Hills! part deux(ish)

In March I wrote about my first experience doing hill repeats & circuit drills.

Today I did them again. For the rest of the summer team this was the second round of hills/circuits (apparently I missed the first - darn it)

It was much different this time. Not necessarily easier but knowing what I was in for sure helped. There is definately mental aspect to the training.

What a burn, a good sweat, a feeling of accomplishment. All before 8AM.

Me & My Mentee

It was a beautiful day for the run at San Leandro Marina. I ran for about 70 minutes & felt like I was a bit out of shape. I'm glad I asked Mama Lisa for insight before I got to the trail. I would probably have fun 7-9miles and been in major pain. Since I followed the experts advice I was only slightly sore.

Last night's buddy run around the lake was a mixed bag as well. I felt great & ran a faster pace than usual until the last little bit then walked in. My calves are sore today.

My fundraising has been slow but I have a second batch of letters to send out and I'll be co-hosting a bingo night next month. If you haven't had a chance to contribute to the cause please do so now: DONATE

If you've already given but feel some spare cash burning a hole in your pocket feel free to give again: DONATE AGAIN!

Get Back to Work

I'm home from my trip to NOLA. Due to the work schedule & the crazy heat & humidity I ran no miles for the past 2 weeks.

I will test my legs at the buddy run tonight. I hope the 3.2 miles don't wear me out - that would be embarrassing.

This Saturday I'm scheduled to run 7-9 miles. Yikes. I'll let you know how it goes. Mama Lisa told me to go by time, not distance. So I'll run for 75 minutes. No more, no less! We'll see how far that gets me.

That reminds me....I gotta find my running gear.

Away from the training blog

Sorry to leave you with no new posts until Aug 13. I'll be in New Orleans with 25 teens assisting with the continued recovery & rebuilding projects due to hurricane Katrina.

10 days of manual labor in the Gulf Coast heat & humidity. I'll be sure to hydrate - not sure how many miles I'll log in. I'll be busy driving, cooking, herding a bunch of amazing youth who are giving up a chunk of their summer to bring back a little bit of home to those who lost everything in an instant.

This will be my third trip to the destroyed region. It's amazing how much work is still needed.

Keep us in your prayers. I'll be back soon.

Saturday

This past Saturday we had an Honoree Potluck breakfast following my four mile run along the West Shore Trail Check out the topo map to see some of the hills we got to conquor.

Meeting the honorees and hearing their stories of triumph and struggle are reminders of why I'm doing this. I'm not just out there to get in shape. I'm not involved just to meet new people. I do this to help save lives. Just two days before our run 3 year old Harrison lost his battle. As long as we have to suffer through the death of a child, a parent, a friend I will stay connected to this cause.

I hope you will help to find a cure for blood cancers. Please make a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: DONATE TODAY

Last season my team lost honoree Brenda, a 36 year old mother of two young boys. On Saturday her friend shared with us Brenda's last words

Love when you can, it's the best

I agree.

New Honorees - New Updates

UPDATED on 7/20: Harrison passed away yesterday. You can read more of his story & leave a note for his family on his website

a message from his family:

Our brave son, Harrison, passed yesterday morning. He fought really hard. The nurses and doctors at Children's Hospital Oakland & Lucille Salter Packard did all they could to keep Harrison with us. Heartbreak is the only word to describe how we are feeling. Thank you everyone for your love, support, prayers & positive energy. Our beautiful boy touched many lives and we are better people for his brief stay in this world.

If you would like to help find a cure for blood cancers please make a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: DONATE TODAY


Kyle Lane
news from his mom:

Kyle started the last of the intensive phases of treatment last week. It has left him feeling very week. He also is having some trouble swallowing the 10 pills a day he must take. We have been getting by letting them dissolve in apple sauce. His blood counts have stayed relatively high, so he has been able to see the movies Ratatouille and Transformers. He also has been able to visit with his friends Connor and Matthew. Kyle will be turning 9 on July 21st. He's very excited about his upcoming birthday and looks forward to getting together. We hope to get together with people in smaller groups to help keep his exposure to [germs] manageable.

Run to The Lake

This past Sunday our coached training run was to participate in a 5 or 10K race "Run to the Lake" This gives participants the opportunity to experience race day activities, registration, pre-race routines, the thrill of the crowds etc. Being that I've trained a full season I didn't think much of it. I can run 3.2 miles... no problemo.

Well I learned a lesson this weekend. My activities of the day before DO in fact matter. Don't tell my coaches but I played a soccer game on Saturday. It was fun and I played well. Unfortunately I think I wore out my legs the day before a race.

It didn't take long before I felt the familiar burn & sting of the shin splints. I ran (slowly) out to the turn around of the 5K & knew I wouldn't make it all the way to the finish. I walked for about 8 minutes to ease the ache and picked it back up to get to the end. I couldn't get home soon enough to apply my ice-packs. Oh I love ice.

I was 24th place in my age division running an average 13.13 minute mile.

Tonight I attempt to run for 30 minutes at the weekly buddy run. I'll let you know how it goes.

Here's a picture of the course map from Sunday: