Eeek

I went to my fundraising page yesterday and had a minor freak-out - it said I have raised "$0.00". AAAAHHHH!!! I emailed our campaign manger, though, and she assured me it's because I switched race locations and it takes about 2 weeks to transfer the money. PHEW!

I'm a friggin' genius

The other day, I thought I came up with the best idea ever - after the half-marathon, I would set myself, mom, sister, and family friend, up for massages. I've since learned this is such a great idea, almost everyone does it. Okay, so I'm not that original, but I'm still excited. Has anyone ever been to a spa in downtown Seattle that you'd like to recommend? I'm open to just picking a place out of the phonebook, but I'd love a recommendation too.

Is it bad that I'm already looking forward to it?

Drumroll please....

...and the course is up on the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle website!

7:00 am – MARATHON & HALF MARATHON START

• 0.0 Interurban Ave S. at Foster Golf Links
• Right at Boeing Access Rd.
• 2.8 Left at Martin Luther King Jr. Way S.
• 4.0 Right at Cloverdale St.
• 4.6 Right at Wabash Ave. S.
• 4.8 Left at Seward Park Ave. S.
• Stay right at the Y to Seward Park Ave. S.
• 6.7 Right at Juneau St., short loop around circle
• 6.8 Right at Lake Washington Blvd.
• 10.1 Lake Washington Blvd. becomes Lakeside Drive
• 10.3 Left at Day St., then quick right up to I-90
• 10.35 Left onto I-90 express lanes
• 12.6 Exit from I-90 express lanes, left on Airport Way
• Right at 4th Ave.
• 12.8 Stay left at 2nd Ave. Ext. S.
• Left at Washington St., then quick left to 2nd Ave. S.,
• 13.1 FINISH on 2nd Ave. S. between Jackson St. and King St.
  FINISH - 2nd Ave. S. between Jackson St. and King St.

Oh yeah, we're running on the Interstate (I'm sure it will be closed)! We finish really close to the full marathoners, so we should be able to see some of the best and first marathoners finish right when we are. They also posted an elevation chart:

I know it's hard to read without enlarging it, so I'll paraphrase - there's a hill that climbs about 200 feet (the first large blue peak) for a full mile - yowza! After that, it's fairly flat until Mile 10, where there is quick climb up to 150 feet and then rolling hills for two miles. The part I love: being a half-marathoner, I completely miss that large green four-mile blob of a hill that the full marathoners have to take on.

I hate it when they use my body in pictures and don't put my name underneath

At the Saturday trainings, a lot of people share their Runners World magazine. I've never delved into this magazine (okay, I once picked it up at the gym because it was either that or Family Cirle), feeling like I wasn't really part of that crowd, but now that I'm running more, I figure there's got to be some good tips in there. I set out to buy it, and after going to four stores, I couldn't find it (sheesh!), so I checked it out online. LOTS of information on the site! My favorite find, ironically, isn't directly about running, per say: there's a really good article about building ab strength (no crunches! more like yoga moves), so I thought I'd share (click on my picture to get to the article):

Week 4 (Rest week): Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

This week I hit a wall.

I started out my 2 mile run on Monday thinking it would be super easy - hey, I'd just run 5.5 miles on Saturday! I had an appointment to donate blood at 6, so I drove to downtown AG, parked by the blood donation bus and then set off for my two miles from there. I chose a flat, easy route, fully embracing the concept of a rest week. About 5 minutes into it, I started to really lose focus and have a tough time - I couldn't believe it! I was able to run the entire two miles, but it was a struggle. I guess they know what they're doing, giving us a rest week!



Tuesday was a little better. I needed some milk at the store, so I drove over to Albertsons, parked, and ran from there (there's a definite theme of pairing runs with errands this week). All of Arroyo Grande on that side of the freeway is pretty hilly, so I was expecting there to be some hills. In my haste, however, I did not click on "check elevation" and missed the 9% hill in mile two! Yikes! I knew my run was basically going around a large block. At the start I looked down and could see the other side of the block (never a good sign), way down there. Crap. I ran up about 75% of the hill, but then, I must admit, I had to walk the last minute. I'm ok with it, too. I was going much faster walking than running!

Wednesday I walked about 4.0 miles in the morning on the beach doing a snowy plover survey (whoo! season's starting). I came home, went to the beach and ran 2 miles (most of it was along the boardwalk), showered, then went back to work for frog surveys (probably another two miles of walking). Boy, my legs are tired today! I think I will take today and tomorrow off, to get them to recoop before running on Saturday. I'll still be plenty active today, just not doing the workout thing. I have to give the dogs a bath, which is always a workout in and of itself (holding one dog down, dragging the other one over to get washed - there's stretching, squats, arm workouts)

Comments

I fixed the comments setting - anyone should be able to comment now. Thanks for the heads-up Nikki

An Unexpected Benefit

I've recently discovered an unexpected benefit of training for this half-marathon: a new perspective on my body.

