Hitting the finish line: I did it! You did it! We all did it!

Longest run: 13.1 miles - the Race! Time: 2:19. Felt: Like a million bucks

So, folks, last week marked the end of my personal challenge to run a half marathon and the end to the fund raiser for HopeLives. It was truly an awesome day and the best feeling of accomplishment I've had in a long time (or ever!). The day 54 degrees, a perfect temperature for running, and the rain held off til the last half mile of the race. I had the usual aches and pains, though a trip to an acupuncturist the day before and a soak in epsom salts I think helped with the severity of them. My hip held up great, though the next day my knees were shrieking at me. What have you done to us?!?!? Not to worry, by Tuesday they were back to bending and flexing as knees do.

The race itself was so much fun. Everyone was in great spirits, and I got to hang out and warm up with a few friends before the start. I actually was not nervous at all. I knew I could do it, I just wasn't sure how fast or in what shape I'd hit the finish line. When the race started, we were so far back we actually didn't even hit the starting line for 9 minutes. By then the start was so anticlimactic it just felt like any other run - with 8000 of my closest friends. By mile 4, I think, the first place runners were already heading back (so I think that must have been their mile 8). All of us regular people cheered and clapped for the elites as they passed by. Then the 2nd half was just thinking about pace, keeping hydrated, and at one point wrestling with my music selection. It was funny, because somehow I turned the volume all the way down and as I tried to figure out what happened to my iphone (pause, start, skip a song, no, go back. aughhhh), I ran up the big hill without really paying attention to the fact that I was running up a huge hill. I was a little disappointed when I got to the top and realized my music issue had ruined the hill experience for me. Oh well, by that point there were still 5 miles to go, so I still had plenty of miles to "experience." Mile 12 I powered up a small hill and instantly regretted it, as I realized I hadn't really had the juice to speed up at that point. It took me a little bit to recover, but the last mile of the race I was just excited, happy, and forgot about the fact that I could no longer feel my legs. An excellent friend of mine came all the way out Staten Island to cheer me on, and I saw her just as I was rounding the final corner and hitting the home stretch. That was all I needed to power through the last .3 miles. And if you look very closely at the video, I even sprinted (as much as one can sprint after 13 miles) to the finish. And that's it. I did it! And I loved it. I hope to do it again, as soon as my knees decide to forgive me.  
I didn't win any medals, but I DID beat 800 people, so surely there's some prize money in that, right? Well, of course there was a prize: somehow, against all odds and expectations, I raised close to $2400 for women's cancer support. I couldn't have asked for a better day!

4 days to go: smashing all expectations

Yesterday did my last mid-distance run: 6 miles at 11 min/mi. Felt awesome.

I seemed to have finally kicked the extreme stomach discomfort I'd been feeling in anything over 2 miles. Getting nutrition solved was a major issue: learning what I could (toast and liquids) and could not (pretty much anything else) put in my stomach within a couple hours of running.  It has been my biggest concern in the last couple weeks - more than muscle fatigue and lung capacity - the nausea and scratchy gut pain that might force me to walk. But now I think I've got that solved. I'm allowed a few peanut M&Ms if I get hungry and some watered-down Hammer Gel mid-run to keep energy up. Other than that and my half-toast with peanut butter in the morning, I'm steering clear of food until after I'm finished.

I'm also super excited to meet up with a couple of girls from my training class and some expert runner friends of mine who will undoubtedly leave me in the dust in the first few minutes of the race. But as my mom says, the race is not a competition. Haha. My goal is to stick to 11:30 or under minute mile and finish in 2:30 or less. Anything under 2:30 I'll be really proud of myself. (And proud of myself from getting out of bed so dang early on a Sunday. ugh).

In any case, for those of you who have been keeping up with the fundraiser, you already know that it's been an unbelievable success. Not only in raising money beyond my wildest expectations for such a worthy cause, but for all the non-monetary outpouring of support from friends, family and strangers alike. As of this writing, we are at over $2200!! You've made this all so worth it, and I hope to keep up with running and paying attention to my overall well-being well into the future. With any luck this blog won't end with the race on Sunday.
Cheers and good health,
Kelley

2 weeks to go - Reconfirming my faith in humanity and in myself

Longest run: 12.1 miles. Time: Let's just say within my goal time. Biggest gripe: my stomach doesn't like all that jostling.

