What an incredible experience the five days we spent in the Bahamas with Joints in Motion were! From Heather and I laying down on the bed post marathon while Rob performed minor foot surgery on our giant blisters to running into Katherine's in laws at the same resort we were staying at in the Bahamas to seeing the majority of the Joints in Motion team still waiting for me to come through the finish line two to three hours after some of them finished their own races, the memories of this trip will stay with me for many, many years to come.
Those snapshots of memory aside, there were a couple of highlights that moved me to tears from others on the Bahamas JIM team that I wanted to share along with my own race report. There were many personal successes and accomplishments that everyone experienced and I assure you that they are all just as special and moving as the couple that are touched on below.
David McDougall is another Joints in Motion participant that I met for the first time in the Caymans when he was a cheer team member. David lives with rheumatoid arthritis, has had his jaw, both hips and one knee replaced, has had the knuckles on both hands operated on and is currently awaiting word on his next joint replacement surgery date for his other knee. Still with everything that David deals with because of his arthritis, he trained for and walked the 5 km race on Saturday. I can't tell you how proud I am of him! Not only did he do this race but he did it on a major lack of sleep after travelling for 3 days to get to the Bahamas from where he lives in BC! Amazing doesn't begin to describe this accomplishment. David, you inspire me to be a better person. Thank you for spending time with us this week!
Patty, another participant who lives with rheumatoid arthritis also amazed and inspired us all when she completed the half marathon. Patty started the trip by rolling her ankle as we were in the Toronto airport on our way to the Bahamas, two short days before the half marathon! Her game plan going into the race was to finish the first two miles and then see how things went and pull herself out of the race when she needed to fully thinking that she would not finish the half marathon distance. Mile two came and went, as did mile three, then four and so on until Patty hit the amazing mile 13.1 marker. Patty finished! She finished a half marathon two short days after rolling her ankle and thinking of pulling herself from the race two miles in. What an accomplishment Patty! You are amazing!
Heather Gauthier is one of my dear friends who lives with rheumatoid arthritis and was also in the Bahamas with the Joints in Motion team to run the half marathon in honour of her mom who lives with rheumatoid arthritis as well. Heather has had a very rough past 6 months to a year trying to manage her disease on the medication she was on to no avail. Three short weeks before we left for the Bahamas, Heather finally got her medication change approved and was switched onto her new meds. Unfortunately with the type of medications that Heather is taking, a switch does not mean immediate relief. There is a waiting period for the new medications to take full effect and Heather ran a half marathon during that waiting period! I knew it was going to be a tough one for her and I wish more than anything that I could have been waiting at that finish line for her as she was for me on Sunday. Heather, your strength and determination inspires me beyond what words can describe. You are one tough cookie and I am so proud of you my friend - you did it!
My own race was by far the toughest and is the most memorable race I've ever finished. Marathon number 5 was a doozy! I chafed in places I didn't think possible, for the first time in 5 full marathons and 11 half marathons my feet blistered, and the hardest part of all of it was trying my best to keep some of the salt and electrolytes in my system that the never ending rivers of sweat were stealing from my body and causing my leg muscles to seize.
We started at 6am in the dark with a crowd of 1700 marathoners and half marathoners. We wound through downtown Nassau and then over the big bridge to Atlantis on Paradise Island and back over the other big bridge from Paradise Island before winding our way back through downtown and then out along the ocean for a lengthy out and back. It was a muggy 26 degrees when we started and by mile two I was drenched in sweat and knew that I had to make the switch from water to gatorade if I was going to have a chance of keeping my body working properly. The first 15 miles went really well. My pace was a bit faster than I had planned but it felt really comfortable so I stuck with it. Just past mile 15 both of my calves cramped up and I stopped to give them a good stretch out before I continued on. I was doing ok until about mile 17 when my quads also started having issues. I quickly went from a 5:50/km pace to running for 3 minutes until my quads were rock hard and then walking for about 2 minutes to stretch them back out again. This went on for about another mile until just past mile 18 when I went to switch back to running, took 3 steps, had my left quad seize up so bad that I couldn't straighten my leg out and came dangerously close to falling flat on my face. I knew then that I was willing to do whatever it took to finish that race so I swallowed my pride and started walking. I knew I had 8 miles left to go and hoped that my legs would make it. Rob met me at mile 19 for my water bottle switch and knew I was in trouble. He gave me a huge hug, told me he was proud of me and to forget about time and just do it. As I rounded to corner to mile 20 there he was again, standing on the side of the course waiting to walk me in. As much as I knew walking the last 10kms was going to hurt him, I was so grateful to have him by my side. The closer I came to the finish, the uglier my walk became but I kept repeating the motto "Never. Give. Up" to myself in my head and knew I would cross that finish line however it took. As I rounded the last corner into the finish, my walk was more of a shuffle/waddle combo. I saw the sea of bright green shirts of the rest of the Joints in Motion participants and my eyes welled up. I was so honoured and grateful that they were there even after finishing their own races hours before! I crossed the finish line 5 hours and 30 minutes after I crossed the start line. A time that is 45 minutes slower than any of the four previous marathons that I have completed but my head was held much higher and my smile was much brighter than it ever has been before. It was a tough day and one that I won't soon forget.