I've been working out regularly (5-6 times per week) since I was 14. When I was 14, I went to physical therapy for the rheumatoid arthritis in my right knee (it was flaring up) and the physical therapist put me on a workout schedule - I needed to work out to 1) strengthen the muscles around my knee to better support it and 2) keep my weight down (to put less pressure on my knee).

I have to admit: since that session, I've been working out religiously - at times obsessively, for the last 13 years. To be frank, it hasn't always been a healthy habit. Up until three years ago, I couldn't even take a vacation without feeling guilty for not working out. I'd love to lie and say it was because I didn't want my knee to get weak, but let's be honest - I was obsessed with gaining weight. Anyone who's been chubby at one time in their life can probably identify with me. It's taken a lot of practice and determination to force myself to take days off in the last 13 years - say, when I'm sick, or really tired.

Still, my only purpose for working out has ever been to stay in shape. This type of goal - to keep your size down - is a really tough goal!! No matter what, you never feel like you're winning or improving, you're just maintaining.

Now that my goal has changed to running a half-marathon, my whole perspective on my body has changed. Now that I have a concrete goal to work towards, I no longer care about my size or my weight - I care about my strength and staying injury-free. I realize low-mileage and rest days for what they are - vitally important to the training. Feeling myself improve and get stronger has been so rewarding. I hope that after I complete this marathon I will take this attitude with me, because it's much improved!

Week 3: Saturday

Saturday was our Team in Training Group run - it was scheduled to be a 5.0 mile run. I was pretty nervous to run it, because I'd never run more than 4.0 miles before in my life. I was confident, however, that my training had prepared me to get to this point. I really love the fact that we have so long to train - the very gradual increase in mileage and rest weeks are really working to my advantage. I am very happy to report the run was GREAT. TNT chose a beautiful route (out on Orcutt Rd) with two semi-steep short hills between miles 3 and 4.

When we arrived at the water station, which is usually situated at about the half-way point, I had kinda forgotten to expect it. My heart sunk a little bit when I saw it, because I couldn't believe we were only half-way. Then I looked at my watch and it said 45:00 min - we were at mile 4! The last "mile" seemed like a breeze after that.

I was really proud of myself. When I told our team half-marathon mentor it was the longest I'd ever run, she was really surprised and said "but it seems like it's really easy for you (because I run with her, yeah, I know, I'm that student who hangs out with the teacher...)" - and she was right - it was coming easy to me. I could NOT believe it! I'd finished my longest run ever - 5.0 miles (or so I thought). When I went to map it on mapmyrun.com this morning, I discovered it was actually 5.5 miles - who hoo!!!!!! I've run farther than I thought! It made more sense, too, with my time - 1 hr 3 minutes. When I first saw that time, I was kinda surprised, because I didn't think I'd slowed my pace down that much.

I'm going to take a well-deserved rest Sunday.

After the run, I stopped by the Farmers Market in the SLO Promenade (by Bed Bath and Beyond) to get produce for the week. I'm going to make it my new weekly ritual - it's a great market! The prices were very competitive - and usually way cheaper than the grocery store - and it was all local. There were also many pesticide-free options to buy. See my blog post - Diet Overhaul - to see my new change of eating.

Hard Decision

Today, I made a hard decision - I decided to switch to the Seattle Half-Marathon on June 27 instead of the Anchorage, Alaska Half-Marathon on June 20. I was really really excited about going to Alaska and running that course, but Seattle won me over. Here's why:

Mike realized that he is working waaaay too much to train for a half-marathon. Also, because he teaches at three different community colleges, his breaks don't overlap and he wouldn't be able to stay in Alaska for longer than the weekend. It's just not worth it to spend $650 on a plane ticket to fly him up there for just two days. So, it looked like I was going to Alaska by myself. Which I was okay with.

Until I was talking to my mom, who mentioned that she has a non-transferable, non-refundable plane ticket on Alaska Airlines that expires July 1st - and she would LOVE to use it on a trip to Seattle. At which point my sister chimed in that if my mom was going to Seattle, she would too. Then, my mom said our good family friends who live on Friday Harbor would probably take the ferry over for the race day. The thought of having family and friends present for me crossing the finish line in my first half-marathon won me over.

