Go Aves!

Last week was 2 nights of tryouts for the Sycamore Select Basketball teams and today we learned that Zach made the 6th grade team! Way to go Z-man! While he's played select basketball for about 3 years, this will be the first time he'll be playing with kids he goes to school with. He's grown up a lot over the last few months - he looks older and well, acts older. I stopped today in the middle of a conversation he and I were having and just took a deep breath. He's growing up. This summer he got contacts, braces, and a cell phone. He's been very responsible with all 3. :) Tuesday he turns 12. Happy Birthday Z.

RPG

It was 8 mile Saturday and oh lucky us - it was a Saturday that our schedule had us starting at the Boathouse. While our route could have taken a multitude of options, it was yet another Saturday for a visit up to Eden Park and then on to Victory Pkwy, McMillan, Woodburn and Madison. I won't really complain because the weather was perfect and the fall group had a 20 mile run. Today I experimented with Shot Bloks - a gummy bear consistency energy chew. 3 bloks have 24g of carbs. The idea is to start experimenting with the many options of these things that are available - Goos, Sport Beans, Clif Shots, etc. - and figure out which work best with your digestive system before you get too up in your miles. So far Bloks are on the OK list. New 4-letter word: Down. My running partner Kristin and I have labeled this a "good" 4-letter word. "Hill" is on the other list of 4-letter words. We also applied a mind over matter technique today from Jeff Galloway's Marathon book. 3 words: Relax, Power, Glide (RPG). Three words to be repeated to shut the left brain down. It's called "positive brainwashing". Relax - No pressure, I'm here to have fun. Power - I will kick this hill, it will not kick me. Glide - keep it smooth.

This week I logged 13 miles - should have been 15 but I just couldn't get myself out of bed on Thursday morning. Having trouble with my left arch - had my shoes and orthodics checked and we tried a different lacing technique on the left shoe. Hopefully that does the trick or it's off to the foot doctor. Aside from that - feeling good.

Monday night football this week! Footlong anyone? :-)

I get by with a little help from my friends...

I thought I'd continue with the music theme that preceded this post... :)

Humble. That is truly the best way to put it for me right now. I am truly humbled by the response of my family and friends that are helping me along this journey. It takes a village to do a marathon (I'm sure Hillary won't mind that I'm borrowing her analogy for this purpose). I've been humbled by the donations people have made on my behalf. I reached the 50% mark this week, and in only 4 weeks that is truly awesome from my perspective. I've been humbled by my friends who've rolled up their sleeves and taken one for the team (all of this coming from ms. independent that hates to ask anyone for anything). We've worked 2 festivals and 2 Bengal games thus far and raised a little over $1000 with those efforts. Many thanks to Kim and Cathy for working the games and BrewHaHa and Oktoberfest with me - we earn our dollars that's for sure! Thanks to Mark and Jim for helping me with Oktoberfest last weekend as well. Aside from the fact that we were located in polka $@!!, which was happily offset by the fact that the Cincinnati Wolfhound Rugby team was next door to us, we had fun and our booth raised $341 in one day. Woo Hoo! A big thank you to Stacey for helping with Samantha through all these events - picking her up, taking her back home, feeding her and loving her. It would be impossible to do this without you guys.

Oh, I must report on one more song I've added to my playlist: "Daybreak" Barry Manilow. He was on the Today show on Stacey's birthday recently, because his "best ever" (or whatever) CD came out the day after so he and/or his name was popping up everywhere that day - even on the ESPN Mike and Mike show. That connection I'll never figure out. Anyhow, we were into his music all day - I swear I walked the halls at work humming "Daybreak" all day - so I felt it was only fitting to add it to my Playlist as the first song for my 6:30am morning runs. I mean...he does write the songs.

