Chicago run

I spent the weekend in my old stomping grounds of Northwestern/Chicago. What a great city! I went for a 5 mile run on Sunday afternoon through the streets of Lincoln Park. The run was a tough one. I was by myself and my shins hurt from the get go. I got some good stretching in at the end and am feeling much better.

My fundraising continues to go well. I only need about $1,600 to make my goal of $4,000!

I have been talking about the marathon a lot the last few weeks and I am really getting excited to run it at Walt Disney World. I will probably hug all of the characters along the route :)

5 miles!

It was rainy, cold, and wet, but I did it! It was on a beautiful trail up in College Park, MD. I saw a REALLY big water bird by the river we were running on...still not sure what kind it was...looked like a medium size gray dog, though!

I am averaging about 12 minute miles with my current run/walk ratio (4:1) It feels pretty good. I went for a run on Sunday and it didn't feel as good :( There is a muscle in my right hip/butt that is not feeling so hot...it is hard to ice it!

I will have to do my next Saturday run (5 miles again) on my own in Chicago...hopefully I can convince one of my friends to do it with me!

50% by October 15th!

I am so amazed by the generosity of my family and friends. I only have about $300 to go until I hit the half-way point of my overall fundraising goal of $4,000. I am trying to get there by October 15th.

I had a great run on the mall last night. Ran around the reflecting pool, up around the Washington monument, and back around the reflecting pool again. Love, love, love DC in the Fall. Gorgeous!

4 miles x 2!

Yes, I ran 4 miles on Saturday and again on Sunday! Yay me. My run/walk routine is working well. I am currently doing run for 4 minutes/walk for one minute. My back is holding up pretty well (thanks to LOTS of stretching!)

5 miles next week!

Back pain struggles and new gear

Yes, it was bound to happen...my darn back finally gave out. I am definitely bummed, but determined to rehab it so that I can complete this 1/2 marathon. I am completely fine with walking the entire thing if I need to...it is not about the time for me...it is the goal and the cause.

My body continually reminds me that I am no longer the athlete that I once was...but, that is OK. I know that I can do this if I put my mind to it.

On another note, I am having fun buying all of the "running paraphernalia" such as a pink Timex watch to monitor my run/walk ratio, new shoes to ensure that my over pronating/flat arches don't kill me, and a "hydration system" aka belt with water bottles attached to it. I have the gear, I just need to get my body to work :)

97 days?!?

Yes, I have 97 days until I run my half-marathon. I don't know if that is scary or feels like just the right amount of time to train. I am going to go with the latter :) I am feeling pretty good in my training...still spinning as much as I can as that provides a GREAT cardio workout.

I am fighting off a cold. I am hopeful that it will just "go away" peacefully. I have 3 miles this Saturday...I think I am going to start incorporating the run/walk training method and see how it goes. I really don't want my knee to get any worse.