The countdown begins

OK only 10 days to go until I fly out to California for the Nike Women's Marathon. I can't believe it is here already. I swear it feels like just yesterday I was signing up with my friend Katie to do this. I can't believe all the miles I have ran/walked preparing for the big day. But I don't want to talk about the miles here in this post I want to share with you what I have learned while running/walking all those miles. I learned that there are some really amazing people out there trying to make a difference in others lives. I have learned that I am a strong woman who can do anything I set my mind to, I learned to have self confidence, I see myself as a beautiful person inside and out even though I am not the perfect size 2 and that it doesn't matter that I am not a size 2 because I am healthy and I am here for my family and I am a survivor of cancer. I learned some of those things while fighting my own battle with cancer the past 3 years but I never shared anything I learned. I met some amazing people on this journey who have Leukemia or Lymphoma and they are heros to me, they inspire me to keep going when I am out on my longer runs and when I want to stop I remember their stories and I keep going because right now they can't. I am in aw of those who are just starting out on their journey and have yet to learn what it is they are going to learn while on this journey. I do not pity those who have cancer because that is one thing they do not want. So for those of you who are lucky enough to never have to deal with cancer in your own personal life take the time to volunteer at an event that helps those with cancer, we can use all the help we can get. I look forward to thanking some of the volunteers at that finish line come October 18th for their time and dedication to the cause. I will always remember this journey and cherish each and every minute of it, even the sleepless nights and my amazing friends who helped me get there. Thank you to all of you for helping me get there and for those of you who I don't even know and have donated and supported me with encouraging words thank you!!

Recommitted to Nike Women's Marathon

OK well just when I was about to give up and not recommit to the Nike Women's Marathon because I didn't think I would get any donations other than what Katie and I had done from a yard sale and selling a Vera Bradley Bag some friends of mine have donated and given me hope. So yes I have turned in my forms and recommitted. Call me crazy since I don't even have half of the money raised yet and all of it needs to be turned in 7 weeks but I think with the help of my amazing friends and more fundraising I think I can reach the goal of $3,900 and help make a difference and hopefully one day we will live in a world that is cancer free.

Update

So far this month I have ran/walked 94 miles. I am pleased with all the miles I have put in so far. I went to the doctor yesterday to have my ankle looked at since I am having so much pain in it after I run. Come to find out after the x-rays the screws are coming out of the plates so we came to the conclusion that I will need to have the surgery to replace both the plates and screws. Now I am not doing it until after the Nike Women's Marathon so the compromise is that I take it easy when I run, don't push myself and when I feel the pain I MUST stop. I may not do all the miles each week according to the training log by Team in Training but I will still train, I know I am not running in the marathon to be first I am running for those who can't and to raise awareness to a very serious illness so even if I finish 20,000th I will be happy..

Lake Pine

8 miles = 4 laps around the lake. I enjoyed my walk/slow jog this evening. My foot is on ice as I type this. It doesn't hurt as much as it did on Saturday but it is just as swollen. I can handle it being swollen I can't handle the pain that goes along with it though so it was nice to finish the walk/slow jog without the pain this time. I am going to see my Dr. tomorrow so he can take some x-rays and tell me if the screws are coming out further and causing my issues. I really enjoy running at Lake Pine, it is such a peaceful place to train, I wished we would train there on a Saturday as a team. I fell in love with the trail before I even joined Team in Training and started training for the Nike Women's Marathon.

6 miles @ Shelly Lake

Six miles may not sound like a lot of miles to run or even walk but let me just tell you it IS!! I did it on three hours of sleep. I was tired from lack of sleep the night before I just couldn't fall asleep.. When we arrived at Shelly Lake the coaches were still talking so I was happy that they hadn't started on the trail without us. We kind of got lost trying to find this place, it didn't help that Raleigh has more than one Millbrooke St. Anyway we all started out walking the trail then the faster runners took off and since I am not one of them I stay to the back of the group. I ran for about two miles, feeling pretty good, not winded at all, pace was good. My ankle on the other hand still hates that I run.. It was swollen I had to stop and loosen my laces a bit and hope that it would not get much bigger since my toes were starting to tingle as well. I still had 4 miles to go and I really wanted to finish. I walked to the halfway point got some water, rested for a minute then started to run again, can I just tell you what a complete idiot I am. I don't listen to my body, I should have just walked the rest of the way back but I didn't want to be the last one out on the trail so I ran. Also I knew my friend Katie would be back and waiting for me and I didn't want to keep her any longer than I already had so I pushed myself. I finished the six miles and I felt good except my ankle. My ankle was so swollen it was the same size as my calf, no joke. I had blisters on both feet. I wasn't winded or anything and I wasn't sore so I shouldn't complain really but this ankle really will be the death of me I think... When I got home I iced it and kept it up for a while the swelling has gone done some and I am walking slowly and not putting much pressure on my foot, not sure what this weeks training will hold for me...

Miles & Recommitment

Last month I ran/walked 124 miles training and this month so far I have ran/walked 78 miles. I am a bit burned out to be honest and only because I am seeing zero results from this running. I have not lost much weight, my energy level has not increased at all. I thought I would feel better after being in the routine of running but I am not. I run about a 10 minute mile not too bad I don't think. I am frustrated with the fundraising, I doubt I will recommit to run the Nike Women's Marathon for October. I just don't think I will have the money raised and I certainly don't want to pay $3,900 out of my own pocket and if I don't have half of the funds raised by recommitment date of July 30th then I can't do it.

My Hair

Tonight I went to a fundraising meeting with my friend Katie. It was not what we had hoped it would be, we thought it would be about new ideas we hadn't heard before but it was really just going over the same stuff we had heard several times before. On the drive home we were trying to come up with some new ideas and really be creative and I thought well why not shave my hair off to the highest bidder over $500. No joke, I will let the person who donates the highest amount over $500 shave my hair off. I mean it wouldn't be the first time I was without hair and the money goes to a fabulous cause. It is a win win for all involved... Cancer is such a scary thing, and I know from experience just how scary it is. But I truly believe in this cause, we need to find a cure for all cancers! I am even going to go down to the local news paper and ask them what I need to do to put an article in. I will keep you all posted to the outcome, even post photos of before and after.

Nike Women's Marathon

Well since my last post I have been a little busy with something and I didn't really think anyone would want to hear about it but then I was told that people would want to hear about it so here is the big news, I have signed up to run in the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. I started walking a few weeks ago with my friend Katie who is also doing the marathon. I have walked in the past 2 weeks over 25 miles and this weekend is the first team training and I am very excited about it! I plan to run the course but since I broke my ankle a few years back in 5 places and have plates and screws holding things together I thought walking would be the best way to get back into things so this weekend when I actually train with the team I will run and see how things feel but I have made a promise to myself that I will run the entire course and I will cross that finish line.... I will update this blog every few days with my progress.