It’s never too late to say Thank You!!!

Yes, I did participate in the Nike Women’s Marathon/Half Marathon on October 21st!!! There was more walking than running, but at least I made it. Due to some bone marrow edema in my hip (swollen bone barrow, next step to a stress fracture) my ability to participate in the event was in jeopardy. However, due to an AWESOME massage therapist (Rick Linvill), rest and positive mental attitude, I recovered enough to join thousands of women on a BEAUTIFUL Sunday morning in the great city of San Francisco. The SF tourism board would kill for days as gorgeous as we had. The temperature was perfect, with a nice breeze and beautiful blue skies. I’m so bummed that I didn’t bring my camera along. Next time I’ll have it.

My goal for the day…finish! (Cross the finish line and not visit the medical tent.) My hope was to finish under 5 hours. Well, I met/beat my goals. I crossed the finish line at 3 hours 57 mins and 8 seconds. That’s less than 4 hours! I was stoked. Considering the fact that just two weeks earlier I was having a hard time walking, I was able to walk/run 13.1 miles in under 4 hours…woohooo!!! And I did NOT visit to the medical tent. I was tired and sore, but NOT injured.
I took the advice of the head of my company, Dave Alberga…he said to go and have fun and not worry about my time. Just enjoy the experience. And that’s exactly what I did. I had a blast!

My game plan was to walk the first 3 miles for a really good/easy warm up. Then I would do 3/2 intervals. Run for 3 mins, walk for 2 mins. Plus, I would walk the hills. Sounds like a great plan, right? After three miles I tried running, my hip still wasn’t real happy with me, but it did cooperate. However, my 3/2 intervals turned into 3/3, 2/3, 2/5 intervals. I pretty much ran til it was uncomfortable, and then I walked. So much for my “plan”. Mile 6 was the start of the hills. They say that there are no “cable car” hills on the course, and while this is true, holy crap…it’s still the hills of San Francisco. As my daughter heard me exclaim as I hit mile 9, “Not another damn hill!”

Did I mention that my family was there to cheer me along? Well they were. My parents, husband and daughter all came with me on my journey. They were with me all during my training accomplishments and woes, and they were with me on the last leg of this journey. I have the best family ever!!

Natasha, my daughter, ran with me for a little bit at mile 3 and mile 9. But the best part was that she ran with me across the finish line! That was the coolest thing ever!!!



So, as I said…lots of hills. Which meant, more walking and less running. I did try to run up a hill or two. Quickly changed my mind. I did run down a few. But that’s the weird part…I could swear I ran UP at least 10 hills, but there were only 2 to run down. Very “Twilight Zone”.

I started this journey May 2007. My goal was to get fit. In order to accomplish my goal I needed a deadline and a plan, cause that’s how I roll. :-P

Due to a medical condition and medication needed to treat it, for the past two years my fitness level had been doing nothing but going in the absolutely wrong direction. Being the goal oriented and deadline driven person that I am, I figured that the only way I was going to get in to shape would be to meet a realistic goal (run a half marathon) by a certain date (Oct 21st). This training regimen meant that I would give up every Saturday morning for the “long runs” for 5 months…AND…I had to get up early (I am NOT a morning person – especially on the weekend)! Plus all the other training I’d be doing during the week.

By joining the Leukemia Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training I was able to accomplish my goals!!! I committed to raise $3250 for the Society and they committed to making me a runner. While TNT was a big part of my success, I have to say that Michelle Nation was the BIGGEST reason for my success. She helped turn me into a real runner and swimmer, oh and I can’t forget about the spinning classes and weight lifting sessions. Feel the burn!

My family sacrificed a lot as well. Giving up every Saturday morning to put my body through a new level of torture that I had never experienced before meant that I was pretty useless for the rest of the day and sometimes even Sunday was shot. Their patience and support while I was covered in ice packs and moaning meant a lot to me. Mom, Dad, Scott and Natasha...without your support, I would not have been able to achieve this crazy dream.

Last but not least…
To all of you that donated…THANK YOU so much!!! I exceeded my fundraising goal of $3,250…and raised $3,378!!!! Like I said…every dollar counts.

I can’t say it enough, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You….THANK YOU…to everyone who offered words of encouragement, donated money and supported me along this crazy journey.

Wishing you all a very HAPPY and SAFE New Year…and hoping that you embark on a journey as fulfilling as mine has been.