Thank you to everyone who supported me along the way and especially to those of you who sent me your song choices for my marathon play list. They kept me moving and smiling as I had hoped they would. There was even a comment by two other runners on how horrible my singing was! The pain in my legs will subside and the vivid memories will fade a bit but the meaning of this marathon will stay with me forever. My pain is temporary. Katherine's, Andrea's, Heather's, Kim's, and David's is not. They are my heros. Never. Give. Up!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
In Memory of Trish 2
Here we are, officially two sleeps away from boarding a plane to head to the Bahamas to run a marathon to raise money for the Arthritis Society. While today really should have been a day of preparation and packing, it instead became a day of reflection for me as I was reminded of the very reason why I am running this marathon.
Katherine, Heather, Andrea and Kimberly are the reason why I am so passionate about raising funds and awareness for the Arthritis Society. Katherine was the catalyst that started this journey for me when I saw her life changed dramatically because of her arthritis. Through the Cayman Islands marathon which I ran in honour of Katherine in 2010, I met Heather, Andrea and Kim. My life was forever changed in the 5 days that we spent in the Caymans. I spent most of my time listening and wondering if I would be so brave in the face of having my body literally turn on itself and welcome the medications that have some very tragic consequences if I was faced with the same diagnosis. I hope that I would be as brave as these four beautiful women are. Not only are they my heroes but they are also mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters. They carry on with their lives with their heads held high in the face of the unknown. I am forever in awe of their grace.
Those of you who have been reading my blog over the past year might remember a post I did back in May 2012 about a member of Team Bahamas who would not be making the trip. Today we were sent an email about Trish 2 and as sad and upsetting as it is, it lights a fire in me that I will be drawing on while I'm hitting the tough spots in the marathon on Sunday. For those of you who haven't read that post, Trish 2 as she was called, was a member of Team Bahamas. She had lived with arthritis from the age of 8 years old, when she was diagnosed with juvenile onset rheumatoid arthritis until she passed away in May 2012 at the age of 36 from complications from her disease. Trish 2 was supposed to accompany us to the Bahamas as a cheer team member for those of us running or walking to raise money for arthritis. She will be missed by all of us and I will do my best to honour her on the 20th.
Trish 2 had exhausted all available medications on the market to treat her rheumatoid arthritis and was on the newest medication which was released in October 2011 when she passed away in May. As is the reality with those that live with this disease, medications only last so long before they run their course and there are only so many medications on the market that may or may not have an effect on treating someone with this disease. This is why programs like Joints in Motion are so important, to raise funds for much needed research and to raise awareness of how devastating this disease is. Rheumatoid arthritis is not a disease that old people get and it is not just some achy joints. It is truly a devastating disease that wreaks havoc on a person's entire immune system. Where the immune system effectively attacks healthy tissue and joints and eats them away. This is what causes the immense pain and the deformed joints and leads to joint replacements and other surgeries for those that live with the disease.
Today I was reminded of Trish 2, a beautiful, spirited woman that I never had the chance to meet. Whom was in the process of raising $4,900 for arthritis research when she passed away because of her disease. Whose answer to those that would ask her, "how many times do you expect us to donate to arthritis research?" Was a very spirited, "until they find a fucking cure!"
On Sunday January 20th I am running a marathon for Katherine, for Heather, for Andrea, for Kimberly and in memory of Trish 2. As much of a struggle as this trip has been for me I will never stop doing my part to raise funds for research and raising awareness for this disease because I would be utterly heartbroken if I ever lost one of the four beautiful women that I am honoured to call my friends. Thank you all for your support during this journey so far. I truly appreciate the kind words and the encouragement from all of you. I vow to Katherine, to Heather, to Andrea and to Kimberly that I will Never. Give. Up!
