Water Bottle Woes

As part of the Team in Training program, all participants are REQUIRED to wear a water bottle belt. I'm not sure how many of you out there are runners, but you might say that the simplicity of running is the appealing part. Put on shorts, t-shirts and shoes and you are out the door. These days, I look more like I'm on some sort of mission...cap, ipod arm band, headphones, water bottle belt with pouch for power gels (saving that for another time), cell phone, shoe tag with runner info, etc. It's kind of like preparing for a back country trip with no mountains in sight. In fact, I think I look even more out of place than the sunburned tourists who wander the DC mall area. Back to the point...

On a recent trip to the local running store (I'm starting to know the employees by name), I purchased the REQUIRED water bottle belt. Warning bells should have gone off when the employees (all frequent marathoners - who actually run the ENTIRE marathon) sort of looked down at their feet, possibly trying not to grimace. Well, I tried the water bottle belt - 4 times. The last time, it ended up on the side of the trail with a sign attached saying "please, someone steal me." You see, it's just not possible to run with a holstered water bottle and belt. Each step you take causes the bottle to bounce up and down, which causes the belt to loosen, which causes the belt to slide off the hip area, and you get the idea. I'm sure it works for some, but my advice: Do not buy this kind of water bottle.

The good news, I went to another running store. After explaining my problem, the guy says to me "yeah, we don't normally recommend that kind." Hmmmm...interesting. He did redirect me to the FUEL BELT. Sounds like something an astronaut would wear, right? I put it on and ran around the entire store. No bounce. No loosening. Bought it, ran 5 miles with it, and love it! The point of my story... if you ever decide to run a marathon, read my diary first. You'll save a lot of money not making my mistakes!

Despite the sometimes fun and funny experiences of this training program, I am frequently reminded of why I'm doing this. As some of you know, my husband, Steve, is currently doing rotations for the physician assistant program. Sadly, many of his patients are HIV positive. His message to you is this...these are real people, real lives that have been completely devastated by this disease. Often, the stigma of HIV/AIDS creates losses that are more painful than the physical. People lose jobs, financial security, friends, family members all because of this stigma. Please, please take a look at the website for the Whitman Walker Clinic by clicking on the link on the right side of the page. You are supporting a great cause!

Change of Attitude

When I initially thought of joining a team in training event, I wasn't really concerned (or all that aware of) the marathon location. As I learned more about New Orleans, it sounded like as good a place as any to run 26.2 miles. Of course, all that changed dramatically when Katrina hit, and I was really looking forward not only to raising money to fight AIDS, but also to bring some business back to this city.

One week exactly after training started, BIG disappointment! We were notified that the marathon is changing locations...to Miami, Florida. Understandably, the AIDS marathon hotel contract was cancelled to allow for FEMA relief workers, and there is speculation that the actual Mardi Gras Marathon will not go on as planned. Therefore, the AIDS marathon corporate headquarters decided to act now and find us a new place to run our miles. I spent the last few days trying to get over it, and to become excited about Miami (remember, we'll be training during a DC winter, then running a marathon in 75 degree weather with humidity - wasn't that the reason I chose not to do a spring/summer training program?). Plus, for those of you who know about my water phobia, a major portion of this race is near, next to, and over water. On bridges (who knew there were so many?). Over a whole lot of water. And sharks. Pre-race therapy needed, maybe?

So, enough whining, I'm moving on...and hopefully you are moving along with me. Normally, my pace group will meet on Saturdays, but this weekend, I decided to run the Alexandria Gulf Coast Relief 5k with my friend Marisa. Put together in less than two weeks, it was not ideal racing conditions, but over 3,000 people showed up and raised over $100,000! I have no idea what our times were, or if we were, in fact, even running. My description would be more like, jog, stall, hop, watch out - baby jogger, wait, are those the fast runners? Running directly at us? Oops, the course didn't allow for so many people. As I passed Starbucks, I thought about running in, grabbing a frappucino, and getting right back in the crowd. Probably wouldn't have lost much time. But, it was all about the cause, and it was fun seeing James Carville, Mary Matalin, and Alan Webb (under 4 minute mile man) hanging out with the locals.

I joined Sunday's pace group, which turned out ok since half of us were actually the Saturday group in disguise (all part of the 3,000 runners mentioned above). Only 4 miles today, with lots of enthusiasm and a pretty fast pace. The best part, MAGIC SOCKS!!!!! Katie, if you are reading this...you were right, they ARE awesome. Designed specifically for a left foot and a right foot to help prevent blisters. Those combined with a half size larger shoe, my poor, ugly feet problems have almost disappeared!

Last, a big thank you to all who have donated to this cause. I also appreciate the emails, phone calls, and blog messages. As my family is used to me saying, "I can't change the entire world, but I can make a difference every day." With all of you out there supporting me, I know that this is completely true!!!

First Day of Training

Welcome to my running diary! Here you'll find updates on my training, mileage, and any other crazy facts I feel like sharing with you.

First, let me introduce you to my friend, Frank, who has kept me company on my 5K whims, and who created RunIrisRun.com! This picture was taken after the Herndon Sunrise 5k at Starbucks, of course!!!

Today was the first day of training for the AIDS marathon. I was really nervous leaving this morning, but after meeting several great people who were there to share a common goal, I was convinced I'd made the right decision to join a Team in Training event. We did a 3.5 mile timed "slow" run (timed and slow do not seem compatible, do they?), and were placed in our pace groups. Every Saturday, we'll run together in our groups, gradually increasing the distance. Next week, we'll be heading out for our first 4 mile run together.

Before I leave, I thought I'd share a couple of pictures from Girls Empowerment Weekend! We headed to Virginia Beach for the Rock "n" Roll half marathon. See you next week!