Slow and steady wins the race.
I think that's going to be my new mantra. That old tortise had it right!
I had a great practice this weekend. On Sunday, I finished 5 miles! It doesn't sound like alot, but I was really proud of myself. The goal for the half-marathon team was 4 miles, and 8 miles for the full. I did much of my walk with assistant coach Linda again this week. When we got to the 2 mile marker, she asked if I was ready to turn around to go back-- I said let's go another 1/4 mile. And at 2 1/4 mi, I said let's go another 1/4 mile. At 2 1/2, I still thought I could go further. I decided to turn around because I didn't want to get all the way out to 3 miles and figure out that I was too pooped to get all the way back!
The other really great thing that happened at practice is that I FINALLY PASSED SOMEONE ON THE TRAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have NO idea how great it made me feel. It's really hard to see what seems like MILLIONS of people pass you all morning long, every single time. So I was really excited to be able to say "on your left"! It was a small victory, but you would have thought that I just won my own Oscar yesterday morning! (Linda and I had a quiet celebration afterwards; I wouldn't want to rub it in to the guy we passed.)
I have also scheduled an appointment with a nutritionist in March. I sort of thought that after a month of training, I would look a bit different, but I haven't lost a blessed pound! I think with all the miles, I must be overcompensating with calories or something. Could be my metabolism is just sound asleep. Those of you that know me well, know that I am practically allergic to exercise! So it's frustrating to get that sweaty so often, and not have anything to show for it. I want to make sure I get enough calories to support my body during our longer training days and on marathon day, but still get smaller overall.
Dan continues to lead the pack at practice. He is consistently walking 14-15 minute miles, and is usually the first one to finish. I am really proud of him! I can't say that I am really surprised, he has dabbled in all sorts of athletics while growing up-- Tae Kwan Do as a kid, Wrestling at East Catholic, & Crew Team at UCONN. I think there is some story of him and an unfortunate turn on a little league team that didn't end well, but overall, he's a pretty athletic person. (Okay, go ahead and ask "However did he end up with you, Sara?". It's called a glowing personality, people. Work with me here.)
Fundraising has slowed down a bit, so if you haven't sent us your contribution yet, we hope you will do that soon. We need to raise $2,000 by mid March so that we can send in our registration for the race. Thank you to everyone who has generously donated thus far! The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society donates 75% of every dollar directly to patients, families, research and development. The other 25% helps with administrative costs, since LLS is a nonprofit organization.
Thanks for checking in on our journey! Your support means the world to us!
-Sara
Monday, February 26, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
So someone IS reading this, after all!!
Just when I started to think that NOBODY read my blog but my lovely cousin Deb from Texas, I get a few emails saying, "How come you never post anymore??" I'm glad that you're enjoying our marathon training adventures!
You'll all be happy to read that I don't have pertussis. I am actually feeling better. I still have an occasional cough that I can't quite get rid of, but I have alot more energy! I am back at work and busy as ever.
We had a nice weekend in Cape Cod. We left on Tuesday night to try and beat the weather, and I am so glad we did. We would probably have had to wait until Thursday, because my mom told us it was brutal in Philadelphia! The Cape was mostly ice, so we stayed in all day on Weds. We were able to go out to a nice dinner that night for Valentine's Day. We went to the Captain Linnell House in Orleans, which is possibly our FAVORITE on the Cape. We must go there alot, because our waiter recognized us! This either makes us "loyal customers" or "pathetic creatures of habit", but we're not sure which.
We did our training while up at the Cape as well. My roommate from college, Beth, is training for San Diego as well. She lives outside of Boston, and came out to the Cape for an overnight. We were able to go out for an early morning (read CHILLY) walk on Saturday morning together. We also dragged our friend Sarah along, even though she's not in training!
Our fundraising is going well. It's interesting to get responses back-- SO many people have friends or family members affected by blood cancers! We hope through our efforts and those of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, that someday, NOBODY will have to say "Oh, my dad had lymphoma" or "my boyfriend in college had leukemia as a kid". Someday we'll find a cure so this is all a distant memory.
