Molly says donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

I have the cutest puppy ever! We stopped by some of my teammate's bake sale today. I put my running singlet from last year on Molly. She is a trooper. I promise, I won't be one of those dog owners that dresses up my dog in outfits (ok, I do plan on putting bandanas on Molly when she is older, b/c labs look so cute with bandanas on!). This was for a good cause :)

We ran 6 miles yesterday on the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethesda. I was worried I wouldn't be able to run due to my knees and my back. But, I tried it out telling myself I could stop and walk at anytime...next thing I knew, I had done the 6 miles. Very proud of myself!

These knees were not made for running

I was reminded all too quickly, how my body (particularly my knees) does not like running. Ever since I was a teenager, running has not been my friend. When I was a swimmer and we had to run for our dryland work, I was always the one doing endless sit-ups on the side of the track. The doctors said I had bursitis, patellar tendenitis, arthritis, and many other things. All I knew was it hurt when I ran.

I joined Team in Training last year b/c I wanted to try something new and have a goal to train for. While running last year, I spent much time after each long run icing my knees. It was all worth it when I went to Disney and actually experienced the race.

So, I am doing it again... but, not without the pain. Last night I ran 3 miles and the previous night I had ran 3 miles. Nothing too fast, just easy pace. I woke up in such pain last night and had to ice my knees several more times to calm them down. I need to explore other options to alleviate the pain whether it is new shoes, inserts, knee sleeves, stretches, physical therapy, etc.

We have 6 miles this Saturday...wish me luck!

4 miles and reminder of why I am doing this

This past Saturday we had a "drop back" day, i.e. went back to 4 miles vs. going up to 6 miles. My body appreciates this! The run started off pretty rough...my shins were not happy. About 1.5 miles into it, I also got some sharp pain in my left big toe...it eventually went away, but I know I need to address it. Maybe new shoes, definitely new stretches, etc.

After our run we had our honored teammate picnic. We had yummy bagels, donuts, fruit, and coffee and were able to hear from our honored teammate, John Draper, about his successes in battling blood cancers and his views on life, running, etc. He is truly an inspiration. I am also really heartened by the fact that the research that LLS is doing not only helps blood cancer patients, but many other diseases like Alzheimer's, breast cancer, among others.

I am supposed to do hill repeats tonight...positive attitude...I will do it!

Molly Update

I feel like Molly is going to be a big equation in my Team in Training efforts this year. She effects my training (i.e. "puppy mom exhaustion"), my fundraising (i.e. "puppy mom exhaustion") and my overall mentality (i.e. "puppy mom exhaustion")

She is growing like a weed! I am still getting used to being a dog mom. Being a cat mom is much easier! For all of the exhaustion and bleeding on the arms, how can I not love my puppy when she looks like this?!

My favorite route

Ahh...there is nothing better than running along your most favorite route. Here are a few images to show you how beautiful it can be to run in Washington, DC: The Georgetown Waterfront boardwalk


Key Bridge and Potomac River


The statues on the Memorial Bridge...one of my favorite images of DC!


2.5 miles in about 35 minutes. Felt pretty good. My body is slowly adjusting to running again. I am starting to feel my age...I know, I know. I am not that old :) It is just interesting when you have been an athlete the majority of your life, you start noticing when you don't have that same stamina.

I am looking forward to making this run my "Tuesday run".

5 miles in Old Town

We had a group run on Saturday starting out in downtown Old Town Alexandria and then along the Mt. Vernon Trail along the Potomac River. My body is not exactly "on board" with the increasing mileage, but I survived my run using the 3:1 run/walk ratio. We started out along the streets of Old Town with views like this:


The uneven cobblestones were a bit tricky for a clutz like me, but I survived :)

We then made it down to the river and took a left onto the Mt. Vernon Trail. The views were great...we even saw a very big frog along the way! This is what I saw for mile 1.5 through mile 3.5:

I ended up walking the last 1/3 mile due to the fact that 1) it was all uphill and 2) my knees were not happy campers. I went home and iced for a bit and then went to a brunch where I chowed down. I am still pretty sore today. I need to stretch a lot these next few days. As much as I don't like the pain that I feel from running, I also don't like cancer, so I run!

I am 33% to my fundraising goal...woo-hoo!

25% of fundraising goal!

Thanks to Emilie Manhart for pushing me over and above 25% of my fundraising goal!

I am hoping to get out tonight for a nice 2 to 2.5 mile run. This weather is PERFECT for running. We have 5 miles this Saturday in Old Town Alexandria. I think I will be sticking with the 3:1 run/walk ratio. I had a great 3 mile run on Monday on the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethesda.

In other news, my puppy has doubled her size in 3 weeks! 12.5 pounds. She checked out great at the vet (thank you Dr. Britty!).

Beautiful 4 miles

What a beautiful morning it was today. The humidity has FINALLY left the building and we had nice, cool temperatures and crisp air. We had a 4 mile run at Hains Point in Washington, DC. It is a penninsula that has great views of the Potomac River and the monuments. I decided to do a 3:1 run/walk ration today. It was good decision...I felt great! If all of my runs feel like this, I am golden!

I treated myself to a pedicure after the run and BOY did that feel good!

I got my fundraising letters out this week and am looking forward to getting closer to my goal of raising $3,000. This morning we were reminded of the cruel nature of Leukemia and Lymphoma in that a 23 year old woman lost her battle yesterday. I am honored to run and raise money to find a cure for this disease.

Molly continues to be a handful. She is currently running around barking like a mad woman at my cats. Their worlds have been rocked! My hope is that we will be one happy family once she is out of her crazy puppy stage.

Have a great labor day weekend!