one-three-point-one

i completed my first half marathon on sunday, October 17, 2010.

did you read that?! i'm not sure you did, so let me say it again:

i completed my first half marathon on sunday!

it took me a few days to write this blog because i wanted to honor all the feelings i was having, without trying to confine and constrict them into words. for, as it turns out my friends, some feelings just don't have words. they're too big and too powerful for words - at least the ones in my lexicon!

so, i need to talk about race weekend, from beginning to end. and i will try to be as descriptive as possible, and share as much with you as i can possibly fit into words. deal?

i didn't sleep much the week before my race. i was too excited. like that commercial where the little boy is in bed and his mom gives him a kiss and tells him to go to sleep, but he's imagining himself meeting mickey mouse and going on the teacups and he squeals, "but i'm too excited to sleep!" yeah, kinda like that. i believe my adrenaline officially started pumping at least 96 hours prior to the race, and just flew through my body for, well, i'll let you know when it stops.

since i'd been spending months ensuring that my body was tuned up and ready to race, i decided to spend friday morning ensuring that my car was ready for the trip to sf. i got an oil change, tire rotation and car wash before meeting some of my favorite well-wishers - the goettches - for lunch, and doing some design work for my buddy candice. then i went to mom and dad's to get laundry washed and ready for the big weekend. i got home around 1130pm, not tired at all, but headed to bed anyway and attempted to sleep, which, true to form, i didn't.

so anyway, i "wake up" from my "slumber" saturday morning, and i start packing my bag. shoes went in first, but not before i took the photo above. then my singlet, my running tights, socks, sports bra, deodorant, athletic tape, cap, water bottle and TNT paperwork packet. afterall, those were the essential elements. from there i threw in some clothes, toiletries, etc and waited patiently for michelle, my training buddy, to arrive. she and i decided to drive down to san francisco together, since her family would meet her on sunday. she arrived at my house right around 930am and, i was so excited of course, that i was waiting for her, car packed, on the sidewalk outside my house. her husband pulled up with her in the passenger seat and her two sweet girls, paige (8) and mia (4), checking out the scene from the back seat. as her hubby put her suitcase in my car, she kissed her girls, then him and then we hopped in my car. HERE WE GO!

we buckle up, i pop open the sunroof and pull away from the curb, and drive about 50 yards down my street when i realize that my car just doesn't feel right. "dude, does my car feel like it's pulling to the right," i asked michelle. she answered affirmative so i pulled over, hopped back out and ran to the passenger side front tire. sure as shame it was completely flat. instantly stressed (not to mention terribly embarrassed), i threw the car in reverse and backed up all the way to my house. i called my dad (aka superman) and shared my alarming news. as we all might have expected, dad showed up STAT, with mom in tow. as mom, michelle and i began unloading the ridiculous amounts of stuff from my trunk (we all know i live in my car), dad attempted to fill the flat tire with his air compressor. as the air went in, it went directly back out what we later discovered was a deliberate slit in my tire, made by some kind of knife.

yes, some asshole (pardon my language) knifed my tire on possibly the worst possible day. dad got the spare tire out of my trunk, along with the factory equipped hand jack (which, by the way, is ridiculously hard to remove from its tidy little compartment. thanks Honday), and began to change my tire. i called the tire store and ensured that they had a tire in stock, and as soon as dad had installed my spare, michelle and i piled back into the car and headed for the shop. we were about a mile and a half from my house when i got a call from mom, frantically telling me to stop driving, and asking where we were. i gave her our location and promised to pull over. a few seconds later, she and dad appeared in my rear-view mirror, pulling up behind us. traffic whizzing by on our left, dad jumped out of the driver's side of his truck and ran to the tire he'd replaced minutes before. in all his rushing to get us out of town, my sweet pops had forgotten to tighten the lugnuts on the spare! he completed his job, gave me a quick hug and we took off, once again, to the tire store.

at this point i have to pause and say a special thanks to michelle. oh my goodness. she was so kind and understanding and supportive! she kept me so calm! i felt so awful that she was having to experience this craziness, but she was a total trooper. and she would continue to be, as the day progressed.

sweet mom and dad followed us all the way to the tire store and waited with us until my car had been taken into a stall and work on it had begun. in about an hour's time, we were off and on our way to san francisco once more! michelle and i both agreed that we were exactly where we should be, and that this minor - albeit freak - setback was not a setback at all.

upon arrival in san francisco, we drove around for a while trying to locate the super cheap garage we'd reserved for parking. after locating the garage, checking in and walking through san francisco's famous "tenderloin" district (not famous for anything positive, i might add) with our luggage, handbags and everything else, we finally arrived at The Handlery, the cute boutique hotel where we would be staying with our team. not even a full city block from Union Square, it was an excellent location and a nice little place (i'd stayed there before for a work function). there were several team in training folks from other chapters gathered in the small lobby, chatting busily. i approached the registration desk, presented my driver's license and credit card, and waited for the desk staff to check me in. as he searched the computer, he asked if i had a roommate, and i told him i was supposed to, but that i didn't know who it was, that TNT was to have assigned it to me. seconds later still, he asked if i had any kind of confirmation number, which, of course, i didn't, since TNT had taken care of all of our travel. i really didn't begin to worry until he asked me to wait a moment while he checked with his manager, and disappeared into a back door.

meanwhile michelle checked in with ease, and waited patiently (notice a theme here? poor girl!) for me. once the gentleman returned with his manager in tow, i was informed that they did not have me on their "list," and that they did not have a room for me. i'm sorry, what? oh yes, friends, you read that right. no name, no room. i was s-o-l.

nerves were about to eat me alive at this point. a) i wasn't entirely sure that i was in my right mind - i had, in fact, committed to walking a half marathon in less than 24 hours; b) i was pretty sure that there was NO WAY i would actually be able to complete said half marathon; c) i was running on little to no sleep at this point; d) i had poor enough karma that the universe thought it would be fun to allow someone to slash my tire on the day i was supposed to drive myself - and an unsuspecting teammate - to our event; and now e) having *finally* made it safely to said event, there was nowhere for me to (try to) sleep before i attempted 13.1. yeah, one could say i was on edge.

fighting back tears of frustration (and, i'll admit, a little self-pity), i pulled out the yelllow information sheet provided to us, and dialed one of the TNT staff numbers. to my horror, the staff person didn't answer, so i tried person number two. luckilly this time i reached a woman named marsha, who let me know she was in her hotel room just around the corner (was she trying to rub salt in the wound? hahaha), and would be right over. i let michelle know what was going on, and so, while we waited, we checked our heavy bags in with the bellhop and sat down on a sofa against the window facing geary.

marsha came in wearing her own running gear, carrying a large, white binder with several colored tabs. she sat down next to me and flipped to the "accomodations" section, and immediately began running her finger down a list of names, presumably looking for mine. after three different runs through the same list, she looked up at me and said "i'm not sure what to do." certainly not the answer i was looking for. it was approximately 230pm and michelle and i still needed to pick up our race-day packets and get to the moscone center for our inspiration dinner, before 530pm. a solution to my housing problem needed to come, pronto.