Our good friend Kate's dad, Rich Fee, was battling Lymphoma just before Paul and Kate got married a couple of years ago. An old co-worker's uncle died from non-Hodgkin's. When I was in college, I nannied for a family whose middle daughter had Leukemia. A friend of our family ran in the San Diego marathon twice (GO KERRY!) for a friend of hers. So we're not just walking for Grandma now, we're walking for all of these people! We'll GET GOING for them, too!
Thank you all again, dear friends, for your support. You can't imagine how it helps motivate us through this journey!
-Sara
You'll all be happy to read that I don't have pertussis. I am actually feeling better. I still have an occasional cough that I can't quite get rid of, but I have alot more energy! I am back at work and busy as ever.
We had a nice weekend in Cape Cod. We left on Tuesday night to try and beat the weather, and I am so glad we did. We would probably have had to wait until Thursday, because my mom told us it was brutal in Philadelphia! The Cape was mostly ice, so we stayed in all day on Weds. We were able to go out to a nice dinner that night for Valentine's Day. We went to the Captain Linnell House in Orleans, which is possibly our FAVORITE on the Cape. We must go there alot, because our waiter recognized us! This either makes us "loyal customers" or "pathetic creatures of habit", but we're not sure which.
We did our training while up at the Cape as well. My roommate from college, Beth, is training for San Diego as well. She lives outside of Boston, and came out to the Cape for an overnight. We were able to go out for an early morning (read CHILLY) walk on Saturday morning together. We also dragged our friend Sarah along, even though she's not in training!
Our fundraising is going well. It's interesting to get responses back-- SO many people have friends or family members affected by blood cancers! We hope through our efforts and those of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, that someday, NOBODY will have to say "Oh, my dad had lymphoma" or "my boyfriend in college had leukemia as a kid". Someday we'll find a cure so this is all a distant memory.
Our good friend Kate's dad, Rich Fee, was battling Lymphoma just before Paul and Kate got married a couple of years ago. An old co-worker's uncle died from non-Hodgkin's. When I was in college, I nannied for a family whose middle daughter had Leukemia. A friend of our family ran in the San Diego marathon twice (GO KERRY!) for a friend of hers. So we're not just walking for Grandma now, we're walking for all of these people! We'll GET GOING for them, too!
Thank you all again, dear friends, for your support. You can't imagine how it helps motivate us through this journey!
-Sara
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Pertussis, anyone??
Well, the saga of my recent illness continues... I ended up being out of work for about 10 days altogether! I tried to go back after a week, but I only made it through half the day. I went back to work last Thursday, and aside from a cough I can't seem to kick and being REALLY tired, I seemed to do okay. On Friday, we got some concerning news though; one of our receptionists had been sick during the same time as me, and she was diagnosed with Pertussis (Whooping Cough). It's one of the things that we are all immunized against as babies, but it can wear off over time. So anyway, it's really contagious, and since I was the only one that was THAT sick around the same time, I had to be tested as well. I can't go back until I can prove that I am pertussis free (just FYI, the chances of actually having it are really small-- I would not have gotten much better after the last course of antibiotics that I took). It's just been a pain in the neck; I've had to miss more work. I just can't seem to kick this cough, but for the most part, I feel better than I did.
Our training continues-- Dan is doing so well!!!! Last weekend, he did 8 miles with the group at Valley Forge Park. I did 4 miles, since none of us thought it would be a good idea to push too hard. I am still struggling with the "half vs. full" issue. I have talked to my coaches, to my family, to my friends, and it seems everyone is just as unsure as me. I get a lot of different opinions. I think, though, that I have come up with a plan. I am going to practice for the full marathon until our re-commitment date (when we commit to our fundraising goal of $9,000) in mid March. If, at that point, I think I will be unable to complete the full marathon, then I will opt to finish the half. For now I am just going to keep one foot in front of the other and work really hard!
I am getting back on track this week with training. We are going up to Cape Cod to visit my grandparents for my Grandpa's 79th Birthday this weekend, so our weekend training will be up there. Next week, we are back at Kelly Drive in Philadelphia.
