Sometimes it's best if you just listen to your body

There are ups and downs when one is training for a marathon and this week was just one of those weeks where my body was not happy running. Today's run was supposed to be 34kms and I knew going in that it was going to be a tough one so I decided to take today as my rest day, do 23kms and let my body recoup. Running these distances requires proper rest and fuel and unfortunately I suffered from a lack of sleep and poor eating habits this week. It definitely caught up to me today and to avoid the risk of injuring myself by pushing through the fatigue, I actually made the smart choice of listening to my body for once!

Today marks 6 weeks to race day and I'm happy to report that even though I had a rough week, I'm feeling stronger than ever and am looking forward to race day! The chill in the air makes keeping hydrated easier, but I am still packing around as much water and gels as I can fit so I will be used to carrying them and ready for the very hot race conditions. I have never trained for a marathon in cool weather only to run the race in warm weather so if anyone has any tips, please send them my way. I already have my anti-chafing Body Glide packed in my bag and ready to go! Trust me, the name sounds much more risque than it really is.

My fundraising thermometer jumped this week to 90% of my goal raised and counting!!! The pub fundraiser is the last item on my list and there are still plenty of tickets left. Please do get in contact with me if you plan to attend so I can get you tickets and give the pub a proper head count of how many to expect. It's going to be a fun night so bring your family and friends and come on out! See the left hand side of my blog for more details. Thank you to everyone for their support again this week, I wouldn't have made it this far without you!

A huge thanks to Caroline & Erin for joining me today!

First order of business is thanking Erin & Caroline for joining me for the last 12 kms of my 31km run this morning. You ladies had me running a negative split for the last 12 kms, woohoo! It was a fantastic day for a run - though it was a tad chilly out when I started at 8am. I ran the out a back along the Barnett Highway for my first 19kms and then met the ladies at 10am at Rocky Point Park for the last 12kms. It was so great to have them with me for the end to listen to them chat and keep my mind of the soreness that I really struggled with the last 3kms of my 29km run on Thanksgiving. After today I'm feeling WAY better about the distance and a quick parking lot consultation with Coach Caz has me deciding to run 34kms this coming Sunday as opposed to the scheduled 32.

I don't know if any of you have noticed, but the thermometer on by fundraising page took a rather large jump this past week - I'm up to 88% of my goal and closing in!!! The goal is to have my fundraising wrapped up by mid-November after the pub night (details are on the left hand side of this page) so make sure to get your tickets from me. I also have 5 of the Epicure Dip Sets left to sell - 3 of the Savoury dips and 2 of the Sweet dips so if you didn't get a chance to order any or if you bought some and have realized that you want more, let me know!

Race day is closing in with only 7 weeks left and I can not thank you all enough for the support that you've shown me through this journey. I am have been overwhelmed by your generosity and and constantly surprised by those who have shown me their support however that has been. Thanks to each and every one of you - we're almost there!

Lastly, I would like to congratulate my old friend Chris for running his first marathon on Thanksgiving long weekend. Welcome to the club Chris! I hope you stick around for more - I look forward to running one with you in the future!

Apologies from a Delinquent Blogger

Over the past couple of weeks it has been brought to my attention by many of you that I haven't updated my blog in awhile. I am absolutely flattered and impressed with the number of you that are following my blog! Please accept my apologies for being a delinquent blogger. I was down for the count with the stomach flu for a couple of days and then I was waiting to finalize the details for my pub night. The disappearing act won't happen again, I promise!

Speaking of my pub night, check out the left side of my blog for the details. This will be my last event prior to buckling down for the last 2 weeks of training before I head off to the Caymans to run this marathon. Woo hoo! I filled out the registration form for the marathon today and the flights and travel arrangements were all booked this week too. Eek! There's no turning back now...

The training has been going well and there are no new incidents to report. I have "gracefully" managed to keep on my feet and avoid attacking sticks. Hills are still my nemesis and I will never call them easy but I do seem to be handling them better than I was 3 weeks ago! This Sunday will be 29kms and it will be after Thanksgiving dinner the night before. I haven't planned out my route yet but if any of you are up for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner long run please let me know  - I would love the company regardless of how long you join me for.

I am looking for silent auction donations for the pub night. If any of you work somewhere that does merchandise donations, please let me know. I plan to have a donation letter prepared in the next week on the Arthritis Society letterhead that I could give you to approach your company with. A happy Thanksgiving to all and to those of you heading off to Kelowna or Victoria this weekend for the marathons - good luck and have fun!