We're Off and Running...

Well, almost.

In less than 2 days we'll be hopping on a plane for Orlando! 30 hours after touchdown, Sunday at 2 a.m., we'll be rousing ourselves out of bed to stumble to the bus that will take us to the start line.

The last two months have been weekend after weekend of ever-increasing mileage on long runs, interrupted by an occasional major holiday. Three days before Christmas we hopped on Cliff Cave bikepath, a 5.1 mile loop next to the Mississippi River, and knocked off 4 laps. It was long, it was 18 degrees out, but it was incredibly rewarding. We can do this! Since then we've been tapering down the miles. The ten mile run on the Saturday after Christmas felt like a walk in the park. And I joined my Team in Training teammates for a final five-miler this past Saturday. It will be very strange to not see them all after this weekend.

Speaking of Team in Training, thanks to all who helped me raise $5360(!!) dollars for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in my dad's memory. I'll proudly wear my Team racing shirt during the marathon and will be thinking of you all throughout the run.

We've come a lot of miles. We have just 26.2 to go. But they'll be the most magical ones, I'm sure.

Next stop, Disney World!

Stay tuned...

Wow, Less than 2 Months Away!

It has been a while since my last post, but we have been keeping busy. The most exciting news is the status of our fundraising. We are getting very close to our official deadline of Dec. 3rd and we are within $200 of our goal of $5000. For a couple of weeks we were sitting around $4500 and Dave and I didn't think we would go much higher. But in the last two or three weeks some additional donations have rolled in and inched us closer to our goal. As of today, we have $4856. Dave made one more plea at work with plenty of doughnut bribes and I sent a letter out at my school. Many of the teachers knew about my plans to run in Disney, but I had not formally asked for donations. (Another teacher is also planning to run the marathon at Disney too. We have been trading secrets about gels and running gear sales. Many have asked if we will run together, but sadly she will probably finish about an hour or more before me, ah youth!) I think these final efforts will push us over the top. The kids now have their sights on Dave winning top fundraiser, so he can get a TNT jacket. The kids have been a major factor in our success because their letters to their teachers were so productive. We have been really touched by the support and good wishes that have come from their school. It is truly an amazing place and we are proud to be part of it!

Dave and I have reached 16 miles in our training. We did a couple of long runs alone, but last weekend we had a babysitter and were able to do our 16 miler together. I have mastered taking a gel without squirting it all over myself and finally found a flavor I like-raspberry creme. I am finding that I reach a point in the run when something hurts and I don't want to continue. The good news is that each week that point comes further along in the run. Last weekend I felt terrible around mile 13, but was able to rally and finish pretty strong. There was a very strong wind and the last several miles of our run we were headed straight into it. I made it the last half mile by counting down to every telephone pole we passed. If you wondered, there were 16 poles in the last half mile. I like running with Dave, but in those tough stretches I miss my Broadway showtunes. There are times when he will sing but never the tunes I like. He is not as big of a "Wicked" fan as I am.

I've also been thinking about the shirt and hat I plan to wear in the race. I want us to wear matching hats, maybe Mickey ears or Daisy and Donald Duck heads, I'm not sure yet. Dave will be wearing his TNT shirt, so I get to pick what shirt I want to wear. I'll probably design a shirt with a mickey and a cool slogan. When I run alone I try to think up clever ideas. I like one I saw on an old Disney marathon T-shirt: "A world of fantasy becomes 26.2 miles of reality" or something like "Its all pure magic wrapped up in pixie dust" (I can't even type that without humming and dancing along). I'm also considering putting a message to the kids on the shirt, but I'm sure I'll be running too fast for them to read it. This week as we got close to reaching our fundraising goal, I was overwhelmed by the generosity of our donors and thought about listing all the donors names or initials on the back of my shirt. That way you will all be with us as we run....If you have any suggestions, leave me a comment!

This week we are heading into a 17 miler on Saturday and the big 18 over Thanksgiving weekend. Have a great holiday and know that we are thankful for having you all in our lives and thankful that we have this chance to do such an amazing thing!

Over Half Way There!

