Don't Worry, I've Been Running my Butt Off...well, figuratively...

Hey all,

So I've been a tad offline the past few weeks as I've been taking a few summer classes (awesome, by the way--really and truly amazing) to finish up my degree and thus I haven't updated the old blog.  So, during my Teaching Social Justice class (Holocaust Educator's Network) we were basically doing 8 to 8 days (sometimes even later) and I decided to take that week off.  Nothing daunted, I began again last week with a buddy run, then a hills workout (ugh!), etc... and wound up running 8 miles this past Saturday with the team.  It went fairly well, although I did have a foot cramp the last mile and am once again a proud member of the Back of the Pack Club.  How we do come full circle in life.

This week I've been in another class, but a much more time friendly one, so I've ran several miles and today did some weight training.  Before the week is through, several more miles will be ran, all leading up to Saturday's 5 mile run.  Wow...only 5 miles, that's great.  :)

On the fundraising front, I've been overwhelmed by the amount of money many virtual strangers to me have donated.  One wonderful couple my husband and I coach with (and my hubby works with) donated $75 to me today and the parents of Deren's best friend, who really don't know me well at all, donated $50.  Wonderful!  The generousity blows me away.
I've also received many other valuable sums from old friends, past professors, etc...  So thank you all who have donated!

For those of you who haven't, please help me try to reach 1,500 by August first.  Currently (although my fundraising site doesn't yet show it) I am at $566.  Remember, every little/medium/large bit helps!!!  Even $5 helps me get just a bit further.  Like my run, you get there one small step at a time.

Finally, several weekends ago myself and three other volunteers (thank you Deren, mom and Lisa!!!) worked as Course marshalls at the See Jane Run event.  The deal was that for every volunteer I brought (including myself) I received $25 dollars toward my funding.  A team mentor also donated her "winnings" to me, bringing my fundraising to $100 for a few hours of work.  Sooooo, if you are one of those people who can't really afford to donate money, please keep a lookout for options I will post here and on facebook, where you may be able to help me by donating your time.

Thank you to everyone who's supporting me, in all the many ways I need support.  You all rock and are the only reason my butt gets up at 7 am on Saturday's to run for hours at a time.  :)

Cheers,
-B.

I am a Champion my friiiiiieeeeends....

So I ran 6 miles this morning.  Who's a star?  I am!  :)  It was amazing--I felt great, saw a fox, had to pee really badly in the middle of the run and desperately scouted for a scary park bathroom (I found one, never fear), and almost kept going past my stop point b/c I had hit a level of delirium and didn't realize I was done.  Haha!  It was great and I think (hope) that I'm past the blarghyness that has been with me lately.  Also, my water-bottle-butt-thingy worked swell.

Of course, now I feel exhuated and really sore.  Time for a nap?  ;)



Cheers,

-B.

Do It Now, Not Later...You Big Second-Rater!!!

So last week I was a bit of a slack-a-doodle-doo and only ran a few miles.  Boo!  However, this week I swore I would get back on the ball and so I have.  I was ruthless with myself today and forced out 2 miles, despite my inner whiney.

I've been disappointed in how poorly I've felt in general with the running, as I'm usually past that by now, but I'm hopeful that this week I can push through and get to a more okay spot with my inner wimp (he's related to the inner whiney).  I'm hoping to do 3 tomorrow, 4 Friday and then the damn 6 on Saturday with the team.  Help keep me honest by asking me about it.  Remind me, viciously, that you aren't paying me good money to sit on my butt and that cancer won't cure itself.  My inner wimp will appreciate it. 

Cheers,
-Bre

P.S.  Thanks for all of those who have donated!  I'm hoping to be at $500  (at least) in a couple of weeks.  If you haven't donated yet, I'd really appreciate it.  Remember, even $5.00 will make a difference.  You can donate at my website: http://pages.teamintraining.org/oswim/trees11/bcrosbymar or you can write a check to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and send it to me.  :)

-B.

-B.

Prepping for the 4 Mile Run...

Well...this Saturday the group run is 4 miles...which I haven't ran in about two years, so it should be interesting.  I went to run today and ran into two guys I went to High School with.  It was fun catching up with them, but as they'd just started their workout and were on the two treadmills at my gym, I had to opt for the track.  It was okay, but I feel like the two days I took off put me behind again.  I got in a mile run, but didn't feel very well during.  Also, haven't had a donation in days...am really worrying about meeting my fundraising minimum.

However, I wore my sweet new orange shoes and they made me feel like a real runner, even if I didn't look like it plodding along at a snail's pace.  :)

More later,
-Bre

P.S.  Please donate if you haven't yet and are able.  Even 5 dollars would help!  :)  Thanks!  http://pages.teamintraining.org/oswim/trees11/bcrosbymar

First Training Run of the Season...

