I am a horrible blogger. I apologize for not updating more.. Since Ive last written I joined the gym. At first it was because the snow and ice and I am not good at distinguishing cement and black ice, so I wanted to play it safe. But then the snow went away and I have still been going to the gym, pretty much being a pansy.
Let's talk Fundraising!!!! OK so Christmas was HUGE with my fundraising progress. My brothers were home for the holidays from Florida, which was great. My brother, Sean took a stack of tickets for the benefit (LESS THAN 3 WEEKS AWAY!!!) and went to it. Within 10 minutes he had sold ten tickets!!! So I left Christmas brunch with $250 cash!! They continued selling those tickets and we broke $1,000 total!! With the $200 in checks in the mail, and the $100 in cash still needing to be put through the site...our total is...drum roll...__----___----___------___----___----__----____-----____----___ $1,237!!!
We still have to raise $3,263 but we are moving toward it!!
Saturday at the Chance family Christmas get together, my aunts pulled us all together and we started brainstorming for the event. I am really lucky to have people who want to help and are good at organizing so they can just tell me what I need to do. Well by the end of the conversation, we established that there will be Veggie Lasagna as well as the meat option, a salad, and a side for the food. Plus we will have some dessert too. A few people volunteered to donate gift baskets so we can have a raffle, on top of a 50/50. I am really excited for the 16th!! And I can't wait to see everyone there!
Now down to business: TRAINING
Bad news, my ankle has been bothering me this week. Not so much that I haven't been running, but enough for me to know it's there. It started on Sunday. Sunday the team met at Kelly Drive. It rained Saturday so I was able to ride my bike in the morning, which was great...on the way there. We ran to Falls Bridge and back for 7 3/4 miles. There were a group of us girls that ran together. In the last mile I did pull off on my own but for the other 6, I was with about 5-6 other women. We had a good, very doable pace..
Let me rewind to last Wednesday- not running related. When I woke up my Left eye wouldn't open. I have been really sensitive to light for the past couple weeks but of course have let it go until I HAD to go to the doctor..which I decided needed to happen on Wednesday. They told me that my contacts have scratched BOTH eyes and the left eye was just More infected than the right but they were both not doing too well. It was PAINFUL when they were shinning the light, trying to give me an exam. It was the first time in my life they had to hold open my eye lids..So they give me drops to use and a gunk for my Left eye at night..Oh and they dilated my Left eye for 4 days! I didn't even know that was possible but, it is. So I have been sporting the glasses and following the instructions the doctors have been giving. I have another appointment today, which will be the third in 8 days. Its getting better though..
Back to Sunday: So I finished the run and did my sliders, then hopped on the bike for the ride home. Hello sunshine! There were a few puddles on the path and the sun's reflection with my sore eyes were not a good combination. I didn't fall over but I did have the thought 'You should probably not be riding your bike right now,' go through my head. And so I walked it a few blocks until I got to a little shadier Pine Street. Later on Sunday I met up with a couple friends and went to South Philly to hit up Target and Michael's, and that's when the pain started. I was wearing my Adidas Classics, so it wasn't one of my painful pairs of shoes. My left foot, the heel and the bottom started to hurt. Monday when I woke up, I felt it again. Since then I feel it mostly when I am walking. I actually don't feel pain at all when running. Yesterday I ran in the morning before work and I was fine all day. But today it is snowing so I wore my snow boots and they are not that comfy, so the heel was barking.
Tonight I am running a 5K at Midnight!!! Now it is snowing out so I am not sure what will happen. It is the first year they are doing it at the Art Museum. I remember reading about the one in NYC last year and I thought it was so cool. Now I get to do it!!!
My miles are on the incline. Our short runs are about 3 miles and the steady are between 4 and 6 now. I will be going away this weekend to Boston, so I am going to have to do the long run Solo this week. 8 miles, I believe..maybe a little more. Yesterday morning I was watching the news and it was 20 degrees here, then the bottom of the screen said 'Boston 11' Nice!! The good news is I will be able to run at any time during the day, because I will have off..The bad news is; the cold and snow.. I am sure I will survive :)
I had a great Christmas and am looking forward to 2010!!! Thank you all for continuing to support me. Have a great New Year!!! Oh and Go EAGLES!!!! Let's get that bye..
“The key to success is often the ability to adapt” ~Unknown
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Let it Snow..
I wish that I had the determination this woman above does. I woke yesterday morning to see a Winter Wonderland. And it kept on coming. All day yesterday it snowed to cover the streets and cars totalling 22 inches. I think that was the number they were using on the news this morning. I woke at 7am when my alarm went off to let me know it was time for the team practice. When I looked outside I decided not to go. I haven't talked with anyone who was at the practice yet but from what I heard of their training in the past, I think that they ran regardless. After contemplating all morning on whether I would pay to go to a local gym for the day or just take a day off, I decided to rest and run the long run today.
I talked to my friend Caitlin, who has the same pace, and she offered to run her long run at the gym with me. I hate the treadmill so I was excited to know that someone else would be there too. We went to her gym by the Art Museum this afternoon. She was nice enough to use a guest pass so I didn't have to pay. Thankfully because they range from $10-$25 just for the day. Not sure how they sleep at night.
Tuesday night when I ran at the gym, it was perfect timing. I started running with about 30 minutes left of 'The Devil Wears Prada." Today it was the same. "Grease" was on AMC and it had about an hour and 20 minutes left. I had to run 7 miles and Caitlin had to run 8 so she finished right as they were singing, "we'll always be together." TV is the only good thing about the treadmill/gym situation. I was really into Grease though and kept running into the bar. It's like I forgot I was running. And I would speed up when the Hand Jive or something upbeat came on and want to slow down when the sappy songs played. I finished my 7 miles in 68mins and 20 seconds. I was under the 10 minute pace, which is pretty exciting.
