NTC Park- In the RAIN!

It does not rain very often in San Diego, and when it does, it is MISERABLE. The city isn't planned out well for rainfall so there is a lot of flooding, especially where we had our 7 am run in Point Loma which is below sea level. This photo below is from when I tried driving on Midway Drive in Point Loma about a month ago, but really I was floating...very nerve wracking!

Notice how the flooded street is all the way up to the car's bumper!

I was scheduled to do 7 miles today as part of the A marathon group, and as I drove through torrential rain I was really questioning my sanity in doing so. We met at a beautiful park and were all sporting umbrellas as the coach and coordinator gave announcements, laughing at how hard it was raining and how soaked we were becoming! The coach said that we were WARRIORS for being there and that when we gear up at the starting line we'll remember this day.

I gotta tell you, running through the rain was not a lot of fun. It was more like a hail rain that went right in my eyes, in addition to high winds (did I mention there was a tsunami warning?) although admittedly I was laughing at how miserable it was. I kept repeating the breathing mantra, "My" (breath 4) "Name" (breath 4) "Is" (breath 4) "Kelly" (breath 4) which did make me feel like a warrior or a battered soldier. Kept running through flooded sidewalks making my sneakers soaked through and about 5 pounds heavier. Went about a mile and a half (?) when my calves started screaming and my achilles started in with the weird rubberband feel and I thought, uh oh, I gotta stop. Stupidly I didn't wear the heel lifts because I felt so much better but it's like antibiotics, you have to take the full prescription before stopping. I walked back to the start slightly dejected but also really happy that I had the experience, and with the runner's happiness. I actually felt great. Plus the rain had let up a bit and it was so beautiful there.

Since I was determined to finish the mileage, I went to the gym where I put on a set of dry clothes and cranked out 5 miles on the treadmill. Well, more like 4 mile run, 1 mile walk, but I'm still absolutely amazed and proud of myself for doing it.

Total Distance: 7- 7 1/2 miles : )

Thursday Morning Run- Moonlight Beach

Okay, I admit it, I am lucky! Ran this morning with Team in Training teammates at Moonlight Beach again, with Dharma and her two friends that are also training for the marathon. All really nice people. Ran two miles on Neptune, which is parallel to the beach and oohed and ahhhed over the homes. Walked back 2 miles with them because one of them were hurting and even though I could have kept running, quite frankly I really enjoy the companionship. It's hard not really knowing people since moving here four months ago, so I cherish every minute I can chat with new friends. I also found out that one of them was the guitarist for Bryan Adams! What's funnier is that the week before when I found out he was a musician, I told him about my musician friends and that if he wanted to make a living in NYC as a musician, that bassists get a lot of work. Too funny.

One great thing about training for a marathon is that it gives you the opportunity, for a while, to see what it's really like to be an ATHLETE. I was thinking about it this morning as I was using my foam roller to roll out my aching shins- that right now, Olympians in Vancouver were doing the exact same thing. We're both drinking yellow sports drinks and injesting rubbery goo and stretching our bodies to the limit. How cool is that?

Balboa Park Run

It was supposed to rain later and figured since I wouldn't join my teammates for a group run tonight in Balboa Park (rain= no fun), I decided to do it on my own during the day instead. I'm not the greatest at running any sort of distance by myself, but I also figured it would be best to do it alone in case my toe acted up (I don't know if I strained it, broke it, or it's just badly bruised- just call me Calamity Kelly).

Since San Diego is SO runner friendly, there was (of course) a large poster on 6th and Yuma (sp?) detailing five different runs that you could do through Balboa park with various degrees of difficulties and mileage. I decided on trail run #2 which was a medium degree of difficulty and 4.1 miles, but also the most scenic since I would be running through where the museums are. It was a beautiful run- spring like weather (about 65 degrees and windy) and I did feel very good for the first two miles. I was REALLY hungry so I figured I would stop for a bit and have a tamale from the outdoor stand- big mistake! Well, tamales are out for race day food, ha ha ha, I think I still have heartburn from 6 hours ago! Also stopped by the Artist Village there where I found out about getting involved...hmmm....

Ran on and off on the way back from the artists village, and actually did some speed work! It felt good to stretch my legs, I don't know where that came from!

Distance: 3.5 miles (ish)- would have been 4.1 but I kept losing the trail markers/couldn't find them.

Down to Two!

Thank you for all your help everyone! Okay, it's down to two-

Logo #6 with photography added, a bit longer and narrower

Logo #3 from below was the majority rule-

Please let me know! Thanks!

