Run cancelled today

Today we had to run 6 miles, but they cancelled the group run because it was too cold. So we ran at the Park District instead. That is so annoying because there are a lot of walkers on the track, especially when it's cold out. And a lot of them like to walk two people side-by-side. This becomes especially annoying when they decide to pass another couple that is walking, and then there are four people abreast, which means that all three lanes are completely blocked. I tried to be nice and say, "ladies, only two people side-by-side." At one point these ladies said, "but we're passing!" I said, "Me too!" You can't take up the whole track, geez! There were about 2 dozen walkers and 6 runners, and a couple times I almost caused a runner behind me to hit me because at the last minute a walker would step out in front of me, and I'd either stop short or try to go around, and the runner behind me would have to also stop.

I wrote a comment form (even though I work there!) and said NO PEOPLE WALKING SIDE-BY-SIDE!

I'd almost rather have run outside in the zero degree weather.

But I did 6 miles in 61 minutes, that's pretty good, considering I walked five laps (after each mile except the last, obviously.) Matt and I were both suffering, though, after missing two runs by being at the Inauguration. It was a tough run, and a very aggravating run. My whole body has been hurting since Tuesday, when we stood outside for 5 hours, walked 5 miles, spent 6 hours in the car, then the next day spent 12 hours in the car. It really took a toll on me, my shoulders hurt from driving, my bad ankle and lower back hurt from standing, I got a cramp while we were walking ... that vacation was bad for my whole body!

Too cold for Lynette!

Today I skipped the 4-mile run outside. It was about 20 degrees and last time it was this cold, I had a real problem with my fingers and toes suffering from my Reynaud's Syndrome, which is a fancy term for saying that I have bad circulation and my digits turn white and then feel like they've been slammed in a door. I stayed home and prepared for our Washington, D.C. trip while Matt went running.

We'll be missing our Monday and Wednesday runs as well, so hopefully we won't have too hard of a time running our 6-mile run next Saturday.

Thanks to all of our sponsors - we are now halfway to our goal!

6 miles

Lynette's better at writing these updates, but I'll give this one a shot. Saturday was a 6 mile run, the longest I've ever gone. The night before, it snowed 4-5 inches, so we couldn't run on the Prairie Path - we just ran down a 1-mile stretch of road and back 3 times. Lynette finds this extremely boring, but I don't mind - running is running as far as I'm concerned. I just put on my iPod, start up a podcast (Adam Carolla, Escape Pod, or This American Life), and don't think about running. When I mentioned my listening habits at the post-run stretching clinic, almost everyone else who listened to something said they needed the beat of the music - nobody else listened to "talk". For me, if I have music on, every 3 minutes becomes another reminder of time passing - another chance to think about how far I've gone already, and how far I still have to go. Letting myself become engrossed in a story makes it much easier to forget about all that and just let my body take me across the finish line.

Injury Prevention

We're due to have an Injury Prevention clinic this weekend after training on Saturday. I don't need to go. I already know everything I need to prevent injury.

1. Don't fall down stairs.
2. If you slip off the springboard and hear a crack, don't do a handspring over the vault.
3. Don't jump onto goat hurdles.
4. Don't stab yourself in the leg with knitting needles.
5. Don't trip while wearing 3-inch heels.
6. Did I already mention don't fall down stairs?
7. Don't try to run and jump onto a rocking horse.

See, I think I'm more than prepared.

5-mile run

Today was our 5-mile run with the team. Matt's been sick the last few days, so he didn't go. It was kind of strange running without him. Well, I ALWAYS run without him, but it was strange meeting the team alone. They said that they missed watching the back of him disappear as he smoked us all ...

It was about 25 degrees today, and the Prairie Path was clear of enough snow and ice that we could finally run on it - YAY!!! Of course, I hadn't noticed that the first half mile was downhill, so that meant that the last half mile is UPhill. But I ran it ... I finished in 59:14. I didn't actually run a 12-minute mile, there was a huge stretch of ice that took me 4 minutes to cross the first time and 3 minutes to cross on the way back, so I actually ran about 52 minutes.

When I was done, my hair was frozen. I had two hair popsicles hanging on my neck! I tried to take a picture, but my phone battery died. I'm sure it won't be the last time that my hair freezes!

I did have Matt take a picture of me running, so ya'll can see what I look like - a total dork! Notice the waterbottle I'm carrying - I always feel like I'm Barbie, the way that my hand fits into that strap!

Still hanging in there ...

So we're well into training, and I'm still having issues with my iPod. I ran 4 miles yesterday and it said that I rain over 6. Grr! I threw the chip and sensor in the trash, but Matt yelled at me, so I had to dig them out again.

Matt was unable to run because he wasn't feeling well (still isn't) and probably won't be able to run tomorrow or Saturday. I hope he feels better soon!

I wonder if people are even reading this blog - if so, I guess I'd better start coming up with some better posts!

Since it's January 1, I guess I should say that I do have some running goals set for this year. Obviously, I want to finish the Champaign Half Marathon on April 11. Other than that, I'd like to knock a minute off of my 5k time, bringing me down to a 27-minute 5k.

I'd also like to take this time to emphasize why we're doing this Team in Training ... training ... My friend Tom passed away from leukemia when he was just 17. My cousin Serena passed away from leukemia a few years after that. Grandma Novy, my maternal grandmother, lost her battle with multiple myeloma, another blood cancer, in September of 2006. And Matt's cousin-in-law Diana passed away this past November, about a week shy of the 1-year anniversary of her leukemia diagnosis.

In speaking with other TNT members, I've learned of other people who have known a lot of people who passed away from blood cancers. One of the coaches we met last weekend had five family members lose their battle with blood cancer. It's really scary how many people know someone who battled with blood cancers. There's so many types, too.

So that's why we're running. Seventy-five percent of every donation goes straight towards research and patient aid (helping with bills, etc.) That's why every donation is so important. We really appreciate all the support we've received so far, but we still have a long way to go. Please let your friends know what we're doing and direct them to our website, http://pages.teamintraining.org/il/champgn09/mgilbert

Thanks again for your support, and stay tuned for more training updates!

-Lynette