Lizzie
http://www.active.com/donate/tntsdh/Lizzie

Lizzie – Double Digits Baby!!!

“The principle is competing against yourself. It's about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before.” - Steve Young

I have accomplished two major milestones since my last update.
-- I ran 9 miles on Saturday, September 8th
-- I ran 11 miles on Saturday, September 15th

9 miles…
This was my best run ever!!! The first 6 miles I totally kicked ass. (Ran 5/1 intervals. Ran for 5 mins, walked for 1 min.) Mile 7 was good, a little slower, but still strong. Mile 8 was getting tougher, and mile 9 was a bit of a struggle, but I was still running. Slow, but still running. My calves were screaming at me. I did have to walk the hill up into Leucadia. Running it just was NOT gonna happen. Which means, I need to do a lot of hill work between now and Oct 21st. :-) It was a fun run. We took the train from Solana Beach up to Oceanside, then ran back. Those of us training for the half got to take a shuttle back from Leucadia to Solana Beach. The full marathon team ran all the way back to Solana Beach. I may be nuts, but I'm not completely insane. I didn't sign up for the full. :-)

I did however forget to apply sun block. Whoops!!! I have some of the funkiest tan lines. Looks like I’m wearing white shorts all the time now. (Think about it.)

11 miles…Double digits!!!
I did everything possible to recover quickly from the 9 mile run so that I would be strong for the 11 mile run. Two visits to the chiropractor, one visit to the massage therapist. Lots of cross training, eating right, drinking lots of water and rest. Saturday morning I woke up with very few aches and pains. Woohoo!!! All my effort paid off.

The run started at Hospitality Point in Mission Bay. Located about a half mile down from where Scott and I got married (Marina Village).
After stretching and warming up, it was time to run. Feeling good, feeling strong – ready to go!!!
Then I start running. Holy crap, what the hell??!!
Everything hurts from the hips down. My legs are in complete protest. Not sure what’s going on with my body, just that my legs feel as if I had already completed the 11 miles, not just started.
Michelle is running with me, offering words of encouragement. Just need to warm up, it’ll work out. About 1.5 miles into the run I start getting sharp/burning pain in my calf. So, we stop to do some gentle stretching and deep breathing. I need to calm down and relax. I’ve completely stressed my self out about how crappy I’m feeling and fearful of what the next 10 miles will be like.

I get the sharp pains under control and we start to run again. I’m definitely going at a slower pace than the previous weekend. My cardiovascular is fine. Heart and lungs, no problem. But the legs are still not happy. For the most part, I am able to keep the 5/1 interval going.

Michelle and I part ways at my half way point. She has a few more miles to go before she’s due to turn around.
This means that I now have to continue running solo. No one next to me saying, “Good job Lizzie”, “Keep it up”, “Almost there”, “You’re doing such a good job”, etc. Having Michelle next to me uttering these words of encouragement helped get me through my run.

I mentally prepare myself, and head back down the boardwalk. I stick to the 5/1 intervals. If I walk for too long, it’s too hard to start running again – so I’m motivated to keep moving.

I did pretty good solo, considering, for the next 30 – 45 mins. I get past the boardwalk and on to the edge of the park. At which point, I fall apart. I just can’t seem to get my legs to cooperate. I’m tired, frustrated and sick of being in pain. I make it to the aid station, get some salt and wash it down with the water.
Now at this point you may be thinking that I’ve hit “the wall” or something like that. However, I had been drinking plenty of water and Gatorade, along with eating Cliff Shot blocks.

I start to walk. I just can’t get my legs to run. Mentally and physically – I’m done. So, I walk for about 5 mins trying to talk myself and my legs back into running. Me and my legs weren’t listening to me. (I just hate it when I argue with myself and I lose.) So, what did I do next….I called my mommy! “Mom – I need your help.” My mom talked me through it. We worked on my breathing and focusing my energy and getting calm and relaxed again. We did this for about 10 mins. Afterwards I felt tons better, more centered and ready to go again. My mom rocks!!!

I was able to start up the 5/1 intervals again. I was even able to run up the bridge. Keep in mind, the aches and pains that I started the run with never went away. They never got much worse, but they definitely didn’t get any better.

The last mile of my 11 mile journey seemed to go on forever. I dropped down to 2/2 intervals so I could at least feel like I hadn’t completely given up on running.

