Big thanks to Jeff, Erin and Wyatt Solomon for their awesome donation and use of the online donation system! Yeah Team!
Tomorrow Alexis and I have a 2 3/4 hour walk to do... about 11 miles. And the weather here is now getting to 110 degrees. We will have to be on the road by 4:15 in the morning. OUCH!
I had been adding a lot of walking into my training. I started when I got together with Alexis as my running partner. At first, it really went against my innate sense of macho-ness. Running is tough. Running over long distances is really about mitigating the pain. It hurts from the first moment to the last, but it does feel awesome being bigger than the pain. Plus, in the past, I had always been slightly bored by walking. I was slow and my form was sloppy. I was just so much more engaged when I ran.
All that began to slowly change as I trained with Alexis. You see, Alexis is a walking phenom. She's like a billion years shorter than me and common sense would dictate that I could at least keep up with her... well, um.... not really. In fact the first day we walked together in training, I could barely keep up a conversation with her, needing all my concentration just to keep my butt in gear.
Over the months, I have really worked hard in my cross training days to get my form and speed better. It means totally sucking in your gut, keeping your posture ram-rod straight, hitting the ground heel to toe, and relaxing your arms. Seems easy, but try doing that consistently for 2 hours.
Anyway, this last Sunday I decided to walk for my long run. And I made it a point to stay at my 15 minute per mile pace and do hill training at the same time. And I had this awesome epiphany... I actually enjoyed myself. Not just feeling proud of my accomplishment but so damn glad I was done... but enjoyed the whole experience, start to finish. And I thought to myself that maybe I would like to walk this race instead of run it. That is huge because on it's surface it seems so wimpy. But really it's not. Especially for a marathon in San Francisco. Even at our most trained, Alexis and I were looking at walking at least some if not half of the course due to the kinds of injuries that are common at hilly marathons: hips and knees destroyed and that kind of thing.
BIG THANKS TO
Bonnie "Baur" Chauvin & Family (great to hear from you, girl!)
The title of this entry should be my theme song, really...
Last Saturday I trained by walking 10 miles on The Strip. That was both cool and lame. See, I was with my other Team In Training partners and that was cool. I actually don't work out with them much for a number of reasons: 1) many of the locations picked are pretty far away from my part of town, 2) my pardner Alexis and I live close by and share a deviated sense of humor that mostly works well as a twosome, 3)and sometimes their schedule cuts into my family time. But last Saturday I was determined to work out with the group and not be such a hermit. And once a season, it turns out that they do a long day on the strip, which is not so far from me.
Here's where the lameness comes in. The start time is about an hour late for me. I like to backtrack from 7am when I like to be finished. So if I have a 2 hour run scheduled, I start at 5. So I already knew I was probably gonna get overheated towards the end. And the course, The Strip, lost it's novelty about 2 minutes in. See, the thing is... I live in Las Vegas... so The Strip is not a big deal to me. The other problems: because of traffic, there is no running on the street, which leaves the only option of training on the sidewalk. And concrete is like the worst surface to train on due to it's hardness... it's bad on the joints and Achilles. And speaking of traffic... yup, that means inhaling exhaust. So about 2 minutes in, Alexis and I were about ready to get back to our car and leave. But it was late and we were started, so we decided to finish. Because of the concrete and the pain it caused in our knees, we decided to walk rather than run. A little bit of a bummer because we were hyped to run, but oh well. But I still didn't end up saving myself because a few hours later my left Achilles was very achy. And I have had to take 2 days off to let it heal. I have this injury occasionally, so I know just what I have to do for it.
Anyway, hopefully we'll have better course in the future.
I know this entry is a little BLAH... but my training is about all the ups and downs and doin' it anyway, know what I mean?
ALL MY THANKS TO:
Steve Elzer (in honor of his beloved father)(Steve, I am honored to run for you)
Didi Cosentino (another IHHS classmate helping with the cause!!!)
and
Wonderland SE / Tanya Wallace
Wonderland School of Dance, Gymnastics, and Karate
702-269-7018
...This is where my lovely Alice learns all her moves!
Look at us run! Alice and I had a great 4th, running the annual 5K race. It's fun but oh so HOT. Part of the route has no shade and that's towards the end. You just got to gut it out. 
