The Official Bahamas Marathon Playlist!

We'll be leaving on a jet plane in one week and the official Bahamas Marathon playlist is complete! This is by far the most eclectic running playlist out there and I love it! I would never have added a very good number of these songs on my own but I can tell you that they will keep me moving, smiling, laughing, singing, and quite possibly dancing all the way to the finish line on the 20th! Without further ado - the playlist is:

Thunderstruck - AC/DC
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) - Arcade Fire
The Golden Age - The Asteroids Galaxy
Shot You Down - Audio Bullys Feat. Nancy Sinatra
Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) - Big & Rich
I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas
Pump It - The Black Eyed Peas
Love Generation - Bob Sinclair
It's My Life - Bon Jovi
Rasputin - Boney M.
Holding Out for a Hero - Bonnie Tyler
Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
Summer of '69 - Bryan Adams
Gonna Make You Sweat - C + C Music Factory
Feel So Close - Calvin Harris
Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepson
Tubthumping - Chumbawamba
Brighter Than the Sun - Colbie Caillat
Titanium - David Guetta & Sia
Without You - David Guetta & Usher
On the Dancefloor - David Guetta, will.i.am & apl.de.ap
The Veldt - Deadmau5
Walk of Life - Dire Straits
The Boys of Summer - Don Henley
Danza Kuduro (feat. Lucenzo) - Don Omar
Hound Dog - Elvis Presley
Shake That Ass For Me (feat. Nate Dogg) - Eminem
Lose Yourself - Eminem
Creepin' - Eric Church
The Final Countdown - Europe
Good Feeling - Flo Rida
Learn To Fly - Foo Fighters
Black Balloon - Goo Goo Dolls
Lifestyles of The Rich and Famous - Good Charlotte
21 Guns - Green Day
What You Waiting For? - Gwen Stefani
Tonight Tonight - Hot Chelle Rae
Don't Stop Believing - Journey
Running - Jully Black
Stronger - Kanye West
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson
Footloose - Kenny Loggins
Mr. Brightside - The Killers
Black Horse & The Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall
Electrolove - Kuba Oms
Steal My Sunshine - Len
Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO
Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO
The Impression That I Get - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Bodyrock - Moby
Burn It To The Ground - Nickelback
Gotta Be Somebody - Nickelback
Super Bass - Nicki Minaj
Wet - Nicole Scherzinger
Come Out and Play - The Offspring
Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) - The Offspring
Hey Ya - Outkast
Picking Up the Pieces - Paloma Faith
Born to Be Alive - Patrick Hernandez
Raise Your Glass - Pink
So What - Pink
Back In Time - Pitbull
Shake Senora - Pitbull Feat. T-Pain & Sean Paul
Another One Bites The Dust - Queen
Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
Under Pressure - Queen
Take On Me - Reel Big Fish
Just Say Yes - Snow Patrol
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It - Stars
Believe - Suzie McNeil
Save the World - Swedish House Mafia
Drive By - Train
Raise a Little Hell - Trooper
Beautiful Day - U2
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Miasmal Smoke & The Yellow Bellied Freaks - Wintersleep
Rump Shaker - Wreckx-N-Effect
Knee Deep (feat. Jimmy Buffett) - Zac Brown Band
La Grange - ZZ Top
TV Dinners - ZZ Top

I had originally thought of trying to time certain songs from people with different sections of the marathon but I have since changed my mind. As I want this to be a playlist to inspire and motivate me by thinking of you, I have decided not to listen to it until race day and I will be pressing the good old shuffle button when the gun goes off and letting the ipod decide the order of the playlist.

Thank you to everyone who contributed, it means a lot to me to have something from you with me on race day. To those that are still thinking of "the song", I will be loading my ipod with the official playlist on Sunday, January 13th after my last training run so if you get me your song before then I will be sure to add it! This won't be my fastest marathon by far, but it's shaping up to be one of the funnest I've run and I'm getting really excited about it.