Defending my Playlist

Most people would say that music helps you set your pace, motivate you, etc.; however, I think it's also helpful for distracting you from the pain and hills 3 minutes at a time. So...I recently updated my "run" playlist and here are a few and the reason I smile with each one:

Oh What a Night (December 1963) - Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons
I had this song on my playlist when I ran my very first race, March 12, 2000 - Bob Huggin's March Madness 5k. And my "playlist" was a cassette on my Walkman. Ha ha! It's just a happy song that's all.
No One Like You (Scorpions)
High School and cruising in Dan's 1968 Mustang, big hair, Jordache jeans, and Forenza sweaters. Rock on!
Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)
Aside from the fact that I have brown eyes, this song is played during my favorite scene from the movie "Sleeping with the Enemy" - romance at it's finest.
I Ran (Flock of Seagulls)
Need I explain, really?
We are Family (Sister Sledge)
Performing this song with Tonya at our cousin Kim's 40th birthday party - afros, disco wear, and platform boots. A little rum and coke pre-performance will do wonders for stage fright.
Let my Love Open the Door (Peter Townshend)
"When people keep repeating, that you'll never fall in love, when everybody keeps retreating, but you can't seem to get enough, let my love open the door..." Don't give up on me people - it's out there!
I Had the Time of My Life (Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes)
This song was playing when an old college boyfriend was leaving Liberty to attend school in Florida. He was wonderfully funny, a devoted Marine, with a spirit about him that people were just drawn to but he went away to seminary and growing up a PK, I didn't see this in the cards for me. Great college memories though. If you can get through the first 15 seconds of this song, it's fun.
Aint Nobody (Chaka Khan)
Fun nights out dancing with the girls. I always scream when this song comes on and drag them out to the dance floor.
I Go Back (Kenny Chesney)
"And I go back to watchin summer fade to fall, growin up too fast and I do recall, wishin time would stop right in its tracks, everytime I hear that song, I go back..."

Am I embarrassed by my playlist? Ask me at the finish line.

What I've learned (so far)

Granted, I'm not an expert or a veteran by any stretch of the imagination - but here are a few things I've learned over the last 40 days:

• I have a new found respect for cross walks and the people who try to use them.
• Good running accessories are essential and a wise investment - and "accessories" go well beyond shoes.
• There are runners...and then there are runners. I'm still in the first group.
• It's addictive and better than alcohol when you've had a bad day.
• It requires patience, perseverance, and determination. Much like fundraising.
• You'll have good days and bad days but it's never about your hair.
• It takes friends to do this. Friends who don't mind working for free and friends who don't mind babysitting your dog.
• People (I actually know) are going to show up to watch me finish.
• My parents are really excited for me and actually believe I can do this.
• My sister isn't beyond driving 3mph down the road just to cheer me on during the end of a long run. She may have forgot water but she still cares.
• People really don't read my blog. :)

Lion in the House

Today was another 6 mile Saturday - this week we met at the Boathouse downtown and ran up to Eden Park and back. "Hill" is my new 4-letter word. Ugh. I paced with another girl who has been training with the fall group (I'm a "winter") for her marathon that is next month. We did 4:1 intervals up to the park and then ran the whole way back. The view was awesome at the top - that was a gift after those hills. I had a discouraging week for a variety of reasons but today brought it all back around for me. Peace.

Below is a post that was sent to all of us in Team In Training regarding a documentary that was filmed at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Lion in the House. It follows the lives of kids and their families who are battling blood cancers. I watched the first last night and it brought a whole new meaning to what we are doing. Please watch it and know that your donations are making a difference in the lives of these kids. These are some brave kids and strong families. Running a few miles a week is nothing compared to what they have endured. I know some of you will say "I don't like to watch stuff like that" but looking the other way doesn't change the reality all around us. It doesn't change the circumstances and challenges that parents every day are encountering as they hear "your child has cancer". And, it's not just children, there are adults everywhere. A man at our church with 2 small children just recently found out he has stage 4 leukemia. It's real. We don't have to look the other way.

Lion In The House
To learn more about the documentary and get updates on the families, go to: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/lioninthehouse/02_index.htm

CET/PBS will re-broadcast the documentary "Lion In The House" at 10pm every Friday night in Sept.-- starting Sept. 7. The re-broadcast will divide the original 4-hour, full-length show into 1 hour segments with one each week. For those of you that are not familiar with Lion this was a documentary that was filmed at our own Children's starting back in 1997. It covers the lives of several children afflicted with blood cancers. One of the children, Justin Ashcraft was our first Hero. This documentary went to Sundance and is now up for an exceptional merit at the Emmy's. Get your Kleenex out.

A LION IN THE HOUSE follows the stories of five exceptional children and their families as they battle pediatric cancer. From the trauma of diagnosis to the physical toll of treatment, this series documents the stresses that can tear a family apart as well as the courage of children facing the possibility of death with honesty, dignity and humor. As the film compresses six years into one narrative, it puts viewers in the shoes of parents, physicians, nurses, siblings, grandparents and social workers who struggle to defeat an indiscriminate and predatory disease.