3... 2... 1... go!

Its the morning of my first half marathon. I'm in the lobby of Michelle's hotel (more on that later), waiting to walk to the start. Its cool & breezy outside but I'm all warm & giddy on the inside. I feel super nervous, but ready. Ready to walk a few blocks to Union Square and line up with 20,000 women (and some men too) and walk my little heart out. I can't wait to see survivors & their families, our coaches & mentors, all cheering us on & giving us much-needed positive energy.

Last night at the Inspiration dinner (it really lived up to its name, but more on that later, too), the emcee said "you will begin this race a certain woman, and be a completely different woman after you cross the finish." I believe that and I'm ready to experience it! Wish me luck!

Besos,

Liz

'twas the night before the night before race day

i should be packing for my race, michelle and i leave tomorrow morning around 10am for the City. we'll park at ezpark, check in at the hotel, go pick up our packets and check out the expo. probably talk a LOT about our nerves, and go to the TNT pasta party. then i'll head to my room and ice my ankle and knee for a while before i turn in for sleep. i hope.

i'm not sure when i've been so excited for something, at least not recently. i mean i've been excited for things - parties, weddings, new babies, graduations, etc. but i have butterflies whizzing around in my tummy in a way that i haven't felt since christmas eve circa 1987. it's excitement, anxiety, pride and even a little sadness, all rolled into one. i'm excited because i've never done something this big - a 20,000 person event that brings a city to its knees for a day? no, never! i'm anxious because i don't exactly know what to expect - from the course, the city, the weather or my body. let's all remember i do have an angry ankle and a bum knee. i'm proud because i'm actually doing it - something i never thought i could. and i'm a little sad because this moment is bittersweet; my TNT experience is coming to a close, and all that energy i've been feeding off of from each of you, as well as the support from my teammates and TNT staff, is winding down. my wednesday evenings and saturday mornings are now my own again, and i'm not sure that i like it!

like i said before, i should be packing, but i'm here, on the computer, chronicling these precious last pre-race days. i'm hoping to bring my computer with me and write a little on saturday night, just before i go to sleep, so stay tuned!

besos!

Goooooooal!

I kind of can't believe that my event is almost here! Less than two weeks to go... it's insane! I am so excited and nervous and jittery every time I think about it. I don't remember being this excited about achieving a goal since the day I turned in my Master's thesis back in 2007!

Speaking of goals, this has really served as a good reminder about the importance of goals, specifically measurable ones that have a timeline associated with them. Of course I have this goal of someday *finally* being paid what I'm worth, or at some point traveling all over South America for weeks on end, but this race - and thinking back to my thesis - make me remember how important it is for my mental and emotional (and in this case physical) health, to set my mind to doing something, assigning a timeline to that decision and putting in the work to achieve it. Setting goals is something we all think about, talk about or at minimum hear about. Some people in my life actually set and achieve them, but I think for the most part, most people take the idea of a goal for granted, or think of it as some kind of formality. As I type this very paragraph, I am further realizing that I think a new part of my life will be choosing, very strategically, goals that will make me a better person.

Along that same line, I believe that, in my darkest times, those training sessions where I was only one mile into a six- or seven-mile walk, and I was more sore than usual, or more tired or more winded or more thirsty or tired or hungry (or fill in the blank here) than usual and I just didn't think there was any possible way that I could walk all that way, or raise all that money, I gently reminded myself that my big mouth had told everyone I know (and some strangers too) that I was doing this half marathon. In the moments when, (and yes, I am ashamed to admit there were these moments) reminding myself that the cancer patients and survivors I am walking to honor and raise funds for, couldn't stop their fights with cancer and therefore neither could I stop my training, in those times when that just didn't seem to cut it, ACCOUNTABILITY is what did. Knowing that people were going to ask each week how my training was, and, ultimately, how my event went, pushed me through it all.

So, it seems, for some of us, purely setting a goal isn't quite enough. For some of us - myself in particular - setting a goal and then blabbing all over the world about it, creating that social pressure (aka accountability) is key. While I think that I should love and value myself enough that being accountable only to me would do the trick, I'm just not there - yet - and I need that extra peer pressure.

So, I am interested in suggestions for my next goal. I wonder if I should continue focusing on this fitness goal, perhaps shooting for another half marathon at a quicker pace, or taking up a new activity. Or maybe I should focus on something else altogether? If you're reading, please provide a suggestion. I can't make any promises at this point about what I'll end up choosing to work on, as I think that I need to complete this goal in its entirety (I'm almost there!) and then choose the next goal. But your ideas will provide more food for thought, and I'd definitely appreciate that!

Besos,

Liz

it's a thin line between love and hate

the love-hate relationship that i have with my body has favored hate more than love, since about the fourth grade. regardless who (or what) you blame for that, it's been a struggle that i - and a majority of my friends, female family members and colleagues - have shared and discussed for many years. it has always seemed like no matter what i did - affirmations, diets, exercise, therapy - that hate still stayed strong.

then i started training for this half marathon. it was hard. harder than i thought. i will admit at this time that i was, prior to going out to train, totally delusional about my fitness level. i thought i was waaaaaay fitter than i really was. or am. it was a let down and it increased my body self-loathing. temporarily. as the weeks passed and i was a month in, some of that hatred started to be replaced by pride. i was proud of myself and my body for so diligently adhering to my training schedule. enter a dislocated knee and slightly torn mcl due to a fall at the grocery store, followed by seven very loooooong weeks of NO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY! right about now i'm thinking that maybe my body doesn't want me doing this afterall, hell, maybe the UNIVERSE doesn't want me doing this... what's with the bad luck?!