Thank you for your support - Never. Give. Up!

Confessions of a Disrespectful Marathon Trainer

I'm not sure if you remember me saying this a couple of posts ago but one of the things I've learned while running and training for a marathon is to respect the distance. Well, it seems I've disregarded my own advice and am going into this marathon in 2 1/2 weeks as ill prepared as I have ever been! I am already nauseous with worry about what I know is to come on January 20th, race day, and at this point I can do nothing about it except confess my disrespectful training practices to try and purge the negativity from my mind so I will have a clear and positive head for 42.2 kms.

I am currently supposed to be starting my "taper" to lessen my kms per run and get my legs nice and fresh for race day. Well, this whole 4 months of training (I use the term very loosely) has been one big "taper". Maybe that means I will be more ready than I've ever been? The experienced marathoner in me says not. Usually my marathon training would consist of 4-5 runs per week for 4-plus months with my Sunday run being my long training run, gradually adding distance from 13 - 36kms. Then 3 weeks out I would drop that long run down to 20, then 10kms to give my legs a chance to recover and be race ready. This time I can almost count on one hand, with a 2 finger spill over, how many long runs I have done over the 20km mark with the longest of them being a measly 25kms. In case you're keeping track that is 18kms shy of what I will be running on January 20th. There is no pride in the past 4 months of training and I am the only person to blame. Needless to say, this is really going to hurt!

A couple of months ago I had asked where you draw your motivation from and I shared a couple of my motivators at that time. This time, I'm asking you for something different. This time I'm asking you to help motivate me to give me a little something from you to allow me to think of you and get me through the 42.2kms that I will be running in 2 1/2 short weeks. What I would love to have from each of you is a song to add to my Bahamas marathon playlist. I don't normally run with my ipod but I have decided that I will be on January 20th as I can use all of the distraction I can get! Think of either your favorite song with a good beat or a song that you've used before to get pumped up for a big game or even a big date. Make it something personal to you so that I can remember why I added it to my playlist, remember who suggested it, and that song will be your motivator to me to get through that portion of the marathon.

I have shared my frustrations with myself and my training with only one other person up to now and she is struggling mentally and physically with getting her body across the Bahamas finish line as well. One of the sayings that we have used frequently over the past 6 months is "NEVER. GIVE. UP." I have since adopted this as my new mantra and I will be repeating it over and over to myself when it gets rough out there. With my new mantra and a playlist riddled with songs from those I love, I know I will reach that finish line with my head held high, no matter how long it takes me!

As always, thank you for your support and NEVER. GIVE. UP!

Motivation... Where do you draw yours from?

Here I am, 9 1/2 weeks away from running my fifth marathon in the beautiful Bahamian sun in honour of one of my closest friends and I'm suffering from a major lack of motivation. Though I have done solo marathon training before and I am running this one for a cause close to my heart, I am struggling to get out there and get the kilometers under me that I so desperately need. As any marathon runner will tell you - you can't fake a marathon.

I recently had the pleasure of having Katherine, Andrea and Heather for a weekend visit in my new digs. It was a visit that I needed more than I was willing to admit. I find that when I'm struggling the most with motivation, a visit from these ladies usually gives me the kick in the butt that I need! It was so great to have them here and to hear their struggles and have them be honest with me about how each of them are currently handling their arthritis. It may sound terrible but having them be honest about their issues gives me a motivational boost to get out there and pound the pavement because I can and they can't. Now if only they would visit weekly, the remaining 9 1/2 weeks of training will go by in a flash!