Because of the snow, the buses are slower than usual. I ended up walking all the way to the gym before a bus even passed me. On the way back, Caitlin was meeting someone in Rittenhouse so I walked with her. I stopped in to grab a Dunkaccino as my little gift to me. I was feeling all hyper when I got home, it was the mixture of endorphins and caffeine. Now I am showered and watching the Eagles, I just got kind of sleepy though. I think my body wants to take a nap. I am not in pain though which is great. Just sleepy.
I baked cookies yesterday and will probably bake more today. I am debating selling 3 for $1 as a fundraiser the next week or so. I think I may just be packing a backpack of cookies. So if you see me around, buy some. For a good cause :) It is hitting crunch time for fundraising. I am going to take the next two weeks to see if any local businesses would be willing to donate a gift certificate or something similar to go toward the auction we will be having at the benefit on the 16th. If you know anyone who would want to do that, please let me know.
I hope that everyone is having a safe, snowy weekend. Thanks for reading :) Go Birds!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
A little pain never hurt anyone
Okay so I have not been as good with the blogging as I had hoped. A patient asked me yesterday if I blogged frequently. I stuttered and said about once a week. I have stuff to write I have just been to busy to get it out there. So I apologize to you four dedicated followers for keeping you waiting, haha.
I was unable to make it to Valley Forge on Sunday for the team practice and when I woke up and looked out the window, I wished that I had a team to run with. The rain continued for awhile. I figured I would wait it out by watching some TV. It didn't let up so finally at 2:30, I got out there. After about 3 minutes it really wasn't that bad, because I was already soaking wet. I was supposed to run 5-6 miles ( I have a feeling the team may have run 6 or 7, even though the schedule says 5). I got in almost 5 before coming home. I decided it would be better to run on Monday when it wouldn't be so wet.
Monday, I slept in because the Eagles played late on Sunday. So I ran at night. I felt good, went for 5.72 miles in about an hour.
Tuesday Night I met up with my friend, Maggie, who just ran the Philly Marathon and is running Nashville too.. We worked out for 2 hours. She showed me different strength training things I could after I run at home. It was good to have someone there to make sure I was actually doing it. I am going to look into getting some dumbbells for my apartment, but she was sure to remind me not to overdue it. And to just focus on my running for the last few weeks before the Marathon. The Team in Training coach had told us that the first night too. I am pretty sure that I will be too tired to do anything else but run, but I am glad I was told.
Yesterday I was feeling the strength training!!! And I started to think about this blog. I wanted to write about the pain (which is really not too bad, but it is the first pain that I am feeling since I started training a month ago). Maggie gave me a book about Marathons that I have been reading. It says in there that most people go to watch a marathon to watch the runners suffer. Like not in a sick 'I hope this is killing you' way, but just to see how much a person can put themselves through. I never thought of it that way but I do now. The pain is a part of the victory. Just like training is a part of the race. I played with the schedule and took yesterday off.
This morning I ran 4.5 miles. It is getting Chilly! 27 degrees when I went out there. I had two pairs of pants and three layers on top. I need to find my snow hat because my ears were a little chilly. But other than that it was a good run. I started slower than usual because I was cold and groggy but by the last mile I had hit my flow. Not to say that I can imagine running another 22 at this point in time, but it felt good.
I am glad that I will be able to get to the team practice on Saturday at Kelly Drive. I have a feeling he may make us run the loop. That will be the longest I have run. I ran 7 miles two weeks ago, and the loop is 8.4. I don't know the coach very well but I think I am on to his plan.
Fundraising:
There is one check in the mail waiting to be added to the page that I know of. Thanks Wallace :) And I am about to add a $10 contribution I received today from a patient. Which would bring us to........ $687!!! Which is awesome. However there are only about 6 weeks left until the deadline. I am hoping that most of the money will come from the fundraiser on Jan 16th, but I am thinking of doing a mini bake sale or something similar before then.
Today a woman saw my flier and she told me that she had Leukemia and thanked me for doing what I am doing. I wanted to thank her because I see her often and she is always smiling. I actually did not know she had leukemia, and it was really cool that she shared that with me.
I was talking to someone last night about how grateful I am. Even though my legs were sore yesterday and I was chilly this morning, the thing I need to remember is that I CAN run. And have nothing physically restricting me from it. Several people do not have choice in the matter.
To sum up:
Training is coming along...slowly but surely. It has been a MONTH already!! Time is flying by!!
Fundraising: $687 and counting.. throw me some ideas if you have any because I really need to make this deadline! oh and if you aren't already planning on it, COME JAN 16!! It's going to be a lot of fun. I am working on the details still and once I know more I will post.
Motivation for today:
"Nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as true strength. "
~ St. Francis De Sales
I was unable to make it to Valley Forge on Sunday for the team practice and when I woke up and looked out the window, I wished that I had a team to run with. The rain continued for awhile. I figured I would wait it out by watching some TV. It didn't let up so finally at 2:30, I got out there. After about 3 minutes it really wasn't that bad, because I was already soaking wet. I was supposed to run 5-6 miles ( I have a feeling the team may have run 6 or 7, even though the schedule says 5). I got in almost 5 before coming home. I decided it would be better to run on Monday when it wouldn't be so wet.
Monday, I slept in because the Eagles played late on Sunday. So I ran at night. I felt good, went for 5.72 miles in about an hour.
Tuesday Night I met up with my friend, Maggie, who just ran the Philly Marathon and is running Nashville too.. We worked out for 2 hours. She showed me different strength training things I could after I run at home. It was good to have someone there to make sure I was actually doing it. I am going to look into getting some dumbbells for my apartment, but she was sure to remind me not to overdue it. And to just focus on my running for the last few weeks before the Marathon. The Team in Training coach had told us that the first night too. I am pretty sure that I will be too tired to do anything else but run, but I am glad I was told.