my mid-july return was tough. my team had been training without me and i felt i'd not just lost all the progress (both physical and mental) i'd made, but in fact regressed some. getting back on the wagon was tough and my knee let me know that every step of the way, trying with each mile, to move the body-love meter just a bit back down toward the love end of the spectrum. i was just getting back into it when i left on vacation with the family for a week, and was able to use that time to focus on my body and my training. my family was super supportive - especially dad, who hoofed it with me much of the time' - and it helped me stay positive when the shin splints kicked in or the knee began to throb. walking a total of fifteen miles on my five-day vacation was a highlight for me, and it made me really proud.

shortly after returning to team from vacation, i hit a huge milestone. a training milestone - 11 consecutive miles - and, possibly more importantly, a fundamental paradigm shift in the way i saw my body! i really marveled at my ability to complete eleven miles of walking, and thanked my body for all it helped me achieve that day. for the first time in my life, i was proud of my body. did you hear (read) that people?! P-R-O-U-D of my body! for the first time i wasn't thinking about this bulge here or that bulge there, how much i hated what i saw in the mirror, or how much other people were disgusted by my "fluff." nope. i was actually proud of - and so very, very grateful for - the strength and stamina that my muscles, joints, skin, bones, cells, had endured to allow me the pride and privilege of saying i'd walked nearly 30,000 steps in three-and-some-change hours. it was the most amazing feeling. for several hours following that training session, my body love meter was off the charts and i experienced a high like no other (not that i have many highs to compare it to).

that first eleven miles was several weeks ago, and the high has dissipated some. in true habitual form i returned to the negative body self-talk of my last twenty years, plus i caught a pretty nasty cold and missed two weeks of training. the big difference is that, no matter how much my mind starts to hate my body - criticize how tight my jeans are, gasp in disgust at my apparent multiple chins when reviewing a photo - i always have that strong memory of pride and gratitude from just a few weeks ago. it's like my heart speaks up now when my mind gets going and says, "hey! you! back off! this body is amazing! it can recover from injuries, it can persevere through illness, it can go the distance (no pun intended) when pushed. this body is strong! and beautiful! and amazing!" i have something to be proud of and something more to motivate me, something intrinsic, something positive. i'm going into my workouts now not just because i feel guilty about what i ate that day and how it will look when it lands on my ass, but also because i know i CAN. and that is a privilege not to be taken for granted.

i have less than four weeks until my event and, now that i know i can do 13.1 - i mean, really do it, i'm focused on doing it as painlessly and strongly as possible. i want to feel great (not almost dead) when i cross the finish line. i've got my eye on the prize and i'm finally seeing my body as my ally!

P.S... look at the registration confirmation i got in my email box!

check!

Many people maintain a to-do list as part of their daily routine. Others don't keep one at all, miraculously tracking tasks in their heads. I land somewhere in the middle of that to-do list spectrum, resorting to an actual list only when I am so stressed that I feel like I might just drown in my own thoughts and responsibilities, that a paper and pen are the only flotation device that will suffice!

But the magic of the to-do list is worth discussing, isn't it? I mean, at the risk of sounding like a huge geek (which, let's face it, we all know I am), I have to gush about the utter satisfaction it brings, to place a little "check" mark next to one of those pressing tasks. In fact, if I'm being honest, in those moments of the utmost overwhelm, I have been known to add one or two items to the list that I'd already completed, just because I so much needed the satisfaction of marking a "check" and patting myself on the back for a job well done. Silly, I know, but whatever works, right?!

Given the relative power of the check over my own sanity and emotional wellbeing at times, combined with the fact that, of recent, my world revolves around my Team In Training adventure, I thought it was important to celebrate quite a big check... THIS WEEKEND I MET -- NO, EXCEEDED -- MY TNT FUNDRAISING GOAL!

This past Friday, I drove my brother's cute little truck all over creation with one Linda Lee by my side, picking up the many treasures that family, friends and colleagues so kindly donated to me for a *ginormous* yard sale! My sweet friends Melissa and Taylor Brown kindly offered to host the yard sale on my behalf, and, starting at 630am on Saturday morning, we filled their huge driveway with oodles of goodies AND tons of people who came to buy them! It was AMAZING! We had a constant stream of folks and were able to sell many, many items to folks at great prices. The best part was that we made just over $300 for Team! So awesome... CHECK!

woah!

so, since i last wrote, the donation count has doubled - over 70% of the way there - and i've completed nearly the full length of the half marathon - eleven miles yesterday! woah!

i continue to be both challenged and amazed. the challenges my body is taking on - and achieving, slowly but surely - are incredible. i never thought i would complete a distance event. ever. but i'm doing it - i've done it!

on saturday, august 7th, my friends simone and toan hosted a poker tournament to raise funds for TNT... we made nearly $400! my sister, brother and brother-in-law were there, as well as more than two dozen friends and their friends. we had a tasty nacho bar, lots of beer and drinks, good laughs, and of course, poker. it was a lot of fun, so much so, that melissa & taylor are hosting a second All in for a Cure tournament, on september 25th. we're collecting RSVP's and hope for another great turn out!

another fundraiser that's coming up is the garage sale we're hosting on september 11.(also at melissa and taylor's house - have i said yet how thankful i am for their help?)! i'm getting lots of donations from folks - so many that i'm taking the day before off from work and going around to pick up everyone's items. we've publicized it on Good Day Sacramento, Craigslist and The Penny Saver (and of course Facebook). we'll also be serving donuts and coffee (also for donations). it should be a good time!

back to the training. a few things i've learned: a) it is possible to burn half a pound in one day, just by walking; b) it is possible to develop blisters on top of existing blistersmuscles scream louder than anything that has ever come out of my mouth before; d) i kinda proved to myself that i'm a rockstar. seriously. even when i was a high school athlete and complete gym-bunny, i never thought i'd accomplish something as physically and mentally demanding as this, let alone ten years and several tens of pounds later. i have to recognize that there are tons and tons and tons of people out there who do half marathons, full marathons, ultra marathons (50mi), uber marathons (100mi... i made that name up, by the way). so my little 11 miles wasn't a whole lot in the world of running or fitness. but moving @#$ pounds eleven miles over 210 minutes on a busted up knee was my single biggest physical achievement to date.

before saturday i had never done more than seven consecutive miles. i am a little behind my team due to the six weeks i was out with the initial injury to my knee. therefore, i went into my Team workout thinking i'd bump it up from 7 to 9 miles, but when i arrived and found out that we were doing an 11 mile loop, i decided i was going for it, if for no other reason than to justify the tasty pancake breakfast i would be indulging in when we arrived back (more on that in a bit)!