Katherine, Heather, Andrea and Kimberly are the reason why I am so passionate about raising funds and awareness for the Arthritis Society. Katherine was the catalyst that started this journey for me when I saw her life changed dramatically because of her arthritis. Through the Cayman Islands marathon which I ran in honour of Katherine in 2010, I met Heather, Andrea and Kim. My life was forever changed in the 5 days that we spent in the Caymans. I spent most of my time listening and wondering if I would be so brave in the face of having my body literally turn on itself and welcome the medications that have some very tragic consequences if I was faced with the same diagnosis. I hope that I would be as brave as these four beautiful women are. Not only are they my heroes but they are also mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters. They carry on with their lives with their heads held high in the face of the unknown. I am forever in awe of their grace.
Those of you who have been reading my blog over the past year might remember a post I did back in May 2012 about a member of Team Bahamas who would not be making the trip. Today we were sent an email about Trish 2 and as sad and upsetting as it is, it lights a fire in me that I will be drawing on while I'm hitting the tough spots in the marathon on Sunday. For those of you who haven't read that post, Trish 2 as she was called, was a member of Team Bahamas. She had lived with arthritis from the age of 8 years old, when she was diagnosed with juvenile onset rheumatoid arthritis until she passed away in May 2012 at the age of 36 from complications from her disease. Trish 2 was supposed to accompany us to the Bahamas as a cheer team member for those of us running or walking to raise money for arthritis. She will be missed by all of us and I will do my best to honour her on the 20th.
Trish 2 had exhausted all available medications on the market to treat her rheumatoid arthritis and was on the newest medication which was released in October 2011 when she passed away in May. As is the reality with those that live with this disease, medications only last so long before they run their course and there are only so many medications on the market that may or may not have an effect on treating someone with this disease. This is why programs like Joints in Motion are so important, to raise funds for much needed research and to raise awareness of how devastating this disease is. Rheumatoid arthritis is not a disease that old people get and it is not just some achy joints. It is truly a devastating disease that wreaks havoc on a person's entire immune system. Where the immune system effectively attacks healthy tissue and joints and eats them away. This is what causes the immense pain and the deformed joints and leads to joint replacements and other surgeries for those that live with the disease.
Today I was reminded of Trish 2, a beautiful, spirited woman that I never had the chance to meet. Whom was in the process of raising $4,900 for arthritis research when she passed away because of her disease. Whose answer to those that would ask her, "how many times do you expect us to donate to arthritis research?" Was a very spirited, "until they find a fucking cure!"
On Sunday January 20th I am running a marathon for Katherine, for Heather, for Andrea, for Kimberly and in memory of Trish 2. As much of a struggle as this trip has been for me I will never stop doing my part to raise funds for research and raising awareness for this disease because I would be utterly heartbroken if I ever lost one of the four beautiful women that I am honoured to call my friends. Thank you all for your support during this journey so far. I truly appreciate the kind words and the encouragement from all of you. I vow to Katherine, to Heather, to Andrea and to Kimberly that I will Never. Give. Up!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
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!
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!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
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!
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!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
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!
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!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, July 13, 2012
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!
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!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
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!
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!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
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!
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!
Friday, February 3, 2012
My Weekend with Three Inspiring Ladies
I know, I know, it's been awhile yet again... I never know where the time goes, I suppose this means I'm having fun!?! But I digress...
When I signed up for a second time to run a marathon with "Joints in Motion" I took back to this blog space and told you that I would regale you with stories of those I've met along the way who have inspired me to tackle this fundraising and training task yet again. I hope to ok some of these anecdotes with them in the coming weeks and months, however, for now I thought I'd share with you a weekend I experienced with them. These three ladies have shown me what it really takes to be a strong woman and face the curveballs (Rheumatiod Athrirtis in their case) life tends to throw our way with grace, humour, and most special to me - candor.
