids and I ran it last year and thought it sounded like fun. (We're still trying to figure out how he got that impression - eh, oh well.) He's done a couple of 5ks since January, the Resolution Run on January 1 and the Get in Gear 5k in April. He trains at the fitness center on the DT and has been primarily doing 3 miles at a time a few times a week. Last night, I convinced him that he needed to start doing long runs on the weekends and that we should start that this weekend.
The growling and grumbling was minimal. I think he thought I'd drop it or that we would wake up and it would be raining. He knows me well enough to know that I will give up under both conditions. Ha! I fooled him.
The alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. today. I was up after one snooze, into my clothes and laced on my shoes and down the stairs to take care of the dogs so he could have just a few more minutes. I was hoping the sounds I was making in the kitchen would drown out the growling and grumbling which it did until he came downstairs.
After all the fussiness in the kitchen, we were out the door by 7:30, off to do 5-6 miles. The first mile and a half was more of the same. How could I expect him to run twice as far as he's run so far? Grouse, grouse, grumble, grouse. At this point, I'm praying for patience and a sweet spirit until finally I give into my baser self and tell him to lose the bad attitude or else. He must have seen something dangerous in my eyes, because he did stop with the trash talking and focused on his running.
I decided to try for 5 miles, rather than 6. It seemed like the right thing to do. We would run until he felt the need to walk and then we'd walk, probably farther than he really needed to, but I was trying to be nice.
At 2.5 miles, I think I found my running fuel! Something natural, something tasty and easy! Aspen Ridge Honey Farms Honey Stix! I had stuck two in my new Camelback handheld water bottle, one for each of us. I popped the cherry one, sucked half of it down and gave the other half to my better half.
I also had Lemon Tea flavored Nuun in the water bottle, after having been persuaded by my daughter to give it a try. I'm not a fan of the flavor, but again, here is something that doesn't seem to cause any issues! So very excited!
Okay - back to the run. We ended up doing 4.5 miles, short of my goal for the run, but I was letting Hubster decide when to quit. Now that he's done 4.5 with no adverse problems, I think getting him to do a longer run will be easier.
I'm ahead of my donations now in miles. I still have a ways to go to hit my goal at which point, I can turn my focus on helping my team meet its goals. If you're reading this, would you please consider a small donation. The company I work for matches dollar for dollar, so your donation is doubled! How cool is that!? I hope you'll consider.
I hope to tell you about my friend Heidi in my next post. I think you'll enjoy getting to know her as much as I do.
Until then, I'll be running along.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
I'm still here~
But barely!
It's been a rough few weeks since I last posted. The sweltering humidity and heat or is it the sweltering heat and humidity has been the cause of much consternation.
I don't do heat and humidity well. Just thinking about the combination seems to cause my pores to open and gallons of sweat to exude from my body at an unbelievable rate. Imagine if you can what running 5 or 6 miles in weather with a 115 degree heat index can do. I know I wrote about this before but I can't emphasize enought that it was ugly, people, just ugly. Carl looked at me when I came in and wondered if I'd run through the neighborhood water sprinkers. (I had but only to cool my legs and our Maddie dog off.) I couldn't have been wetter standing in the shower. The best part of it is that this run was a 5 mile run on a Sunday morning that started at 6:00 a.m. 6:00 A.M.!!
Am I the only one who thinks that is insane??
Oh - wait, you probably think I was insane for even attempting to run 5 miles in that kind of weather.
If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results* - then you'd right because I not only did that run, but I did another 5 mile run under the same conditions two days later, another after that again and a six mile run after that!
I am a sweat bucket. I can easily lose 3-4 pounds after a run in these conditions. Not really the way I want to be losing weight. I end up feeling weak and tired - generally, just miserable all over. Being a woman of a certain age, I think my personal summers contribute something to my ability to sweat. The only time I don't really feel them is when I'm running. Hey! I just found a real positive to running!!
I went back to the fitness center in our neighborhood and used the DT (dreaded treadmill) and found that even being in an air conditioned room doesn't do a thing to inhibit the sweat glands in their performance. It does, as I've mentioned before, inhibit my spitting, but only so far as I spit into a rag rather than on the floor. I only did 2.5 miles before calling it quits there due to time constraints not physical conditions.