Kelly

New logo

I'm trying to decide which logo I should use for my photography business- what do you think? Also- I chose not to put "photography" underneath my name b/c it just seemed like overkill.

Logo #1- just by itself with the fleur de lis

Logo #2- I think the text might be a bit too thin?

Logo #3 My favorite so far
Logo #4- not sure about the size of the K & M
Logo #5- The fleur de lis in front of my name might be overkill...hmmm...

Please respond in the comments below- thanks so much for your help!

New Course!

I am sooo scared!

Why I run

From USA Today.

For one cancer patient, it was a prom night to remember.

Press here for the story

Hallelujah!

I was soooo worried about the group run today since I hadn't run in a week because of my achilles and ankle problem. I figured I would go about two miles and just walk when my ankle acted up, and wore heel lifts as per the chiropractor to help with my achilles. I did swim yesterday to have some sort of aerobic activity, specifically 45 minutes of very bad breast stroke (swimming is not my strong point) after my husband gave me grief for not working out for a week!

We met at 7 am at Harbor Island (we have to meet early because it starts getting warm early)- WOW what a beautiful place to run! It's just past the airport where all these sailboats are docked, and a nice flat run around the bay. Have I said enough times how much I love training in San Diego? I decided to run with the 1/2 marathoners since they were doing 4.1 miles (not that I thought I would be able to do that), doing a 4 minute run/ 1 minute walk. Happily I pretty quickly hooked up with three other woman going my pace (slow) and we pretty much chatted the whole way. I'm DELIGHTED to say I finished the 4.1 miles and felt GREAT! I've been waiting for when running got a bit easier- and I'm happy to say it did today. I'm back, and it's ON!

HOPE!

Thankfully there is HOPE for my achilles problem! I went to an injury prevention clinic last night through Team in Training where Linda Jannelli from Elite Care Chiropractic Center was speaking to us about running injuries. She specializes in running, is a competitive runner herself, and knew SO MUCH! Of course as she was going through the laundry list of common running injuries I was going check, check! Thankfully when she was through with the lecture we were able to ask her specific questions...she said as a runner there will always be one nagging thing to deal with.

Linda said that my achilles problem most likely stems from my calves being tight and having knots in them, because if you look at the biomechanics of things you question where it stems from- as nothing is just independent. It made a lot of sense, as my calf seized up during a run a week ago Monday and I had been having calf cramps since then from doing too much running on the balls of my feet trying the new chi running, and also having a new orthotic that I didn't necessarily need. She said don't get correctional items if there's no problem- so I was a bit premature getting the superfeet orthotic even though Road Runner Sports recommended it with their Shoe Dog system (I found out later they may tend to over recommend orthotics as a way to get more money with their sneakers, something I'm not too pleased with).

Her "prescription" for me was to get the stick and do some self massage on my calves to get out the knots, RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation), take the orthotic out of my shoes, and put in some heel risers in both sneakers whenever I run until it gets better. And to wear heels to work, which REALLY surprised me since I wear heels about once every 5 months, but she said it'll feel better on my calves. And so I'm wearing my boots with my sweats, which is kind of strange, but if it works, then great! She said that if the pain doesn't go away in a week, then to go to a podiatrist, but her goal is to get us out running again with home remedies, and podiatrists generally have people not use the foot until it's better, with shoe boots etc.

Some other remedies for runners that she recommended-

Get a foam roller, about 12" long for ease of use and ability to travel with it. She recommended rolling along it using your body weight on top of it for momentum every day for about 15 minutes to get all the kinks out, spending more time working out areas that need it. She said to do it all over EXCEPT for your knee.

For your ankles, use a resistance band- sit on a chair, put the center of the band on the ball of your feet with your leg straightened up parallel to the floor. Then flex your foot, then bring it to the right, left and back.

Since as a runner you are strengthening your outer and upper thighs, your inner thighs get neglected and tend to cramp up during a run. She recommended using the abductor machine at the gym, or at home use a basketball between your thighs and squeeze it while watching TV.

She addressed the different sort of running styles and the injuries that came with it- ie pronators, subpronators, etc, and recommended getting a running shoe that addresses your style.

She extolled upon the merits of ice, and says it's a good idea to ice your problem spots as soon as you're done with a run to recover quicker.

The North County Team in Training coach that was there said that if we have pain during any of the runs to stop, and not feel like we have to get our mileage in because that will just exacerbate the injury. He said that since we're not looking to win the marathon, to take it easy and let our injury heal before getting out there again.

