Did you know....

Only 2% of Americans are on the bone marrow registry?
That four out of five patients who need a life-saving bone marrow transplant never receive one?
That giving bone marrow is now no more painful than donating blood?

Please watch this movie. Get inspired. Get registered.
http://www.cvfaber.com/PerfectDonor2

Week 11

Our coached training on Thursday has stepped up. Now we're running 400m intervals at track practice. I bought some new shoes (after realizing that my old shoes were purchased in January and probably wouldn't be in great shape for the October marathon). It was great feeling the difference running in the new shoes versus the old ones. Kind of gave me some renewed energy.

On Saturday, we had a 1.5 hour run in Olema at the Point Reyes National Park. It was about a 40-minute drive and we had to be there at 7:45, which meant waking up at 6am. But I heard this was one of the prettiest runs, so I dragged myself out on Saturday morning. I thought we would be running along the coastline, but we were actually in a very woodsy area. The first 1.6 miles were all uphill. Whew! Of course, I kept reminding myself that it would make a great run back... love those downhill runs! I made it to the aid station about 3.2 miles in, and then I turned around so that I could get back for selling cotton candy at Safeway as a fundraiser. I met a really cool gal on my run back, Jen from Sebastopol, and had fun chatting with Lupe on part of the run back. I've really enjoyed the people I've met through TNT, and it was fun having someone to run with on the way back.

Cotton Candy sales went well. We only sold about $65 worth on Saturday in front of Safeway and then sold about $170 in front of Walmart on Sunday. We were in front of both venues for about the same amount of time (2 hours). After we paid for the sugar, Joe and I ended up making about $100 each that went into our LLS fundraising (Joe is on the triathlon team). We decided me will probably do it one more time in September, and the next time we'll only do it at Walmart.

I ran 11 miles!

On August 8, we had our first major 10+ run! I woke up early to drive out to the town of Sonoma to start our run at 8am. This was a big day! I was pretty nervous and had my Gu energy gel and Powerade all ready to go. I'm definitely loving the fuel belt I bought-- it makes carrying around some energy fuel and drinks so much easier.

We started off the run at one of the parks near the town square in Sonoma. I knew it had to be a beautiful area with all the vineyards around, but this run was really one of my favorites. The first couple miles were through a relatively flat area of trail and residential streets. Then we got up in to the residential area that was pretty hilly. I think about 3 miles in, we ended up at Gundlach Bundschu winery. It was amazingly gorgeous!!! Check out this photo and imagine running with these vineyards and hills as your view! All the fruit trees and grape vines and flowers were in full bloom. Our aid station was at the 4-mile mark, so I headed back to the park where we started. That made 8 miles. Then, I had to turn back and run back out. That was pretty cruel. By the time I'd run 8 miles and got back to start, I really wasn't feeling like turning around and running back out again. As pretty as it was! But I managed to run out another 1.5 miles before it was time to turn back (they were sweeping the course). So overall, I managed 11 miles in just under 2.5 hours. My legs were pretty tired by the time I was finished, but I put some Biofreeze on them and that seemed to help. I was pretty tired for the rest of the day, but I was amazed on Sunday and how little I was sore! I guess training really does help. :)

After the run, we had a fun pasta feed at Sebastiani winery (see photo of the giant barrels!). The best part of the celebration was seeing nearly 50 people register for the bone marrow registry! Such an easy way to save lives! Overall, a really great day filled with training and socializing.

My posts are lagging but my training isn't!

So I missed some posts once I became busy with my move and then was in L.A. for a long weekend. To bring it up to date, all is going well! I just signed my recommitment forms, so I'm totally committed to fundraising for and running the full marathon.

Track practices have stepped up (so to speak!). We ran the bleachers a couple weeks ago, and last night we ran intervals at a Level 4 intensity. And the dreaded lunges down the straight aways. Yuk! I can always feel the lunges the next day (although not nearly as much as after that first practice!)

Tomorrow (Sat) is my first 12-mile run! If I'm still alive afterwards, we have a fun party at the Sebastiani Winery in Sonoma. I'm hoping to get some photos from the run and afterwards to post on here. Stay tuned! :)

Week 7 - Sun-Wed

My mentor, Carla, says if we bring our blogs up to date, then we get a surprise. Woo hoo! Nothing too exciting to report. I did Pilates on Monday and noticed that my lower back was bothering me. Since I had to stop running and lifting over the winter due to lower back problems, I'm trying to be super mindful. I think this means that I need to do a better job of stretching out after runs. Luckily, my hamstrings don't seem super tight yet, so I think I can stay on top of it and keep it from becoming incapacitating, like in the winter.