With the 6 mile run, I was running with my tunes and my fuel belt with a mixture of Gatorade's new G2 series Perform and water. I was hoping this watered down drink wouldn't have the same effect on my stomach as GU, but hope wasn't enough. I think my neighbors are really impressed by my sprinting home. If only they knew. Not so impressive. Sharts... definitely not a girl's best friend.
This morning, Running Buddy and I hit it again. She's back from vacation and the weather was a gift from God! 64 degrees, 59 degree dew point. Yes, yes, yes! And a nice breeze. Even more Yes! Yes! Yes! It was wonderful for our 4.5 mile run.
Thanks to all my fabulous donors: Kate, Erin, Cha, Helga, Sue, Arlene & Larry. Kate actually pushed me to run 10 miles! Yay!
Today was the Light the Night Ice Cream Social sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to provide information and recruit walkers for the Walk, September 25. I'm very excited to say that we were able to get 24 people signed up to be part of the Thomson Reuters team.
One of our new team members is a father who just lost his daughter in February to leukemia. Those are the hard moments. I watched as he strongly put his name down on the sign up sheet and admired him as he encouraged his friends to do the same. I wondered if I would have the ability to be so controlled were it my daughter. Teammate Cindy is the stepmother of Jenna, the author behind The Redhead Report, who is currently fighting the good fight. Another team member lost his mother two years ago this month and yet another is a survivor. These people have a personal interest. They know the "story of leukemia" even better than I do.
It's humbling.
And so I run.
Runs since last blog post:
07/23 - 5.07 miles 12:27 min/mile
7/24 - 2.61 miles 11:05 min/mile (run with my Carolina boy Tim)
07/29 - 6.02 miles 11:17 min/mile - followed by a 4.5 mile bike ride.
08/01 - 2.65 miles 12:04 min/mile (Dreaded Treadmill)
08/03 - 4.59 miles 11:51 min/mile (Running Buddy)
*attributed to Albert Einstein
It's been a rough few weeks since I last posted. The sweltering humidity and heat or is it the sweltering heat and humidity has been the cause of much consternation.
I don't do heat and humidity well. Just thinking about the combination seems to cause my pores to open and gallons of sweat to exude from my body at an unbelievable rate. Imagine if you can what running 5 or 6 miles in weather with a 115 degree heat index can do. I know I wrote about this before but I can't emphasize enought that it was ugly, people, just ugly. Carl looked at me when I came in and wondered if I'd run through the neighborhood water sprinkers. (I had but only to cool my legs and our Maddie dog off.) I couldn't have been wetter standing in the shower. The best part of it is that this run was a 5 mile run on a Sunday morning that started at 6:00 a.m. 6:00 A.M.!!
Am I the only one who thinks that is insane??
Oh - wait, you probably think I was insane for even attempting to run 5 miles in that kind of weather.
If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results* - then you'd right because I not only did that run, but I did another 5 mile run under the same conditions two days later, another after that again and a six mile run after that!
I am a sweat bucket. I can easily lose 3-4 pounds after a run in these conditions. Not really the way I want to be losing weight. I end up feeling weak and tired - generally, just miserable all over. Being a woman of a certain age, I think my personal summers contribute something to my ability to sweat. The only time I don't really feel them is when I'm running. Hey! I just found a real positive to running!!
I went back to the fitness center in our neighborhood and used the DT (dreaded treadmill) and found that even being in an air conditioned room doesn't do a thing to inhibit the sweat glands in their performance. It does, as I've mentioned before, inhibit my spitting, but only so far as I spit into a rag rather than on the floor. I only did 2.5 miles before calling it quits there due to time constraints not physical conditions.
With the 6 mile run, I was running with my tunes and my fuel belt with a mixture of Gatorade's new G2 series Perform and water. I was hoping this watered down drink wouldn't have the same effect on my stomach as GU, but hope wasn't enough. I think my neighbors are really impressed by my sprinting home. If only they knew. Not so impressive. Sharts... definitely not a girl's best friend.