The Jingle Bell Walk for Arthritis was on November 20th 2011 and Katherine and I had done this the year before I ran the Cayman Marathon to support the Arthritis Society and wanted to do it again. Katherine, as many of you know, is my Arthritis hero and the person I ran the Cayman Marathon for and whom I will be running in honour of yet again in the Bahamas in January 2013. The master plan for the Caymans was for Katherine to be there too but that didn't work out as planned. While I was in the Caymans I had the opportunity to meet two very special women. Andrea and Heather both live with Rheumatoid Arthritis, and were diagnosed a couple of years before Katherine was. I knew while I was in the Caymans that I had to find some way to get Katherine in touch with these ladies after seeing the immediate bond they shared in truly "knowing" what the other was going through. While I love and am grateful that Katherine feels that she can share her struggles, embarassing side effects and feelings of extreme frustration about her disease with me, as much as I try, I really don't have a clue what she's going through. Andrea and Heather know it all too well and so I decided to invite the two of them over to Vancouver to join Katherine and I for the Jingle Bell walk. I had no idea what I was about to get myself into...
I picked both Andrea and Heather up from the ferry on Saturday morning and had a whole bunch of items on my list of things we could do that afternoon - evening to catch up before doing the walk and meeting Katherine the next morning. Just a side note, before I get any further keep in mind that I was not spending my time with 85-90 year old ladies... Andrea is in her late 20's and Heather is in her mid 30's... The first hiccup in my master plan for the weekend came when we got to my car, nothing that "able bodied" Lisa would even consider but - my Mazda, though normal height, is actually quite low and even though they both tried their best to disguise it, it was hard for them not only to get into my car but even harder to get out of my car!
So we head to the first stop on the list - the Arcteryx outlet! We're all outdoorsy types and I heard a rumour that they had ridiculous deals so off we went. An hour of driving later we were in North Van and both Andrea and Heather's legs needed some coaxing to get out of the car after sitting for that long - again, not something I considered... While walking around in the outlet Heather commented about hearing a clicking sound... Andrea says with a smile on her face as always, "oh that's my hip, it makes that sound when I'm tired and not walking correctly". That's right, late 20's and has already had a hip replacement and more recently a shoulder replacement! This woman is amazing!
Back in the not-so-low rider car we go - let's be honest, I brought them over for a couple days of torture! Off to grab a coffee and walk along the trails in Port Moody to show them my "hood". We get our coffees in the coffee shop and I suggested we sit for a bit to eat our pastries and then walk with our coffees. This is where they both do a scan of the shop and all the available chairs to seek out chairs that they would be able to get out of... Again, not something I would even fathom having to think about when going for coffee with friends! After finishing our pastries we head out for the km walk to the pier and back which was nice but I could tell it a bit much to walk that far and then get back into - yup, you guessed it, my not-so-low rider for more driving.
A couple more stops that day and then off to my parents for the night to crash. Well if you ask them I think they did quite enjoy sharing the double bed and chatting about their struggles well into the night but again, it was a double bed shared with two amazing women who had to talk themselves into getting out of it to start their day in the morning. I know this part as I heard them both discussing it. I admit that I have to talk myself out of bed in the morning sometimes too, but it's just a mental battle about wanting to stay cozy, not a pep-talk that though it's going to hurt my joints to get out of bed, it's better for them to move as much pain as that will cause!
Off to the walk we went on Sunday morning and I had the pleasure of introducing the ladies to Katherine. They shared an instant bond over a disease that has taken their bodies and severely aged them and made them seriously consider the best way of doing even the smallest "easiest" task. I am so happy that they were both able to make it over to meet Katherine and visit me - as much torture as I put them through! Thank you Andrea and Heather for an "eye opening" weekend, letting me into your world (though you probably didn't realize it at the time) and for being two incredible resources and avenues of support for Katherine. I am forever grateful to you both!
I hope this small snippet of my weekend has given all of you some insight into why I am raising money to try and find relief for those that live with this disease. As promised, I have finally written and posted my donation page - it details some of the struggles Katherine has gone through since becoming a Mom and is well worth the read! The link to my personal page is at the top right of this blog, just click on the donate now button and it will direct you to my page. Thank you all for your continued support - I wouldn't be able to accomplish this goal a second time without you all!
When I signed up for a second time to run a marathon with "Joints in Motion" I took back to this blog space and told you that I would regale you with stories of those I've met along the way who have inspired me to tackle this fundraising and training task yet again. I hope to ok some of these anecdotes with them in the coming weeks and months, however, for now I thought I'd share with you a weekend I experienced with them. These three ladies have shown me what it really takes to be a strong woman and face the curveballs (Rheumatiod Athrirtis in their case) life tends to throw our way with grace, humour, and most special to me - candor.