So, in an effort to gather up all of the motivation I can find, I will share a couple of other memorable moments where I drew on something or someone to keep me motivated and get me through. The first one that sticks out was the half marathon I ran in the driving rain two weeks after my Gramma passed away. I was drenched to the bone and only finished one lap of the two lap course and had nothing left in my legs or in my heart. So I turned my thoughts to the one thing that had consumed me for the three previous weeks - my Gramma and what she meant to me in my life. If anyone was watching me during that last lap, they would have seen me laughing at moments we'd shared, talking to myself and reminding myself that Gramma wouldn't have given up. She taught me many things but most importantly, she taught me strength and I pulled on that strength that day to get me across the finish line. Thank you Gramma for your strength.

When I ran my first marathon with the Joints in Motion program in the Caymans I suffered the worst leg cramps I have ever had. Ironically, this was also a two lap course and my hamstrings started to tighten on me at about the 23km mark. By the time I hit kilometer 32 my hamstrings were as hard as rocks and gave me little ease of movement. The motivation to get me across the finish line that day came at first from Katherine, an easy motivator as she was the person I was running the marathon in honour of. Thinking of everything that she had been through since her diagnosis and before, including double foot surgery, kept me moving and seeking the finish line. About 2 kms before the finish was a Joints in Motion cheering section with Andrea cheering her heart out. Her spirit and smile gave me the boost that I needed to finish those last 2 kms. Thank you Katherine and Andrea for your amazing spirit.

Through the marathon in the Caymans I met Heather. Heather was so similar athletically to me prior to her Rheumatiod Arthritis diagnosis that I frequently think of her when I'm struggling with a run. I finish more runs that I care to admit because I don't know what I would do if I was in Heather's shoes. I know how much I need running and skiing and physical activity and I don't know how I would fare if I was faced with my doctor telling me that I could no longer do those things. So I finish the hard training runs for Heather whose determination to run gives me the motivation that I need. Thank you Heather for never giving up.

Now this is where you come in. I know there aren't many of you who are willing to run with me in Armstrong to get me through the next 2 months of 25 - 36km runs. Instead, I would love it if you would share something that you've used for motivation in the past or still use for motivation today. I have some tough training ahead and would love any and all support you can muster to get me through the long cold runs. With your support, I can do this!

Empathy...

Well here we go, it's been two months since my last blog post! Bah! Sporadic blog posting was never my intention but so it seems to be the case with me up to now. As I have embarked on the beginning of my training regimen for the marathon in January, something has occurred to me...

For the past two years now I have told you some of the challenges that Katherine, Heather and Andrea face as a person living with arthritis. I've shared with you some very personal details of Katherine's life especially in an attempt to find some understanding on what drives me to raise money for this group of diseases and do what I can to find a cure for Arthritis. What I haven't shared with you is what I think the main reason as to why I empathize so much with these three beautiful women. I too have lived with a "silent disease" that took over my life for 16 years. Clinical depression.

This confession of sorts probably comes as a pretty big shock to many of you as there have been very, very few people in my life aside from my immediate family that I ever had the courage to tell. I am a people pleasing perfectionist by nature and the last thing I ever want is attention or sympathy from others for something I struggled to understand and come to terms with myself. Never mind the social stigma associated with a mental health concern. I was a high acheiving student and athlete at the time of my diagnosis.... How could I ever let out my secret? So, in my quest to never upset others, I suffered and struggled to survive in silence. This silence probably contributed to the length of time it took me to finally get to the place I've been in for the past 3 1/2 years, healthy!

Depression, like arthritis comes in various forms and there is no cure-all medication or therapy. There are good days, bad days and very bad days and every case is like starting from scratch again for the specialists that deal with this disease. Though there are common therapy themes; medication and psychotherapy are usually the first two suggestions for treatment, every person responds differently and not all medications work for everyone. It took me 16 long years of seeking treatment, fighting to get my mental health back and striving for that ever elusive "normal" diagnosis. I firmly believe that if it wasn't for this life experience, I wouldn't have the ability to understand what I do about what Katherine, Heather and Andrea go through. I can't fathom the pain they live with, but I know all too well the mental struggle of wondering, "why me?"