This morning, Running Buddy and I hit it again. She's back from vacation and the weather was a gift from God! 64 degrees, 59 degree dew point. Yes, yes, yes! And a nice breeze. Even more Yes! Yes! Yes! It was wonderful for our 4.5 mile run.
Thanks to all my fabulous donors: Kate, Erin, Cha, Helga, Sue, Arlene & Larry. Kate actually pushed me to run 10 miles! Yay!
Today was the Light the Night Ice Cream Social sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to provide information and recruit walkers for the Walk, September 25. I'm very excited to say that we were able to get 24 people signed up to be part of the Thomson Reuters team.
One of our new team members is a father who just lost his daughter in February to leukemia. Those are the hard moments. I watched as he strongly put his name down on the sign up sheet and admired him as he encouraged his friends to do the same. I wondered if I would have the ability to be so controlled were it my daughter. Teammate Cindy is the stepmother of Jenna, the author behind The Redhead Report, who is currently fighting the good fight. Another team member lost his mother two years ago this month and yet another is a survivor. These people have a personal interest. They know the "story of leukemia" even better than I do.
It's humbling.
And so I run.
Runs since last blog post:
07/23 - 5.07 miles 12:27 min/mile
7/24 - 2.61 miles 11:05 min/mile (run with my Carolina boy Tim)
07/29 - 6.02 miles 11:17 min/mile - followed by a 4.5 mile bike ride.
08/01 - 2.65 miles 12:04 min/mile (Dreaded Treadmill)
08/03 - 4.59 miles 11:51 min/mile (Running Buddy)
*attributed to Albert Einstein
Friday, July 22, 2011
Another Team!
Just joined another team today - Save the Walnut - to run in the September 25 Dash for Dad, a 5k race that benefits prostate cancer research.
This one is a little more personal - my brother-in-law Greg, the balloon captain for Light the Night, is a survivor of prostate cancer.
One would think that prostate cancer and leukemia have nothing really to do with each other, but one would be wrong. As I've said earlier - research sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has led to discoveries of drugs that are being tested for treatment of other types of cancer. Specifically, Velcade®, Thalidomid® and Revlimid®, originally developed and approved for patients with myeloma are now helping patients with some forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and being tested for patients with chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL), acute leukemia (ALL and AML), lung and prostate cancer.
And so I run.
Still searching for that right combination of food and drink that will give me what I need to go the distance but won't upset the system. Right now, the best pre-run food is a slice of toast, with peanut butter, honey, slice banana sprinkled with flax seeds with a half cup of coffee. I won't even pretend that I know what benefits I'm getting from this combo, I just know it tastes good and it doesn't cause any stomach upset. If you have any suggestions - let me know.
Yesterday's run
Distance 5.5 miles
Time 12:48 minute/miles
Good run overall.
This one is a little more personal - my brother-in-law Greg, the balloon captain for Light the Night, is a survivor of prostate cancer.
One would think that prostate cancer and leukemia have nothing really to do with each other, but one would be wrong. As I've said earlier - research sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has led to discoveries of drugs that are being tested for treatment of other types of cancer. Specifically, Velcade®, Thalidomid® and Revlimid®, originally developed and approved for patients with myeloma are now helping patients with some forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and being tested for patients with chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL), acute leukemia (ALL and AML), lung and prostate cancer.
And so I run.
Still searching for that right combination of food and drink that will give me what I need to go the distance but won't upset the system. Right now, the best pre-run food is a slice of toast, with peanut butter, honey, slice banana sprinkled with flax seeds with a half cup of coffee. I won't even pretend that I know what benefits I'm getting from this combo, I just know it tastes good and it doesn't cause any stomach upset. If you have any suggestions - let me know.
Yesterday's run
Distance 5.5 miles
Time 12:48 minute/miles
Good run overall.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Heat wave - tropical heat wave!
I know I should be so grateful for this warm weather, we had such a long winter or so it seemed. I find that I much prefer running in cooler temperatures. Everything just works better.
