Some friend....

Dear Weather Man (who shall remain nameless):

I know it wasn't all your fault. And I'm not going to blame you for the whole thing. But WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING THIS MORNING BETWEEN 7 AM AND 9AM?!?!?!? It was so incredibly hot and humid. It was just brutal. I know you said something meterological like 'warm and muggy conditions' this holiday weekend. But good grief. It. Was. Hot. And I thought you were my friend...

I was sooo hot. I was *dripping* with sweat. I was sweating in places I didn't even know I could sweat. I was sweating so much that my earbuds wouldn't even stay in my ears.

Now, part of the problem, I admit, is my own fault. At the last minute this morning, I changed from a little tank to my TNT shirt. Mistake #1. I had not really had any water this morning or enough last night. Mistake #2. I chose not to wear my hydration belt since it was just 8 miles and I knew I had water waiting for me at mile 4. Mistake #3. So you see, part of my misery was my own fault. But that 80 degree temp at 8 AM and that 75% humidy. That's all you. And I guess when you factor those in together to get the infamous "heat index", that calculated to be something like 127 degrees. In the shade. In fact, if I had carried my cell phone, I would have called you at home and given you the big what for. Don't think that I didn't consider it at about mile 6.

Now, I knew that this weekend was going to be warm. It is almost June, so that's normal for Memphis. I'm ok with that. And you did tell me and all your faithful viewers that. But I thought that since it was 7 o'clock in the morning, that *surely* it wouldn't feel like I was already in Tijuana....and I didn't expect that 127 degree heat index. Or at least that's what it felt like to me.

So, thanks for a brutally ugly 8 mile run this morning.

You know I love ya' -- we've been friends for over 20 years. But this morning you really just weren't one of my favorite people. I'll be over this later today and will be seeking your forgiveness and your friendlier forecasts. Maybe you can make it up to me with a great forecast for me for San Diego next Sunday.

Your friend and fan,
Angie

"San Diego is always sunny and 70"

So says my friend the weatherman.....Well, take a look at this forecast. As of today, I can start checking the 14 day forecast for June 1 -- the day of the marathon. Looking pretty good!

Friday, May 30
Sunny
Low: 59 °F
High: 65 °F

Saturday, May 31
Sunny
Low: 60 °F
High: 66 °F

Sunday, Jun 1
Abundant sunshine
Low: 61 °F
High: 68 °F

Thank you to my sponsors

Memphis is buzzing this weekend with the Memphis in May Barbecue Contest. Used to be my cup of tea, but now large crowds make me twitch. The weather for the weekend, however, looks great. In fact, this is the best forecast I've seen in a long time. Can you believe no rain in sight for days? Will be nice. We'll definitely be spending lots of time outside.


Tomorrow is 12 miles. Quite doable. And it feels a bit different heading into it. No pressure. No angst. No worries. It's still a LONG run. But nothing compared to last week .... We are definitely in the home stretch. Two weeks from right now, I'll be on a plane to San Diego (by way of Minneapolis). And my mind is whirling already with thoughts of the race -- what I need to pack, things I need to do, etc.

Remember my three goals that I set when I began this journey? (1) To FINISH the marathon, (2) to REMEMBER my daddy, and (3) to raise MONEY and AWARENESS for the leukemia society. I think I'm well on my way to accomplishing #1. I know that through this process I have thought about my dad so much and I hope I have helped you remember him too (goal #2). And, you all have helped me achieve goal #3. My fundraising total is $4,176! I'm so, so, SO excited about that. THANK YOU!!! I'm just so grateful and appreciative of your generosity. And I've said this many times, but I just really want you to know that you are making a difference and your gifts are helping find a cure for leukemia and other blood cancers. So, THANK YOU to all my generous sponsors. Muuuah!