And even though I have gone every year for 3 years, and every year it is at the same place - Bunker Park, I still got the directions totally messed up. I found my place at the start pretty much just as the gun went off. But that was ok. I was already intending to run this race slow and easy. The previous day, Saturday, I had my long run... 2 hours on the road, and my thighs were pretty tired. I could tell because during the race I just didn't feel bouncy with my stride. So I ran slow. Stopped at each water stop. Used the cups of water well by taking 2 sips and pouring the rest down my head for instant relief. See the photos here.
I guess the fund raising is going well. I have my on days and I have my off days. Some days I just feel raring to go, to ask strangers for help, to send off letters, to make call backs. And some days, I just wish I didn't have such a big goal. I mean, this is so obvious, but of course this is my thing to keep track of, not visa versa.... so when I call back my friends or businesses it is urgent for me, but not necessarily for them. Of course! Duh! But some days, I just feel deflated leaving one more message and writing one more note to myself for the next follow up. There is such a fine line between being timely and being a pest. It should get a little easier now that we have set up a way to donate easily online. This is so cool. Just a few clicks and you're done... no muss no fuss.
This weekend I'm upping my miles and will have a 2 1/2 hour run on Saturday. So I'll be doing something around 12 or 13 miles I think, depending on the weather. It's hot and that slows me down.
BIG THANKS! Thanks so much to my latest donors:
Marian Lutz (half a sock and all the love)
Jos, Areke, and Joshua Visser (we got some Dutchies on board)
Eileen Colinayo (love to you and your little girl!)
Yes indeedy do, I have some thank-yous for the wonderful and supportive businesses in my neighborhood.
Like I mentioned before, I have been bringing my information with me wherever I go and ask the businesses that I am a patron of for their help with the marathon. It does get easier to ask, but every time I still have to step over that little psychological barrier - fear of failure, fear of rejection, etc. etc. I know that sounds a little weepy, but it's true.
Today I had such a good set of responses. First it was from Larry and his daughter Courtney of the business Pump It Up. Pump It Up is an inflatable party zone for kids. It's awesome, especially in the summer when kids can't really play outside in the day light hours due to the heat. Larry and Courtney are athletes, too - competitive swimmers, so they really can appreciate my training. And they gave me an awesome gift certificate for my auction: an entire party package for the winning bidder.
After playing at Pump It Up, my friends and I went for lunch at The Olive Garden. I want to thank the incredibly kind culinary manager, Cindi, for her donation of a gift card for auction.
Larry Allen
Pump It Up "The Inflatable Party Zone"
7685 Commercial Way, Suite G/H
Henderson, Nevada 89015
702-487-3068
www.pumpitupparty.com
Cindi Mojeske
The Olive Garden
4400 East Sunset Road
Henderson, Nevada 89014
702-451-5133
And PS... Thanks my brother David, Joy, Bradley & Jackie for your donation, too!
I have a cool upcoming event. I will be running a 4th of July 5K with Alice. We do this every year and it's really fun. Alice gets to dress up in her red, white, and blues and we decorate the jog stroller. Last year it was already 110 degrees by 8 in the morning - but got some good info: it may not even break 100 this year. In Las Vegas, you live for news like that. Then we spend the rest of the day together at the park and watch the fireworks at night. And also this year we'll be having some Dutch guests staying with us: Jos, Areke, & their little son Joshua. So I'm pretty stoked.
I spent last weekend down in LA at a Daily Nexus/UCSB reunion. So of course I hit up all my ole pals for donations. So I'll hopefully be writing about those in the near future. Anyway, that Saturday was long. Up at 4 am, an 11 mile hill run, home for a pancake breakfast(good carb), and a flight to LA. Then a rental car, an In & Out burger (bad carb), and a fantastic trip up to Santa Barbara with my best friend Kate.
I'd like to thank Kate Sullivan for her generous donation. And I also got my first donation back from all the high school friends. Maria Cordoba, Thank You! You guys have been and always will be awesome!
I am tired. Took my little girl to a party a few days ago- and of course we both picked up toddler cooties and are both a little sick. Still, I had a great run the other day on the track at my gym. The cool thing is that this indoor track has mirrors so I can check my form. Have to make sure my gut is in, my head is straight, and shoulders down.
I want to thank Lenny at Allstate for his donation. And for explaining car insurance to me in a comprehensible way ... a minor miracle! He gave a donation and got a new client. I get to save on my car insurance. Yet another unforeseen benefit from this here fundraising.
Lenny Laszlo, Jr.
Allstate Financial and Insurance Services
2561 Wigwam Parkway
Henderson, Nevada 89074
702-361-4020