Team In Training had our big kickoff celebration last week-- it was great! We met our team heroes, patients and their families who have been helped, or are continuing to receive support from the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. It sounds cheesy, but it was a really inspirational night for me. Hearing some of our heroes' stories made all of us laugh, cry, and remember why we want to do this. The bottom line is, we could train for any old marathon- but we're doing THIS marathon to raise money for a very important organization.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to our fundraising efforts thus far! If you haven't gotten one already, we will be sending out individual thank you notes. We really appreciate your support, and want to make sure you know that your contributions will make a big difference! We still have a long way to go to reach our goal, but we're confident that we'll make it! Thank you all so much!
-Sara
Our training continues-- Dan is doing so well!!!! Last weekend, he did 8 miles with the group at Valley Forge Park. I did 4 miles, since none of us thought it would be a good idea to push too hard. I am still struggling with the "half vs. full" issue. I have talked to my coaches, to my family, to my friends, and it seems everyone is just as unsure as me. I get a lot of different opinions. I think, though, that I have come up with a plan. I am going to practice for the full marathon until our re-commitment date (when we commit to our fundraising goal of $9,000) in mid March. If, at that point, I think I will be unable to complete the full marathon, then I will opt to finish the half. For now I am just going to keep one foot in front of the other and work really hard!
I am getting back on track this week with training. We are going up to Cape Cod to visit my grandparents for my Grandpa's 79th Birthday this weekend, so our weekend training will be up there. Next week, we are back at Kelly Drive in Philadelphia.
Team In Training had our big kickoff celebration last week-- it was great! We met our team heroes, patients and their families who have been helped, or are continuing to receive support from the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. It sounds cheesy, but it was a really inspirational night for me. Hearing some of our heroes' stories made all of us laugh, cry, and remember why we want to do this. The bottom line is, we could train for any old marathon- but we're doing THIS marathon to raise money for a very important organization.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to our fundraising efforts thus far! If you haven't gotten one already, we will be sending out individual thank you notes. We really appreciate your support, and want to make sure you know that your contributions will make a big difference! We still have a long way to go to reach our goal, but we're confident that we'll make it! Thank you all so much!
-Sara
Friday, February 2, 2007
Just a guy named "Frank" and a girl named "Typhoid Mary"
"You're a nurse? Awesome! I LOVE NURSES!"
That was one of the first things that an average guy named Frank said to me. After only a couple of hours, though, I learned that he wasn't just an average guy, he was my hero. Frank is one of our Team In Training heroes, and came to our practice at Valley Forge last weekend. Frank is about our age, just an ordinary guy who went to his doctor for a checkup a few years ago. When he pointed out a lump, he expected his physician to just reassure him. He ended up with a diagnosis of Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Frank and his wife walked in the Anchorage Half Marathon last June. The whole team was really honored that Frank came to our practice; it helped to remind us why we were out on another COLD weekend morning!
I started out slower than the rest of the group-- again! I was so frustrated! It seems like the first 2 miles is hardest for me. Once I get there, I have discovered that I pretty much feel like I could walk for 4 more days. But so much of my journey so far has been in my head. My self doubt is a really hard thing to overcome! I really struggle in deciding between the half and full marathon distances. I walked a good bit of the way with my fundraising mentor, Cheryl, who told me about her experiences in training for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon last month. (It is now my life's goal to walk the Disney Marathon too, but one race at a time...) I was able to complete 4 of the 5 miles.
On the way back, our hero Frank walked with us. It was so great to get to talk to him, and learn a little bit more about him and his family, and their battle with Lymphoma. Frank said that he understood how I felt about the half vs. full issue. But he pointed out that the half is JUST as great as the full. It's a full 13.1 miles, and that's a long freakin' way! Frank talked about all the help that he got from the Society when he was too sick to work. And that needs to be my goal-- not 13 miles or 26 miles or 500 miles. My goal is to raise money to help other ordinary guys like Frank. So that someday, guys like Frank won't have to know what it is to fight for their lives against an enemy they can't even see. So I'll put one foot right in front of the other one, and no matter HOW long it takes me, half or full, I'll cross the finish line for all the average guys!