my teammate michelle and i started out slow, as she had missed her workouts for the last two weeks. it was chilly and slightly overcast, but a gorgeous, perfect day for an outdoor workout. we walked from the vfw hall in old town folsom, down to the bike trail that runs along folsom lake. after a good mile and a half or so, we picked up the pace to "brisk" and were both feeling really good. we chatted (as usual) about her fundraising, my fundraising, our hopes and anxieties for the event, her kids, my niece and nephew, friends, work, blah blah blah. i've read SO many times that it helps to have a workout buddy, and i finally understand why... michelle must be "the one" for me when it comes to training partners! our chatting had us half-way through the workout without even noticing it!

our initial "destination" was the csus aquatics center, at hazel avenue. there would be an aid station (they put out water and gatorade/powerade for us at different places during our long workouts), and i really needed to fill up my water bottle. as we rounded a corner and saw the aquatic center, we were elated - we were halfway! yes! then we saw the GINORMOUS hill that stood between us and the overcrossing that would get us to said halfway point (and hydration)... grrrrr! i'm telling you this was no bunny slope, folks, this was full-on mountainous. i almost felt like i needed a harness and climbing spikes in my shoes (maybe a bit overdramatic but you get my drift). i made a silent pact with myself that i would *not* under any circumstances, stop before i reached the top of that hill. afterall, there were children and teens with leukemia, cooking pancakes alongside their families, just for me, back at the vfw. if these kids can wake up early on a saturday morning feeling like crap from chemo and radiation just to make me breakfast, i sure as $hit could do this mountain. and i did. just like that. there was quite a bit of huffing and puffing involved, but i OWNED that hill!

as we crossed the overpass i couldn't help but take a moment to be present and hear my body. screaming and panting and so thankful for the fresh air and the exersize. i felt for one moment, like i was on top of the world (and i may well have been - you ever walked across the river on hazel avenue... it's WAY HIGH! acrophobics should not attempt). we approached the aquatic center and a sweeper (folks from team who ride the walk/run route on bikes with extra water, electrolytes, etc. for us in case we need anything) rode up. i took the opportunity to guzzle a ton of water and fill up my bottle. more good news. we were further than half way... about seven miles in! yes!

at this point michelle and i both realized that we were tired. and my mind started playing tricks on me. the negative self-talk began "liz you've never done more than seven, you may not be able to go much further". to combat this i said aloud to michelle, "girl! we. got. this! four miles left... that's nothing for us! we can totally do this!" i was so enthusiastic i almost believed myself. almost.

needless to say, that last four miles was as much a mental struggle as it was a physical one. clearly, supporting all my extra weight for another 70 or 80 minutes was wreaking havoc on my back, glutes, hams, quads, busted-up knee, calves, ankles and feet. my feet were seriously burning. i could feel my knee throbbing through my brace. but really, it was totally about "gittin 'er done," as my dad would say (wink). i was not giving up and i wasn't listening to my negative self, if for no other reason than the fact that i didn't have a choice... i had to get back! there was no one that was going to give me a ride!

two more miles in, michelle's calves were in knots, so we stopped to stretch. OH. EM. GEE. stretching was just what the fitness fairy ordered! holy cow! i felt like a new woman! it wasn't like my exhaustion was gone all of the sudden, but i was definitely revived a bit. michelle laughed at me as i started bouncing down the trail again, ready to conquer the last two miles. and then i had the *craziest* experience ever...

so, before you read this, you need to know that i'm not crazy, not on drugs and was not too dehydrated. so don't be anything but awed (like i was) when i tell you that my body literally separated itself from my mind. i generally believe that the two are one, but, soon after our stretch sesh, the little lift began to sink and i was getting super duper tired. and the negative self-talk was in full-effect. the only thing i could do to try to quiet it was say, outloud, over and over, like a nutcase, "eleven miles" because i was *so* excited to tell my family and friends that i'd done it, repeating "eleven miles" orally every ten steps or so was the only thing that would shut my negative self-speak up for a moment! and that is when it happened. the "separation" as i call it. my legs began moving faster and faster. my arms were pumping like crazy. there was more height and lift in my step. i was running. i wasn't thinking about it, i wasn't trying. it just happened. all of a sudden i noticed michelle wasn't next to me and i looked back and she said "what are you doing?!" and that's when i realized my body had begun running without my brain telling it to. now, i know that this is not scientifically possible, but, neither, many would argue, is my plus-sized self doing a half marathon ;) what i'm saying is, it happened, folks. for once in my life, my body wanted to run. i think i could have run that entire two miles if i had been alone, because i don't know when or how i would have realized i was doing it. it was the craziest thing ever! thank goodness i didn't though, i'd probably have been in much worse shape afterward than i actually was.

the last mile was the closest thing to torture i think i've ever experienced. every time we saw a bend in the road we would think "this is it, right after that turn, we'll be done" and every time, we were so sadly mistaken. and each time we were wrong, the heavier our feet were and the more tight our muscles became. when we finally reachced the point of the bike trail we had entered at the beginning of our workout, we squeeked with relief, and just as quickly recalled the hill we'd trotted down happily, on our way to the trail. the same hill we'd have to trot our happy selves right back up to finish this workout. grrr! it wasn't mountainous like the hill in mid-workout, but it was this naggy, steady, loooooong incline. we both thought we were just gonna die. and then, halfway up the hill, we saw the toddler of one of our other teammates, standing on the corner with her dad and a sign that said "team in training" and we remembered what the hell we'd done this for in the first place. this wasn't about michelle and i (okay at least not completely), it was about other people and the incredible things their bodies and hearts and minds have weathered. it was about honoring their courage and doing our part to make sure that at some point, others will not have to know those battles. i don't even remember the rest of the hill.

what i remember next was walking back up to the vfw to check in (you have to check out and check in so they know you came back from your workout safely) and being handed a single, gorgeous yellow rose with pinkish orangeish tips, by the mother of a cancer survivor. i was cheered on by some of the mentors and congratulated on my farthest distance yet. then i was led into the hall and proceeded to eat the most delicious pancakes i've ever had, with tons of fresh blueberries, strawberries, banana slices and a bit of triple-berry syrup on top. oh and chocolate milk. always chocolate milk after a workout. i sat talked with some of the other honored teammates (those fighting leukemia) and their families, while i enjoyed my breakfast.

i waddled out to my car (i think rigormortis might have set in if i sat any longer), posted "ELEVEN MILES" to my facebook status and reveled in what i'd accomplished. i was so exhausted yet so pumped, i can't even explain. it was amazing, just like this entire journey! when i got home i showered (thank goodness), elevated my knee, slapped a bag of frozen peas on it and dozed off. then i spent the evening limping around fairytale town with my sweet niece and nephew, and bernie and her daughter. i was sore for the remainder of the weekend and into this week, but i didn't regret that eleven miles at all. in fact i can't wait to do my thirteen in just six weeks!

my family & friends are better than yours

i was so pumped last saturday night that i sat down to write this out at 230am, when i got home from a *very* successful "All In for a Cure" poker tournament fundraiser. unfortunately, however, my brain was more tired than i was (as if those really are two independent things), and it came out looking like mush.