Yesterday I was feeling the strength training!!! And I started to think about this blog. I wanted to write about the pain (which is really not too bad, but it is the first pain that I am feeling since I started training a month ago). Maggie gave me a book about Marathons that I have been reading. It says in there that most people go to watch a marathon to watch the runners suffer. Like not in a sick 'I hope this is killing you' way, but just to see how much a person can put themselves through. I never thought of it that way but I do now. The pain is a part of the victory. Just like training is a part of the race. I played with the schedule and took yesterday off.
This morning I ran 4.5 miles. It is getting Chilly! 27 degrees when I went out there. I had two pairs of pants and three layers on top. I need to find my snow hat because my ears were a little chilly. But other than that it was a good run. I started slower than usual because I was cold and groggy but by the last mile I had hit my flow. Not to say that I can imagine running another 22 at this point in time, but it felt good.
I am glad that I will be able to get to the team practice on Saturday at Kelly Drive. I have a feeling he may make us run the loop. That will be the longest I have run. I ran 7 miles two weeks ago, and the loop is 8.4. I don't know the coach very well but I think I am on to his plan.
Fundraising:
There is one check in the mail waiting to be added to the page that I know of. Thanks Wallace :) And I am about to add a $10 contribution I received today from a patient. Which would bring us to........ $687!!! Which is awesome. However there are only about 6 weeks left until the deadline. I am hoping that most of the money will come from the fundraiser on Jan 16th, but I am thinking of doing a mini bake sale or something similar before then.
Today a woman saw my flier and she told me that she had Leukemia and thanked me for doing what I am doing. I wanted to thank her because I see her often and she is always smiling. I actually did not know she had leukemia, and it was really cool that she shared that with me.
I was talking to someone last night about how grateful I am. Even though my legs were sore yesterday and I was chilly this morning, the thing I need to remember is that I CAN run. And have nothing physically restricting me from it. Several people do not have choice in the matter.
To sum up:
Training is coming along...slowly but surely. It has been a MONTH already!! Time is flying by!!
Fundraising: $687 and counting.. throw me some ideas if you have any because I really need to make this deadline! oh and if you aren't already planning on it, COME JAN 16!! It's going to be a lot of fun. I am working on the details still and once I know more I will post.
Motivation for today:
"Nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as true strength. "
~ St. Francis De Sales
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Peace Valley
So many runs have happened since I've last written, lol. The main one being this past Saturday Morning when our team practice was at Peace Valley Park in Bucks County, PA. The park was about an hour away from the city. It was dark and freezing, but still really pretty. I was picked up a little before 7am and we made it there right before 8. After last week's team run I was trying to just relax and be easy on myself mentally. I already decided to just let it go, no need to get worked up over anything before it even happens.
The park was so pretty, it was literally freezing outside and it rained on the drive up, but somehow still beautiful. The path around the lake is a 6 mile path, so my group had to run around once. The Paris group had to run around and then run an additional mile. After talking about my pace and how I want it to be a 10, the whole car ride there. Caitlin, the girl who gave me a ride, told me she was a 10 minute too. We started running together, even though she is Paris and I am Country Music. About a mile or two in (I think around there, no mile markers. Which I think helped me too) I felt great. I finally found someone with my pace!!!! And it was weird because I was even able to say tiny words like 'Great' when we approached the sign that said '8 degree increase' and had a picture of a walker going uphill. Maybe it was because it was new scenery to look at, or maybe because I had someone who ran my pace.. but I ran so good and it felt amazing! I ran the 7th mile with Caitlin and it was just great. We didn't time ourselves but we think we were about a 10 minute. We were finished at 9:20am and I don't think we started running until 8:10. They had to do the mission moment and such in the beginning.
This week it was just stories of people getting donations, simply because they were wearing their Team in Training shirt. It is such a cool thing.
Sunday morning I ran 4 miles. Up to 22nd and down the Parkway, it was a good run. Again I would say about a ten minute mile. Yesterday was a rest day. This morning I ran another 4 miles. I went down to Front st, up Market to 18th and back on South. I think I might need some help with coming up with different routes, because I don't want to get bored with the same routine.
I am really glad that Team in Training changes the location of the practices so we can get a different feel for everything. This week it is Valley Forge. That is where the first practice was but I wasn't able to make that one. I heard there were a lot of hills there, so this should be an interesting one.
GREAT NEWS** I got my friend, Megan, to DJ the benefit!! She is awesome and I now KNOW it will be a wonderful time :) Oldies!!! Yes!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Week ThReE
I was worried about blogging too much, but there went another week...Came and Gone and it's officially the Holiday Season!!!!! I have so much to be grateful for, one being that I got to eat Thanksgiving Dinner at my Grand mom's. It was amazing, thanks Aunt D :)
FUNDRAISING!!! Holy Moly can we talk about how great everyone has been with their donations?!! My dad and Aunt D made paper hearts to sell for $1 and hang around the VFW and from the picture my mom sent, it looks like that is going well. What a great idea!! Thanks guys :) The planning for the January 16 Benefit is underway and the tickets and fliers are here!!! I have tickets on me, so stop me if you want one. Oh and anyone who has donated already will get a ticket for the event. It's going to be a lot of fun!
TOTAL $$$ as of now: $564!!! I have a donation still to log, from the patients here at the hospital, which is why the total on the site right now is only $552.. And Counting...
That is great!! There is still a long way to go, but I just feel like it will come. Everyone has been so supportive, it's just awesome!