The Jingle Bell Walk for Arthritis was on November 20th 2011 and Katherine and I had done this the year before I ran the Cayman Marathon to support the Arthritis Society and wanted to do it again. Katherine, as many of you know, is my Arthritis hero and the person I ran the Cayman Marathon for and whom I will be running in honour of yet again in the Bahamas in January 2013. The master plan for the Caymans was for Katherine to be there too but that didn't work out as planned. While I was in the Caymans I had the opportunity to meet two very special women. Andrea and Heather both live with Rheumatoid Arthritis, and were diagnosed a couple of years before Katherine was. I knew while I was in the Caymans that I had to find some way to get Katherine in touch with these ladies after seeing the immediate bond they shared in truly "knowing" what the other was going through. While I love and am grateful that Katherine feels that she can share her struggles, embarassing side effects and feelings of extreme frustration about her disease with me, as much as I try, I really don't have a clue what she's going through. Andrea and Heather know it all too well and so I decided to invite the two of them over to Vancouver to join Katherine and I for the Jingle Bell walk. I had no idea what I was about to get myself into...
I picked both Andrea and Heather up from the ferry on Saturday morning and had a whole bunch of items on my list of things we could do that afternoon - evening to catch up before doing the walk and meeting Katherine the next morning. Just a side note, before I get any further keep in mind that I was not spending my time with 85-90 year old ladies... Andrea is in her late 20's and Heather is in her mid 30's... The first hiccup in my master plan for the weekend came when we got to my car, nothing that "able bodied" Lisa would even consider but - my Mazda, though normal height, is actually quite low and even though they both tried their best to disguise it, it was hard for them not only to get into my car but even harder to get out of my car!
So we head to the first stop on the list - the Arcteryx outlet! We're all outdoorsy types and I heard a rumour that they had ridiculous deals so off we went. An hour of driving later we were in North Van and both Andrea and Heather's legs needed some coaxing to get out of the car after sitting for that long - again, not something I considered... While walking around in the outlet Heather commented about hearing a clicking sound... Andrea says with a smile on her face as always, "oh that's my hip, it makes that sound when I'm tired and not walking correctly". That's right, late 20's and has already had a hip replacement and more recently a shoulder replacement! This woman is amazing!
Back in the not-so-low rider car we go - let's be honest, I brought them over for a couple days of torture! Off to grab a coffee and walk along the trails in Port Moody to show them my "hood". We get our coffees in the coffee shop and I suggested we sit for a bit to eat our pastries and then walk with our coffees. This is where they both do a scan of the shop and all the available chairs to seek out chairs that they would be able to get out of... Again, not something I would even fathom having to think about when going for coffee with friends! After finishing our pastries we head out for the km walk to the pier and back which was nice but I could tell it a bit much to walk that far and then get back into - yup, you guessed it, my not-so-low rider for more driving.
A couple more stops that day and then off to my parents for the night to crash. Well if you ask them I think they did quite enjoy sharing the double bed and chatting about their struggles well into the night but again, it was a double bed shared with two amazing women who had to talk themselves into getting out of it to start their day in the morning. I know this part as I heard them both discussing it. I admit that I have to talk myself out of bed in the morning sometimes too, but it's just a mental battle about wanting to stay cozy, not a pep-talk that though it's going to hurt my joints to get out of bed, it's better for them to move as much pain as that will cause!
Off to the walk we went on Sunday morning and I had the pleasure of introducing the ladies to Katherine. They shared an instant bond over a disease that has taken their bodies and severely aged them and made them seriously consider the best way of doing even the smallest "easiest" task. I am so happy that they were both able to make it over to meet Katherine and visit me - as much torture as I put them through! Thank you Andrea and Heather for an "eye opening" weekend, letting me into your world (though you probably didn't realize it at the time) and for being two incredible resources and avenues of support for Katherine. I am forever grateful to you both!
I hope this small snippet of my weekend has given all of you some insight into why I am raising money to try and find relief for those that live with this disease. As promised, I have finally written and posted my donation page - it details some of the struggles Katherine has gone through since becoming a Mom and is well worth the read! The link to my personal page is at the top right of this blog, just click on the donate now button and it will direct you to my page. Thank you all for your continued support - I wouldn't be able to accomplish this goal a second time without you all!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Never Say Never...
Well hello again! Yes, that's right, again. For those of you who know me well the fact that I have signed up to fundraise for the Arthritis Society and run another marathon through their Joints in Motion program will probably come as a bit of a surprise. Many of you asked me during my fundraising phase in 2010 if I would do this again and my response to you was; never. I will now ever so humbly take those words right back, thank you very much, and re-reply to you with - you bet I will!