This weekend marked our half way point in training miles. Both Dave and I finished a 13 mile run this weekend. On race day that will get us through EPCOT and Magic Kingdom and half way to Animal Kingdom. Dave did his run on Saturday with the TNT group in Forest Park and I ran Monday morning at Cliff Cave Park. Cliff Cave flooded this year and you could still see mounds of dirt on the side of the trail where it had been plowed clear.This weekend was the first time this year that Dave and I had to wear gloves, so we know fall is here for sure. The big news for the week: I used my first gel! It was strawberry-banana flavor with the consistency of yellow snot. You really cannot even allow the sensation to register-just take a quick swig of water and choke it down. It did give me a nice boost around mile 9.

I didn't get a chance to post last week, but I know Mark and my other fans missed hearing about our run. Last Saturday, Dave and I ran together. We did a route near our house to try to keep the babysitting fee as low as possible. We linked together a short 5 miler I used to do afterschool with part of one of Dave's long routes to make for 12 miles. The temp and conditions were just about perfect. I struggled during the last mile and Dave motivated me with the reminder that on race day we wouldn't even be half done yet (thanks Dave!). We powered on and were better off for having done it. During that run we tried Sharkies Organic Fruit Chews. Verdict: OK but not as yummy as Sport Beans by Jelly Belly.

My parents were in town to visit over the Columbus Day weekend. We spent some time getting fired up for the big trip to Disney. They are coming with as our support team and babysitters. We researched possible viewing sites and strated to plan our other days at WDW. Dave said that this is the time in training when " the runs just get unbearably long", but the closer we get the more excited I am! We are also getting very close to our goal of $5000. Less than 85 days away...

Good Luck to my marathon buddies who are running their first 5K this weekend! You can do it! You can do it!

Recommitment to Team in Training

This week was a big deadline in the Team in Training program. Everyone was asked to recommit to the team and ensure that each will raise the fundraising minimum. Dave was right on board and will send in his recommitment papers this week. He was recognized at the training meeting last weekend as the first one in his group to reach the fundraising minimum. That is thanks to all of you! We are still hoping to reach Dave's personal goal of $5000 by the end of November. Our last batch of letters are starting to see results and the teachers at the kids' school were very generous. We hope to talk about TNT at a few churches over the next few weeks, including Dave's Dad's church. We have been eating all the orange and black M&Ms out of the Halloween bags so we can use the green and purple ones to make cookies with the Team colors.

Dave did his long training run on Saturday with the TNT group. He finished a quick 11 and beat us to Lucas' soccer game. We had a pretty packed weekend, so I did my long run Monday morning. I was out on Grant's Trail for my 11. I got a chance to do the other end of the trail that I normally don't run. It's daunting to think that in a few weeks I'll be running the entire trail, beginning to end, 16 miles (yikes!). The other big running news in our lives is the Read, Right and Run Marathon. I'm heading up the team for the kids' school. They and their classmates will be running 26 miles, reading 26 books and doing 26 good deeds over the next six months. I'm going to be helping organize and offering coaching for training runs after school and community service projects at the school. The official start date is Oct. 15th, so I'll let you know the status of their building mileage as well.

We hit a huge milestone this week: less than 100 days until the race!!!

Fall seems to be finally here!

Dave and I did our long run together this weekend on Saturday. It was a rare treat to be able to run together. We did most of our long runs together when we were training for our first half marathon in the winter of 2007, but haven't been able to run together a lot since that race. It was nice to leave my ipod at home and talk while we ran. I did need to remind Dave of the talking while running etiquette: Whoever is having the easier time running does most of the talking. Meaning: Dave please keep me entertained for the next hour and twenty minutes. He was happy to oblige. We had planned on doing 9 or maybe 10 if I felt good. I did, so we ran the full 10 miles. We laughed a little when we remembered getting ready for our first half marathon. The day we did 8 miles for the first time I thought my legs were going to stop moving. I remember passing Applebees on Grant's Trail and needed to use everything to keep picking my feet up. Its amazing how much easier 8 miles seems now. The best news of the run? Dave said that he was happy with my pace, Hooray!

Today fall weather seems to have rolled in. Both Dave and I ran during soccer practice in long sleeve shirts. Dave did 5 miles and I did 4 miles around the track. I've started to have a new respect for the laps around the track. Its a great way to watch my pace in quarter mile segments. It will make running negative splits easy, if I ever decide to torture myself with that.