34% and climbing

first post of august and i'm realizing that my event is less than 11 weeks away. HOLY COW!

in all honesty, things are going great. i continue to be inspired not just by francisco and my aunt, who are both fighting cancer at this very moment, but by the incredible outpouring of support for this undertaking, from everyone i know.

as of five minutes ago, i am at 34% of my minimum fundraising goal, having collected $850 in cash donations from twenty-one different people, some of them repeat donors. i have also gone 6.5 miles. this Wednesday will be my first 3-mile time test, which will tell me what my pace is. when i started, it was about 18mph, so i'm hoping that has improved.

on Saturday we begin "hill repeats," which are exactly what they sound like - walking up and down hills repeatedly, for an entire workout. we're headed up to El Dorado Hills in El Dorado County, and it is sure to be a challenge. i'm up for it, though, having had a modicum of practice this past sunday, when i walked about 3.5 miles around jason & monique's neighborhood in brea, california (a small socal city near lizneyland). suffice to say my glutes have never reminded me more how hard they work :)

also coming up this saturday is the "all in for a cure" fundraiser i've been planning with a few friends. i'm super excited, because we're hoping to have 30 players for the texas hold'em tournament, each paying $20 toward TNT. i've already received payment from nine players, so on saturday night we should collect another $400! if so, that would get me halfway to my goal. it should be a super fun night!

i've got four miles tonight, and the after-work workouts are always toughest, but my sister is enticing me with a super reward: swimming & dinner with the niece and nephew afterward, so i have to admit i'm really looking forward to it! plus there is just NO better feeling than when you finish a good, strong workout. whether the walk is two or six (or more) miles, sweating out all the stress of work, honoring people whose bodies are struggling by exercising my healthy one, and that feeling of accomplishment just can't be matched! i am so very thankful for this opportunity and all that it is bringing to my life.

i might only have 11 weeks to go, but i promise right now that i'm ramping it up to 110% on both the fundraising and training ends. i'm inspired and can't be stopped!

besos,

liz

wow!

not sure i could be more excited... i got $150 in individual donations in the last twenty-four hours! i have received donations from 18 people and am at $700 - 28% of my required total!

i'm back to walking and did half of my half marathon last saturday. my time is still pretty slow - i'd like to be picking up the pace, but i'm trying to remember that i need to take it easy so i don't re-injure the knee. speaking of the knee, i'm confused because i'm getting a lot of conflicting information. i was convinced when i saw my physical therapist that i needed to be extremely careful and cautious, that running just wasn't in the cards for me. since then i've talked with several life-long athletes and physicians, some of them with their own knee issues (one has had four knee surgeries), who tell me that running isn't out of the picture for me, that i can run and that in order to do so i needed to be doing exersizes like lunges and squats to strengthen my muscles around the knee (PT said no lunges and no squats). so who does a girl listen to? what advice do i take? a bit confusing to say the least.

i suppose for now i should just focus on the 8 miles i'm doing on saturday... yes 8 miles! i'm SO pumped! i've been training for three months (two if you take out the month i was on rest) and i'm already doing more than half my event. i can't believe it, i'm excited and, to be honest, pretty impressed with myself.

it was really hard getting back into the flow of training, staying motivated when i returned after five weeks off. in fact last saturday, i was this close to sleeping in and skipping practice. in all sincerity, the one thing that actually moved me out of bed and into my running shoes was the thought of my Honored Teammates (Aunt Nancy and Francisco). how many times have they had to get out of bed early in the morning for a chemo or radiation treatment? a surgery? to be sick from one of those? if they have had the strength to persevere through CANCER, most certainly i could do roll out of bed and get my ass moving! thank you to them for continuing to inspire and motivate me. saturday's achievement - half the half marathon - was exactly what i needed to get back on track and more committed than ever to this challenge ahead of me!

more later.

besos,

liz

knee and fundraising update

okay. i met with my physical therapist for the first time yesterday. his name is bob and he's fantastic!

he quickly informed me that i am "not built for endurance," rather, i am "built for power." i think that was his way of gently saying "honey, you're carrying a lot of weight on that short little frame and all the pounding that happens when you do distance running or walking is not good for your joints." bob encouraged me to ditch run/walking and embrace cycling or swimming. he thinks i would excel at those and they would be kinder to my knees. thanks, bob.

actually, it was interesting. and, after i poured my heart (and a few tears) out to him about how much i wanted and was determined to do this half-marathon in october, he said that he didn't think it would kill me to do the event, but that i needed to consider alternate forms of training and fitness for the long run. i think i can live with that.

after poking and prodding on me and twisting my lower leg around at different angles, bob also let me know that he thought that the pain i've been experiencing is not necessarily from the mildly-dislocated patella (knee cap), rather that i have a tear in my Miniscus (the gelatinous cartilage that absorbs the impact of your femur and tibia when you run or walk; this tissue does NOT heal or regenerate after age nineteen... muy muy bad news); or that i've torn my MCL (a ligament that prevents the opening up of the knee when you're in motion). if i've torn my Miniscus, that is obviously not good news. but it is what it is and all i can do from this point on is try to mitigate the natural degeneration. tearing the MCL would be a much better case, because it does heal itself!

so, i am returning to Team on Saturday (July 3rd), after a five week hiaitus. i'm nervous because my teammates will have made so much progress and will inevitably be much faster, since they've been working nonstop since my injury. but alas, i must remind myself that this isn't a competition, that it is really only about me and what i can accomplish, and last but not least, that i'm pretty lucky this injury wasn't more serious and i'm able to finish at all!