3 hours and 10 mins later, I’m back where I started. Not the fastest or strongest run of my life, but definitely the longest.

Again. a HUGE Thank You to Michelle for running with me and helping me get to the half way point.
Plus, this time a special Thank You to my mom for helping me make it the rest of the way.
These two wonderful ladies helped me reach my goal and accomplish something I’ve never done in my life before.

Time to “back down”…
This coming Saturday will be our “back down” run. Meaning we won’t be increasing our miles, instead we’ll be going back down to a lower mileage. I’ll only be running 6 miles. HA! – “only”.

The week after that will be our last long run. I’ll be doing 12 miles and Michelle will be doing 20.

We’re almost there!!! The race is October 21st. Approximately one month away. Yikes!!!

Update on fundraising…
As for my fundraising goal, I am still 85% of the way there. So close and yet so far.

My mom made some delicious cookies for me to have a bake sale with at work. Of course, they sold out. Nothing’s better than mom’s home cooking. (Chocolate Chunk Walnut and Cranberry Oatmeal Walnut, in case you were wondering.)

Candy sales have slowed a bit, but treats are still available. If you’re in the San Diego Active office, stop by my office to pick up a treat for the low, low price of $1.

REMINDER: The fundraising deadline is September 28th. That’s just a few days away. Yikes!!!
For those of you that have been holding out, really, no kidding now is the time!!!
I need to raise a minimum $3250. If I haven’t met the minimum by this date I will need to pay the difference. Ouch!
http://www.active.com/donate/tntsdh/Lizzie

For those of you that have already donated, thank you so much!!!

Lizzie – A lot can happen in a month…

"It does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up." -Vince Lombardi

It’s been almost a month since my last update and a lot has definitely happened since then.

Reader’s Digest Version:
I’ve broken the 8 mile mark! I learned what a psoas (so-as) muscle is. I ran in my first official race. I’m working out 5 – 6 days a week. I’m at 85% of my fundraising goal.

Long Winded Version:
Sunday, August 19th was the America’s Finest City Half Marathon and 5K. I ran the 5K (3.1 miles). This was my first time running in an official race. The run was pretty good. I ran/walked slower than I wanted too, but Michelle (my personal trainer and friend) reminded me that just a week earlier I was barely able to walk.

Ever heard of something called your psoas muscle? Well, I hadn’t until mine got all inflamed and spastic shortly after completing another 6 miles on Saturday, August 11th. My original goal was to run 7 miles, but my body was just not gonna have it. Lots of chiro appts, gentle cross training/swimming and some rest and I was able to participate in the AFC. Whew!

The day of the AFC was unusually hot and humid for San Diego. I was very happy that it was not time for me to run the half. However, Michelle and several of my Active co-workers did participate in the grueling day. I was very impressed with how well everyone did in such nasty conditions.



For the first time in my life I ran (ran/walked) 8 miles on Saturday, August 25th! (5 min run/1 min walk intervals) The last two miles were brutal, but I did it. It was an amazing feeling to hit this milestone. Again, I have to thank my “trainer” and friend, Michelle. Michelle ran with me and encouraged me every step of the way. Did I mention that Michelle is training for the FULL marathon at Nike? Well, she is. So, not only is she kicking my ass along to the finish line, she’s whipping herself into shape and running crazy miles to prepare for her own race. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be where I am now.

I am now more than half way to my final goal of 13.1 miles!!!

Michelle and I are working out 5 – 6 days a week. Swimming, elliptical, weight training and spinning classes are keeping us busy early in the mornings (5:30 AM) and some afternoons. Oh and running too.

Michelle let me in on her hidden agenda of training me for a Sprint Distance Triathlon. Jeez! (The scary part is that I’m seriously considering it.)

This coming Saturday I will be running 9 miles. The Team will be meeting at the Solana Beach train station at 6:15 AM, where we will all board the train for a ride up to Oceanside. We then get to run back. Marathoners run back the full 16 miles (that means Michelle). Half marathoners run 9 miles (that’s me) and will get shuttled back to Solana Beach. Should be a great day along the coast.

Update on fundraising…
As for my fundraising goal, I am 85% of the way there.

Anda Willett (Active co-worker and friend) made some YUMMY Strawberry Layered mini-Cheesecakes for me to have a bake sale with. At $5 each, I was able to raise $100 in one day!!! Thanx Anda!!!