Week 1: Official Training Begins

Last weekend, we started our official training for the marathon. Before that, Dave and I were both preparing for the Lewis and Clark as our main priority. Dave completed this week's long run with the TNT group at Forest Park. He finished 9 miles. As soon as he got home, I left to run 8 miles near our house. I was a little nervous about starting at that distance, but I did fine. I do need to remember to eat breakfast before running, instead of just drinking coffee. I ran out of energy near mile 3. Luckily I had gatorade and that gave me enough of a boost to finish. Our goal is try to get 15-18 miles in during the week and then add our long run on the weekend. It looks like we'll be increasing our long runs by one mile almost every week. Our longest runs should be Dec. 13 and 20.

The kids helped with our fundraising this week by sending letters to their teachers and pastors at school. Lucas wrote the letter and both kids signed it. Everyone has been very supportive and generous so far! We also worked on getting some updates out and letters to new people; so maybe some new supporters are checking out our training this week. Thanks to everyone who has helped! We still have a long way to go with our training, but our progress with fundraising has been very exciting. Hopefully we can meet and exceed our goal of $5000 by the fundraising deadline at the end of November.

10.crazy

By the time Ike arrived in St. Louis on Sept. 14th, it was only a tropical depression, but for 10 miles it felt like a full-blown hurricane.

All week leading up to the Lewis and Clark Marathon we watched the weather reports. Ike kept coming and our weather looked bleaker and bleaker. Friday night the Weather Channel posted flood warnings in St. Charles along the Missouri River- the location of the race. The final forecast on Saturday predicted that Ike would hit St. Louis, with up to 10 inches of rain and wind gusts of 30+ mph, at sunrise- the start time of the race. The predictions were dead on.

When we woke at 4:15am the rain was slowing. By the time we left our house it had all but stopped, I was starting to relax. At 5:45am, as we cruised down 270, the rain returned. And got worse. And then it got even worse. By the time we pulled onto the parking lot at the race start it was 6:55am, 10 minutes after the planned start time, and the rain and wind were unbelievable. (If you follow the link to the Lewis and Clark Marathon site, check out video #3. The view from that car is priceless.) We got out of the car, stepped in a river over our ankles, became fully soaked in seconds, and started to walk to the starting line. I'm pretty sure I screamed most of the way. The strangest thing was that we were not the only people there. The parking lots were full. All around us people were heading to the start line too.



Once we starting running, our moods changed. We got into it. This was fun. Or at least this was crazy! Most people were running in garbage bags or ponchos. A few brave souls bare-chested it. Dave and I sported jackets and hats from the Go! Marathon in April. Dave also wore sunglasses?! My water resistant jacket soon proved to be not that at all, but I kept it on because it instead, and more importantly, protected my arms from the driving rain. At several points I had to run with my hands behind my back because the rain was just that painful. Around mile 4 we began the singing the rain medley: I love a rainy night, Raindrops on roses, Raindrops keep falling on my head, Singing in the rain, Noah's rise and shine song (complete with hand motions), Fire and Rain (more on that later). I'm sure the people around us loved it. One girl said she'd have to stay with us cause her ipod died, but I don't think I saw her for long. Generally people were happy. Yes the weather sucked, but we were there and we were doing it.

At mile 7, we were informed that the course changed. Remember the flood warnings? Apparently 3 miles of the course were right on the river in a flood plain. At mile 8, we were informed that the race was stopping at mile 10. We only had 2 miles to go. I ate the world's best Jolly Rancher that I had gotten from a volunteer. We started to see people running toward us from the finish line trying to get a full half marathon in. We decided against that; we were happy with our accomplishment, our 10.crazy miles!

As a life experience, this race will probably not be matched. As step on our training, it was 10 miles in poor weather conditions. This weekend we get serious about training for Disney. We have less than four months. Dave went out for his first post-hurricane run today and I'll go out tomorrow morning. This weekend looks like 8 miles.

I can't forget the final disaster: On our way home, we stopped for pancakes at IHOP and started to regret the James Taylor. As we finished up, the fire department came roaring onto the lot. Our waitress informed us that there was a fire, but they couldn't find it. We left in a hurry.