Angie A.
Cindy A.
Todd & Cindy A.
Dr. Frederick A.
Kent & Jennifer B.
Carol B.
Darrell & Emily B.
Jeff B.
Carolyn C.
Julia C.
Barry & Cheryl C.
Ron C.
Matt C.
Janet C.
Sally C.
Anne & Allen C.
Anna Mae & Howard D.
Nanette F.
Dean & Sherri F.
Gayle & Al F.
Sue H.
Debby & Paul H.
Kenny H.
Cindy H.
Chris & Angela H.
Nancy H.
Neil & Lois H.
Judy H.
Curtis & Tamora J.
Dr. Robert J.
Carol K.
Tim L.
Marlene L.
Justin L.
Dr. David L.
Kelly L.
Eddie & Judy L.
Barbara M.
Molly M.
Connie & Ty M.
Bob & Pat O.
Tom & Arlene O.
Kelly & Sean P.
Allisa R.
Wendy R.
Dr. Jeffrey S.
Shannon S.
Jason & Valerie S.
Patrick T.
John & Ann T.
Maribeth & Harry T.
Patti T.
Rebecca T.
John V.
Gwen W.
Sherrill W.

I get by with a little help from my friends

May 10. It is the date that has been looming on the training calendar since January when I received my copy. It's the big twenty miler. And it's this Saturday. Lots going on in my brain about this. I'm dreading it. But I'm looking forward to it. I want to do it. I don't want to do it. Just the challenge of attempting it. Doing it. I am fretting about the recovery from it. Will I live to tell about it? Will I *want* to tell about it? Twenty miles. That's a long way. But after this Saturday's huge hurdle, I really feel like I'm in the home stretch. Because then it's 12 and 8 and then the marathon.

This week my legs and feet seem to really be feeling the 180 miles that have been put on them. Not real sure what's going on there. They are just achey and are so tired. I hope they'll hang in there with me. They have served me well. And I only need about 80.2 more miles out of them. Then they can retire.

WEATHER
The weather isn't looking too favorable for Saturday. Highs are expected to be in the low 80s. My email exchange with my personal meteorologist went something like this:

TO: Ron

FROM: Angie

RE: Cut it out

AW: You're killing me with the Saturday forecast Childers. I'm gonna' die in that heat. And the low Friday is mid 60's. I won't even start off with cool temps. Are you kidding me?! I thought you were my friend.

RC: Come on....a little rain and heat never killed anyone....intentionally

ROUTE
I asked George yesterday what the route would be. He said he was still working on it. But was looking for somewhere shady. No such place in Shelby Farms. He said, with a lilt to his voice and a sick smile on his face "The Hills of Walnut Grove Lake are shady!". Ugh. I. Hate. Hills. He also referred to this Saturday's run as "a nice twenty miler". Nice? NICE?!? Can you use that adjective when you describe a TWENTY MILE RUN?!?!? He's a good guy and a great coach and all. But he's just sick. (Sorry George. You know I love you.)

RIGHT BRAIN
It will be key for me this Saturday to keep Mr. "You Are Tired. Stop Running Right Now" Left Brain out of this. I've got to focus on positive -- and distracting -- thoughts. Last weekend, I admit that at one point when I was so tired and beyond bored, I started rattling off state capitals. I may try that again. Or just all the states in alphabetical order. Or maybe reciting Pi to 100,000 places.... So, the suggestion box is now open. Anybody have any ideas on things I can think about on Saturday? Any lists anybody wants me to create for them? Problems to solve? Any song requests that I may perform? I'd love to hear from you.

THINK TWENTY!!!

Thus begins the big week

Feeling ok this morning. Just a bit stiff, but that should improve as I move around a bit more. Nothing hurts, so that's good.

This Saturday is the big TWENTY. This week I will need to mentally prepare almost, if not more, than physically prepare. It worked well yesterday with my thoughts and music and distractions. I *have* to keep the messages from the left brain contained. There's lots of good info on ways to do that outlined in the marathon book I'm reading. So much of this running stuff is mental. It's crazy.

Yet another thing I can think about while I run...my form. George & Julie pointed out a problem yesterday that they saw with my arms and upper body. I was twisting my upper body and almost crossing my arms in front of my chest. Need to keep my arms tighter at my side, parallel with my body. I need to use that energy to move me forward. Julie said a high school track coach said to pretend there are ropes along your sides and you are grabbing them and pulling yourself forward. I have grown to recognize when I am holding my shoulders up too high or when I can lower my hips a bit. All that form stuff - it does make a difference. And every bit of energy I have needs to be directed forward. FORWARD MOVEMENT!

