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