Candy sales have slowed a bit, but treats are still available. If you’re in the San Diego Active office, stop by my office to pick up a treat for the low, low price of $1.

REMINDER: The fundraising deadline is September 28th. So, for those of you that have been holding out, now’s the time!!! I need to raise a minimum $3250. If I haven’t met the minimum by this date I will need to pay the difference. Ouch!
Go here to donate: http://www.active.com/donate/tntsdh/Lizzie

For those of you that have already donated, thank you so much!!!

Lizzie - Half way to the Half…

"You must do the thing you think you cannot do." --Eleanor Roosevelt

It’s been a while since my last update. A LOT has happened since then.
The biggest and most important milestone to date…I (mostly) ran 6 miles this past Saturday (Aug 4th)! “Mostly” means that I ran for 5 mins, then walked for 1 min. Ran for 5, walked for 1 and so forth and so on. There were a few runs that were less than 5 mins and walks that were more than 1 min. There was even a run that went for 10 mins. Uggg.

I have to send out a HUGE THANK YOU to my Saturday running partner and motivator, Michelle Nation. Michelle is training for the Nike Women’s Full and is a “C” runner. Which means she’s an experienced runner and can go much longer distances, a lot faster and with fewer walk breaks (if any).

First the back story…I was getting very frustrated and dejected with my training and progress. The injuries that I experienced early on in the program had a huge impact to my training progress and my mental attitude. Thoughts of “giving up” and/or joining the Walk Team entered my mind on several occasions.

Michelle and I talked about my training progress and frustrations. I mentioned my thoughts of joining the Walk Team, but that I didn’t want to give up. In typical Michelle fashion she stated that I could do this. I still had enough time to catch up with the Team and be ready for October. She had absolutely no doubt in her mind that this was an obtainable goal for me. She then announced that she would be my “training partner”.
No more training alone all the time. Even if it’s just to sync up with each other on who’s doing what for their weekday training.

Michelle then said she’d run with me Saturday morning til my halfway point. You have no idea how important this was to my success on Saturday. It’s so easy to give up when you’re running by yourself. It’s a lot harder to give up when someone is there with you saying, “Come on, you can do it!”, or “Come on Lizzie”, or “Good job, you made it!”
Plus, Michelle has this wonderful ability to talk, about anything and everything. This is a great distraction and gives you something else to focus on, besides the desire to give up and stop running. :-)

This was a true sacrifice on Michelle’s part. Like I said, she’s a “C” runner and is training for the full. I definitely slowed her down on Saturday.
However, Michelle’s support and encouragement helped me to succeed on Saturday and I feel so much better about reaching my goal. Huge win for my state of mind!

Michelle – THANK YOU!!!
I have regained my focus and my positive mental attitude. I CAN do this! Saturday was a huge “win” for me and you’re the driving force behind that.

Next Saturday I’ll be running 7 miles.

The weekend after that (Sunday, Aug 19th) is the America’s Finest City Half Marathon and 5K. (http://www.afchalf.com/) I’ll be running the 5K (3.1 miles). This will be my first official running event, ever. I’m now looking forward to participating in this event, instead of dreading it.

Quick update on the shoes…
Pair #4 is the winner!!! New Balance is the brand for me. :-)

What I've learned...
When I started this journey I had NO idea how hard it would be. Sure I thought it would be a bit difficult and that I’d learn something new and I’d get in shape. Wow – how naïve can one woman be?

• I’ve learned that running is hard, especially if you’re not a “natural” runner.
• I’ve learned that lots of runners hate to run. (Weird, huh?)
• I’ve learned that while running is not truly a ‘team’ sport, it’s so much easier when you’re running with a partner.
• I’ve learned that ice is my friend.
• I’ve learned that the right shoes make all the difference in the world.
• I’ve learned that your hands and feet swell, a lot, when you run.
• I’ve learned that Ibuprofen is truly a miracle drug.
  And so much more!

Update on fundraising…
While donations have slowed down, support has not. My friend and former co-worker Valerie Prestidge made cupcakes and cookies (on her day off) and brought them to me at work so I could have a Bake Sale. Sold out in record time and raised $59!!! Thanks Val!!!

Candy/Snack sales are going well also. If you’re in the San Diego Active office, stop by my office to pick up a treat for the low, low price of $1.