So, instead of hearing me say "Alaska this" and "Alaska that," I'll have to switch it to "Seattle this, Seattle that." I'm still a little bummed I won't be going to Alaska in June, but I'll get there eventually. I've been to Seattle once before, and I loved it. It was over ten years ago, so I am really looking forward to visiting it again!

Go Seattle!!

Week 3: Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday

My training schedule got a little squirrely this week, due to evening commitments, but I still managed to get three runs in during the week. The first two days (Sunday and Tuesday) were two-milers. On Sunday, before yoga, I stopped by Big 5 and decided I would just run from there. It was a good run, and it felt really easy. The only hard part was running past one of our favorite sushi restaurants and seeing a guy mixing salad - outside, with a cigarette in his mouth. I'm hoping he was just throwing it away and I saw it wrong... Here's that route:



On Wednesday, I did more downtown Arroyo Grande 2.0 miler and I managed to shave another 30 seconds off my run. I'm not trying to (I don't really look at my watch during the run), but I am pleased to see I'm getting faster. I've noticed my heart rate (I wear a heart rate monitor) is staying lower, too - my body is finally getting the hand of this running thing!

I had Thursday off, so I went for a run on the beach in Pismo. I used to run here 2-3 times per week when we first got Puck, but then his elbow went bad and I couldn't take him running anymore. Then, we got Nugget, and I only succeeded in taking him twice - he was (okay, still is) nuts! They were the most frustrating runs I've ever been on - every time he saw a bird or person, he'd veer right, taking me with him. Those of you who know Pismo beach know there are a lot of birds and people there! Using mapmyrun.com, I found out that my old route was 4.5 miles - oh man! I had no idea I was running that far. I guestimated it was about 3.5 miles. So, I did about three-quarters of it today, since it was only a 3 mile day. The soft sand felt like heaven on my knees and back, too. I'll probably be running there more often...

I couldn't ask for a more beautiful day or better view.

Yoga at 105 degrees

This week, I joined some girlfriends for Bikram yoga. Bikram yoga is a 90 minute series of 26 poses and 2 breathing exercises in a room heated to 105 degrees with a humidity of 40%. It's a pretty strict form of yoga, with definite time limits of how long you hold poses. It's also strict in the sense that there's no talking, you can only drink water at certain times, and if you need to come out of pose, you need to do it in between poses so you don't distract others (which makes no sense, because if I need to come out of a pose, it's because I can't hold it the entire time...). Anyway, as you can imagine, people are intense in there. I bought a 10 day unlimited use pass and fully expected to maximize its use.

My first day was Sunday afternoon, and I was a little nervous - I generally don't like heat and I dislike working out in it even more. But I know there are people who are borderline addicted to Bikram and swear by the many benefits of doing yoga in such a hot room (removes toxins from your body, makes your muscles more flexible), so I wanted to give it a shot. I was very surprised to find out that my first Bikram experience was very difficult - not physically difficult so much as mentally difficult. I was familiar with all the poses (though they do them a little differently in Bikram), but it was the 90 minute session in such a hot room that really tested my patience and concentration.

Don't get me wrong, the physical part of Bikram was trying at times. Bikram takes relatively simple and easy poses and makes you hold them for a long while. Then you repeat. The instructor stands at the front of the room (another objection: I usually prefer a yoga instructor who actually does the poses with you. That way, they know when to come out of the pose) and chants: "push, harder, harder, harder." It was at this point (during Pose #1, mind you) that I looked up and could have sworn the instructor had little red horns on her head, and wait, was that a forked tail?

Okay, maybe the heat was making me see things. Here are all the good things about my Bikram experience: I did come out of the class feeling pretty strong for accomplishing the 90 minutes. I was also resolved to return. For one, I was going to get my money's worth and two, I've always heard you need to try something new at least three times. So, I returned on Tuesday, with two additional friends in tow. After we left the class, they were saying the same things I said on Sunday night (which made me feel a little vindicated). More importantly, however, I felt better. The class was a little easier for me (mentally), and I preferred the new instructor. Also, I had started feeling like I was getting a cold on Saturday (Mike had been sick all week). Usually, if Mike is sick, there's a 99.9% chance I will come down with it a few days later. Knock on wood, it's Thursday and I feel great. I have a strong suspicion the Bikram helped. I don't think I'll be signing up for a monthly pass, but I am glad I tried it again.

