new shoes, new inspiration!

So it's been a while since my last update... things this month have been a bit slow due to that nasty bug I got at the beginning of July and now a sinus issue (but I think it's going away!). Anyway, I've been training when I can and can't wait to step it up once I am 100%.

I got new shoes last week, and I am newly inspired! I am also going to get some new shirts (the ones that keep you cool), which really help with the heat. I am looking forward to getting back into my running schedule and keeping it consistently, which has been a problem this month.

So far I have raised $580!!! That is awesome, but I still need about $1,220 more to make my fundraising minimum. Most people are going somewhere cool to run their marathons and are raising money to go there, but I'm raising almost $2k to go to DALLAS--Dallas, people. Come on! I'm raising that much money to drive 45 minutes to run half a marathon. But because it is in Dallas, everyone can (and should!) come see me finish the race!

6 miles before breakfast!

This morning I woke up at 4:15. My alarm wasn't set until 4:45, but I guess I was just so excited to start running at 6 a.m. with the Team. Actually, I wanted to go back to sleep. But alas, I put on my running shoes and workout clothes and headed out into the still-dark morning. I felt a little better when I saw some people with bikes getting into their cars while I was driving (yes, there are people out being active at 5:45 in the morning! In fact, the only people I see out that early are active. It's kinda nice. If you know how I feel about people at malls, you know what I'm talking about.)

Anyway, six miles was pretty good. I must admit that for the past two weeks I've been able to get by during the Team workouts without having to do that much during the week...I think that's about to stop. Six was fine, but it would have been even easier if I had done a long run during the week.

Sometime this week (I would say today, but that might be a little too productive for a Saturday), I need to go to the Fort Worth Running Company and have myself videotaped while I run to see what kind of shoes I should be wearing. The inside of my left knee has started feeling tight (or like it's being pulled) right around mile 3 for a couple of runs now, and Coach Manuel thinks I might just need different shoes. (I wonder if anyone is reading this?)

P.S. The new Harry Potter movie is awesome but definitely not as good as the book. For sho.

P.P.S. One week til the seventh Harry Potter book arrives!

P.P.P.S Is anyone really reading this?

If it was easy, everyone would do it...

Still no training yet this week... I know, I know. But I wasn't feeling 100% yesterday, so I figured that I could hurt myself by running today more so than I could possibly help myself, even if I had the best run ever. But I do have fundraising news!

If you look on my TNT donation page, it appears that I only have $25 (given so graciously by Miss Taylor Mayad!), but that's because any checks that I receive in the mail are not included on the website total because they go directly to the Society instead of through the Internet. So, I actually have a total of $145, thanks to a very generous check from Matt's brother and sister-in-law and one from my step-mom's sister. (Would that be my step-aunt? Do we have those?)

So, here are a few things everyone should know about these cancers:

• Blood-related cancers are the leading fatal malignant diseases in young men and women under the age of 35 in the U.S.
• EVERY 5 MINUTES, SOMEONE NEW IS DIAGNOSED. Every 10 minutes, someone will lose the fight.
• Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are cancers that originate in the bone marrow or lymphatic tissue as a result of an acquired genetic injury to the DNA of a single cell, which becomes malignant and multiplies continuously. This abnormal accumulation interferes with the production of healthy blood cells.

These facts are scary, but with the help of the Society, every member of the TEAM and those who support us with donations, positive thoughts and prayers...

• ... the survival rate for Leukemia has tripled from 14% in 1960 to 46.3% today.
• ... the 5-year survival rate for children with Acute Lymphatic Leukemia was 4% in 1960 and is 85% today.
• ... radiation-induced cures are now possible for patients with early-stage Hodgkin's disease.
• ... the 5-year survival rate for Hodgkin Lymphoma in people under 20 years of age is now 96%.

This is what the TEAM is all about. Not getting in shape or meeting new friends and running buddies--those are just the perks. It's about fighting for all the people fighting blood cancers, because they shouldn't have to do it alone.

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."

Health = Wonderful

What a long weekend! Unfortunately no training took place, but I had a physical feat just as tough and painful--fighting a stomach virus. Besides missing seeing my sister, brother-in-law and nieces, I felt like I had been hit with a bulldozer. I was reduced to crawling (walking made me nauseated), sprawling about my apartment, drinking ginger ale and eating ice chips.

After the first round (around 4 a.m. on Saturday morning) I thought, "I sure hope this passes before my run this morning!" Ha! Yah, right! It quickly became evident that I wasn't going anywhere. Matt brought me some Pepto-Bismol caplets with the instructions, "My mom said to take these until your ears ring." The instructions should have read, "Take until it makes you sick, then drink ginger ale and eat cubes of ice." The second set of instructions is what worked for me. So anyway, I didn't leave my apartment from Friday night until Monday night. I couldn't even stand on Saturday, and Sunday was just painful and achey. Yesterday I did dishes for about 10 minutes and had to take a 2.5-hour nap to recover.

But the thing is, as bad as I felt, I couldn't help but think, "At least this is temporary. At least after this passes I will be healthy again and able to do the things I want to do and enjoy life." It made me very grateful for my health and for the fact that I don't have to endure painful treatments for cancer or fight for my health daily.

My team coach said to take it easy this week and not try to run until Thursday. I will be on lower mileage next week, but hopefully I will be able to pick it up later. Recovering fully and taking it slow will hopefully result in fewer setbacks later on. The half marathon is 4 months from tomorrow!

Finally, I must give kudos to Matt. He was a wonderful caregiver all weekend, and he never even bitched about it (although there were a few times I could tell he was getting annoyed!).