Even though it is Sunday, I am a bit concerned about the weather for Saturday. The week looks to be a warm one with highs in the 80s by the end of the week. Of course, that can change several times by Saturday. But if it is that warm, I'll need to think about wearing my hydration belt. I got so hot yesterday and was ready for the water way before we got to it. Can't let that happen.

My plan for the week: I will do lots of stretches and maybe some Pilates today to loosen everything back up. I've got a set of strengthening exercises that I've been doing - I can do those every day too. I'll probably walk on Monday and Wednesday and run on Tuesday and Thursday. Rest on Friday. RUN ON SATURDAY!!

So, we begin the week of the 20! THINK TWENTY!!!!

On the radar today

This picture really has nothing to do with anything. I just thought it was sweet.

On the radar for the next 24 hours.....


1. Rain. Of course. It's Memphis in May Music Fest. It always rains at least one day. Supposed to be pretty severe this afternoon. However, I have been assured that tomorrow morning at 7am, "the rain will be gone and we'll have temps in the mid 50s to lower 60s." (Thanks Ron. Only 3 more personalized forecasts for me and then you're done.)


2. 14 miles. George asked me to put together a route for us for tomorrow. I gave him my attempt. He suggested the Hills of Walnut Grove Lake. I personally hate hills. So does my IT band. So I didn't include that in the route. As coach, he has veto power. We'll see.....

I am certain that the 14 miles is doable. I read more last night about Left Brain and Right Brain and lots of 'mental mantras'. So I will work on that again tomorrow. Right Brain got me through 16 miles last Saturday. And this is only 14. (Did I just say "ONLY 14" ?!?)



3. Carbo loading, hydrating, stretching, and rolling. Just need to do all I can today to make tomorrow's run a good one. Need to get a good night's rest. Tricky since everybody wants to stay up late on Friday night.

4. Gear. I bought some more gel yesterday, so I'm set. I also ordered some new running shorts and they are expected to arrive today. That could be a nice mental boost for me tomorrow - my new little shorts. My iPod. I heart that thing. I added some more songs last night and I am really diggin' my current playlist. He's all charged up and ready to go.

That's all for now. THINK FOURTEEN!!!! Enjoy your Friday!

Tiger Fever

So much for sleeping in on my rest day. I've been awake since about 3:30 am when the storms rolled in....AGAIN..... Good grief. I'm starting to feel like a duck. Quack. No end in sight today. But Ron Childers assured me yesterday "It’s going to be dry Sat AM but chilly. Temps will be in the upper forties to near fifty."

I am contemplating finding a knee brace to try tomorrow. I'm wondering if some support will keep the IT band from flaring up. My knee is my main concern for tomorrow's 15 mile run. I think I can handle the distance. I know I can trudge along. But I want my knee to hold out. I am a bit afraid of the recovery too. Only because I know how *awful* those first few days were after the half marathon. And this is 2 miles farther....UGH. I need to keep those thoughts out of my head. I am DETERMINED to go the distance tomorrow. I WANT TO DO THIS. I'm just going to break it down into small pieces like George said. I can do that.

Oh...speaking of GOING THE DISTANCE!!! GO TIGERS!!!! I'm getting very excited and nervous about the game. Tomorrow is 40 minutes of YEAH BABEEEE!!! GO TIGERS!!

Random thoughts

Weather was touch and go this morning, so I stayed inside and hit the treadmill. Put in about 2.5 miles and alternated running, walking and stretching. It felt ok. I am pleased with today's performance.

I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that my knee won't give me fits this Saturday. I made it about 7 miles last week when my knee decided to just quit participating. It just HURT. And there was no way I could run through that. (That was after my iPod died too. So there I was, kneeless and tuneless. It was awful.) I'm just going to keep stretching and taking the Rx and hope it will hold out for the wonderful fifteen miler.