The fundraising deadline is September 28th. So, for those of you that have been holding out, now’s the time!!! I need to raise a minimum $3250. If I haven’t met the minimum by this date I will need to pay the difference. Ouch!
http://www.active.com/donate/tntsdh/Lizzie

For those of you that have already donated, THANK YOU!!!!

Michele - Tortoise or the Hare?

I went to my first TNT training run on Saturday. I had missed the first one due to my allergies and the second because of a previously scheduled camping trip. I've been running - just not with the TNT group.

The run went extremely well. There were only 4 or 5 people in the "Half Marathon" group, a few in the advanced runners group and most in the "Full Marathon" group. There were so many people there that I wasn't sure who else was in my group. Us half marathoners had to run 3 miles. It was an easy course they had set up and a beautiful morning! First we ran up the Eastbank Esplanade (next to the river) towards the Steel Bridge and then ran over the Steel Bridge. At that point, the half marathon people turned around and headed back towards the start. The marathon folk ran a total of 4 miles and the advanced group 6 miles.

When I first started out I noticed that everyone was running at a pretty slow pace. Now I think I normally run slow and this was slower than I usually go. I decided to hang with the pack. I thought "Now this is so much easier!". After some time, I realized "Damn, if I keep at this pace I can run much further before having to rest. I like that!" Eventually the pack spread out more and more but I kept a slow place and walked briskly when I needed to catch my breath a little. I made it back to the start and checked my Nike+. The course was actually 3.38 miles and my pace was 11'10" per mile! That was my best average yet. It dawned on me that when I was running on my own that I was running faster and then I had stop to walk more often and my walking was slower as I tried to catch my breath. This slowed down my overall average. Keeping a slow and steady pace gave me a much better time (go tortoise!). Although some of the 4 mile group actually beat me back to the start, I did beat the rest of the 3 mile group (according to the sign in sheet). This made me feel pretty darn good about where I'm at in my running.

After the run, the fabulous mentors had supplied us with fruit, bagels, donuts, etc. It was a good feast to replenish our energy. I went home feeling much better about my place in TNT and knowing that I can and will meet my goal!

Quote (because I liked Liz's quote!)

"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed."
- Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champ

Lizzie's Latest

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -- Confucius
“A journey of 13.1 miles begins with the right shoe!” – Lizzie

This past week and a half has been filled with training, searching for the right shoe and pain.
Since the “cute” shoes just weren’t gonna cut it for my training, my journey begins…

Sunday May 20th I went to Road Runner (Worlds Largest Running Store) to get the “right” pair of shoes. I ran/walked in them on Monday and Wednesday. However, I had to take them back on Wednesday night because they were too tight and I was experiencing pain in my knees, but the shin pain wasn’t as bad.
Important to mention…my 13 year old daughter Natasha got up at 5:00 AM on Monday AND Wednesday to work out with me. Do I have the best kid or what?!

I get wider shoes and inserts; I now have all the support in the world! I spent Thursday trying to break them in by wearing them on my run/walk in the morning and wear them all day. Trained on the treadmill – Natasha just couldn’t get out of bed. I didn’t wear the new shoes on Friday.

I get to the Team in Training location extra early on Sat. (which happens to be Road Runner – for shoe clinic day) so that I can warm up by walking instead of running immediately.
Scott is with me – he volunteered to man one of the aid stations. Do I have the best husband or what?!

I feel strong and ready to run. This time I know my run is definitely going to be a lot better than my first run with the Team. I have the right shoes, I’ve been training and I have a positive mental attitude. After stretching, we start our run and almost immediately I experience pain in my right shin. ARGG!!! It hurts too much to run, so I walk. At this point, I’m not sure if I’m supposed to “walk thru the pain” or not. But I do anyway. I make it to the aid station, which is the half way point of my 3 mile “run”. Scott’s at the aid station with Gatorade and words of encouragement.

I turn around and head back the way I came. I tried a couple different times to run, but that caused a lot more pain. When I return to RR, my right shin is screaming and so are both of my knees. After my “run” (HA!) of 3 miles, I attend the shoe clinic. I tell the “fit” expert of my knee and shin problems and she works with me to find a different pair of shoes. I now have my third pair of shoes.

I iced my legs and took Motrin when I got home. I didn’t walk/run on Sunday or Monday hoping to recover from the pain.
Tuesday morning when I woke up at 5 AM, I had a very difficult time walking – my knees were very stiff and sore. I figured I just needed to warm up and stretch and that I would feel better.
I still went for my “walk” in the morning. I definitely could not run. Again, Natasha dragged her 13 year old tooshie out of bed to join me. Seriously, I have the best kid EVER!

