Fundraising Update

Due to some team fundraising activities, and the fact that Steve is writing a huge paper with my laptop (yes, I'm experiencing some separation anxiety), my diary entry this week will be a bit delayed. Be patient, it will be worth it because I've actually got some pictures!

Give yourselves a big cheer because we've made it through the first fundraising deadline. We needed to raise at least $1,000 by Nov. 18 and we've done it! Our total so far is $1600 - halfway to the final goal. My mom suggested that I explain this process a bit, so I will, because when has a mom's advice ever been wrong?

The fundraising is a bit tricky, but can be done in increments. Basically, if you reach the first goal, as we've done, a runner can sign a re-committment form which gives you until December 18 to reach the total goal. At that time, whatever has not been raised gets charged to the runner's credit card. So, I've got about another 6 weeks before I get a talking to by Steve. :) Just kidding, he's a total supporter of this chaos!!!! But...Tina, please no more bad dreams, ok? They psych me out.

Thanks everyone! I know I'm being a bit cheesy, but I've got to tell you - I've been moved to tears so many times when I've seen your names posted on the donation page, when people offer to volunteer, and when reading your messages. YOU are what is making this to be the most incredible experience.

GU

The topic of the week is energy gels. I've never been a long distance runner, so this is a whole new experience for me. The words "energy gel" sound harmless enough, but there is reason to experiment and not take it lightly. Supposedly, a runner should take these packs of 100 calorie goop (more in a minute) every 30-45 minutes during long runs. During my half marathon in September, I ate Tootsie Rolls, which seemed to suit me just fine. Our training program, however, requires that we take some type of energy gel, bar, drink, etc. at least every hour. We were supposed to start this two weeks ago for our 8 mile run, but we were all too chicken. This week, group cohesiveness brought out the bravado, and we each showed up with our pick, to try them out and compare brands/flavors. There are many types...you may have heard of Power Bars, Cliff Bars and Luna Bars. All of those are fairly tolerable, but there are also gels. Power gel, Cliff Shots, and GU seem to be the most popular.

Earlier in the week, I had ventured out to Fleet Feet, (a running store in Adams Morgan) to get a gift certificate for my friend Melissa. It was her birthday, and she's decided to train for her first triathlon. Go Melissa!!!! The selection of energy resources (seriously, it sounds rather dramatic, doesn't it?) was overwhelming. Everything from Espresso to Tangerine to Banana Blitz. Then, you had to choose if you wanted caffeinated or not. When I chose non-caffeinated, the guy behind the counter said, "No caffeine? What's the point of taking one at all?" My reply, "have you seen me on caffeine?" Anyway, I brought my new treats (HA!) to our run site, and tore into them with a frenzy at mile 5.

No, really, it went more like this. Run 5 miles in a really cold drizzle. Bathroom break, all 10 girls trying to take turns with one stall without really slowing our time. Hmmmm... Gather again, resume walking, open the packets, hold your nose, and attempt the first gel. My flavor was Banana Blitz (GU). I was told it tastes like banana pudding. I can tell you firsthand, no way does it taste like banana pudding - at least none that I've ever had! It really was more like banana slime. You slide it out of the pack, into your mouth and swallow. I handled the first bit quite well, but the second part tested my gag reflex and I quickly had to down the Gatorade to survive it. No one was impressed. 10 minutes later, however, we had all resumed a good pace, were chatting again, and realized, WOW, that stuff totally works!!!!! We finished strong, with a good kick at the end, and everyone felt pretty darn cool. In the future, I will be trying new flavors. So far, Banana Blitz and Tangerine have been voted the worst. Strawberry Banana Power Gel is currently #1.

Other events... Maintenance runs have been great. Cooler temperatures, leaves changing color, and lots of good new songs on my iPod shuffle. Yes, I do occasionally run with headphones, much to the dismay of many. I did one run with a couple of group members. We did 5 miles on the Mt. Vernon trail at dusk. A beautiful view of the monuments across the river. It was a little hard to see the trail on the way back, but well worth the experience. Next week, I'm going to try to post some pictures of my favorite running places in DC/VA.

Yay! We've reached the $1500 mark! Many donations have come in this week to get us there, and I'm so thankful for the support. Again, thank you to those who shared memories of friends and loved ones they have lost to AIDS. I will be honored to wear their names when I run 26.2 miles. Until next week...

Group Work

After two years of graduate school, you would think I'd have learned all the rules of group work. It was always the biggest challenge, trying to figure out who was the leader, the follower, the complainer, the worker, etc., for every presentation or project. Well, the intricacies of group work have followed me into the real world, right down to my training pace group. I LOVE running as a group, believe me, running 7 miles in the rain is no time to go it alone. It is challenging, however, to organize 12-18 people, understand the running route (and all the NON-MARKED mile MARKERS), not get lost, run in pairs on one side of the road (so not to become bus ornaments), stay on pace, motivate each other, and not get on each other's nerves. We've all got our insecurities -and opinions about how things should be done- and there are moments where being in a group really is work. This week's run was internally challenging for me for those reasons, and I hope next week I can be a little more patient and LET IT GO! Also, I had a little bit of soreness in my hip joints at the end of this run. Please someone, convince me it's just a passing phase, nothing that a little stretching and ice won't take care of, and not a sign of aging!!!!!