I feel so, so much better about my injury and am excited to get out there running again, soon!

Injured

Now I've done it! Too much time running and not enough time weaning myself into it makes Kelly an injured girl! I guess it's not marathon training unless there's a certain amount of injury involved, although I am NOT a happy camper!

The last time I ran was Saturday (and it's now Wednesday) with the group, where I did 5.2 miles but 3ish of it was running and the rest was walking, and I ran up a steep incline for the last part of it. Later on that night I was walking downstairs and thought, hmmm, that feels funny, it felt like a rubber band was rolling on top of my achilles tendon. At first it was kind of cool feeling in a weird way, like when you've got a loose tooth and you've got to keep playing with it...then I was pretty freaked out because it kept happening every time I went up and down the stairs. I checked my symptoms on the internet (not something you should do if you want to keep calm) and the consensus seems to be that it may be Achilles Tendonitis, caused by overuse. It now doesn't feel like a rubber band, now it's just sort of clicking- still scary. My ankle is also a bit swollen.

So I haven't run or walked much, trying to keep it elevated, and will be seeing a doctor stat as soon as I get my medical insurance cleared away. I hate not being able to run or train but at the same time I don't want to do any long term damage to my achilles. THIS SUCKS!

Saturday Long Run

Met with Team in Training at UTC park in La Jolla this morning to run 5.2 miles. I was honored to be asked to tell my mission statement to the team, so I stood up on a picnic bench and talked about my Dad and his bout with leukemia. How I was able to not cry is absolutely beyond me- the sunglasses help. I was able to talk a little about him and how much I and my family appreciate all the hard work all the Team in Training members are doing to fundraise to find a cure. The picture above shows me standing on the park bench, telling everyone how much it touches my heart. I was also honored to have my sister and husband there to support me. Afterwards all these people said how touching my speech was, and they were so sorry for my loss...which is bizarre to hear after all this time but no less appreciated.

I wish I could say the 5.2 miles went as smoothly as my speech! We ran on the side streets of La Jolla, which is SO beautiful, and thankfully the first half was mainly downhill. At the 2 mile mark there was a car set up with water and citromax and twizzlers so it was nice to chill out for a bit! We then went on the bike path, and almost got crushed by bikes- so jealous of them whizzing by! My coach, Ronnie, ran with me for a bit (as I always seem to bring up the rear) and my form and ease of running improved so much just by running next to him! After about 3 miles I met up with some runners that started walking, and stayed with them for a bit, then about 1/2 mile before the end ran with the assistant coach up the hill to the finish.

I wish I could say I feel great...this marathon training is really beating up my body. I came home and took a nap then a long bath with epson salt, then another nap, ha ha ha! Going up the stairs I suddenly got a NEW symptom- my left achilles heel feels like there's a rubber band on it! Like it's rolling on my heel! WHOA! I looked it up and the diagnosis online (for what it's worth) says that it's probably Achilles Tendonitis, which is brought on by overuse (no surprise there!) GEEZ! Between my shin splints and cramping calfs and now this?! It said to give it a bit of rest, ice it when training, lay off the hills for a bit, my sole might be too hard, and to stay away from hard surfaces for a while. Well, I'm going for a victory lap tonight at Stone Brewery, yay!

Please Sponsor Me!

Dear Friends,

On June 6th, I will be doing the San Diego Rock n' Roll marathon as a member of Team in Training. I am looking for sponsors to support me! The reason I am putting my body through training [and pain and misery] for the next five months is to raise awareness and funds for a very important cause to me, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I was only 15 when I lost my father to Leukemia, and if doing a marathon may help prevent someone else from losing a family member too soon, then how could I not?

More than 823,000 Americans have leukemia, Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma or myeloma. Every five minutes, someone new is diagnosed with blood cancer. Every 10 minutes, someone dies. For more information, please see the Leukemia & Lymphoma website at www.lls.org. The money we raise helps blood cancer patients and their families by funding research to find cures and better therapies, and provide information and support so that they have the best possible outcomes throughout their cancer experience.

There is no way I can possibly do a marathon without your help, both through your words, prayers, and financial support. By doing the marathon, I have made a personal goal of raising $2000 for the cause.

Please donate directly at my Team in Training fundraising website at my fundraising site here. As a thank you, I will put your name in a drawing for a 16 x 20 photograph of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, seen here.

I am keeping a blog about my training here- please visit and see how I'm doing!

Here are how donations are broken down:
- A donation of $25 provides patients and their loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options.