Support

My letters went out on Saturday and many of you received yours yesterday. I've been a little nervous this last few days - you see, I've never been a fan of fundraising. Even in middle school, I shied away from participating in magazine drives, selling chocolate, etc - I just hate bugging people for money! From the beginning of my commitment to Team In Training, I've been waaaay more nervous about the fundraising than running the 13 miles (a little crazy, huh)! My mentors at Team In Training did a great job of convincing me that this fundraising is a little different - it's not raising money for me, it's raising money for a cure for cancer. That gave me the necessary courage to drop the letters in the mail and post a message on Facebook.

I've still been a bit nervous, though. What if people feel like I'm guilting them into donating and begrudge me? What if people are angry I even asked because the economy is so bad?

Nothing could have prepared me for the outpouring of support I've gotten. Yesterday I got many calls from people, excited to donate and supportive of my goal. It has felt UNBELIEVABLE. Every time I get an email telling me someone donated online, I look and I will admit, I get very emotional (though I haven't cried yet). It just means so much to me that people are so supportive and generous. So, a BIG thank you. A HUGE Thank you.
Thank you for cheering me on.
Thank you for being supportive.
Thank you for giving whatever you can. I know this economy stinks, and every donation is MUCH APPRECIATED (though not expected!).

Fundraising Letter in the Mail

This weekend I sent out my fundraising letter, be expecting yours in the mail. Here it is, in case you want a sneak preview or don't get yours:

February 10, 2009

Dear Friend:

I am about to embark on a very exciting journey… This journey is something that may surprise you. I am training to complete the Mayor’s Half-Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska in June as well as fundraising $6,000.00 to help find a cure for blood cancers. As you may know, I have had arthritis in my right knee since I was four. It is now in remission and I am very new to running, so I have joined Team In Training (TNT) to help me make it across the finish line.
When my dad was diagnosed with Stage II pancreatic cancer in January of 2004, his oncologist decided to try a relatively new combination of chemotherapy drugs. This new chemo cocktail was showing promising results in the usually deadly pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of all cancers – less than 5% of people diagnosed will live five years. My dad underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments until September 2004. As of this January 2009, he is five years post-diagnosis and cancer free!

I also lost my grandmother to uterine cancer in 1997. I have an investment in cancer research, for my own long-term health! Continuing cancer research to find advanced treatments for the disease is essential to ultimately curing cancer. Since its formation in 1949, more than 380,000 TNT participants have raised more than $950 million for blood cancer research and patient services. I now get to be part of this amazing program!

If you have a friend or family member you’d like me to run in honor or memory of, please let me know and I will pin their name to my race day jersey. It will be a reminder when the pain sets in that I have a purpose and my ability to run should not be taken for granted.

The goal is that 75% of my participation minimum of $4,900.00 goes directly to research and patient services. All donations are 100% tax deductible, and our tax ID is 13-5644916. Feel free to pass this along to your friends & family. Also check to see if your company has a matching gifts program, it’s an easy way to double your donation! Every bit helps bring us closer to the finish line, and we'll get there with your help!

Please join me as I train for a cure by filling out the enclosed donor form, giving whatever donation you’d like and mail it back to me by March 7, 2009. Make all checks payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I do not need your money – the patients and future diagnosed do! You can also donate online on my TNT page at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/anchor09/cholmesrvg
Please check my blog (runningtoalaska.blogspot.com) often to track my training and cheer me on!

Thank you for taking the time and consideration to read this. No donation is too small! I truly appreciate your support.

Sincerely,



Christy (Elder) Holmes

P.S. I encourage you to review the Team In Training web site (www.teamintraining.org/los) or call their toll-free number 1-888-577-4868, to learn more about the Team In Training program Me with my favorite workout partners, Puck and Nugget

Week 2 Recap

Week 2 was a very encouraging week for me! Heavy rains put me in the gym on the treadmill twice last week, but don't worry, I had it set at a 1% grade to simulate running outside (and hey, since I'm still paying a gym membership, I might as well use it once in a while...)

Monday: Treadmill - this was my first time on the treadmill since I started training, and man, is it boring! I keep forgetting to charge my IPOD so it was just me and CNN on the TV.