fundraising is coming along. i am still waiting to hear back from Lisa and Nikki about my Bellinis & Bling fundraising total. i'm hoping i made at least $100! that would put me at 20% of my goal ($500)!

i am working on fundraiser #2 right now, a Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament hosted by my friends Toan and Simone. they are offering up their lovely home in rocklin for a 30-person tournament. the buy-in will be $40, with half of that going directly to me for Team... that's $600 when you do the math! we're also doing a cash bar, where we'll serve beers and mixed drinks for tips (hopefully our players will be generous). i'm hoping to get food donated (anyone with leads would be appreciated). i also have some friends who have talked about putting together a big basket of donated goodies (ie: homemade pesto, homemade pasta sauce, homemade honey, designer cake gift certificate, etc) to raffle off! it should be a lot of fun!

stay tuned for a return-to-workout-debrief!

besos,

liz

FUNdraising

i am happy to report that this morning i had my first Team In Training fundraiser! a dozen and a half girlfriends and i got together with Lisa Zolfarelli and Nikki Brown of Premier Designs, for "Bellinis & Bling for Cancer"!

my friend melissa graciously opened her home and another friend, lisa, helped prepare a lovely brunch (complete, of course, with bellinis) for all our guests. we munched, chatted and best of all, looked at lovely, good-quality, affordable jewelry for purchase. a portion of each person's purchase is being donated back to my TNT fundraising efforts by Lisa Z. and Nikki!

i won't know until next week how well we did on the fundraising, but i did get a cash donation at the party, which put me up to 15% of my required goal. i am hoping to get to 50% by July 1, but I'm not sure if that will happen. i am excited to send out my request letters soon, but also a bit nervous about asking folks for money... it's a tough thing to do, especially when everyone is struggling with this economy. the bright side, however, is that i'm asking for such a great cause. everyone has been touched by cancer in some way, and so it feels good to do something to help beat it once and for all!

speaking of beating cancer, i'm dedicating this first fundraiser to Aunt Nancy, who is kicking breast cancer ass right now! she's about halfway thru chemo and is having surgery soon - on June 29 - to remove about twenty lymphnodes. we're all praying for her speedy recovery and i'm so proud of her for being such a champ!

ok. got to write out thank you's now!

besos,

liz

The Verdict Is In!

So, friends, the verdict is in on the knee... it's dislocated! Bummer! I am still waiting to hear back from my physician as to what that means for my training. I'm super nervous about being out for so long... two weeks today! Aaaah! I miss it so much but know I'm doing the right thing in letting it heal. I just wish it would hurry up... SEND YOUR HEALING ENERGY THIS WAY, PLEASE!

In other news, I've got my first Team fundraiser this coming Saturday - a jewelry party! About fifteen RSVP's, which is great. The next fundraisers I'm planning are a Poker Tournament, with my friend Ed's help; and a yard sale (probably with the Browns). I'll keep ya'll posted.

Besos,

Liz

i didn't sign up for track and field...

...so what's with the hurdles? ha ha ha. i crack myself up!

humor is the only way to deal with the stupidness (i know that's not a word) that is getting a KNEE INJURY three weeks into your training. yes, you heard me, knee injury. and the really lame thing is that it didn't even happen in a cool way, like in training. nope. i slipped and fell and landed directly on my right knee cap reaching for a bunch of broccoli in the produce section at my neighborhood Bel Air supermarket. LAME!

although sore and somewhat swollen, the knee was fine at first. i immediately went home and iced and elevated it. took ibuprofren and was doing great. did all my training that week, and then, on Sunday the 30th, participated in the Walk 'N Rock for Kids 5K. this family-fun-run included my friends and many of their kiddos, so, in true liz fashion, i was hopping, bopping, skipping and jumping my way through the course, in an effort to entertain the wee ones.

not such a good idea. apparently this really aggrivated my knee, and, after i arrived home that afternoon, i fell victim to shooting pains originating from my knee and shooting up and down my leg. huge, puffy kneecap. sore, sore, sore. tons of RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) over the next two days made it bearable. skipped training and got the first available doctor's appointment, last Thursday. sweet dr. houston painfully informed me that i needed to stay OFF the knee (and therefore leg) for at least two weeks, and take naprocen. she also sent me for x-rays, and i haven't heard anything, so i'm assuming no news is good news (fingers crossed, everyone)!

seriously? the chunkster finally gets excited about exersize - like, actually craving training, and then i have to stop! GRRRRRR!

the thing that amazes me, though, is that i really do miss the training. i've been literally yearning to go walk. run. waddle. whatever! i usually avoid stairs like the plague at work (i hate to sweat in my nice clothes), but i've been tempted to take them, just to experience that rush of heartrate increase. i don't know whether to be stoked at my newfound love for cardio, or scared out of my mind!

regardless, i'm trying to do the right thing and really stay off the knee. i want this sucker to heal so i can get back out there, full-throttle and kick some half-marathon boo-tay! i think i'll also take this time to get those donation request letters - so you all better start checking your mailboxes, wink wink!

oh! one more exciting tidbit. i went to this silly little in-home jewelry party (think tupperware for accessories) last friday and the ladies hosting it offered to do one in support of my fundraising for LLS! woo hoo! so in two weeks i'm gathering all the gal pals and asking them to doll themselves up with Premier Designs jewels, so i can add to my pot of funds to support cancer research and patient services. i'll be serving brunch, so we're calling it "Bellinis and Bling for Cancer"! CUTE!

okay. that's all for now.

besos,

liz

never doubt yourself, and never doubt the kindness of people.

i amazed myself on thursday morning. like many, many, many days before, my alarm went off at 6am, jolting me awake from a restful slumber and urging me to roll out of my cozy covers and into some running shoes. UNlike many, many, many days before, i actually did it! and for the first time, it wasn't even hard. i didn't think twice or consider ways to justify staying in bed. i got my @$$ out of bed and did a nice, quick (quick is relative here, people) 3.5 miles. it was awesome, and i think i know why it was so easy this time around. let me explain...

the kindness and compassion and goodwill of the people in my life never ceases to amaze me, and that's just on a normal day. but really, i'm increasingly inspired by the positive energy coming at me from the most unlikely suspects (for example, people i don't yet even know). seriously, today i received a donation from someone i've never even met! and i have received support from people that i never even would have thought to ask for it - a high school friend i haven't spoken to in years, a grad school colleague i didn't even know until after grad school, a school nurse that my program at work has teamed up with... and those are just the cash donations! a friend has made me my own personalized nike women's marathon t-shirt, with my "go.run.liz." slogan on it. other friends are asking about my training when we chat, texting me on training days with an encouraging word. my family members are sending me sweet emails and providing advice from their "good ol' days of running."