I will openly admit - I am terrible at fundraising. Yes I did it in 2010 and yes I reached and exceeded my fundraising goal then but it was not something that I was even willing to consider repeating at that time for many reasons:
* Beacuse I'm terrible at asking people for favours, never mind asking them for money.
* Because of the knot of stress that resided in my stomach for 12 months as I watched my thermometer slowly climb and my timeline quickly run out.
* Because writing formal letters asking companies for money or merchandies donations is along the same likeness scale for me as getting a tooth pulled.
* Because of the 3 inches that my shoulders dropped and the tears that came streaming down my face as the stress my body held for a year was eased when I realized I had reached my goal.
* Because my 30-something friends are all quite understandably saving their pennies to buy a home, put aside for children, or even that oh-so-important bottle of wine at the end of a long week and I completely understand that.
* And oh-so-vainly, because of the 27 grey hairs (aka "sparkle") that were added to my giant mane of curls that I was still unwilling to dye - I'm just being honest!
As stressful and difficult as my fundraising journey was, it is a tiny dot in my memory when I compare it to the reasons why I have been inspired to signed up to do this all over again:
* First and foremost because Katherine tried for so long to have a child and now, because of her arthritis she struggles to even pick up her sweet baby girl.
* Because the moment I met the many Joints in Motion Team Members in the Caymans who live with arthritis I was humbled by their daily life struggles and knew that I needed to do more to help make their lives better.
* Because I can not, in good conscience, sit by, throw my hands up in the air and say, "I've already done my part - now it's someone else's turn".
* Because I spent this past summer not being able to run due to injury and I could not imagine having a doctor tell me that I couldn't run due to arthritis.
* Because of four other wonderful people in my life who also live with this disease and have given me so much in the short time I've known them.
* And back to that whole vanity thing, because I really want to get my running booty and legs back!
So.... Here goes round two! I will be posting randomly to this blog over the coming days/weeks/months with tidbits of information, stories of those I know who live with arthritis, and of course updates on my fundraising antics. I hope you'll keep up with me as I go through this journey once again as you were all a fantastic support crew during round one and I would be honoured to have you along for the ride for round two!
As with last time, the "Donate Now!" link near the top of this blog on the right hand side will take you directly to my fundraising page where you can donate, read my reasons for doing this (bear with me - I'm still editing that part of the page) and of course track my fundraising progress. Should you have any questions or want more information, please feel free to contact me directly I would love to talk to you. I would also love to talk to you if you have any great fundraising ideas!
Thank you all for your support - heeeeeere we go!
I will openly admit - I am terrible at fundraising. Yes I did it in 2010 and yes I reached and exceeded my fundraising goal then but it was not something that I was even willing to consider repeating at that time for many reasons:
* Beacuse I'm terrible at asking people for favours, never mind asking them for money.
* Because of the knot of stress that resided in my stomach for 12 months as I watched my thermometer slowly climb and my timeline quickly run out.
* Because writing formal letters asking companies for money or merchandies donations is along the same likeness scale for me as getting a tooth pulled.
* Because of the 3 inches that my shoulders dropped and the tears that came streaming down my face as the stress my body held for a year was eased when I realized I had reached my goal.
* Because my 30-something friends are all quite understandably saving their pennies to buy a home, put aside for children, or even that oh-so-important bottle of wine at the end of a long week and I completely understand that.
* And oh-so-vainly, because of the 27 grey hairs (aka "sparkle") that were added to my giant mane of curls that I was still unwilling to dye - I'm just being honest!
As stressful and difficult as my fundraising journey was, it is a tiny dot in my memory when I compare it to the reasons why I have been inspired to signed up to do this all over again:
* First and foremost because Katherine tried for so long to have a child and now, because of her arthritis she struggles to even pick up her sweet baby girl.
* Because the moment I met the many Joints in Motion Team Members in the Caymans who live with arthritis I was humbled by their daily life struggles and knew that I needed to do more to help make their lives better.
* Because I can not, in good conscience, sit by, throw my hands up in the air and say, "I've already done my part - now it's someone else's turn".
* Because I spent this past summer not being able to run due to injury and I could not imagine having a doctor tell me that I couldn't run due to arthritis.