TRAINING:
Yesterday I met with the team at Valley Green. It was freezing! I didn't look at my paper before leaving the house so I wasn't sure how long the run was going to be. Valley Green is so beautiful and other than the chill, it was a great morning. I started with the ten minute group and stayed with them until the halfway point, we turned around just after the Valley Green Inn at the 2.5 mile mark. My body felt good but I wasn't able to keep up on the way back. I slowed down and was left with my thoughts. Since we were in the woods running, there were very little landmarks, at least that I remembered, to go by. I like running in the city sometimes because I always know where I am and how far I have left. My thoughts were racing and I started worrying about where the end was. Now I can run 5 miles, I know that I can, I have, I do. But the fact that I was in a group and now behind really started to play on me, negatively. I was so worried about ending the run that I wasn't enjoying it. After ten minutes, which believe me is long enough, of this negative thinking I was able to turn it around. Instead of squinting my eyes and trying to see where the road was going, yards and yards away, I looked down at the path and started thinking 'just this step.' That little thought turned into 'just this stride' which before I knew it had me smiling again.
I have been in a bunch of 5 K races, a couple 10K, a 10 miler, and a Half Marathon and there is one thing I am certain of: I never do as well as I can in the actual race. Training for things, I have mainly been alone. Just me and my headphones and I always feel great, I get the miles in, no stress. But once I am around other people, I become so worried about them and how well they are doing, I slow down. I started running a couple years ago because I want it to be something I just do for fun, not competitively. But my old thinker gets in the way when other people are around. Yesterday was a perfect example, however my mental switch helped immensely. When I finally finished (in my mind it was a huge 'FINALLY') I walked over to get some water. Another girl from the Paris group came in a few minutes after me. She said it took her 51 minutes to run 6 miles. Which means that I was done around 47 minutes or so, which is WAY better than I would have thought!!! I was happy to get home and take a nice shower and power nap :)
Last week I ran 2-3 miles 4 times, other than the Sunday run. I feel great and my mileage is still low, but growing- 16.5 miles last week, not too shabby. I went for a run this morning and the sunrise was breathtaking...I'm glad I got up to see it, before all this rain hit.
"A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn. " ~Unknown
FUNDRAISING!!! Holy Moly can we talk about how great everyone has been with their donations?!! My dad and Aunt D made paper hearts to sell for $1 and hang around the VFW and from the picture my mom sent, it looks like that is going well. What a great idea!! Thanks guys :) The planning for the January 16 Benefit is underway and the tickets and fliers are here!!! I have tickets on me, so stop me if you want one. Oh and anyone who has donated already will get a ticket for the event. It's going to be a lot of fun!
TOTAL $$$ as of now: $564!!! I have a donation still to log, from the patients here at the hospital, which is why the total on the site right now is only $552.. And Counting...
That is great!! There is still a long way to go, but I just feel like it will come. Everyone has been so supportive, it's just awesome!
TRAINING:
Yesterday I met with the team at Valley Green. It was freezing! I didn't look at my paper before leaving the house so I wasn't sure how long the run was going to be. Valley Green is so beautiful and other than the chill, it was a great morning. I started with the ten minute group and stayed with them until the halfway point, we turned around just after the Valley Green Inn at the 2.5 mile mark. My body felt good but I wasn't able to keep up on the way back. I slowed down and was left with my thoughts. Since we were in the woods running, there were very little landmarks, at least that I remembered, to go by. I like running in the city sometimes because I always know where I am and how far I have left. My thoughts were racing and I started worrying about where the end was. Now I can run 5 miles, I know that I can, I have, I do. But the fact that I was in a group and now behind really started to play on me, negatively. I was so worried about ending the run that I wasn't enjoying it. After ten minutes, which believe me is long enough, of this negative thinking I was able to turn it around. Instead of squinting my eyes and trying to see where the road was going, yards and yards away, I looked down at the path and started thinking 'just this step.' That little thought turned into 'just this stride' which before I knew it had me smiling again.
I have been in a bunch of 5 K races, a couple 10K, a 10 miler, and a Half Marathon and there is one thing I am certain of: I never do as well as I can in the actual race. Training for things, I have mainly been alone. Just me and my headphones and I always feel great, I get the miles in, no stress. But once I am around other people, I become so worried about them and how well they are doing, I slow down. I started running a couple years ago because I want it to be something I just do for fun, not competitively. But my old thinker gets in the way when other people are around. Yesterday was a perfect example, however my mental switch helped immensely. When I finally finished (in my mind it was a huge 'FINALLY') I walked over to get some water. Another girl from the Paris group came in a few minutes after me. She said it took her 51 minutes to run 6 miles. Which means that I was done around 47 minutes or so, which is WAY better than I would have thought!!! I was happy to get home and take a nice shower and power nap :)
Last week I ran 2-3 miles 4 times, other than the Sunday run. I feel great and my mileage is still low, but growing- 16.5 miles last week, not too shabby. I went for a run this morning and the sunrise was breathtaking...I'm glad I got up to see it, before all this rain hit.
"A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn. " ~Unknown
Monday, November 23, 2009
Week Two!!
Ok so we are now up to $427!!!! and Counting!!! That is awesome!!!! Thank you all so much for the continued support.
Saturday I met with the team, for my first practice and the team's second. We met outside Lloyd Hall on Kelly Drive. I wanted to sleep longer so I rode my bike there. There were about 20 people there, I am no good with guesstimates and actually now that I think about the sign in sheet I think it was closer to 30-35. It turns out that I won a prize at the Kick-off for getting the most signatures in Bingo, so I got a TNT purple tote and inside there was a long sleeve shirt, a cellphone holder for running, and a plastic water bottle. Sweet! I recognized a few people from the kick-off but everyone was smiling anyway. There was a woman who spoke, A mission moment, I think they called it. She told her hero story. Each week they are going to have someone speak about their hero (who they are running for) before we run, so that we remember who it is we are doing this for. It was such a sad, but motivating story.