- A donation of $50 makes possible a Family Support group with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members.

- A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures.

- A donation of $1,000 makes possible one- on-one conversations with health care specialists who provide patients with information about their disease, treatment options, and helps prepare them with questions for their health care team.

Thank you in advance for your support, prayers, and well wishes! I need it!

Best Wishes,
Kelly

"If you think running a marathon is difficult, try chemotherapy." - Team in Training

Moonlight Beach

Met up with Team in Training's north branch teammates to do a run this morning at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. WOW! Talk about such a beautiful place to meet, I laughed at how ridiculously stunning it was when I got there!

The 3 mile run was led by one of the Team in Training mentors, Dharma, and we ran on the side streets that were by the beach. A beautiful place! Had a nice time talking with the four other people that were who had been training together for some time and had done the Carlsbad half marathon together. We did 6 minute run, 2 minute walk, which is more my speed because one minute walks are just not enough!

I learned about strength from the Team in Training mentor who oversaw the run. She had said that her 8 year old daughter, Chloe, had died five months earlier because she had taken a medication and had medical complications because of it. It came completely sudden, and she wasn't even sick before taking it. Her friend had asked her if she had done anything that brought her purpose and joy, to give her a reason to go on, and she had said she really enjoyed doing the half marathon with Team in Training the summer before. So her friend told her to replicate it, to train for another race. So she decided to train and contacted her friends, family, and parents of her daughter's friends, and they all trained together and did the Carlsbad 1/2 marathon in memory of her daughter, and called themselves Chloe's Crew. 60 people in all! The story is here. The five month anniversary of her daughter's death was the day after the 1/2 marathon. She's now training for the Rock n' Roll full marathon with Team in Training, as well as be a mentor. She told me running has given her a reason to wake up in the morning.

Dharma, you are an inspiration!

Mid week run...

Did my mid week run on the treadmill as a reprieve from the pavement for my poor shins, knees and calves, 2.67 miles total with a 5 minute run, one minute walk, 5 minute run, and so on. My body is finally getting used to the different kind of training, and I am VERY happy to report that three weeks ago my heartrate was spiking up to 195 (!) on a two mile run, and now it's only 165 for the same run! WOW! THAT, my friends, is nothing less then a miracle!

I'm trying to learn something new from each run, whether it's about running, myself, or a new route. Waiting to fall in love with running again. Today I focused on my breathing and form- I was told by Ozzie, the chi running coach, to think of the Karate Kid and be centered when running, instead of bouncing from side to side (to prevent hip problems), and also to run with my feet parallel instead of my normal V. Not easy!

Epson Salt Is My New Best Friend!

Met up with Team in Training last night to do a 3 mile run at UCSD (University of California at San Diego) in La Jolla. I feel very, very lucky to be training for a marathon in San Diego. There are so many beautiful running routes, and many are marked well with mile markers or plenty of water fountains and rest rooms. It's like the city planners were saying, you're in San Diego, YOU MUST RUN. I told my teammates last night that the San Diego "tax" is to be fit, as compared to the NYC "tax" where you spend at least $20 a day just to walk around. It really is wild to go into the supermarket and see the majority of people in shape.

I ran with a very nice teammate named Holly, and the run was going fantastic. In fact, I was just telling her how great she was going, and how great I was feeling- finally- when WHAM my calf seized up. Charlie horse! No fun. A few possible causes-

1. Dehydration (I only had a glass of water that day)

2. Overstretching (I showed Holly a deep stretch for the calves just before they seized up and I think I went a little TOO deep)

3. I was running mainly on the balls of my feet the day before and my calves hurt then, so I think running the next day just exacerbated the situation.

Today I felt like crap and was really questioning my sanity of doing a marathon. I've now got hip issues, calf issues, and my whole body is going, what the HECK do you think you're doing, you're 39 for chrissake! I remembered what my friend, a massage therapist, had said about an Epson salt bath, and so I tried it out this morning. WOW. Talk about night and day! I feel about 70% better...still sore, but my muscles aren't screaming. I love that it's an old school remedy, but still works so well. Epson salt, I adore thee.

Chi Running

It was cold and windy this morning and I had to drag myself out of bed to run but I'm so glad I did! I saw on Meetup a Marathon Training Clinic where I could learn the Chi method of running, and I figured it would be nice to learn a method of running that might make it a little easier/ less painless. Being 39 and training for a marathon is a completely different beast then doing one at 28 because I feel EVERYTHING.