the positive energy of good people abounds. and it is literally pushing me forward into this journey. it is amazing. this is becoming about so much more than a huge physical and mental challenge for myself. it feels incredible and i am determined to be present in every moment of it!

i knew this endeavor might change my waistline... but it never occurred to me that it could potentially strengthen my soul.

one week in!

one week ago yesterday, i attended my TNT kickoff. this week i met my coaches, mentors and teammates; attended my first wednesday and saturday workouts; received my first two donations - $50 total - 2% there; and did 12 total miles of walking.

when you put it in words, it doesn't seem like much. 12 miles in a week sounds so measely compared to the 13.1 miles i'll be walking in october in just a few hours. it certainly doesn't sound like enough to make me feel the way i do. my shins have never been so consistently on fire, my back never quite so tight. 12 miles of walking in one week doesn't seem like it would make me feel so challenged, and make me realize how really out of shape i've let myself get (tear).

this was an awesome twelve miles, though! i learned proper walking technique. i saw parts of the Sacramento River that i've never seen before. i met new people. i ached. i second-guessed myself. i finished one week of training. YES! i am twelve miles closer to a half-marathon! it still doesn't feel real; it doesn't feel like something i'm really going to do, and when i begin to get overwhelmed i remind myself that i must focus on THIS day. THIS mile. THIS step. THIS breath. it is amazing. it is a privilege. the muscle pains and shin splints are nothing compared to how alive and vibrant i've felt this week. the self-doubt is overshadowed by pride. i've committed to myself and to other people - cancer patients and survivors - and i've kept my commitment. i am keeping my commitment and i know i can do it!

next week promises to be more physically challenging. and, given my shape, that means that it will inevitably be more mentally and emotionally challenging as well. and i can't wait! i can't wait for tuesday (tomorrow is a "day off"), so i can practice the new techniques sherri taught us, and add to the number of miles under my belt (okay on my shoes - no belt on the track)!

thank you so much for your support; specifically melissa, lisa, alli, candice, linda, kris, mom and johnny, all of whom have either a) listened to me drone on endlessly about this; b) said something really, really encouraging that helped me push; and/or c) supported me with a little cash donation, wink wink.

besos!

liz

a week of tnt firsts!

so, saturday's kickoff celebration was great. it really was. i got to hear some amazing stories from experienced tnt'ers, including one who joined tnt in the late eighties with absolutely no idea that she would be diagnosed with cancer ten years later. she was so inspiring!

truthfully, though, it was quite intimidating at first. i arrived and people were all clad in their ultra-hip running gear, with washboard abs and bulging biceps. there were a few people there who were a bit, um, thicker, like me, but for the most part i was milling around by myself, in the middle of a sea of uber-fit mother/daughter, husband/wife, bff pairs. i was fine by myself, i was fine with my body, but mixing those with a whole bunch of exactly the opposite, and a bit of anxiety about the enormous commitment i've just made, was a recipe for some serious discomfort.

as we all gathered into the lecture room (it was at folsom lake college), i texted mel and told her i was overwhelmed and feeling like a very out-of-place blob of hopelessness and, yes, fat. she immediately texted me back to "STOP!" and told me i was doing this, and wasn't allowed to doubt or compare myself to others. one does not mess with miss brown, wink wink. so there i sat. and i just listened. and i remembered all over again why i was so passionate about joining tnt in the first place - it's about something so much bigger than me! it's about a challenge so much greater than any of my challenges!

after the speakers, we divided up into our "teams". i think mine is the biggest, because it is the sacramento run/walk team (the others were placer run/walk, sac/placer triathlon and sac/placer century ride). there were probably 60-70 people there. maybe even 100. honestly, i have no clue because i'm not good at guessing numbers. there were a lot. we went, one-by-one, introducing ourselves and talking about why we joined tnt. serendipitously, i was in the back row, so i got to hear a lot of people talk before it was my turn. i say that was serendipitous because i needed to hear so many people say that they were there for so many of the same reasons i was there. so many people in awe of the opportunity to contribute to a cause. so many people with loved ones impacted by cancer. so many people wanting to get in shape (even if a number of them were new moms in size six spandex).

i got my training schedule for may, a handbook, a tnt water bottle, a tnt chapstick, and was on my way. i felt better, more confident, stronger, ready.

fast forward to today. this evening, actually. i received an email that i got my first donation! that's right, people my first $25! and i haven't even asked (okay formally asked) anyone yet! call me crazy but i believe that this is the universe telling me that i should be doing this! that i am supported and that i can do it! first donation! sweet! i'm 1% of the way there! yes!

so, to recap, my first tnt kickoff, my first tnt donation, and, tomorrow, my highly-anticipated first tnt team workout! 6pm, four miles at glenn hall park. woo hoo! wish me luck!

besos,

liz

the journey begins tomorrow!

in about twelve hours i will gather with x number of new and old tnt (that's short for "team in training" - plan to see a lot of those three letters in the coming months) members at folsom college for the fall 2010 kickoff. and my first tnt workout. i'll meet my teammates, my coach, and hopefully get some more details about training responsibilities (outside of wed/sat workouts), and fundraising activities. woah. this is very real. i'm a little scared and a LOT excited!

the reality of raising $2,500 in the next five months is setting in, and kind of freaking me out. oh and the reality that i have approximately 20 weeks to prepare my body to walk up and down 13.1 miles of hilly san francisco, is also looming. i have been walking two or three miles twice or three times per week. and today i decided i would ride my *new* bike to work (2.5 miles), to a meeting (3 miles) and home from the meeting (1.3 miles). for those of you keeping track, that's biking barely half of this half-marathon i've committed to myself. and in case you weren't paying attention, i didn't run that, i didn't even walk that, i biked that. and my quads are not happy. this does not give me a lot of confidence at the moment.

but i just have to keep telling myself that i can do it. even if i don't believe that i really can at the moment (i'm pretty on the fence), i have to keep saying it over and over. it's the ultimate fake-it-til-you-make-it situation. i've got to fake the faith in myself until i have practiced and worked enough to know i can do it. whew. this is new for me. not the physical activity - there was a time in my life where i was active. not the challenge, either. but the self-doubt. i'm slowly realizing that i've never really taken on any challenge that i wasn't positive i could finish, and finish successfully, at that. this is new territory and it is uncomfortable. but uncomfortable in a good way, if you can believe that. it's actually exciting. and daunting. could i be any more contradictory? isn't it obnoxious to read all of these oxymorons i'm spewing? yeah, well, WELCOME TO MY BRAIN these days!