There were three different running groups, the half marathoners, the full marathoners, and the Full PARIS Marathoners.. The Half group ran 3 miles, we ran 4, and the Paris group ran 5. It was a nice morning. I really understand the difference it makes running with a team opposed to by yourself. I am pretty lenient with myself, so during the week when I am running, it is really easy for me to slow my pace. Saturday I was kind of pushing myself. I went with the 10-11 minute pace group and it felt good. I ran with a girl that is doing Paris on the way up the path and a mentor on the way back. The girl I ran with on the way back, has been in three half marathons. I asked her why she joined Team in Training and she told me her dad passed away due to Lymphoma. She ran her first race ever with her dad and does Team in Training in honor of him. I got goosebumps listening to her while I was running. I told her about my mom being a Cancer Survivor and a smile spread across her face, ear to ear. "That's awesome!" She said and I felt so incredibly lucky. It's weird how I only ran with her for 2 miles and we were able to share such a personal moment.
When we finished our run we did 'sliders' which reminded me off 'high-knees' from Field Hockey. It was a really cool morning and I felt like I got a run in.
I took Sunday off and went to watch the Philadelphia Marathon. My friend Maggie ran, and she is a machine!! She did awesome!!! The whole race I saw purple Team in Training Jerseys and it was cool to see the members, most of which were running together. I stopped to ask someone in a Purple jersey, what mile we were at and she told me. Then she excused herself and jumped in the race to join another TNT runner. She was a mentor, so not an official registrant, but that was awesome!
My runs during the week are 2-3 miles, so I am not hurting too bad just yet. I had a long night last night, so I slept in and have to run when I get home from work tonight. I like running in the morning but I also love sleeping so I am working on the time management. Experimenting with the different times. I won't have such flexibility in a couple months, when I will NEED to run a couple hours a day!! But for today..I'll run after work and still be in bed in a timely manner :)
Saturday I met with the team, for my first practice and the team's second. We met outside Lloyd Hall on Kelly Drive. I wanted to sleep longer so I rode my bike there. There were about 20 people there, I am no good with guesstimates and actually now that I think about the sign in sheet I think it was closer to 30-35. It turns out that I won a prize at the Kick-off for getting the most signatures in Bingo, so I got a TNT purple tote and inside there was a long sleeve shirt, a cellphone holder for running, and a plastic water bottle. Sweet! I recognized a few people from the kick-off but everyone was smiling anyway. There was a woman who spoke, A mission moment, I think they called it. She told her hero story. Each week they are going to have someone speak about their hero (who they are running for) before we run, so that we remember who it is we are doing this for. It was such a sad, but motivating story.
There were three different running groups, the half marathoners, the full marathoners, and the Full PARIS Marathoners.. The Half group ran 3 miles, we ran 4, and the Paris group ran 5. It was a nice morning. I really understand the difference it makes running with a team opposed to by yourself. I am pretty lenient with myself, so during the week when I am running, it is really easy for me to slow my pace. Saturday I was kind of pushing myself. I went with the 10-11 minute pace group and it felt good. I ran with a girl that is doing Paris on the way up the path and a mentor on the way back. The girl I ran with on the way back, has been in three half marathons. I asked her why she joined Team in Training and she told me her dad passed away due to Lymphoma. She ran her first race ever with her dad and does Team in Training in honor of him. I got goosebumps listening to her while I was running. I told her about my mom being a Cancer Survivor and a smile spread across her face, ear to ear. "That's awesome!" She said and I felt so incredibly lucky. It's weird how I only ran with her for 2 miles and we were able to share such a personal moment.
When we finished our run we did 'sliders' which reminded me off 'high-knees' from Field Hockey. It was a really cool morning and I felt like I got a run in.
I took Sunday off and went to watch the Philadelphia Marathon. My friend Maggie ran, and she is a machine!! She did awesome!!! The whole race I saw purple Team in Training Jerseys and it was cool to see the members, most of which were running together. I stopped to ask someone in a Purple jersey, what mile we were at and she told me. Then she excused herself and jumped in the race to join another TNT runner. She was a mentor, so not an official registrant, but that was awesome!
My runs during the week are 2-3 miles, so I am not hurting too bad just yet. I had a long night last night, so I slept in and have to run when I get home from work tonight. I like running in the morning but I also love sleeping so I am working on the time management. Experimenting with the different times. I won't have such flexibility in a couple months, when I will NEED to run a couple hours a day!! But for today..I'll run after work and still be in bed in a timely manner :)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
First Event is Set!!!
Ok so much to catch up on. Let's start with the most important: The first event is Set!!
We are going to have a benefit (food, fun, dancing, etc...) on JANUARY 16, 2010 at the VFW in Berlin, NJ starting at 7:30 pm. Tickets are going to be $25 and this will include food, drinks, and fun!!! I am not positive on the time yet but I will post it as soon as we figure it out. I am so excited to get this off the ground, and my family has been awesome with helping out :)
Last Thursday night I went to the Great American Pub in Conshohocken to meet the rest of my team. I was excited and nervous to meet everyone. When I walked in I was greeted with smiles all around. I put on my 'Country Music Marathon' Name tag sticker, got my team shirt and bandanna and was on my way. I met my fundraiser mentor, Alison at the fundraising table and she had a lot of information there for us to take. After talking with her my nerves calmed a little more. She sounded so confident that if I truly want this, the money will all come somehow. I was glad to know that I was not the only person worried about the fundraising.
We had a chance to grab some food; soft pretzels, fruit, etc.. before introductions began. We met all of the coaches and staff and we also had a Hero there. A 12 yr old boy and his mother talked about his success story with Leukemia. It was amazing. We watched a video about another Hero who was part of a research for an alternative drug to Chemotherapy and he is doing wonderful today. With the money that LLS donated to research, they were able to develop this drug which saved this man's life. It was cool because the heroes, and the Dr's that they mentioned were all local. The Dr that helped with the medication for the man was from the University of Penn and the research Dr that helped the 12 yr old boy (who was an infant at the time his disease was active) was from Children's Hospital right her in Philly. That is one of the many things that is cool about Team in Training. Since I am apart of the South Eastern PA team, the money that I raise will go right back in to Southeastern Pennsylvania.