I met up with the marathon group at Mission Bay where I met Ozzie Gontang, who has run the Marathon Training Clinic for the past 35 years. To say he was knowledgeable about running is an understatement! The people that were part of the group went on their 12 mile runs, and I had the very lucky opportunity to work one on one with Ozzie to learn about chi running. What a treat! It was like everything I did he picked up on and had something new to teach me. Really remarkable.

Here are a few things that I learned- what he taught me about Chi and running in general was very eye opening.

First, which I loved the most, was visualizing a keyhole on top of my head, and a string attached to it- and a hawk is holding it up. From then on in, I just had to picture the hawk keeping me up so I don't fall.

With Chi running, it was more of a ball of the foot, then heel, then ball. It feels much more light and effortless then heel- ball of foot. He showed me runners as they ran by as examples of this, and we listened to how the foot fell- you could hear the "slap" as the heel went first.

He told me to visualize my ankle as a garage door's ball bearing, going up my leg. It's not so much the leg going far forward, it is more like a pulley.

Run from the center, like the Karate kid, instead of having my weight go so far to the left or right, which would also help with my hip issues.

The Chi running seemed more of a shuffle then anything, yet when we went back to measure our wet footprints on the pavement they were REALLY far apart (about a FAR lunge apart), because one foot strike was so much further then the other- took longer. This was amazing!

He said to really BREATH when running, and gave me a great breathing mantra- "My" (breath 4) "NAME" (breath 4) "IS" (breath 4) "KELLY!" (breath four).

To go faster, keep the same cadence but have the foot strikes go quicker and lean forward more.

Instead of looking down when running, look forward at the horizon line and you will peel 10 minutes off your marathon running time.

Stop and stretch during the marathon whenever you need to, otherwise the last 6 miles will feel like the death march.

When your achilles heel is tight, it usually means your calf is tight, so stretch it/ work into it by sitting cross legged and letting your knee work the calf muscle.

I can't thank Ozzie enough for all the amazing information and the time he spent with me! It was an absolute pleasure to spend time with him, and I felt great the entire run! Yay!

Lake Miramar

Ran/walked today at Miramar lake, 4 miles total- I know because it's very well marked! Felt not the greatest, I can't wait until this starts getting easier, right now I feel every footstep clonk clonk clonk!!! Would say I ran about a mile and a half, walked the rest, maybe more, just trying to get the mileage in anyway I can. Feeling like shin splints are starting to form so I figured it's best to take it easy. Afterwards I could barely stay awake walking in Walgreen's, I've really got to learn to keep my self revived after runs!

Balboa Park

Had a wonderful Wednesday night run with Team in Training at Balboa park tonight, 40 minutes fairly easy, 2.17 miles. We did run for 5 minutes then walk for 1 minute (or thereabouts) and it was much easier then the other night...maybe because it was running longer before a walking break, maybe because it was talking with two girls and we were all going the same pace, maybe because my body is acclimating to running- probably all of the above. It was very beautiful, about 55 degrees, and a huge treat to run past the museums!

Afterwards several of us went down the street to a pizza place on 5th and Laurel for dinner and company. It was great to get to know some teammates, all who were captains or assistant coaches or mentors. They were all very gung- ho about the Team in Training program, and had each done four or more events with Team in Training. What a pleasure it was to meet new people! I'm happy to say that I felt terrific after the run, even after foolishly having dinner before the run (assistant coach Dave said, uh, try not to do that again : )

Tomorrow will be 45 minutes, unfortunately solo...let's see how I do...will be wearing my headphones that's for sure...I'm trying to take full advantage of running with the group because I know I go much longer with other people and I love the program.

Dad

Here is my story of my dad, Howard Clark Jr., who died in 1986 of leukemia at 49 years old.

My father was a journalist who grew up in Indiana and was the only one from his family to move out of Indiana to New York. He first worked for the Poughkeepsie Journal, and then was the bureau chief for the Associated Press in Albany. From there he was appointed as the Deputy Press Secretary for Governor Carey, and when he left office, dad was the Director of the Promotion of Agriculture for New York. Dad was also the New York State spokesperson for the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid. But most importantly, he was my dad.

My father had chutzpah. He was someone who could talk to anyone, and charm the socks off them with his Midwestern accent, intelligence and great dry wit. He read about five newspapers a day (he was a newspaper man originally, after all), fell in love with photography, was a fan of hiking and biking and museums and plays and New York. He played piano every night and was a deacon at his church. He loved to bring us to Saratoga then "pretend" that he forgot where he parked so he could get us to walk a bit further. He taught my brother and sister how to drive and told them to put his standard car into first on hills and then see how they would figure out what to do when it stalled. He would laugh when I cried until I laughed myself. He called me "Little One" but really I think it was because he kept getting our names mixed up- Kristen Kevin and Kelly.