Another thing that I hope holds out for Saturday is the RAIN. Ugh. We've had so much rain this week. I have some new ideas for my backyard. Maybe this:



Or this:




Three days until the Tiger game. One small bump in the road with the suspension of (my favorite player) Andre Allen, who apparently made some bad choices. I hate that. What was he thinking?!? But we won't let this be a distraction or loss of mojo (a quote from Connie!). The Tigers will be just fine. And continue to DOMINATE and do their thing. All the way to the National Championship. THIS IS THEIR YEAR!!!!! I also like the choice of photos that the Commercial Appeal has put on their home page with this story. My marketing dollars well spent! GO TIGERS!!!!!

SNOW!

We got about 5" of snow here at our house. It's so pretty this morning. It was nice to watch it fall last night too. The kids have enjoyed playing in it. Gauge, our white lab, was a little hard to find when he ran into the drifts. It's nice to just have snow with no ice which is what we usually get. Yea for the snow!!!

IT'S SNOWING!!!

All eyes on the sky...and the radar

Woo-hoo! So it really looks like we're going to get some snow. Just how much still remains unseen. But it does appear that it could be 3-6 inches maybe. Or more. Or less. Who really knows. Some of the schools are already closing at noon. (Tom, QUIT laughing.) Bring on the snow!!!

My plan for this morning was to do my new stability ball DVD. But when I went up there, I couldn't get the DVD player to work. I think the kids had played with the Nintendo and I don't know how to switch it back over to the DVD player. Anyway, the morning was not a complete loss because I walked a bit on treadmill. Nothing major at all. I threw in the occasional trot. Felt ok. Glad for that. Then I just did some stretches and exercises for my remaining 45 minutes. It seemed to hurt shortly after I quit, but right now it really doesn't feel that bad. So that's a good thing. A nice morning that made me feel like I'm kind of on the mend.

With the impending Winter Death 2008 forecast, I am not planning to run tomorrow morning. Sunday is supposed to be in the mid-50's. So I can take care of my 8-miler then. Will just see how it goes.

Bring on the snow!!!

First sign of spring

The forsythia in my backyard. Spring can't be far behind.

Calm after the storm

I hope everybody is ok after last night's major storms and tornadoes. The kids and the dog spent about an hour in the closet. There were a few times I had them "assume the position" when I heard some streets mentioned on TV that were less than 1 mile from my house. At one point, I went outside and I heard a train. And I started to freak out because everybody says that a tornado coming sounds like a train. But then I heard the train whistle and realized it was a real train. Whew. But the storms were major and there was loss of life and property right here in Memphis. It was scary. I took this picture on my patio looking south. Not sure what it was, but I didn't like the looks of it.



I think even Dave Brown was a bit rattled when they said the National Weather Service had issued a "tornado emergency". I looked that up on Wikipedia (love me some Wiki). Check this out: "A tornado emergency is issued by the National Weather Service when a large, violent tornado is expected to impact a populated area. Since its inception in 1999, the Tornado Emergency text has only been used on ten occasions, and until February 5, 2008, no more than one per day. During the Super Tuesday Tornado Outbreak of 2008, four Tornado Emergencies were issued in Tenneseee." That's pretty major. It was a bit scary, but we all made it ok and I'm thankful for that. I am, however, still missing a patio chair...

Now to the topic at hand. This morning was very pleasant and a lovely morning for a walk. And that's just what I did. Walked. All stinking 3 miles. My calves were so tight when I tried to run that they felt like they would snap in two. Bad enough that I just didn't think "pushing through the pain" was a good idea. So I walked it. I'm trying not to beat myself up about this. I know I have to listen to my body and I certainly don't want to really injure myself and be in major trouble. So, I will look at the positive side and be ok with the fact that there was "continuous movement" (that's what the coaches encourage). I'm sure part of the problem is that I get up and stretch and then go run (or try to) first thing. But it would probably be more helpful if I had more time to really warm up and let my muscles wake up, etc. Because now, 2 hours later, I'm feeling ok and I'm a little ticked about that. Maybe I can get the runs in later at night after homework, bath, bed, etc. Not sure how that would work. In the meantime, more ice, Advil and lots more stretches.