After the video we played bingo, but we had to communicate and get each other's initials wherever they fit. For example, if someone handed me their sheet of paper I would initial in a box that classified me "First TNT event" or "First full marathon." It was cool because I got to meet a woman who finished an Iron Man competition and someone who had a 'triple crown' meaning they completed a full marathon, triathlon, and 100 mile bike race. Then it was time to get down to business. We split into our different events; walkers, runners, triathletes..
We received our training schedules while we were huddled around, listening to the head coach. He said that there is a 99% completion rate. And that as long as we followed the schedule, there is no doubt we will be able to finish. I immediately looked ahead and saw the 22 mile runs that I will have to be doing in March and my stomach dropped. But by the end of the coach's speech I was filled with hope again that I can do this. The first training was this past Sunday morning, but I was out of town and unable to make it.
I ran a couple miles, while in Lancaster this past weekend. It is different to go from running in the city to running basically on a farm. It was a nice change. Monday morning, I started with the scheduled runs and ran about 3 miles; to the water and was early enough for the sunrise.
This morning I ran 2.3 miles in 21:10 mins, which is pretty good for me. I slept later than I had planned on and so I think that had to do with the faster pace. It was a little chilly this morning, but with the sun up, it was still a really pretty morning.
Can we talk about how awesome everyone has been with their donations?!!! We are up to $385!!! And there are a few cash donations I have yet to add to the site too. I am so excited to get this going. One thing they did say Thursday night was to be sure to push the fundraising now because in a couple months when I am running 35 miles a week, chances are I will not have too much time to be focused on it. So thank you all again for donating what you can. And to everyone for the continued messages of support :)
We are going to have a benefit (food, fun, dancing, etc...) on JANUARY 16, 2010 at the VFW in Berlin, NJ starting at 7:30 pm. Tickets are going to be $25 and this will include food, drinks, and fun!!! I am not positive on the time yet but I will post it as soon as we figure it out. I am so excited to get this off the ground, and my family has been awesome with helping out :)
Last Thursday night I went to the Great American Pub in Conshohocken to meet the rest of my team. I was excited and nervous to meet everyone. When I walked in I was greeted with smiles all around. I put on my 'Country Music Marathon' Name tag sticker, got my team shirt and bandanna and was on my way. I met my fundraiser mentor, Alison at the fundraising table and she had a lot of information there for us to take. After talking with her my nerves calmed a little more. She sounded so confident that if I truly want this, the money will all come somehow. I was glad to know that I was not the only person worried about the fundraising.
We had a chance to grab some food; soft pretzels, fruit, etc.. before introductions began. We met all of the coaches and staff and we also had a Hero there. A 12 yr old boy and his mother talked about his success story with Leukemia. It was amazing. We watched a video about another Hero who was part of a research for an alternative drug to Chemotherapy and he is doing wonderful today. With the money that LLS donated to research, they were able to develop this drug which saved this man's life. It was cool because the heroes, and the Dr's that they mentioned were all local. The Dr that helped with the medication for the man was from the University of Penn and the research Dr that helped the 12 yr old boy (who was an infant at the time his disease was active) was from Children's Hospital right her in Philly. That is one of the many things that is cool about Team in Training. Since I am apart of the South Eastern PA team, the money that I raise will go right back in to Southeastern Pennsylvania.
After the video we played bingo, but we had to communicate and get each other's initials wherever they fit. For example, if someone handed me their sheet of paper I would initial in a box that classified me "First TNT event" or "First full marathon." It was cool because I got to meet a woman who finished an Iron Man competition and someone who had a 'triple crown' meaning they completed a full marathon, triathlon, and 100 mile bike race. Then it was time to get down to business. We split into our different events; walkers, runners, triathletes..
We received our training schedules while we were huddled around, listening to the head coach. He said that there is a 99% completion rate. And that as long as we followed the schedule, there is no doubt we will be able to finish. I immediately looked ahead and saw the 22 mile runs that I will have to be doing in March and my stomach dropped. But by the end of the coach's speech I was filled with hope again that I can do this. The first training was this past Sunday morning, but I was out of town and unable to make it.
I ran a couple miles, while in Lancaster this past weekend. It is different to go from running in the city to running basically on a farm. It was a nice change. Monday morning, I started with the scheduled runs and ran about 3 miles; to the water and was early enough for the sunrise.
This morning I ran 2.3 miles in 21:10 mins, which is pretty good for me. I slept later than I had planned on and so I think that had to do with the faster pace. It was a little chilly this morning, but with the sun up, it was still a really pretty morning.
Can we talk about how awesome everyone has been with their donations?!!! We are up to $385!!! And there are a few cash donations I have yet to add to the site too. I am so excited to get this going. One thing they did say Thursday night was to be sure to push the fundraising now because in a couple months when I am running 35 miles a week, chances are I will not have too much time to be focused on it. So thank you all again for donating what you can. And to everyone for the continued messages of support :)
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Go Green..
Tomorrow night is the Team in Training (TNT) Kick-off event. My team leader/trainer/mentor.. whichever title works, called to tell me that we are the GREEN team. Which totally works out because I LOVE the color green! And being a fan of the Eagles and an Irish gal, I have a good amount of green attire to work with.
"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily." ~Zig Ziglar
After talking to a couple people who have run or are training to run marathons, it's apparent that I need to do this daily. Monday I went for a run, with really no destination in mind. I started going and then thought it'd be cool to run to the Art Museum and back on the path by the river. By the time I got on the path, the sun was fully up and it was really nice. I finished my run just shy of 7am. 5 miles in 51 minutes...and plenty of time to get ready for work.
Yesterday, I ran at night..I went in early to work and was too tired to make the effort when my alarm went off at 5:15am.. I went out in the moonlight, all excited because I just got my Nike+Ipod again. And the pace and distance did not work. So at the end of the work out I had run 35 minutes, with a distance of .71 miles and an avg of 49 mins a mile. I know that I am slow, but come on Nike +. I am going to try and Calibrate the sensor again tonight and hopefully it will work. At least the time was right, I did run 35 minutes and after mapping my route on www.mapmyrun.com I ran about 3.8 miles. Which is under a 10 min mile!!