After the walk, my knees feel worse, my shins still hurt and now my left foot is yelling at me. I can’t believe how much it hurts to walk and walking down the stairs has introduced me to a type and level of pain very new to me. At this point, I’m not sure what’s going on.
I thought I had waited long enough to recover, I knew to expect to be sore, but should I be in this much pain and have this much difficulty? This is not cool.

I’m not sure where to draw the line between ‘pushing through it’ and preventing injury.
So, I contact the TNT Coach – Coach Cheryl. I send her a nice long email detailing my story. With in 20 mins of hitting send she calls me.

We talk for at least 10 mins about what’s going on and what to do next. She believes that I messed up my legs bad enough on my first run that I never fully recovered. I probably shouldn’t have gotten my first pair of shoes while injured; it probably caused me to run differently to compensate for the pain. Same story with each pair of shoes since then.

I am now in recovery mode. Coach has instructed - no running, no walking. I need to find a cardio work out with zero impact. Not easy to do when the only gym equipment I have at home is a treadmill. So, Scott and I went to check out gyms last night. Checked out a small local gym first, then we checked out the YMCA. They have an awesome deal for families AND a great discount for military. Scott is retired from the Navy, so we get the military discount. Scott, Natasha and I are now proud members of the YMCA. (Can ya hear it?….It’s fun to stay at the Y….M….C….A – lift those arms!!!)

My knees still hurt. I’ve been limping around the office looking like a fool. Eating Motrin like it was candy and freezing my knees every night at home. But each day is a little better. I’m trying really hard to not get discouraged. I still have enough time to make my goal, just have to get through this set back. Hopefully, I’m getting this out of the way now and won’t have any more issues for the rest of my training. That’s my goal!!!

Coach also provided me with some links to articles regarding shins and knees. I’ve included them for any of you who might be interested.

Link to knee articles:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,ssss6-241-285--6040-4-2X3X4X6-5,00.html
http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/toolscontent/0,7156,s6-241-285--7773-0,00.html?toolName=What%20Hurts?

Shin article:
http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/toolscontent/0,7156,s6-241-290-291-529-0,00.html?toolName=What%20Hurts?

'Cause I'm a blonde...

About a month ago I purchased the Nike+ to help keep track of my running and as a motivator while I'm running. I used it for the first time on my run earlier last week (the one where I said I was really awful?). According to the Nike+ (which includes a shoe sensor and a piece that attaches to an Ipod) I ran 1 mile in about 23 minutes. WHAT? I can walk faster than that. I chalked it up to a couple stops I made and that I was going fairly slow since I was still dealing with my allergy issue.

I had been eyeballing this track over at Reed College thinking it would be a nice place to run. Using this nifty website a friend sent me http://www.usatf.org/routes/map/ I mapped the track (it's not a standard track) and it said it was .5 miles. I decided to head over there yesterday to run a couple miles. Once around the track and the Nike+ says I ran/walk .25 miles? Ugh, I thought. Did I map that wrong? This sucks. I run/walk the track again. Another .25 miles. Damn. I'm going to have to run this track 8 freaking times to get two miles! I start running again and press the button that gives you an adhoc status of your distance, total time and pace per miles. "00.00 per mile" the Ipod voice says.

Uh, excuse me? I'm RUNNING! I press it again. "00.00 per mile" ARGH! I start walking and press again. "16.28 per mile" What? I look down at my little shoe sensor (attached to my shoe laces) and it dawns on me. The shoe sensor is on my right foot. The Ipod is on my left arm. It's not consistently making it's wireless connection (we're not talking Bluetooth or anything fancy like that). Lightbulb!

I switch the shoe sensor to my left foot and start running again. "13.8 per mile" (or something like that). Yay!! So around the track again - .5 miles! One more circle of the track and I called it good (after all it was almost 80 degrees and I was sweating like a pig).

When I got home I decided to map my previous run and exactly how long was it? 1.6 miles! Still slow but for a girl who couldn't breathe and hadn't run in 2 months not that bad.

For those concerned about the allergies - it appears with help from my ENT and mom, I now have them under control (drugs, removing the carpet, allergy bedding). According to my allergy test I'm extremely allergic to dust mites and timothy grass (the main grass family in Oregon). Now I have no excuse not to be training hard core!