Progress made:
My fundraising total is $1,376! WOO-HOO! Thanks everybody!

Rain is wet, but 63 degrees feel pretty darn good

It was just misting a little bit this morning when I headed out. I don't check the weather before I go out in the mornings; I only check the low the night before. I don't want anything to discourage me from heading out in the morning. So, last night's low was 58 and I dressed accordingly. It was nice to not have to put on all those layers. I also only wore an ear band instead of my wooly little hat. I found out pretty quick that the ear band is not a friend of the iPod ear buds....there were some issues there. I also found out that when it starts raining, a cap is in order. I was wiping the rain off my face. It wasn't real hard rain, but it was enough for me to think that I was a bit nuts for tackling today's run outside. But, I did it. All three miles. And I only had to stop one time. Small victory there. About the time I finished up, the bottom really fell out of the sky. Good timing there.

I do think that I almost have the Nike thing set on my iPod. The Nike Voice Man did give me accurate distance today. (I drove my route in the car last night and also wore a pedometer this morning.) Nike Voice Man was pretty cool too. I set the distance I am going to run and then select "begin workout". Then, along the run he would tell me when I was 0.5 miles, 1.0 miles, etc. Then he said something about "workout half way completed". That was pretty good timing because that is when it was raining pretty good. But his encouragement, along with 'Brick House' by the Commodores on my iPod, encouraged me to continue. Once I got half way, Nike Voice Man started counting down the distance. So that's a nice little push too. And, since this was the first real callibrated run that I've done with the Nike+iPod, it registered as a "personal best" and I got a congratulations message from Lance Armstrong. How about that! Other music that kept me moving this morning was The Cars, OK Go, and Good Charlotte.

My shins did not hurt this morning as much as my calves. So I'm chalking that up to success because maybe it's more muscle today than bone. I can work through shin splints, but I do not want a stress fracture. I'm hopeful some of the soreness is because of the stretches I'm doing. I'm still holding out for progress to be made as a result of my new fancy running shoes and the exercises Nanette gave me. Plus, I have to remember that I've only been doing this distance stuff a little over a week.

Overall, a very nice, albeit wet, morning.

Training schedule for the week:

• Sunday - cross training (did Pilates yesterday)
• Monday - 3 miles (done!)
• Tuesday - off
• Wednesday - 3 miles
• Thursday - 3 miles
• Friday - off
• Saturday - 6 miles

Progress made:
Nike+iPod successfully calibrated.

Lesson learned:
Even the slightest bit of mist or rain really calls for a cap.

I did it!!

First group training long run - DONE!!!! I'm totally psyched right now. This is how it all played out.....

5:00am - Got up. No paper (don't get me started) so I checked news and email online.
6:15am - Took a shower. Not sure why I did this. Struggled with what to put on and how much to put on. Finally decided that the worse thing that would happen would be I would just freeze my tail off and then know better next time. Slather on chapstick. Apparently advised to do in cold weather running. So this is NOT my OCD kicking in here....Decide also to wear my 'relentless' leukemia awareness bracelet that I had worn while my dad was fighting his leukemia. I think I'll do that every run. Will need that motivation down the road I'm sure.
7:00am - Check weather online. I had asked my friend and personal weatherman, Ron Childers, yesterday what the temp would be today at 8am. He said 32 to 34 degrees. Current temp at 7am= 31. One thousand bonus points for him. I'm thinking I will need to get a personal forecast every Friday.
7:15am - Jordan's volleyball coach calls to say today's games have been cancelled because of inclement weather and icy conditions. WHAT!?!?!
7:16am - Turn on TV. Sure enough. Inclement weather policy in effect. Oh dear.