The last three runs have all had their challenges. Each one was 5 miles (special thanks to Dwight J., Sharon C. & Sgt. D.!), two outside and one on the treadmill.
Dwight's run on July 15 was with Running Buddy through the city of Rosemount and was in the early days of the current heat wave. In general, it was a good run of 5.37 miles. We averaged 11:49/mile which now seems to have been a bit fast, since we were trying to keep it nice and easy as we were running with our dogs and the humidity levels were high. We've been running with our dogs for quite some time and now it's almost impossible to get out of our houses without them. Maddie, our golden retriever, will park herself so close to the front door the minute she sees my running clothes that I practically need a crowbar to open it. Josie, RB's drathaar, is the same way. Normally, the two do just fine during our runs, but with this change in the weather, we need to be mindful that they will do whatever we allow them to do - to their detriment - and we have to ensure that we protect them from themselves as I found out during Sharon's run.
Sharon's run was on Sunday morning when the temp was 78 degrees at 6 a.m. I was going to do 5 miles - 6 if it felt right. Running Buddy is on vacation but Maddie was right there, ready to go. After 4 miles, she had drained both water bottles in my fuel belt and she wasn't looking good. I felt horrible that we were still a mile from home and if there had been a way I could have twitched my nose ala Bewitched, I would have done so to get her home and into the shower as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, I don't have magical powers, so we chugged home as easily as we could and ran through every water sprinkler available. As soon as we were home, I got Maddie into the shower with me to cool her down. Funny - for a dog who loves to jump into the lake, she is not a fan of water sprinklers or showers and will do her best to avoid them however, she was very submissive and it wasn't long before she was cooled down and back to her normal Maddie self.
I should mention that the run was hard on me as well. I often wonder where all that sweat comes from. Seriously! I cannot believe how much pours out of my body, especially from my head. I couldn't keep my ear buds in for the sweat and my hair looked like I'd taken a shower even before I got into the shower. I think I may have dehydrated myself as I had a few muscle cramps later in the day in my calves and upper arm muscles. BTW, our time for the run was 12:17/mile. A little slower than the run on the 15th - a little more walking for Maddie's sake (and mine).
Today's run, Sgt's D's run was on the Dreaded Treadmill. As far as the last week of running has gone, this one was the worst. I HATE the treadmill. It feels so much longer and boring than running outside and I run slower!! 5.00 miles at a 13:10/mile! What's up with that!? Even though the fitness center has air conditioning, I still sweat up a storm and I'm completely at a loss when it comes to spitting! Where the heck am I supposed to spit? Yes, I spit when I run. Heck, I spit when I walk. I'm a spitter. It's not ladylike, it can be rude, but it's what I do. I spit. Sorry! Outside, it's not an issue, I can spit anywhere, but on the DT, it's an issue. Fortunately, I had a few paper towels at hand, a couple for spit and a couple for sweat. I seriously considered breaking up the run, half in the morning, the other half in the evening but I couldn't seem to make myself quit. I wanted to stop, I really truly did! I just couldn't! What the heck is wrong with me? I don't know!
I have two more runs ahead to keep up with my donors. Here's hoping the heat wave breaks soon so I can pound pavement rather than the DT.
The internet is an amazing thing - through it, I've befriended people who share an interest in camping, knitting, cooking and running. The post below is from a camping friend, Kell Johnson, who lost his son Alex 8 years ago to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Alex went through a bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy. He fought a valiant battle for 168 days. His parents were strengthened by their faith yet struggled with the questions that rattled their faith. Even now, eight years later, the ache in Kell's heart is still strong, his grief palpable. From Alex Johnson's Caring Bridge:
Friday, June 24, 2011 7:13 AM CDT
It has been a long long time since I last journaled here and not not sure how many people continue to visit the site, but I can tell you that we still continue to miss Alex everyday and carry his spirit with us where ever we go.
This year it will be 8 years since Alex was diagnosed and yet it seems like it was yesterday.
I long to hold him in my arms again, hear his voice and see his big smile. Some day things will all be made right again.
Kell
And so I run.