I think I run faster at night, but the trick is maintaining the motivation throughout the day. I am planning on running again tonight, hopefully the rain will hold off.
Oh and By the Way we are up to $285!!!!!!!!! That is so awesome!!! Thank you all for the donations!!! And thank you to everyone that has reached out and messaged me. There are a few people I didn't know were into running and it has been really cool to get their advice. I'm excited to meet my team tomorrow at the kick-off and to see the 'game plan.' Please continue to spread the word about this and thanks again for being awesome!
"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily." ~Zig Ziglar
After talking to a couple people who have run or are training to run marathons, it's apparent that I need to do this daily. Monday I went for a run, with really no destination in mind. I started going and then thought it'd be cool to run to the Art Museum and back on the path by the river. By the time I got on the path, the sun was fully up and it was really nice. I finished my run just shy of 7am. 5 miles in 51 minutes...and plenty of time to get ready for work.
Yesterday, I ran at night..I went in early to work and was too tired to make the effort when my alarm went off at 5:15am.. I went out in the moonlight, all excited because I just got my Nike+Ipod again. And the pace and distance did not work. So at the end of the work out I had run 35 minutes, with a distance of .71 miles and an avg of 49 mins a mile. I know that I am slow, but come on Nike +. I am going to try and Calibrate the sensor again tonight and hopefully it will work. At least the time was right, I did run 35 minutes and after mapping my route on www.mapmyrun.com I ran about 3.8 miles. Which is under a 10 min mile!!
I think I run faster at night, but the trick is maintaining the motivation throughout the day. I am planning on running again tonight, hopefully the rain will hold off.
Oh and By the Way we are up to $285!!!!!!!!! That is so awesome!!! Thank you all for the donations!!! And thank you to everyone that has reached out and messaged me. There are a few people I didn't know were into running and it has been really cool to get their advice. I'm excited to meet my team tomorrow at the kick-off and to see the 'game plan.' Please continue to spread the word about this and thanks again for being awesome!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Dust yourself off and try again..
OK so I was kind of worried about whether I would blog everyday or not..because I don't want this to get repetitive...So when I was on my run this morning, I was thinking of possible ways to spunk this up...And then I fell..
I saw a friend while crossing the street and as I was waving at him I tripped and fell completely down in the street at 20th and Walnut. Luckily it was a red light, but while I was getting up it turned green and I shimmied to the side. I had never actually fallen down when running, although I played it out multiple times in my mind. My two initial thoughts once on the sidewalk: 1. thankfully it was a red light when I fell..2. Welp I got that out of the way. Now that I fell down I won't have to worry about it anymore.
I thought it was pretty funny that I was worried about being boring with my updates of my training and then I fell right down in the street. Thanks for the material God, and thankfully I am not seriously hurt. Other than the slight bruise to my ego, but at least it was funny..
“He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Now clearly I was not out to fall on my face this morning and conquer that embarrassing fear, but hey it happened regardless. I ended up running a little less than 3 miles, in about 28 minutes..I walked a little bit but then got back into my stride. Hopefully tomorrow I will keep one foot in front of the other and stay upright.
Oh and we are up to $185!!!!! That is so awesome!! Thank you all for donating. This week I am going to brain storm and try to narrow down ideas for events, so please please please let me know if you have any ideas. Thanks :)
I saw a friend while crossing the street and as I was waving at him I tripped and fell completely down in the street at 20th and Walnut. Luckily it was a red light, but while I was getting up it turned green and I shimmied to the side. I had never actually fallen down when running, although I played it out multiple times in my mind. My two initial thoughts once on the sidewalk: 1. thankfully it was a red light when I fell..2. Welp I got that out of the way. Now that I fell down I won't have to worry about it anymore.
I thought it was pretty funny that I was worried about being boring with my updates of my training and then I fell right down in the street. Thanks for the material God, and thankfully I am not seriously hurt. Other than the slight bruise to my ego, but at least it was funny..
“He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Now clearly I was not out to fall on my face this morning and conquer that embarrassing fear, but hey it happened regardless. I ended up running a little less than 3 miles, in about 28 minutes..I walked a little bit but then got back into my stride. Hopefully tomorrow I will keep one foot in front of the other and stay upright.
Oh and we are up to $185!!!!! That is so awesome!! Thank you all for donating. This week I am going to brain storm and try to narrow down ideas for events, so please please please let me know if you have any ideas. Thanks :)
Friday, November 6, 2009
The Official Start..
OK well the official start for Team in Training isn't until Thursday...but the fundraising has begun!!! It took me most of the day to get the message out on Facebook and already I have received some awesome feedback!! I want to thank those of you who responded and those who have already donated...I already hit the $100 mark!!!
This morning I forced myself to get out of bed and on the road.. I started with 3 miles today and it felt good. The weather was bitter and my eyes were a little teary but I was done in a half hour. Plenty of time to shower and walk to work (Thank you Septa strike). As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, I am going to have to keep my motivation high! If you know me, or are friends with me on FB and are forced to see my status updates (lol) then you know I am a fan of quotes. I think that is the best motivation, because it is written by someone else who has been through what you are going through.. Or at least I like to think that they have.
“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination.”
~Tommy Lasorda
This morning is but a beginning on a long path ahead, but it is just that, a beginning...
This morning I forced myself to get out of bed and on the road.. I started with 3 miles today and it felt good. The weather was bitter and my eyes were a little teary but I was done in a half hour. Plenty of time to shower and walk to work (Thank you Septa strike). As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, I am going to have to keep my motivation high! If you know me, or are friends with me on FB and are forced to see my status updates (lol) then you know I am a fan of quotes. I think that is the best motivation, because it is written by someone else who has been through what you are going through.. Or at least I like to think that they have.