* Because of four other wonderful people in my life who also live with this disease and have given me so much in the short time I've known them.
* And back to that whole vanity thing, because I really want to get my running booty and legs back!
So.... Here goes round two! I will be posting randomly to this blog over the coming days/weeks/months with tidbits of information, stories of those I know who live with arthritis, and of course updates on my fundraising antics. I hope you'll keep up with me as I go through this journey once again as you were all a fantastic support crew during round one and I would be honoured to have you along for the ride for round two!
As with last time, the "Donate Now!" link near the top of this blog on the right hand side will take you directly to my fundraising page where you can donate, read my reasons for doing this (bear with me - I'm still editing that part of the page) and of course track my fundraising progress. Should you have any questions or want more information, please feel free to contact me directly I would love to talk to you. I would also love to talk to you if you have any great fundraising ideas!
Thank you all for your support - heeeeeere we go!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Congrats to all of the Joints in Motion participants today - We did it!!!
Hello from the Caymans! Today was marathon day and the good news is that every member of the Team Canada Joints in Motion team finished their events. Congrats to all of you - you truly are an inspiration to us all! There were 6 of us that did the full marathon and the rest of the team respectfully finished the half. Did I mention that a lot of those that participated today through the Joints in Motion program are actually living with some form of Arthritis. What an extraordinary accomplishment for you all to make!
My marathon was a mixed bag of highs and lows with the second loop (it was a 2 lap course) being the hardest 21.1kms I've ever run. We started in the pitch black at 5am - thank goodness for the blinking red lights they gave us to wear or I think there would have been a lot more collisions than what I saw. My first lap I felt really strong and kept a good pace finishing the first 21.1kms in 2:04 and feeling good. It was shortly after that at 23kms that my hamstrings and quads started to seize. This course is flat, flat, flat! Some of you may be thinking "isn't that a good thing?" No, it's not a good thing. A flat course means your muscles are repeating the exact same motion over and over again for the duration of the race. When a course has some hills in it, your muscles get a bit of variation and stretch out a bit on the hills. So at 23kms my legs were screaming "enough already!" Keeping in mind the paragraph above and the knowledge that those who live with arthritis don't get to quit life because they're in pain I persevered. I struggled through the second lap with both the seizing legs and a wonderful case of "runner's bum" that had me making 2 emergency potty stops. My official chip time was 4:30.52 - but my potty stop adjusted time (I stopped my timer while in the loo) was 4:26:14 which is a personal best for me.
I am currently sitting in bed with my legs up getting ready for nap time once I'm finished this post. After nap time I will be hitting up the hot tub and trying to massage away the lactic acid build-up in my legs that seems to be causing quite a bit of discomfort at this point. The awkward part of having so much pain in my legs is that I really can't complain. I will only have to endure this pain for the next 24-48 hours. Many of the people I'm here with have to endure this amount of pain every day of their lives.
I am so proud to have been able to accomplish this goal and raise funds for such an incredibly worthy cause. These are some of the most genuine people I have ever met and I am absolutely humbled by their candor in sharing their stories with me and their ability to endure the countless surgeries and pain that they live with everyday. Thank you to everyone who supported me through this - the real people who deserve your support are the many Arthritis Heros who are here with me today.
My marathon was a mixed bag of highs and lows with the second loop (it was a 2 lap course) being the hardest 21.1kms I've ever run. We started in the pitch black at 5am - thank goodness for the blinking red lights they gave us to wear or I think there would have been a lot more collisions than what I saw. My first lap I felt really strong and kept a good pace finishing the first 21.1kms in 2:04 and feeling good. It was shortly after that at 23kms that my hamstrings and quads started to seize. This course is flat, flat, flat! Some of you may be thinking "isn't that a good thing?" No, it's not a good thing. A flat course means your muscles are repeating the exact same motion over and over again for the duration of the race. When a course has some hills in it, your muscles get a bit of variation and stretch out a bit on the hills. So at 23kms my legs were screaming "enough already!" Keeping in mind the paragraph above and the knowledge that those who live with arthritis don't get to quit life because they're in pain I persevered. I struggled through the second lap with both the seizing legs and a wonderful case of "runner's bum" that had me making 2 emergency potty stops. My official chip time was 4:30.52 - but my potty stop adjusted time (I stopped my timer while in the loo) was 4:26:14 which is a personal best for me.