The last three runs have all had their challenges. Each one was 5 miles (special thanks to Dwight J., Sharon C. & Sgt. D.!), two outside and one on the treadmill.
Dwight's run on July 15 was with Running Buddy through the city of Rosemount and was in the early days of the current heat wave. In general, it was a good run of 5.37 miles. We averaged 11:49/mile which now seems to have been a bit fast, since we were trying to keep it nice and easy as we were running with our dogs and the humidity levels were high. We've been running with our dogs for quite some time and now it's almost impossible to get out of our houses without them. Maddie, our golden retriever, will park herself so close to the front door the minute she sees my running clothes that I practically need a crowbar to open it. Josie, RB's drathaar, is the same way. Normally, the two do just fine during our runs, but with this change in the weather, we need to be mindful that they will do whatever we allow them to do - to their detriment - and we have to ensure that we protect them from themselves as I found out during Sharon's run.
Sharon's run was on Sunday morning when the temp was 78 degrees at 6 a.m. I was going to do 5 miles - 6 if it felt right. Running Buddy is on vacation but Maddie was right there, ready to go. After 4 miles, she had drained both water bottles in my fuel belt and she wasn't looking good. I felt horrible that we were still a mile from home and if there had been a way I could have twitched my nose ala Bewitched, I would have done so to get her home and into the shower as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, I don't have magical powers, so we chugged home as easily as we could and ran through every water sprinkler available. As soon as we were home, I got Maddie into the shower with me to cool her down. Funny - for a dog who loves to jump into the lake, she is not a fan of water sprinklers or showers and will do her best to avoid them however, she was very submissive and it wasn't long before she was cooled down and back to her normal Maddie self.
I should mention that the run was hard on me as well. I often wonder where all that sweat comes from. Seriously! I cannot believe how much pours out of my body, especially from my head. I couldn't keep my ear buds in for the sweat and my hair looked like I'd taken a shower even before I got into the shower. I think I may have dehydrated myself as I had a few muscle cramps later in the day in my calves and upper arm muscles. BTW, our time for the run was 12:17/mile. A little slower than the run on the 15th - a little more walking for Maddie's sake (and mine).
Today's run, Sgt's D's run was on the Dreaded Treadmill. As far as the last week of running has gone, this one was the worst. I HATE the treadmill. It feels so much longer and boring than running outside and I run slower!! 5.00 miles at a 13:10/mile! What's up with that!? Even though the fitness center has air conditioning, I still sweat up a storm and I'm completely at a loss when it comes to spitting! Where the heck am I supposed to spit? Yes, I spit when I run. Heck, I spit when I walk. I'm a spitter. It's not ladylike, it can be rude, but it's what I do. I spit. Sorry! Outside, it's not an issue, I can spit anywhere, but on the DT, it's an issue. Fortunately, I had a few paper towels at hand, a couple for spit and a couple for sweat. I seriously considered breaking up the run, half in the morning, the other half in the evening but I couldn't seem to make myself quit. I wanted to stop, I really truly did! I just couldn't! What the heck is wrong with me? I don't know!
I have two more runs ahead to keep up with my donors. Here's hoping the heat wave breaks soon so I can pound pavement rather than the DT.
The internet is an amazing thing - through it, I've befriended people who share an interest in camping, knitting, cooking and running. The post below is from a camping friend, Kell Johnson, who lost his son Alex 8 years ago to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Alex went through a bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy. He fought a valiant battle for 168 days. His parents were strengthened by their faith yet struggled with the questions that rattled their faith. Even now, eight years later, the ache in Kell's heart is still strong, his grief palpable. From Alex Johnson's Caring Bridge:
Friday, June 24, 2011 7:13 AM CDT
It has been a long long time since I last journaled here and not not sure how many people continue to visit the site, but I can tell you that we still continue to miss Alex everyday and carry his spirit with us where ever we go.
This year it will be 8 years since Alex was diagnosed and yet it seems like it was yesterday.
I long to hold him in my arms again, hear his voice and see his big smile. Some day things will all be made right again.
Kell
And so I run.
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