So, as you may have guessed from the title of this blog, today was our first Team in Training er...training run.  I started out strong, but quickly fizzled as I realized I couldn't seem to match my pace with anyone and that I didn't really know anyone on the team to hang out with.  What can I say?  Although I'm eccentric and can force myself to be outgoing, I'm essentially a shy person, so it was a lonely, out-of-shape, disappointing run.  However, upon returning I reminded myself that I would eventually get to know people and make friends and that eventually I would get into better shape and stop aching and that eventually this would all be a really positive experience.

And yet, I am still feeling a little blarghy about it all today.  A donation from someone or multiple someone's would cheer me up though.  Anyone?  Anyone???

If you'd like to help cheer me up and let me know how much you believe in me, check out my donation info/website at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/oswim/trees11/bcrosbymar

Cheers,
-B.

OMG or What Was I Thinking???

So, I have this problem...well, okay a few, but one of them is that I never can seem to do things half-hog.  That is, I decide I'm going to do something say, get in shape, and then inadvertently wind up attempting to do it all in one day.  For example: today I said to myself: Self, let's ride your bike to the library.  Now, a normal person who hadn't rode a bike in say 10 years, would have stopped and taken store of the situation; I, however, decided that this was a good idea.  I mean, haven't I walked there from campus before?  Wasn't it a pretty reasonable walk?  *note: for those of you not from Boise, the public Library! is right next to campus...my house...well, it's not*

So, giving my nether regions and lack of physical prowess nary a thought, I took off on about a 4 mile ride (2 there, 2 back that is).  I have to admit, on the way back, as my...well...you know...was screaming at me (aside: how do men become cyclists?  Do their bits just sort of suck up inside them?) and muscles that haven't been used since dial up internet were begging for me to stop, I realized that I'd made a grave mistake.  What's worse: I still had a mile run to do with a friend who was patiently waiting for me on my porch.

I saw a raccoon.  That was cool.  And an old person in a walker whizzed by me as I huffed and puffed along the bike trail.  I'm not sure that any of that was worth it.  Certainly not the paltry three library books I managed to get.  I could have bought books at the Hastings next to my house and continued to let my butt grow into the couch.  Alas, as I said, I have issues.

More soon...if I don't die.  For now, I'm off to see if I'm the first person to ever successfully crawl into a tube of IcyHot.

Cheers,
-B.

Day 1-Run 1: The Mental Banana...

So now that I'm done with all things school related for the next month, I found myself sitting around for the majority of the morning in my pajamas playing games on Facebook.  I leveled with myself: You deserve this, feel free to let your brain turn to mush while your butt grows into the chair.  Alas, as my Team in Training kick off event is this Thursday (dare I say: Yay!), and training begins Saturday with what I expect will be a 3 mile run, it occured to me that I should probably get dressed and hit the treadmill.

To motivate myself I busted out a favorite book of mine (written by a woman who I swear is actually me, as we have the same voice and sense of humor): The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women: Get off your butt and on with your Training by Dawn Dais.  I highly recommend it for anyone, regardless of whether you've recently been possessed to run 26.2 miles or not, for its sheer hilarity. 
Anyway, after having my pre-run snack and reading a few chapters of the book, I felt motivated enough to lace on my shoes (I think they actually sighed) and get going.  My goal was to try a new split thingy.  For those of you who don't speak run, a split is when you run for so long at one pace and then either walk or speed up or fly or whatever...then back to the regular run.  Well one of the really perky people at my Team in Training sign up meeting (hint: they're all perky and swear that running marathons is addicting...I swore right back at them that I'm convinced I can stop any time I want) whose name I believe is Louise told me she runs 4 minutes then walks 1 minute because, and I quote: "I can do anything for 4 minutes".  Okay, that sounds good, I thought.  My b.f. Hailey called it a good mental banana (you know b/c who wants a carrot?).  To back up, there was this new running theory that came out oh about 6 years ago, that long distance runners who did this run/walk split thing actually did a lot better (I mean of course normal marathon runners....oxymoron?...not like the Kenyans).  6 years ago when I was young and in shape I scoffed at this idea.  Currently, I'm feeling that the "I'm older and fatter" method of walk/run sounds pretty tempting.  Well, turns out that while I can do anything for 4 minutes, I think I'd rather switch things around.  How about if I run 1 minute and walk 4???  I'm thinking that would be the equivalent of a mental candy bar.

Anyway, I managed the mile at 15 mins.  Not bad, considering the older, fatter thing...I tried not to think about how in 2003 I ran 2 miles in 14:07... *looks wistfully away*

Okay, more updates to come.  Tomorrow I'm hitting the greenbelt with an insane running buddy of mine...perhaps if I drown due to flooding I can get out of this?

Cheers,
-Bre

P.S.  Don't forget people, I'm doing this b/c I need your money.  Only YOU can cure cancer...er...and prevent forest fires.  I'm chaffing b/c I'm counting on your fundage so stop being so cheap!  ;)
http://pages.teamintraining.org/oswim/trees11/bcrosbymar