whew. okay. i need to hydrate. all this stressing is making me thirsty. and then i need to get some sleep. because, after my tnt kickoff and first work out, i'm going to pick up two of my smalles fans (jessalyn and michael) for a long walk at the UC Davis Arboretum, some mother's day crafting and a sleepover - long, long night guaranteed. i won't be able to blog about the event until sunday or monday, but that's probably a good thing because it will have time to "marinate" in this overactive mind of mine, and maybe i'll make some sense. or at least more sense than i've made in this entry (wink wink).

besos,

liz

it's really real!

already four comments (two on the actual blog and two via email) and it hasn't been 24 hours since i launched Go.Run.Liz. i am so humbled. thank you.

speaking of quick, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society isn't messing around. they've already sent me my own personal fundraising link! i have exactly five months to raise a minimum of $2,400. can we say DAUNTING?! but this is what i signed up for and i'm not complaining (yet, wink wink). i can do this. WE can do this. i've posted the link on my facebook page, my personal website and i've added a "widget," whatever that is, to this blog (you can see it just to your right).

i'm not sending that email you're all dreading, you know, the "please give me your money" email, just yet. many of you have already been so generous with the Walk 'n Rock fundraiser benefitting Sacramento ENRICHES, that i just can't bring myself to ask again yet. but the ask is coming, and, for as much guilt as i feel about it, i also feel privilege - that we're all in a place to even be able to be asked, you know? when i think about the cancer patients i'm training for, the financial losses and more importantly life challenges that they face and beat every day, i feel like this is more of an opportunity than anything. an opportunity for each of us -myself included- to dig deep and give a few dollars to a cause that has been trusted and incredibly successful for over 60 years. it's an opportunity to pay it forward, to earn yourself some good karma points, if you will.

anyway, this wasn't a blog begging for bucks. it was more of a "whoa, they made me a website, this is real, i gotta come up with an average of $500 bucks a month between now and october," blog. it was also me keeping my excitement up. sharing how much i'm thinking about this, dreaming about this and how very incredibly pumped i am!

i love you for reading this and i love you more for supporting me!

besos,
liz

and so it begins

it's no secret that i fell off the fitness wagon somewhere amid the debilitating depression that i experienced during college. it's also no secret that i try my hardest to live an honest, healthy, full and balanced life. that said, when it comes to making and keeping a commitment to myself around physical activity, i'm getting nowhere, fast.

many of my close friends, colleagues and mentors are runners. for so many years they've talked about what a "release" it is, how much it helps them mentally in addition to the physical benefits. and for all those years, i've thought they were nuts! as a high school athlete i loved being part of a team, i loved the exercise and practicing my craft. i hated, hated the running. it was inevitable at each practice, those long, hard "scenics," as coaches commonly referred to them. playing recreational soccer for several years was also a joy. i liked playing hard, i liked getting dirty, but damn, if i didn't hate that running! finding the position of goalie was FANTASTIC not just because i played my best in it, but because i didn't have to RUN as much. (pathetic, i know.)

fast-forward to 2010, at the beginning of which (four, almost five months ago) i turned 30. thirty seemed like quite a milestone. i was finally out of my "turbulent twenties," into the next awesome decade of my life. a bona-fide, true-blue grown-up. although i anticipated my "dirty thirty" and all that it would bring with it, i felt a little bittersweet. i wasn't where i thought i would be (even though my friends were - tying the knot and making babies). i had to re-think that image of myself, working hard to bust out of the social construct of what a successful 30-year-old woman is, and achieve my own milestones and goals. i've got an advanced degree. my career is on track. i'm making plans to buy a house next year. i'm not stagnant, but i want to keep moving forward, keep growing and achieving.

one of the things i really and truly want most is to reclaim the physical health that i took for granted in my youth (don't you love how i say "my youth" like it was so long ago?). i also want to do something huge, something that i never thought i could do. in my 30th year i want to take on my biggest challenge yet, face my own self-doubt. so i decided that finally, i would stare my arch-nemesis straight in the face and kick it's ass... i'm gonna RUN!

in taking on this challenge, i realize that it is going to take some MAJOR accountability. it has to be about something more than me. some greater goal, something bigger and more meaningful. not to say that doing something for oneself is not a good enough reason, it is a perfect reason. i just want that extra motivation. one day while talking with one of the AmeriCorps*VISTAs that i supervise, she told me about this program called "Team In Training" (TNT), a fundraising program for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society that doubles as a training program for marathons, half marathons, triathlons and century rides.

and here the story pauses.

right around this same time, my aunt nancy was diagnosed with breast cancer. holy crap, someone in my family has breast cancer. that pink ribbon always meant something to me. i've participated in komen's race for the cure nearly every year for as long as i can remember, i donate to breast cancer research and pay the extra few cents to get the breast cancer awareness stamps at the post office. but HEL-LO, people. my aunt has breast cancer. aggressive breast cancer. all of the sudden cancer has a face, and it looks entirely too much like my sweet, endearingly-ditzy, fourth-of-july-loving aunt nancy.

now, let the story resume.

after a few months of serious contemplation, fear, self-doubt, self-loathing over said self-doubt, and a LOT of talking about it to family and friends, i've decided that i am going to commit to TNT. i am going to join a team, begin a workout and training plan, raise a $#it-ton of money, kick some cancer butt and run my first half marathon. i have decided to finally commit to myself to myself, and to a huge cause. i am going to man-handle this largest, most overwhelming challenge yet. if my aunt can whoop cancer (which, by the way, she currently is, like the rockstar we all know and love), i can easily train to run 13.1 and raise thirty benjamins (yes that's right, $3,000) to help find a cure.

i keep a journal but i felt compelled to share this special project with my family and friends, so i've decided to blog it. i want to document this monumental commitment publicly, as yet another form of accountability AND as a tribute to my aunt.

i can't wait to begin my formal training on may 8. i'll go to folsom college, meet my team and celebrate the beginning of this journey with the first of many hundreds of thousands of steps. i hope you'll all join me - if only in cyberspace - i'm going to need the support!

besos,
liz