On Tuesday, I was going to run hills with our team at Annadel, but it was just too hot. Plus, I had a meeting at 7pm, and I could only imagine arriving after running hills from 6-7 in 90-degree heat (or maybe 85 by then). So instead I swam a mile at the Petaluma Aquatic Center. The water was amazing!!! Of course, this has now resulted in a swim-off challenge with Joe (a member of the Triathlon team) that I can swim a mile faster than he can. The swim-off will take place tomorrow (Friday) at 3pm. To the winner, the victory!

Yesterday, I ran four miles on the elliptical/climber. I was still being a bit protective of my back and figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a rest and do my running on the machine. Tonight is Pilates and then track practice, so hopefully all goes well. :)

P.S. Carla rocks!!! ;-)

Week 6 - Saturday Long Run

Up at 6:30am for a 5-mile run in Novato at Hamilton Field. I've been to Hamilton before, and my reaction is always mixed. It's pretty (Spanish colonial architecture) but weird... in a Truman Show kind of way. It's a former Air Force base that has been turned into a planned community. So it's a mixture of military and suburban sprawl. But it made for an interesting and pictureque run. We started out along a levi where we could see the wetlands. Then about two miles in, there was a run up a fair hill where at the top we could look out on the base and the wetlands.

5 miles seemed much shorter. Of course, it's just a chance to catch our breaths before we tackle 8 miles next Saturday! I took my new fuel belt on this run, and I loved having it! It wasn't as sloshy or distracting as I thought it might be. And it's cool to be able to bring some liquid and carry some energy supplements with me. A good addition to my longer runs.

Week 6 - Thursday Intervals

On Week 6, we had track practice at Petaluma High School. I both look forward to and dread track practice. That's where we do intervals training, sprints, drills-- you know, all that fun stuff! (That really does help out in the end.) Today, we ran hills outside the track. Up and down 5 times. I wasn't fast, but I managed to get through it. And, actually, I wasn't very sore on Friday, which is new. Perhaps that means improvement?? :)
Go Team!

Week 5 - Saturday (Group Run)

I was pretty apprehensive for the Saturday group run since my training hadn't followed the calendar over the week. Plus, we were running 7 miles, which would definitely be the most I've ever done! However, I learned after the Shiloh run that I need to do a better job of fueling and hydrating myself during the run. After Shiloh's run, my pee smelled like ammonia, and I read that that comes from burning amino acids during a run. So this time, I brought a gu gel that I had around mile 4, and I ate some energy jelly things about every mile. It really helped! I felt like I wasn't so tired when I finished and I think I only walked for a couple blocks of the whole route. It's great to see progress! I'm going to buy a fuel belt to use now that the runs are getting longer-- I think it will be useful to carry my own water and energy drinks, although I do love the water stations that Team in Training sets up for us. :)

Week 5 - Monday

I took a little 3-mile run up to the B'Hai temple and around Lake Shore Drive. We've been super busy at night with dumpster diving and I walk everywhere in Evanston, so hopefully I'm not throwing off my training too much. I'm looking forward to getting back to following our structured training calendar when I return to California. But today's run went well. This is the run I used to do a few times a week when I was living here last summer, so it was great to compare my better endurance this time to last summer. And of course running up to Wilmette and to the B'Hai temple is just gorgeous! It's like a space-age wedding cake that was dropped in the middle of a beautiful landscape!

Week 4 - Friday

It finally cooled off enough for me to run comfortably in Chicago. The first day I was here, I heard it was 90 degrees with 90% humidity! But today it was in the 70s. I mapped out a 4-5 mile run and headed out around 7pm. I ran the two blocks to campus and then ran the lakefront trails along Lake Michigan. Lots of other people were out enjoying the cooler weather. I forgot how pretty it is along the lake beaches. It definitely made for a comfortable and enjoyable run. I had intended to turn back around Dempster street, but I guess I missed it and I ran all the way down to Kedzie in South Evanston. So I think that definitely puts my run around/over 5 miles. I ran back along Forest street with all its old mansions that date back to the 19th century (when prominent businessmen and factory owners lived in Evanston and worked in the city).