Tuesday: I did the pre-training week's Downtown AG Loop. I had my first book club meeting (yipee!!) at 6:30 pm, and since I get home at 4:45 pm, I needed to be efficient. I was so excited - just a bit of motivation and I shaved three minutes off my time. It felt really good! The book club was fun, too :)

Wednesday: Back on the treadmill. Equally as boring, but I did have motivation to quicken the pace at the end and get going - this really weird guy got on the treadmill next to me. I was at the gym in SLO - I usually go to the Kennedy Club Fitness in AG - so it wasn't the usual crowd. This guy was wearing jeans, an oversized button-up flannel, heavy leather boots, and a hat with mosquito net covering his neck and face. Running on the treadmill. Quickly and singing (very loudly). He wasn't wearing headphones so it was just a song in his head. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was training for a remote cross-country run/backpacking trip (if that even exists...). I'll also give him props for being able to run in heavy boots, clothing, and sing loudly. That alone takes a lot of energy and breath! When he started making comments to the person on the treadmill on his other side, I decided to finish up (I wasn't feeling too talkative).

Thursday: Today I had to do a snowy plover survey, which was similar to last week, except I had to walk back (last week I got a ride), so it was almost twice as long. High tide and big waves today! This was my cross-training day.

Friday: Rest day!

Saturday: First Team In Training group run and I loved it! Running in a group is great - it makes the time fly by and gives you that extra push to go a little faster. I was nervous about running the four miles, but it was relatively easy! I think the gradual increase in mileage is really working out for me! We met at Meadow Park in San Luis Obispo at 7:30 am. Lucky for us, it was clear (though really cold), so we got running. One big hill, one small hill, one small downhill, and the rest flat. My first two miles were 9 minute miles and my second two I slowed down to 12 minute miles, which is a little backwards, but I'll get the hang of it. I was proud, nonetheless. Now, I need to go get a hydration belt and running gloves (my hands were numb the first two miles). I did go out and buy some new Underarmour workout clothes, too.

Week 1 Recap

Ok, so I get a F for blogging last week. Sorry about that! Here's a recap:

Sunday: After my very hilly three mile run on Saturday, I decided to do an hour of yoga on Sunday to loosen up. When I started training for this half-marathon, I thought the shorter workouts in the first weeks of the training would be a perfect opportunity for me to start incorporating more yoga into my routine - I've fallen off the yoga wagon in a big way lately. I found a great website, yogatoday.com, which posts a new sixty minute yoga video daily. Every day, the workout focuses on something new (i.e. yoga for digestion, yoga for spinal flexibility, etc). I started incorporating shoulder-stands and the yoga felt great ... until the next day, when my hamstrings were SO sore. I couldn't believe that my first real pain from training was from a day of yoga and not running. I resolved to start stretching better after runs.

Monday: Mike and I have a standing date to run every Monday (the only weeknight he doesn't have to work). I took him on the Falcon crest run, from last Wednesday. He enjoyed the sights but not the hills. I didn't remember it being that hilly!

Tuesday: My hamstrings were still SO sore today, so I decided to take a day off of running. I had to do a snowy plover survey at work, and our beach is almost exactly two miles long. I figured it was perfect. The walk loosened me up but didn't add any stress to my already achy body. I also always love a good bird watching session. :)

Wednesday: I cannot for the life of me remember where I ran on Wednesday. It's crazy how your memory goes...

Thursday: I had today off, so I took a bike ride on my new-to-me road bike. I bought it off of Craigslist for $150. It rained in the morning but the sun peaked out and I was able to steal away for 40 minutes. Even though I'd been (up until lately) taking a 60 min spin class twice a week, it has not prepared me for road biking, which I found challenging.

Friday: Rest day, aahhh! We drove up to San Jose to visit my parents

Saturday: My sister has been going to a fancy yoga studio in Los Gatos for the last year or so and has been asking me to join her for a Saturday morning yoga session for months. Now that my shoulder's healed up (I wasn't doing yoga for about six months because of a pinched nerve in my right shoulder), I couldn't get out of it... ha ha, actually I was very much looking forward to it. I even went out Friday night a bought a new yoga mat, since my last one was not as sticky as it used to be. We showed up to the class about 20 minutes early to get a good seat. The yoga studio is so nice, very beautiful! The really crazy thing about the class which was really unsettling at first was the fact the studio is kept at a temperature between 85 and 95 degrees (and it wasn't even a Bikram class, that class is held at a temperature between 95 and 104 degrees!). I was so uncomfortable, sweating while I just waited for the class to start! But after about ten minutes, I got used to it, and I noticed my muscles felt much better, very loose! Also, my skin looked amazing afterwards (no dark circles under my eyes!). Another first was the class was 90 minutes long - I've never done yoga for that long before. All forty people in the class were pretty darn good at yoga, too. I definitely held my own but was not able to do all the poses!

Oh, and the yoga instructor was NOT human! First off, she didn't sweat! I was sweating just waiting for the class to start!! Second, she was so stick thin. Third, she was phenomenal at yoga - she could do things I can only hope to one day be able to do.