Now that was Monday night football!

Crazy! It was just crazy last night. Nothing but a sea of black and orange and let me say, all the football freaks came out of the woodwork last night (see photo below). Who dey! Do we just love our football or are we just so over the Reds at this point that we are just glad to say "TGIF" (thank goodness it's football)? I have to admit the game was pretty awesome, even if we were catching the drama from our humble little footlong stand. We did get to go out to the stands and see the last 3 minutes - the last 3 critical minutes too. Way to go defense!
I simply thought that $1100 in footlongs was insane, but we more than doubled that stat last night - $2500. My concession divas, Kim and Cathy, helped me and we were cranking out the dogs. AND...we passed a surprise visit from the health department. Now, I've got to raise $3600 people or I'm doing all this work for nothing - so we are not above showcasing our grilling and serving skills at your end of summer backyard barbeque if you need some help. :) Are you ready for some football?

Elements

I'm typically writing these things in my head as I run. And, they are so much better then too. Sorry. Today was 6 mile Saturday and it was like running in a rainforest - humid. Shin splints, glide, and timing. Those were the 3 elements impacting me the most today. Shin splints are every runner/walker's satan and practically unavoidable. Glide is every runner/walker's angel. Glide is an anti-blister chafing stick that looks like a deodorant stick. I discovered today that I have some areas that need attention from Glide before my next run. :) Then, there's "timing". You know how you hit one red light and then you know you are just doomed to hit every single one thereafter? Yep. That was me and hills today. I did 3:1 intervals (run 3 min, walk 1) and wouldn't you know it, just as my 1 min segment ended there was my hill...about every time. The hills are my friends. That's my new mantra.
"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

The Tortis, the Hare and the Giant

I had a 5 mile run to do this weekend and my friend Stacey offered to run it with me. We were the Tortis and the Hare - while I realize that it probably doesn't need clarification...I'm not the Hare. Stacey's a sub-4 marathoner. She took up marathons on a whim a few years ago and she finishes in under 4 hours (she really almost finishes in 3 hours but she won't admit it unless you make her tell you her best times). She's my marathon hero! :) Running with someone is soooo much better. It pushes you to keep going, keeps your mind off things like "how much further?" "wow, that hill looks huge!", and "are we done yet?". Life's kinda like that - the journey is a lot better if you have someone to share it with.
Zach and I were watching the movie 'Facing the Giants' last night. A simple but often overlooked principle is at the foundation of that movie: trust God to do what you think is impossible. I can't tell you how many times I've missed that point in my life. Fortunately, He lets me mess up sometimes and then meets me on the other side with open arms. I can't say that all the answers to my prayers have been ones I wished for, but later down the road, I've seen where they were the ones I needed. I'll never stop asking "why" (I just have an insatiable need for answers) but hopefully I'll learn to simply trust God for the impossible or help me to just let go because He has something else for me. In summary, God opens doors that no one can shut, and sometimes He shuts doors that no one else can open (Revelations 3). I'm trusting God to help me finish what merely seems impossible to me right now - this marathon - and I'm trusting Him to help me let go of things that are behind me and were never intended for me in the first place.

Who Dey!

Yep, football season is upon us. Now, I like football about as much as the next (honest) girl. I can take it or leave it. Don't get me wrong, I was all about Friday night football games in high school but more from the sideline social benefit and after-game trips to Skyline. I attended my first Bengals' game in Paul Brown on Friday night. It was a pre-season game against the neighboring Colts and fortunately for us, it was all about the 3rd string on Friday night. However, my view of the game came strictly from the tv monitor on the west "canopy" (aka: nose bleed) level. My friend Kim and I were running the fabulous "Dogzilla" hot dog stand on behalf of Team in Training. We sold over $1100 in footlong hot dogs and sodas. A small percentage of that which will go directly to my TNT account - probably about $100...but, $1100+ in hot dogs! Holy smoke! $6 hot dogs mind you. Do you know how guilty I felt asking someone to pay $6 for a hot dog and $4 for a bottled coke? My friend Kim did a truly marvelous job grilling. The feeling in her left arm will be back soon I'm sure. We are becoming concession queens. Just what I wanted to be when I grew up.