“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination.”
~Tommy Lasorda
This morning is but a beginning on a long path ahead, but it is just that, a beginning...
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Day One...
Hey guys!! I wanted to start a blog in hopes that it will help with my fundraising. I have just joined Team in Training, which is a fundraising team that benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I signed up to run my very first Marathon on April 24, 2010 in Nashville, TN!!
A little blerp about me: My name is Katie Chance, hence the URL (clever I know lol), I am 25 yrs old and live in Philadelphia, PA. I have been running for the past two years and the farthest I have completed is 13.1 miles in February 2009..When I first starting running I never imagined that I could run farther than 5 miles..I had always ran when I played sports but never ran just to run. I always felt slower than everyone else but when I got out there truly for my own health, not in competition with anyone else, I felt good. I like running because I can go my own pace and I just like to spend some time not thinking. A lot of times I may not want to run but once I get out there I always feel like I have accomplished something.
My mother, Kathy Chance, is a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with Colon Cancer in February of 2002. After having surgery and many months of Radiation and Chemotherapy the cancer went into remission. It is now 7 yrs later and she is still Cancer free! When cancer came into our family, it changed everything. I have always known about cancer but until it hit home, I had no real understanding of what it does to a person and their family. Thankfully I am blessed to be apart of a success story, but I know that there are thousands who are not so lucky.. Team in Training is a part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma society and the money will go to this foundation to help research and make new discoveries for blood related Cancers. Although my mother had a different variety of cancer, I still feel close with this cause.
I am fortunate enough to work in a Cancer Center and so I get the opportunity to see patients everyday struggling and surviving because of the doctors, nurses, and research trials that continue to give hope to curing this disease. Chances are that you or someone that you know does have or has had cancer and this organization, this team, is allowing me and others to make a difference. I may not be a doctor or be working hands on finding the cure for cancer, but I can attempt to make a difference by raising money and running. I never imagined running a marathon, I never thought I could ever do it. But when I think about the people we are raising money for and how many will never get the chance to even try and run or walk a few miles, it gives me the motivation that I CAN do this.
You have heard it before and I will say it again... "Every little bit helps." If you think about the $.99 you spend on a song on Itunes or a ring tone, you can just as easily donate that to this cause. I really feel uncomfortable asking people continuously for money, but I know that there are people who would like a cause to donate to and it opens the door when someone they know or a friend of a friend is involved in the organization. So I ask that you please donate if you can and send this to anyone and everyone that you think would be interested in this cause.
The Run: The Marathon is the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN!! There are going to be 50 bands and groups lining the course and I hear the atmosphere is amazing! Running a Marathon is 90% mental (these are statistics from my mind, but I think they are close to the truth) and so I have a lot of growing to do. I named myself Slow and Steady because if you ask anyone that I have run with, that is the motto I try to live by. As long as I finish, I'm a winner...I kind of dropped the end of the 'wins the race' but only because there are no losers, only finishers..
I hope that you will come back and read how my training is going and also check up on my fundraising site (link below). Thanks for reading :)
http://pages.teamintraining.org/epa/cmc10/kchance
A little blerp about me: My name is Katie Chance, hence the URL (clever I know lol), I am 25 yrs old and live in Philadelphia, PA. I have been running for the past two years and the farthest I have completed is 13.1 miles in February 2009..When I first starting running I never imagined that I could run farther than 5 miles..I had always ran when I played sports but never ran just to run. I always felt slower than everyone else but when I got out there truly for my own health, not in competition with anyone else, I felt good. I like running because I can go my own pace and I just like to spend some time not thinking. A lot of times I may not want to run but once I get out there I always feel like I have accomplished something.
My mother, Kathy Chance, is a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with Colon Cancer in February of 2002. After having surgery and many months of Radiation and Chemotherapy the cancer went into remission. It is now 7 yrs later and she is still Cancer free! When cancer came into our family, it changed everything. I have always known about cancer but until it hit home, I had no real understanding of what it does to a person and their family. Thankfully I am blessed to be apart of a success story, but I know that there are thousands who are not so lucky.. Team in Training is a part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma society and the money will go to this foundation to help research and make new discoveries for blood related Cancers. Although my mother had a different variety of cancer, I still feel close with this cause.
I am fortunate enough to work in a Cancer Center and so I get the opportunity to see patients everyday struggling and surviving because of the doctors, nurses, and research trials that continue to give hope to curing this disease. Chances are that you or someone that you know does have or has had cancer and this organization, this team, is allowing me and others to make a difference. I may not be a doctor or be working hands on finding the cure for cancer, but I can attempt to make a difference by raising money and running. I never imagined running a marathon, I never thought I could ever do it. But when I think about the people we are raising money for and how many will never get the chance to even try and run or walk a few miles, it gives me the motivation that I CAN do this.
You have heard it before and I will say it again... "Every little bit helps." If you think about the $.99 you spend on a song on Itunes or a ring tone, you can just as easily donate that to this cause. I really feel uncomfortable asking people continuously for money, but I know that there are people who would like a cause to donate to and it opens the door when someone they know or a friend of a friend is involved in the organization. So I ask that you please donate if you can and send this to anyone and everyone that you think would be interested in this cause.
The Run: The Marathon is the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN!! There are going to be 50 bands and groups lining the course and I hear the atmosphere is amazing! Running a Marathon is 90% mental (these are statistics from my mind, but I think they are close to the truth) and so I have a lot of growing to do. I named myself Slow and Steady because if you ask anyone that I have run with, that is the motto I try to live by. As long as I finish, I'm a winner...I kind of dropped the end of the 'wins the race' but only because there are no losers, only finishers..
I hope that you will come back and read how my training is going and also check up on my fundraising site (link below). Thanks for reading :)
http://pages.teamintraining.org/epa/cmc10/kchance
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