Last week was exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. Because this race just got very real. In fact, this week is my last training week before tapering in the final week. That is, my last chance to work on speed and mileage before I have to rest my legs and body in preparation for the race. I admit I haven't been 100% (or even 80%) following the training regimen. Work, weather, fatigue and a minor cold (which I kicked in 2 days, thanks to zinc) have all been major factors in missing some pretty key workouts. So I might not be quite up to par with my running mates in class, but considering I was basically sedentary 6 months ago, I feel like I'm in a good place. Here's a gem: I was lamenting to my mom about how slow I am compared to my training mates and she says, "It's not a competition." Actually, mom, by definition a race sort of IS a competition. Ha ha. Gotta love her, always supportive. In any case, yes, I finished the 12 miles. Slow and steady wins finishes the race. I'm like a turtle. I'll just keep going til the end, now matter what. Isn't that the point of all this? To set a challenge beyond what I've ever had to endure and just get through it. If it was easy, it wouldn't be called a challenge.

And now to the amazing part - last week I opened my fund raising campaign for HopeLives (see widget to the right for more information), and within a single day my amazing friends, family and co-workers raised almost $1000! I had originally set my goal at $300. Having never done a fund raising, I wasn't sure what to expect. But by the end of the day, I raised the goal to $1200. And then we beat THAT. Smashed it. As of this writing, I'm at $1502. That's equivalent to about 38 services to women in recovery. I'm absolutely thrilled and in awe of "my people". You guys are great. Can't thank you enough. And there are still 13 days to go until the race. Let's keep climbing, keep putting one foot in front of the other until the finish line. That's the only way to do it.
-k

3 weeks to go! Help me reach my goal!

Countdown is on! And it's time to raise some dough for breast cancer.

Longest run: 10 miles at 1:54 (and at 5000 feet!). Best mile: 9:30 min/mi for 4 miles

Hello, and apologies for the long absence. I was on vacation for a bit, but I have not forgotten my promise: I am running the Staten Island Half-Marathon to raise funds for a very worthy cause (skip to the end if you want to save a few seconds), and I need your help to make an impact. 

As you know, in May 2012, my mother, Jean, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. Two weeks later she underwent a mastectomy. The scary part is the diagnosis and not knowing, but the really hard part of facing breast cancer treatment is coping with loss and the months of recovery. Through her experiences of trying to find support in her small community, Jean was referred to an organization called Hope Lives, based in Fort Collins, Colorado. This organization assists women in northern Colorado by providing care, guidance and education post-breast cancer diagnosis. It provides much-needed complementary care, lifestyle support such as housecleaning, and emotional support such as family and couples counseling - FREE OF CHARGE.

For Jean, Hope Lives was the lifeline she needed in a rural area that has few resources— a gap that often left her frustrated and feeling like the system had failed her. For me, Hope Lives was peace of mind, knowing that she could be part of a community that could understand her and bring her closer to full recovery. Today, Jean is back at work, and coming to terms with her "new normal." She fortunately was also given an excellent prognosis. 

For my mom, and for the women of northern Colorado, I am running the Staten Island Half on October 7, 2012. Will you join me in supporting them?

Go to http://www.crowdrise.com/kelleyshalf by October 7, 2012. Whatever you can donate, $5, $10, $50, will make a huge difference to the life of a woman dealing with breast cancer. Every little step we take can make a big difference in the life of a breast cancer patient recovering or undergoing treatment.

You can also check out Hope Lives at hopelives.org to see how they are changing the lives of the women of Larimer County and Windsor, CO.

If you are able to support me in my cause, I am so grateful. I understand times are tough, but any little bit helps. I better go strap on my running shoes and make you all proud!

A warm hug,

Kelley

7 weeks to go: When things finally start to click

Week 9, 7 weeks til the big day: Longest run: 7.6 miles (longest run I have EVER done. Yay!); Best pace: 9:30 min/mi during practice sprints.