Depression in my life has given me the gift of knowing what I am and what I am not capable of. I know that I need to surround myself with genuine, honest, like minded people. I know I need to stay physically active and I know that I will always be harder on myself, on and off the proverbial field, than anyone else could ever be. The people pleasing perfectionist in me is very much alive but I have a much greater understanding of whom she really is because of clinical depression.

Katherine, Heather and Andrea, believe me when I tell you that I would be and have been honoured to be there for you during your very bad days. I remember them all too well and I know that I only let one or two people really know when I was having one. Thank you for sharing your stories and personal details with me and allowing me to share them with others. You are more special than you know.

Currently Accepting Rattlesnake Avoidance Tips!!!

Yesterday was day one of living up in the beautiful Okanagan and what better way to adjust than bring a sense of normalcy to my new surroundings so off for a run I went! In true Lisa fashion I revisited one of the often thrown around terms from my ski racing days, "go big or go home". Because why not "adjust" by going out for the longest run I've done in a month at a higher altitude than my usual sea level and in far warmer temperatures than my body is used to. As I was out for my run a couple of things occurred to me that I thought I would share with you...

1) While I'm used to the possibility of running into a bear while out for my run, one thing I'd not considered nor have any idea on how to survive is "running into" a rattlesnake! Off I went on my run along the road I live on which is a typical 2-lane road with no shoulder. Every now and then a car would pass and I would move over to the minimal slice of dirt/dry grass on the side of the road. This practice came to an abrupt halt when I realized that the "rattling" sound that I kept hearing was not a sprinkler, as there were none in sight never mind in earshot, but most likely the sound of a rattlesnake!!! The dilemma then became; play chicken with the cars who didn't look like they wanted to move over or risk stepping on something that rattled. I went with the obvious choice of winning many a chicken game with cars. Thank you friendly neighbours for moving over!!!

2) This one is for my tri-city running buddies... I think I've mentioned before that the road I am now living on goes downhill both ways (that reminds me of the stories my parents used to tell me about their walk to school in the snow "uphill both ways") but I digress... When your options are to go downhill one way or downhill the other way to start your run, I think you see where I'm going as to how the run finishes... Yup - UPHILL! For my first run out I decided to go the "flatter" of the two options and went right which is mostly rolling hills until you hit the 2.5km mark. This is where you hit a David like hill. Did I mention that I'm also at a higher altitude? Though it is a nice quiet lovely run with beautiful scenery, I'm thinking we will need to revisit this route a little later in the summer when I have my lungs and legs in better shape!

3) Summer - so amazing once the sunshine comes out that we all feel energized and ready to take on the world. As is common practice, with the sun comes heat which means going for a run at 10am is NOT a wise decision! Just to bring some temperatures into the mix for you, as I set out for my 10am, 10km run the thermometer already read 25 degrees. The heat was radiating up from the road and along the 10km route at 10am there was maybe a grand total of 500 meters of shade and zero breeze. Let's just say I'm extremely thankful that I came back to a pool and an air conditioned house and was able to bring my body temperature down a few notches when I finished my poorly planned mid-morning run!

The take away lessons of my, "I should know better", "go big or go home" run yesterday are as follows;
- get a couple of adjustment shorter runs under my belt before trying to be superwoman
- find a road route with shade to avoid heat exhaustion
- figure out what the heck one is supposed to do when going head to head with a rattler
- get my butt out of bed early to beat the heat
- go easy on the hills while I adjust to my new surroundings
- probably at the top of my list; find a running group to join so I can learn some local routes and tips for running in this area

Hopefully this resonates with some of you and you too can learn from my oversights. Here's to the next couple of runs going a little smoother now that I have acknowledged my mistakes??? I will keep you posted!

Huge Thank Yous!!!