Sadly, my training has not been going very well this week. I unfortunately came down with a cold last weekend. I was feeling semi-crummy on Friday, but stuck it out for practice on Saturday. My theory was, if I wasn't willing to cancel my lunch plans with my friend Nicole, that I wasn't willing to stay home from practice. But by Saturday night, it was clear that I was really sick. On Monday morning, I called out sick from work, and went to the doctor. He gave me some antibiotics, and I called the office to cancel all my patients for Tuesday. By Weds., my fever was about 103.5 and I was completely miserable. I told Dan that if I started seeing pink orangutans swinging from the stairs that he needed to take me to the hospital! Luckily, we were the only primates in the house for the rest of the week. I went back to the doctor on Weds., I have new antibiotics and a fancy inhaler, and a diagnosis of probably pneumonia. My friend Heidi has nicknamed me "Typhoid Mary" this week. So needless to say, the only walking I have been doing is the trail between the bed and the couch!
Well, dear friends, sorry it's been so long since there's been an update. The fundraising letters should be all finished by Saturday- so check your mailboxes! I have to look at the practice schedule to update our total mileage. I look forward to updating the fundraising numbers as well! Thanks everyone for all your support!
-Sara
That was one of the first things that an average guy named Frank said to me. After only a couple of hours, though, I learned that he wasn't just an average guy, he was my hero. Frank is one of our Team In Training heroes, and came to our practice at Valley Forge last weekend. Frank is about our age, just an ordinary guy who went to his doctor for a checkup a few years ago. When he pointed out a lump, he expected his physician to just reassure him. He ended up with a diagnosis of Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Frank and his wife walked in the Anchorage Half Marathon last June. The whole team was really honored that Frank came to our practice; it helped to remind us why we were out on another COLD weekend morning!
I started out slower than the rest of the group-- again! I was so frustrated! It seems like the first 2 miles is hardest for me. Once I get there, I have discovered that I pretty much feel like I could walk for 4 more days. But so much of my journey so far has been in my head. My self doubt is a really hard thing to overcome! I really struggle in deciding between the half and full marathon distances. I walked a good bit of the way with my fundraising mentor, Cheryl, who told me about her experiences in training for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon last month. (It is now my life's goal to walk the Disney Marathon too, but one race at a time...) I was able to complete 4 of the 5 miles.
On the way back, our hero Frank walked with us. It was so great to get to talk to him, and learn a little bit more about him and his family, and their battle with Lymphoma. Frank said that he understood how I felt about the half vs. full issue. But he pointed out that the half is JUST as great as the full. It's a full 13.1 miles, and that's a long freakin' way! Frank talked about all the help that he got from the Society when he was too sick to work. And that needs to be my goal-- not 13 miles or 26 miles or 500 miles. My goal is to raise money to help other ordinary guys like Frank. So that someday, guys like Frank won't have to know what it is to fight for their lives against an enemy they can't even see. So I'll put one foot right in front of the other one, and no matter HOW long it takes me, half or full, I'll cross the finish line for all the average guys!
Sadly, my training has not been going very well this week. I unfortunately came down with a cold last weekend. I was feeling semi-crummy on Friday, but stuck it out for practice on Saturday. My theory was, if I wasn't willing to cancel my lunch plans with my friend Nicole, that I wasn't willing to stay home from practice. But by Saturday night, it was clear that I was really sick. On Monday morning, I called out sick from work, and went to the doctor. He gave me some antibiotics, and I called the office to cancel all my patients for Tuesday. By Weds., my fever was about 103.5 and I was completely miserable. I told Dan that if I started seeing pink orangutans swinging from the stairs that he needed to take me to the hospital! Luckily, we were the only primates in the house for the rest of the week. I went back to the doctor on Weds., I have new antibiotics and a fancy inhaler, and a diagnosis of probably pneumonia. My friend Heidi has nicknamed me "Typhoid Mary" this week. So needless to say, the only walking I have been doing is the trail between the bed and the couch!
Well, dear friends, sorry it's been so long since there's been an update. The fundraising letters should be all finished by Saturday- so check your mailboxes! I have to look at the practice schedule to update our total mileage. I look forward to updating the fundraising numbers as well! Thanks everyone for all your support!
-Sara
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