Thanks so much this week to Tina. She's one of my supervisors, a former AIDS marathon finisher, and general supporter. Saturday, she went the extra step, becoming a volunteer, filling water bottles, passing out pretzels and cheering on the pace groups. Although I only saw her in passing, it was really great to see a familiar face out there!

Last, you've probably noticed, we've passed the $1,000 mark!!! As donations are posted to me, I add names to the donor scroll on the donor web page. You can click on the "sponsor me" link at the right hand side of this page to see it. Remember, it does take several days for donations to be posted, so please do not panic if you do not see your name yet. The donations are starting to post and I want to thank you for supporting me and this cause both monetarily and with absolutely awesome notes and emails. Each of you are part of this experience and I hope you are as excited as me!

Tropical Storm Tammy

It was a tough week for running. As we all know, junk food, soda and lack of sleep do not keep the body healthy. What I DIDN'T know is that those things (yes, even in moderation) lead to a really difficult run. Monday, I was pressed for time, did the fast food thing, did not do the water or gatorade thing, and suffered stomach pains and side stitches for my entire 45 minute run. I'm sure my facial expressions were not pleasant. The good news...I finished without a single walk break!!!! I think I'm finally getting the "mental motivation" part down. Lessons learned.

Due to a wonderful visit from Dawn, a Montana friend, I postponed my other maintenance run to Friday morning. It was a cool, cloudy and somewhat muggy morning, but the 3 miles rejuvenated me. If you've ever been to Arlington, you will know that there are plenty of military office buildings with security guards posted in these little "phone booth" type boxes. It's been kind of a game of mine to smile and say "good morning" to see if this one guard would ever say hi, smile, nod, blink... Well, Friday was the day. Maybe because the air was cooler, or the leaves were turning pretty colors, or maybe the inside of his little office box was newly decorated, the guy actually smiled and waved. Perseverance pays off!

Saturday, however, was a day. Tropical storm Tammy had been dumping inches on us since Friday afternoon, and was not planning to stop anytime soon. There's a little blurb in our training manual (which maybe I should have overlooked and gone back to bed), that reads:

"During your six months of training, it is likely that rain will fall...While your instinct may be to cancel your training, running in the rain will better prepare you for the possibility of a rainy marathon day."

Well, I fought my instinct and drove to my group run. Halfway there, I cancelled brunch with a friend, attempted to turn around and go back home. It was not sprinkling or even raining, it was more like the wind was blowing an entire lake onto the car. Every underpass had to be navigated carefully so the car wouldn't be swept away. But, turning around ended up not being a possibility because an accident (probably from a swept away car now floating to the Chesapeake), caused complete gridlock going in the direction of home. So, I went the rest of the way, and joined my dedicated pace group. We ran 7 miles in a complete downpour, trying not to slip on the mud and leaves, trying to ignore the ankle deep puddles, the rain burning our eyeballs, and trying to ignore the tour bus people with their noses pressed against the windows staring at us in disbelief. We tried to say, during the first couple miles, that "running in the rain is fun!" As the miles went by, however, we were saying, "thank god this is not a [26.2, 15, 10, 9, 8] miler. But, we finished, and if that experience can't create group camaraderie, what will?

Before I go, thank you to everyone who has donated, and to all of you who have sent blog messages and emails. You have no idea how motivating the messages are to me!

For a long time, I've been impressed with runners. Runners who complete a 5k in under 20 minutes, run a 4- minute mile, or complete a 100 mile race. Since beginning the team-in-training program, however, I've become more impressed by those who don't do those things. From my first pace group meeting, I've met amazing people who are running - for the first time in their lives - just to support the Whitman Walker Clinic.

This week, pace groups completed the first 6 mile run together. For some of us, 6 miles wasn't too hard, and we had a great time chatting, sharing stories, getting to know each other, and taking in the sights on the DC mall. (Last week, we ran through anti-war protesters; this week, it was a solar panel exhibition where companies built small houses to show off the latest in solar technology. I'm not kidding. ) For some people, though, 6 miles at a 14-minute mile pace took a long time and was not easy. But, they kept smiling, cheering on the faster groups that passed them on the return to home base. One of the "rules" of the program is that faster groups must wait for other groups to finish and cheer them in. It's one of the best rules, because it really is an emotional experience getting a glimpse of these personal victories and watching a group of complete strangers come together for a great cause.

The week also brought an opportunity to volunteer a couple hours of time to the AIDS marathon office. I stuffed envelopes for an upcoming team in training event and got a "behind the scenes" look at what the program representatives do. What a great job! Wear shorts and running shoes to work and plan running related events. Maybe I should switch careers? Just kidding Tina!!!!!

Another great thing about this program is that your training is really laid out for you. You are only required to actually run three times a week, with an emphasis on cross-training the other days. This set-up has rejuvenated me and I've noticed that I've become faster and less fatigued during the weekly "maintenance" runs. I've also become less critical of myself and my times. I can pay more attention to the sights and the happiness of just being outside!

Lastly, I want to thank everyone for checking out my website, sending notes of encouragement (especially Kai - my faithful friend), Shelly for setting up a link on the Wildrose-Alamo website, my mom for telling other people and for constantly looking up addresses, and for all those who have donated! Please do not worry if you do not see your name listed on the donor scroll yet. It takes several days for donations to clear the main headquarters and get posted to me. See you next week!

"You must become the change you wish to see in the world."~Ghandi