UCSD Run

This past Saturday we ran at UCSD. This was a very fun run. The course was a bit hilly and very confusing. We missed a turn and ran a bit further than planned! So, what was going to be a 4 mile run turned into a 5 mile run! Oh well. We were joined early on by one of our teammates and then once we realised we missed the turn, we added another! We were so close to Lyndsay, who is back in the hospital (UCSD) to have her bone marrow transplant this week on the 18th!!!!
Later on I went over to see her. She is doing really well. Saturday and Sunday she was given doses of chemotherapy. Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday she will undergo total body radiation in preparation for the transplant on Thursday. After her transplant she will be confined to her hospital room for 30 days, after that she will be limited to being at home, which I am sure will be a nice change. After 100 days, her restrictions will start to be lifted as the transplanted marrow has joined with her!

Missed a week!

Last week both Mike and I had to miss our team run. I had volunteered back in January to work at the Women of Faith conference and Mike had to attend the Guide Dog leadership seminar. We made up for it by running durring the week. Righ now the miles are not yet that large 2-4 each day we train on our own, and between 4-8 on Saturdays, they soon will be. Mike and I have both found that each day the run gets a bit easier and we are also shaving a bit of time off each mile as we progress!
I came back on Wednesday, very excited because I ran over 4 miles with an average of a bit over 11 minute miles - that's almost to where I was when I was in my early
30's! We both found that durring the week we like to run with our ipods - My "power song" is "I Get A Little Stronger Everyday" by Michael W. Smith, it really helps me kick it up! On Saturday runs with the group, we don't use the ipods. Instead, it is amazing how many people - not part of the Team, cheer us on with a "GO TEAM" as we run by, it realy lifts the spirits and is a quick reminder of why and for whom we are running.
We are really looking forward to going to the run tomorrow - for Lyndsay! We also hope to be able to see Lyndsay, she will be getting her bone marrow transplnat on the 18th and will be in the hospital for at least a month. Please keep her and her family in your prayers!

Encinitas Training Run

One of the best things about being in the San Diego chapter of Team In Training is the great places we get to run. This week it was along the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) in Encinitas. It is so nice to have the ocean breeze and hear the surf as it hits the sand. It also is much more pleasant to look at than the boring road that we run during the week. I think we will need to find some place else to run when we are in Riverside.
Tonight we start the midweek training with the Inland Empire/Orange County group. Even though we are officially SD members, they are letting us run with them. There was no way we would be able to meet midweek down there. We just got their schedule today. It seems that they do something called "boot camp"...this sounds tough. I did that in the Air Force, it was hard then, and I was much younger!!!! So we will be off to that in just a couple of hours...I'll keep you posted.

Crown Point

This past Saturday we met at Crown Point for our training run. It is a beautiful park on Mission Bay overlooking the back side of Sea World and it is a stones throw away from Pacific Beach. This week we had a very amusing visual demonstration by Coach Happy. He had us laughing so hard in his pink tutu and and flamboyant sunglasses - of all mornings not to have my camera!!! At least I know now that I don't need to go out and get a tutu! (I may still get one for Mike -ha ha) After a few more announcements we set out on our run/walk. Mike & I liked it here so much that we will be back to run on our own some time soon.

Both of us seem to be more excited and inspired each week after our Team meetings. Everyone involved is so positive and uplifting (and surprisingly full of energy in the morning), we just love it. The energy keeps going all week too. I found a saying that kind of has that same momentum "I am fairly certain that given a cape and a nice tiara, I could save the world." Leigh Standley. OK, so I don't need a tutu, but maybe a tiara and cape?!

Thanks to all of you who sent your donation checks this week - YOU GUYS ARE GREAT!!!

Our first team run

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS DONATED SO FAR! YOU ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!

We have been so excited about starting our training, and last Saturday was our first run with the team! Unfortunately, I had bothered my knee, all because of the wrong shoes! When they say wait for the shoe clinic, WAIT!!! I had bought the "bad shoes" a month or so before, but hadn't done a lot in them. So our first run was a bit sad as we turned around and got me some ice.
The Great news is that I went to Moving Shoes and got a pair that are perfect. Although i have given my knee a bit of rest this week and will take it slowly this coming Saturday, I am amazed at how the wrong show can hurt so much...especially when it felt so comfy!.

TNT Kik Off Event

Yesterday Mike & I Attended our Team In Training kick off event yesterday! Boy are we inspired and eager to go out ant run!! We have just 22 weeks to get in shape for our marathon. We met 2 honored teammates and learned in a very simplified way what blood cancers do. I was part of that skit. I got to be platelets. It was shown that in the bone marrow, the over population of white blood cells (fight infections) cause both the red blood cells (carry oxygen)and the platelets (clotting)to "clog" up everything so that none of the cells can do their respective jobs.
They also had a drawing for 3 different gift baskets...I won the 1st one. It had all sorts of cool things, including a TNT sweatshirt, ear warmers, travel mug and a bunch of other goodies.
We then broke up into our different event groups. Some are hiking and others are biking. Our group is made up of several different races, all either 1/2 or full marathons. We got to meet our coaches and mentors. We also discussed the different training sites we would be at and the big run, that apparently the San Diego TNT group in known for, the "Train Run" where the group will take the train from Solana Beach to Oceanside and then run back!! They said we would do thins some time before Thanksgiving! Now that's something to look forward to.

This morning Mike and I began our training and ran about 3 miles! Mike is super motivated and so am I. And so the adventure begins...

It's official...we are crazy!

Today, after talking about doing this for some time, Mike and I committed to run our 1st marathon! We chose to train with a group called Team in Training and raise $8,000.00 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on behalf of our fiends' daughter, Lyndsay. She was diagnosed with Acute Byphenotpic Leukemia earlier this year.
Join us on this exciting(or do I mean exhausting?!)journey as we prepare to run 26.2 miles this coming January 11Th at Walt Disney World in Florida. We invite you to cheer us on by posting your support, as this is a huge event for us. We are looking forward to reading your posts to this blog and invite you to check back often as there will be new posts and photos of us training. We also encourage you to dig deep and help us reach our goal of raising $8,000.00.
Thank you,

Mike & Dawn ... we off to run!