Here I am, 5 1/2 months away from running the Bahamas Marathon in January 2013 with the Joints in Motion Team to raise money for the Arthritis Society and I've met and surpassed my original fundraising goal of $4,900. Today I made it to my second goal of $7,000 raised for the Arthritis Society and I have a GIANT smile on my face. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who donated to me - especially all my former Cypress Capital colleagues, many of whom donated for the second time!

Your support means so much to me and it means even more to Katherine, Heather, Andrea and of course East Coast Kim. Without these funds, these four incredible women would not be able to do the many everyday tasks they can complete today thanks to drug advances and research for Rheumatoid Arthritis. These funds go towards much needed research and those of us on the Bahamas Team know just how important drug research is as we lost one of our team-mates a couple of months ago to complications from her Rheumatoid Arthritis.

I can't explain how perfect the timing is on this for me as I embark on my next journey of moving to the Okanagan away from all those who have supported me during the past 2 events. It gives me the oportunity to settle in to my new environment without the added stress of trying to finish off my fundraising. I'm sure I will find a new support system quickly and have already been fortunate enough to have made some great connections up there and am looking forward to their support during the training phase that kicks off this summer!

I will definitely keep up my blog even though my fundraising portion is complete as I will need the support more than ever during my marathon training phase trying to find new running routes and new running buddies to keep me going through the long runs this fall/winter. I'm thinking I may need to invest in a treadmill as this West Coast girl doesn't run well in the snow!

Thank you again to all of my donors, as with last time, I am humbled by those who fundraise for a living - it is no easy task!!! Best wishes for an incredible summer to all!

Sadness causes reflection...

I heard some news today that dampened my heart and had me thinking about what this next journey for Joints in Motion in January 2013 means to me. Sadly one of the members of the BC Joints in Motion team that was to travel to the Bahamas with us as a Cheer Team member passed away last week of complications from her arthritis. She was 36 and had been living with a form of arthritis, juvenile onset rheumatiod arthritis, since the age of 8. She had exhausted all available medications on the market for her form of arthritis and was on the newest drug which was released in October 2011. Every other drug had run it's course and was no longer effective in treating her arthritis.

The reason why I'm sharing this with you is because this is the reality for someone living with arthritis. Each drug is only effective for so long before it runs it's course and each patient finds success with only some of the drugs making funding for research so incredibly important for this group of diseases. The Arthritis Society is 100% donor funded, it no longer receives goverment funding and hasn't for many years now which is why programs like Joints in Motion are so important to raise awareness and get more donors like you.

Today was a tough day for me. There is one other person out there who knows what the experience in the Caymans with Joints in Motion meant to me as she was with me down there, my Mom. Fortunately today my Mom came downtown Vancouver to meet me for lunch and I had the opportunity to share my sadness with her. Though I never met the person who passed away, I had tears streaming down my face as I told my Mom the news. My sadness is for the incredibly brave people in my life that I knew before or met in the Caymans who face this debilitating, life changing disease with a bravery I could only hope to muster should it be me. They inspire me to be a better person and are the reason why I signed up to do another marathon to raise more money for the Arthritis Society in January 2013.

In all honesty I've been really bad with both my training and my fundraising lately and have decided that all changes today. I will be updating this blog more often with my training and fundraising progress, news on fundraising events and stories of my journey to raise another $4900 for the Arthritis Society. Those of you that know me know that I am not one to ask for help and I'm absolutely terrible at asking for donations. Well today is the day that changes too. I know too many special people living with arthritis to not ask for your help and I can't lose any of them!

I know that there are many causes out there and many different charities that need assistance. I am asking you to consider donating to my fundraising for the Arthritis Society this year as one of your donations. The link to my fundraising page is at the top right hand corner of this page. Click on "Donate Now" and you will be re-directed to my page where you can donate online. Should you wish to make an offline donation, please send me a message and I will arrange that with you offline. Thank you taking the time to read my blog, stay tuned as I'm sure I will have some humourous stories to tell along my journey again this year. Most importantly, thank you for your support!