7:30am - Leave. No ice on road. More chapstick. (OCD kicking in HERE)

7:40am - George, my coach, flies by me on Walnut Grove in his little sports car. Weather can't be too bad or he wouldn't be driving his little sports car.
7:45am - Sit in warm car as long as I can.
8:00am - Group gets together in parking lot. More chapstick. Leader tells us to "watch out for black ice on the path". ICE ON THE PATH!?!? Oh my - do I really want to do this? I signed up for some running, not an Olympic luge event. She says we will run 3 minutes and walk 2 minutes. I'm cool with this. Well really I'm just COLD period. The longer we stood there, the colder I got.
8:10am approx - Off we go. I meet Nicole & Jessica. They are also training for San Diego. We all kind of stay in a group.
At this point, I'm very unsure of the time. Passed a marker that said 1 mile. Is that all? I'm wondering if a zero had been rubbed off that sign.... Parts of the trail are covered in ice. I run in the grass part of the time. I'm alternating between walking and running. Nicole & Jessica are gone. Fine with me. Bye. George is sticking with me. I feel like I'm slowing him down. I told him he could go ahead and I'd catch up (or he could come back). He says no, he was fine. More chapstick. I trudge along. My nose was running faster than I was. But I was running. Then walking. Now it's raining or sleeting or something. But then I see it - a marker that says 2.25. Could we be approaching the end? I realize at some point that the run today will be the equivalent of a 5k. How about that?! Then, there we were back at the parking lot. There were about 20 people milling around and George says something like "And the crowd goes wild" -- so they all cheered for me and that felt nice.

There were a few people who came up that must be farther in this training process. One girl asked her coach if she "should put in a few more miles" (what a nut). She also had ICE on her forehead. I'm not kidding.

I DID IT! And on top of that, found out that it was a bit faster than I would have estimated. It was about 40 minutes total. Not bad. I'm not fast anyway. I don't want to be fast. I just want to have continuous movement.

I was back home at 9:00am. Dripping with sweat. Felt like I had been playing in the snow. Like when your body is cold, but hot - at the same time. I was really excited and anxious to share my saga with Jodi and the kids. Jodi looked the trail up on the Shelby Farms website. It looked as long as it felt.

Took a HOT HOT HOT shower. Yum. Then Jodi took us to Sonic for breakfast. I had a sausage burrito. Maybe not the healthiest option. But I was starving. And celebrating.

Progress made:
Did first group run. Three miles. Outside. In less than perfect conditions.
Have sent out many fundraising letters and received some money. Yea!

Lessons learned:
Need to stretch more before (and after!) I run.
Time and distance definitely go faster when you've got somebody to talk to.

Small Victory

Finally did it. I ran outside this morning! Small victory for me! I wisely did NOT check the temperature before I went out.

I had laid all my clothes out last night - Under Armour tights, shorts, mock turtle Under Armour shirt, thin long sleeve tshirt, sweatshirt, gloves and hat. So I put everything on this morning - felt like I was a kid getting ready to go play in the snow - grabbed my iPod and headed out.

It really wasn't that bad. My face got a bit cold. I could feel myself quickly warming up. Maybe with time I will be able to appropriately layer. Guess you eventually figure that out. Parts of me got hot, but parts of me were cold. Gloves and hat were key.

Found out when I got back inside that it was 28.

And actually, it was a very good run. I had worked on a good cardio mix for my iPod (thanks for the great Christmas gift Jodi!) so that helped a lot. Me and Gwen Stefani at 4:15am....

I feel real good about today's accomplishment.

Progress made:
Ran outside - woo hoo!
Printed all my fundraising letters. Actually have given out two....

Need to work on:
Appropriate layering
Keeping steady pace running outside. Treadmill makes that easy.

Lessons learned:
Get iPod set before I put gloves on.

Still Inside

I'm still a chicken to go run outside. I ALMOST did it this morning. But when I got up, it was 21 degrees. So I went upstairs and ran on the treadmill. However, since we don't keep our heat turned up too high up there, it was pretty cold up there too. And I did most of my run with my hands tucked in my sleeves. I almost put on my gloves. So, maybe that's a start to my cold weather training. Baby steps.

The forecast for this Saturday's first Group Training is rain. Hmmmmmm. I haven't decided if that's worse than cold.

Kind of scared to get this started. Maybe just anxious because it's unknown. What if I'm the only person out there on Saturday who is a non-runner?!

George (my coach) said today that I may be the only person on the Team who has signed up for San Diego. One is the loneliest number.....