Here I am!

My first training blog post! Yay! Okay, so I haven’t gone to an official training session yet. I’m fighting some nasty allergy issues that I’m trying to resolve with my ENT. I think we have it down and I hope to attend the track session on Monday provided my wheezing cough has really gone away. I did, however, do to my first non-official walk/run the other night. Back in February when I was hitting the gym a lot I was running up to 1.5 miles without having to stop to walk for a short period. Unfortunately when I ran the other day, it was not even close to that! Yikes. I’m sure much has to do with the allergy outbreak but I also know I’m out of shape. I aim to fix that.

I am really excited to being part of Team in Training. As many of you know, my brother was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma when he was 9 years old. He will be celebrating his 32nd birthday this year much in part to the fantastic research funding provided by groups like the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Here’s a hot picture of me in my TNT shirt after my run. I know you’re all jealous of my obvious physical prowess. :-)

Lizzie's 1st Training Day

Holy crap! What the hell was I thinking?

Day one of training was yesterday. Early Saturday morning we all met at the LLS offices in San Diego. A nice overcast "May Gray" morning.

We had our team "orientation" before the run. Spent about 45 mins learning about what to expect, what items we'll need, upcoming training events, etc. Then it was time to get down to business.

First a quick jog around the building. Ah excuse me, no warm up? No walking. No easing me into this. OK, so it wasn't a big deal to jog around the building, just wasn't ready for it. No biggie. Then we did our stretches. Learned a few new ones, relived some old ones. It's safe to say that I have no balance at this moment in my life and was extremely proud of myself for not falling flat on my face while pulling my left foot behind me with my right hand. Well, I was proud of myself until I looked over to my right and there's "yoga chick" with her leg over her shoulder. What-ever! We're here for a good cause and to get fit, not show off. Silly girl!

Anyways, after stretching it's time to run. We're split into 3 training teams
Team A - Beginners
Team B - Run on a regular basis
Team C - You live to run...and nothing else.

I, of course, am in the very special Team "A". Our distance is 2 miles.
Within the Team, we're broken into 3 timing groups following the "run/walk" method.
I don't remember what the ratios were for the first two groups, but my group was 3:1 (or was it 3:2). Run for 3 mins, walk for 1 min (or was it 2?).
Any way, the first two teams go, then it's our turn.
I start off pretty good. Run the whole 2 mins, and then I just couldn't take it any more. My shins HURT! Now, I don't mean they hurt a little. They freakin HURT! There's no way it should have hurt that bad that fast. What the hell????

So, I walk. I'm on the "run" team, but now all I can do is walk. For the next 5 mins or so I walk by myself. Refusing to give up. The pain is not going away, only getting slightly worse, and then levels off. Then a wonderful mentor comes along side me and walks with me. Lynsey talks to me about how hard it was for her to start running. That the important this is to not give up and count each step as a success. So, that's what I did. Lynsey and I walked for about 5 mins together, then we set a mini-goal, run to that tree, then walk. Walk to that pole, then run again to the next tree. Reaching each mini-goal was a mini-success!!! Lynsey had to leave me at mile 1 and continue on. But her support helped me make it the rest of the way. I did ask Lynsey if it was normal for my shins to hurt so bad so soon. She said that was not usual and that I should speak with the coach.

I made it back to the beginning, following my own run/walk method...more walk than run. BUT...I did make it back. I never stopped or gave up. For me, I accomplished a lot.

First thing I did was talk to the coach. Told her about my immediate shin pain, etc. She came around the table she was standing behind ready to give my all kinds of advice and then looked at my shoes. "Oh - well the problem is easy to see, you have to wrong shoes. They're 'cute' for the gym, NOT good for running."

Now, I want to take this moment to say, they told us that we didn't need to buy shoes for our first couple of runs. That we'd be attending a shoe clinic on our second training day. So, I wore my "cute" cross-trainers. BIG mistake, big...HUGE!

The coach showed me some stretches for my shins and calf, which were also killing me by the end of my "run". She advised me to ice and massage them to help with the pain. And get new shoes ASAP.

I got home and iced. Scott gave me a wonderful leg massage. I took Motrin. I survived.
Woke up this morning, fell out of bed, tried to walk...now THAT was funny. My legs were pissed at me. That'll teach me to run with the wrong shoes.

Guess what I did today? :-)

Pic of the "cute" shoe