When I was 11 my father broke a finger and when the hospital took his blood, they found out that he had leukemia. I never really knew or understood what leukemia was- I was so young- but was basically told his white blood cell count was higher then his red cell count so they had to monitor it. I was told that he had chronic leukemia, and that the doctor said that if he lives five years with it, that he would live a full life with it and not die from it. To me at that age death was a very abstract concept, and my father being very private spared me the details. Not many people knew he was sick, and he lived his life to the fullest during that time, including going on trips to Europe, skiing, waterskiing, hiking, etc.

The summer before Dad died was one of the best summers of my life. It was my grandparent's 50th anniversary, and we spent two weeks in Indiana. I remember thinking that it would be the last time we would all be together, and crying on my dad's shoulder during the trip- and he just laughed until I laughed with him. I especially cherish that trip because I have a tape recording of my dad speaking at the anniversary dinner- I miss his voice so much, and it brings him back to me.

When I was 15, four years after his initial prognosis, Dad was walking with a cane because his white blood cell count was high (although I really didn't know what that meant at the time). He continued to live his life as normal as possible, then he fell and broke his leg while being the musical director for the LCA (Legislative Correspondents Association) show. When he went to the hospital I knew something bad was happening and I was hysterical for the whole night. Unfortunately when he was there his leukemia went from chronic to acute and he died three weeks later.

Unfortunately getting involved with the Leukemia Society opens up old wounds that have been buried under so many layers. Losing a family member is something you never really get over- I've cried for so many things, a job lost, a broken heart, but I've gotten over those things after a month or a year...but I've never stopped crying about Dad.

So that's my story, that's why I'm doing this, beating my body up to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I hate leukemia. I hate that it robbed me of my dad. I'm doing it so the money I raise for research doesn't rob other people of their family.

Yoga

Today is a cross training day, so I decided to take a visit to my gym and take the Vinyasa Yoga class. I used to LOVE yoga, and took a power yoga class 4x a week when I was living in New Paltz. I still love yoga, although it's no longer an obsession of mine and I'm sorry to say I was tripping over myself when doing some of the positions today. But it felt great, I learned a few new positions- moon salutation was awesome, and the double pigeon is terrific, but most importantly I had a bit of a revelation.

What is wonderful about running, and marathon training, is that you become more in tune with your body. I've missed that. While in yoga today, I looked down at my feet and- I don't mean to sound corny- felt really blessed to have two strong feet to carry me. And so I thought, instead of perseverating about what my body is not, why not honor what I DO have, and recognize how lucky I am?

Body, today I recognize you and thank you
You have carried me through each day
You allow me to feel strong
I recognize that this life is temporal, and that I only have you for a short while
So I thank you, and bless you.

Monday Night Training

Did I say how nice it is to train in San Diego, particularly in the winter? It was 55 degrees tonight, perfect running weather.

Met up with a couple Team in Training teammates at a park in Pacific Beach and ran along the boardwalk to Mission Bay- just under 4 miles. I'm trying to do a run- walk program to wean myself into training and prevent injuries (as much as is possible with training for a marathon) but I've got to train my body to get used to it. Unfortunately my legs become "dead" pretty quickly when I start running again after taking a walking break and I'm not able to keep the momentum up. There were several moments of grace though, where the running was effortless and I said to myself, okay, this is going where I want it to be, I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The two other people were faster/ didn't take walking breaks but kept coming back to check on me (so nice) because as the woman said, she was in the Navy and you don't leave anyone behind. It's definitely a bit frustrating to be in the back of the pack but she said to not compare myself to others, just plug at it, it's the start of training, so... I did complete the route, granted probably 1/3 of that was walking but it's still good to get the miles in, even if it is walking. And I also feel a HECK of a lot better then I did on Saturday.

One thing running has given me is the opportunity to see, really see things I might not ordinarily see. It has permitted me to see the entire island of Bermuda during the 1/2 marathon, beautiful courses in Central Park, gorgeous parks all over New York, the NYC skyline at sunrise, and now Pacific Beach at night. I was completely overwhelmed with how beautiful the ocean was, and all the amazingly appointed homes along the boardwalk. I feel very lucky to be able to experience this!