Week 4 - Tuesday and Wednesday

Ugh! It was so hot on Tuesday. 90 degrees and I waited until the afternoon to get my 1 hr of running in. I started to head to Spring Lake (the intent was to do two laps there), but quickly realized that it was too hot to run at 2pm. And I couldn't wait until later since I needed to drive to Sac that evening. Thus, I went to the gym and put in an hour on the elliptical. Not the same thing, but maybe it was good to give my joints a rest anyway.

Wednesday I should have been flying to Chicago, but the flight was overbooked. So I took my free roundtrip voucher and am flying out Thursday morning instead. Thus, I got in my 30 minutes of cross-training this evening. Love the cool Delta breeze evenings in Sac!

Week 4 - Sunday and Monday

Sunday was a beautiful day, and Joe convinced me to train with him at the Petaluma Aquatic Center. It was a cross-training day for me, so I figured swimming was a good way to do some non-impact working out.

On Monday, I had my 1-hr Pilates lesson with Ava, followed by a 30-minute run on the treadmill. Whew!

Week 3 - Thursday and Saturday

Whew! It was a crazy week and I haven't been good about posting. However, I have been good about keeping up with the training. On Tuesday, I ran at the Silver Lake reservoir in Los Angeles, where I was staying with my dear friend Jen. I returned from Los Angeles in time for intervals training at the Petaluma track on Thursday evening. It involved sprints training, lunges, butt kicks, push-ups, intervals, etc. Basically, the purpose of Thursdays is to help increase our speed (which I need!). Thursdays kick my booty! I was definitely feeling those lunges on Friday and Saturday.

Saturday was our long run. We met at Shiloh park in Windsor at 9am (Joe and I carpooled since he was also training there with the triathlon group). After some tips from our coaches, we ran 6 miles. Thank goodness for the water and Gatorade station! It was warm out, but a really beautiful route. Pretty awesome to be running through the vineyards in Sonoma! Following the run, we had a potluck breakfast where some of the honorees spoke. It was very inspirational-- reminds us of the reasons we're doing this that go beyond ourselves. Plus, it was just really cool to hang out, eat yummy food, and get to know the fellow runners better. Go team!

Week 2 - Saturday

This post is delayed because I have been in Los Angeles as part of my college reunion. However, I am happy that I managed to get in my 5 miles on Saturday. Unfortunately, the football field/track was being used by several high school football teams (and I didn't relish hanging around in my workout wear), so I started out running inside on the eliptical. Not the same, but there were no treadmills. At least I was able to finish up on the track.

I'm super tired from all the visiting and sleeping in foreign beds. This post will remain short and uninspiring.

Week 2 - Thursday

Today was a busy day as I came to Sac and am headed to Los Angeles tomorrow. I was bummed that I had to miss the first coached track runs, as I'm definitely wanting that extra help for increasing speed. But I did manage to get out and run for 40 minutes (only stopping for 5 minutes when my phone rang and when I got my headphone cord tangled up). I have to keep reminding myself that little by little, speed and endurance will improve.

Heading to L.A. tomorrow! Looking forward to doing the 5 miles on Sat on our gorgeous track! And hoping to do some successful fundraising.

Week 2 - Tuesday

Today was a 3-mile run. I headed back to Finley Park since I am familiar with that 3-mile route. It was a lovely day with a cool breeze and lots of families hanging out in the park. I can't wait until that day when running becomes effortless (I have a feeling I'll be waiting forever!). Or at least until I get faster!

But it's done. We'll see how Saturday goes when I have to add another mile. Oy vey!

Week 2 - Sunday/Monday

This is a post I meant to add for yesterday. Sunday was a cross-training or rest day. I was feeling fine after the group run on Saturday, so yesterday I walked up to my gym (about 10-15 walk), worked out on the new funky cross-between an elliptical and stair machine, and walked back home. It was lovely outside, and I was on the trails between my apt and the gym. Can't wait until the blackberries start growing! Yum!

Today's training is to run for 20 minutes, so I'll probably just run on the trails again. Then this evening I have my Pilates lesson in Petaluma for an hour.