Dear friends,
Do you know that moment where you figure it out and things FINALLY start to click? I remember when I went to Spain for my study abroad, erhm, 15 years ago, and even though I had studied Spanish since 7th grade, things just weren't quite making sense. I struggled with understanding normal-paced conversation and television. Then one day, about 6 weeks into living there, I was watching the news and realized that I was understanding what they were saying. Without having to concentrate so hard I give myself a headache. Well, folks, I think I've had a breakthrough in the old training. I somehow managed to run the 7.6 miles of our training run on Saturday and NOT feel like I was going to keel over. Wow. It almost makes me understand people who claim they love running. It was not awful.
And now for some other not awful news: my mom's been telling me about this fantastic organization that offers services such as acupuncture, massage, naturopathic medicine consults, and much more. She is so relieved, feels like there are finally people who are listening to her and are truly there just for her. She told me about her visit to the naturopath, whose visit took almost and hour and a half, and which made her feel guilty for taking up so much of the naturopath's time. But isn't is wonderful to feel like someone's listening, and you're not just part of the process? So, folks, in honor of finding things that just seem to work, I am proposing dedicating the half marathon run, now in merely 7 weeks, to this great organization. I'm writing Hope Lives to see about setting up a fundraising page, so be on the lookout in my next blog for information on how to contribute to this great cause.

Have a marvelous weekend. Tomorrow we're set to run over 8 miles, again smashing any old distance records I once had. Hope I can walk on Monday! Eek.

Week 8? The best shape of our lives

Longest run in the last few weeks: 6.4 mile loop around Central Park. Time: 1h 9min (slow and steady)
Best run this week: 5.19 miles short loop around Central Park. Time: 53:02. Avg pace: 10'13"!

Dear reader(s)- Sorry I went off the grid for awhile, but I promise I haven't gone off track. Training is going great. In fact, I've signed up for a half-marathon class 2x a week, and wow, in 3 classes I'm already seeing improvement. Sometimes it's hard to find motivation when you get tired, it's hot out, certain joints that once just whined a little are starting to scream. Of course, I have my main goal: the race, for cancer, for strength, for recovery. But that goal is still 2 months off, and in the moment... well, in the moment, I just need a little boost. This week a mantra started going through my head, one a friend and I were discussing a couple of weeks ago: How great would it be to say you were in the best shape of your life? The best shape of your life! Now, after a year of being sedentary and not working out. Take THAT, 36!! So my mantra this week was: "The best shape of my life. The best shape of my life." And wow, did I start feeling stronger. Like I could conquer the next hill, and I did. And shut up, hip, I ain't listening to you complain. So overall, a great couple of weeks.

But of course, you're not here to read about my great week, you're here to read about our fantastic week. Mom's results came back with some amazing news: her tumor has a low recurrence rate, meaning no chemotherapy. And she's gotten leave to go back to work next week.

We are that much closer to normalcy, within whatever new normal has been established. On the other hand, why settle for just normal when you can strive for the best shape of your life?

Week 4: On giving yourself a break

Longest run: 3.5 miles (again with the heat wave!); greatest moment: spending some time with mom

I'm in training, she's in recovery. We both have set high expectations for ourselves. When we found out about my mom's surgery almost 2 months ago now, we read a number of blogs and medical sites about mastectomy recovery time. Some women said they were back at work within 2 weeks, or even 10 days. On the phone together and searching online for more info, we were amazed at how quickly these women got back to work - and it set some pretty unreasonable expectations. After 2 weeks, mom had to call her boss to say, "remember how I said I'd be gone for 2 weeks? Well, it's going to be more like 2 months." And when I saw her last week, she was weak, shaky, "puny" as we used to call it when we feel sick. Poor mom was puny, and she's not a puny chick. She's used to being fierce. And this made her frustrated. Why don't I feel better than this? How long is it going to hurt?
And me? Well, I had some of the same questions. I've been running (well, maybe not following my training schedule to perfection, but pretty close) and I felt like I should be able to go a bit faster, that it shouldn't take me a whole mile and a half to warm up. And things hurt. My hip continued to burn, and now there was a worrisome ping in my heel. Like someone had strung a guitar a bit too tight and it might snap at any minute. So there's frustration, and the setbacks.
But guess what? It's ok to give yourself a break. You're not going to progress the same as those folks online. You may not be a superwoman, driving your wounded body to work on day 10, with a drainage tube and mastectomy camisole. Sometimes you have to listen to your own body, and trust that you will get better, you will get faster, and sometimes you just have to take a break: mentally and physically. Relax, let it be, and next week you'll feel a whole heck of a lot better. I do. And what amazed me about my mom, by the end of our visit, she was walking around the block - twice!