Last week I logged 12 miles. Hard to imagine that in the not-so-distant future there will be times when I run that in a day! :)

Thanks for the support to all who have donated! It means so much to me and keeps me excited about this adventure!

Week 1 - Saturday Group Run

Yesterday was a Rest Day and this morning was our first Group Run. I woke up at 6:40am to carpool with Joe at 7am to the Finley Center in Santa Rosa (he was training with the triathlon group at the same location). Our run got started around 8:15. I was a little apprehensive at running with the group (I haven't run with people since the 10K in November), but it went pretty well. I met some great gals!

This morning, I ran at a 12 minute pace; my goal is to get down to 10 minute miles for the marathon. Running outside is so much nicer!! And it's pretty cool to have the course all set up and just be able to run without paying attention to mileage or directions. Although we're not allowed to use ipods with the Team in Training runs, so I'll have to get used to that. I always run with my ipod indoors or outdoors.

I'm going to try to start remembering to bring my camera to group runs! Hopefully I'll be able to start adding some more interesting photos to this blog!

Day 3 - 3 miles!

Well, I managed to do the 3-mile run on the treadmill at my gym today. It's my first 2+ mile run since my back problems in the winter. Running on the treadmill is so tedious, but I wanted to be able to keep careful track of the numbers to get an idea of my pacing.

I really don't like running. Especially not indoors. I'm just begging the numbers to click over faster. And my face turns an unearthly shade of red when I run. It's not cute. :)

I'm curious to see how Saturday morning's coached run on the track goes. I figure, it's gotta be better than the treadmill! And I'm assuming this gets easier with practice, even though I'm sure my red face won't go away....

Off to get some lunch and then head to Pilates! I have to keep stretching everything to avoid any lower back calamities!

Day 2 - 30min X-Train

Today is 30 minutes of cross-training. I went to the gym and did 30 minutes on the stair-master. Few things in life make me sweat more than climbing stairs, and I figure it's good training for the hills in SF on marathon day. Day 2 complete!

Fundraising!

I have committed to raising $2500 for Team in Training. This seems pretty daunting, but I think of it as $5 that could have gone to coffee or fast food. :)

If you want to make a donation, you can click on this website. Every little bit helps, and a colleague of mine who works in virus research has reassured me that the money really does go to research and helping patients and families.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/rw/nikesf09/gkellough

Marathon Training - Day 1

Today I ran around Spring Lake (I think it's about 2.3 miles). According to my training, I'm supposed to run 2 miles in 30 minutes. No problem with that. It was a beautiful run! Perfect weather and beautiful sunny skies. I think I will go back and rent a kayak or paddle boat to hang out on the lake. It looked so peaceful. And it's great being able to run during the day midweek, as it wasn't crowded on the trails at all. Yay for Day 1!

Team in Training

I've decided to participate in Team in Training this summer. There have been a few motivations for getting involved with this organization. 1) A friend of mine from Occidental College passed away from leukemia this fall. She had been a Comp. Lit. major, had studied in Paris, had played rugby with me at Oxy, had gone off to grad school... lots of shared experiences. And she seemed like such a healthy, vibrant woman that it really hit home: if it can happen to Erica, it can happen to anyone. So when I heard that Team in Training's Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco raised $15Million for the Leukemia Society last year, I thought it would be something great with which to be involved and a way to honor Erika's amazing life and courageous battle against leukemia.

2) The other motivation was this has been a pretty rough year for me personally. Relationships have failed, and my career isn't stable. While I absolutely loved teaching at Sonoma State this past year, my position was cut for next year due to the state's terrible budget problems. The possibility of picking up classes somewhere nearby looks slimmer and slimmer, and I'm just not willing to pick up and relocate again. Thus, in trying to focus on the positive, I figure this is the perfect time to train for a marathon! I'm paid through the summer, I don't have dissertations to write or classes to prepare, and I have plenty of time to put into the training. No excuses! Plus, the structure of the training and the physical exercise will help prevent me from slipping into depressive abyss that haunted me in the fall.

So, this is the plan! I'll be blogging my marathon training as I go to keep track of this amazing journey and share my training stories with friends and family. Feel free to check on how it's going and offer advice and/or encouragement.

And here's a video link to a video Erica and her sister Jaci made. I encourage you to check it out and consider being a donor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYUFB542Iak