I am currently sitting in bed with my legs up getting ready for nap time once I'm finished this post. After nap time I will be hitting up the hot tub and trying to massage away the lactic acid build-up in my legs that seems to be causing quite a bit of discomfort at this point. The awkward part of having so much pain in my legs is that I really can't complain. I will only have to endure this pain for the next 24-48 hours. Many of the people I'm here with have to endure this amount of pain every day of their lives.
I am so proud to have been able to accomplish this goal and raise funds for such an incredibly worthy cause. These are some of the most genuine people I have ever met and I am absolutely humbled by their candor in sharing their stories with me and their ability to endure the countless surgeries and pain that they live with everyday. Thank you to everyone who supported me through this - the real people who deserve your support are the many Arthritis Heros who are here with me today.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
One week left to Race Day!
Well that was a bit of a gong show of a training week. Tuesday's run was done inside on a treadmill for fear of freezing. Wednesday's run was forfeited for a birthday dinner for my brother in law and their newly grown family. Thursday was a ridiculous snow day and I decided to save my ankles for race day and not to run in the snow. Which brings me to my cold, wet run today. Though it wasn't snowing, it sure felt like it could have... brr! Bring on the warm weather!
I will be boarding the plane for the Caymans in 3 days!!! I can't believe it's almost here. The master plan is to take my laptop with me and update my blog when I get there, probably the night before the marathon and then of course after the marathon to let you all know how it went. Keep your computers locked to this channel and it might seem like you're right there with me :)
Many of you have wished me luck and sent emails of encouragement, and I thank you. You've made this experience one that I will remember for the rest of my life and though it was both physically and mentally challenging I wouldn't change any part of the journey. You've all been so great and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support.
I will be boarding the plane for the Caymans in 3 days!!! I can't believe it's almost here. The master plan is to take my laptop with me and update my blog when I get there, probably the night before the marathon and then of course after the marathon to let you all know how it went. Keep your computers locked to this channel and it might seem like you're right there with me :)
Many of you have wished me luck and sent emails of encouragement, and I thank you. You've made this experience one that I will remember for the rest of my life and though it was both physically and mentally challenging I wouldn't change any part of the journey. You've all been so great and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Baby it's cold outside...
Here we are, 8 days from boarding a plane to the Caymans to run a marathon and I'm out running in -6 degree weather! What the heck? I knew there was a chance that I would have to run in the cold before I left but I had no idea it would be this cold. Hopefully the weather warms up a bit so I can thaw out before heading down to the 30 degree weather. Something tells me that this is going to be an interesting experience...
I had to abandon my run on Thursday due to frozen fingers so I went straight home to start the hunt for my running gloves. Unfortunately it seems the weather is too cold for them too as they are still in "hiding". Sunday's run was a cold one and am I ever glad that I went out and bought a new pair of running gloves to replace the ones that are missing in action - they kept my hands toasty warm. Unfortunately the new gloves did nothing to help keep my butt warm and after 23kms I found myself sitting in a bathtub of warm water for 20 minutes to try to get the feeling back to some sensitive areas!
This week's 16km long run is going to be done at my race pace and I'm hoping that it warms up a bit so it won't be in the biting cold. I will probably be running from Rocky Point Park at about 8am and heading along Guildford into Port Coquitlam. Anyone looking to run 16kms or any part of it at a 5:45 - 6:00/km pace is more than welcome to join me!
The fundraising is all done as you can see from my previous posts but I had a little something else to keep me busy this week. My sister Breanne, her husband Jim and their daughter Ella welcomed another baby girl - Samantha - into the world on Friday. Congratulations to the Fenyedi/Corrick family, she is absolutely beautiful and has already stolen her Auntie Lisa's heart just like her big sister did!
Thanks to everyone for their support again this week - even though my fundraising is finished my web page is still available for any donations you may still wish to give to the Arthritis Society. Together we can make a difference in the lives of others!
I had to abandon my run on Thursday due to frozen fingers so I went straight home to start the hunt for my running gloves. Unfortunately it seems the weather is too cold for them too as they are still in "hiding". Sunday's run was a cold one and am I ever glad that I went out and bought a new pair of running gloves to replace the ones that are missing in action - they kept my hands toasty warm. Unfortunately the new gloves did nothing to help keep my butt warm and after 23kms I found myself sitting in a bathtub of warm water for 20 minutes to try to get the feeling back to some sensitive areas!
This week's 16km long run is going to be done at my race pace and I'm hoping that it warms up a bit so it won't be in the biting cold. I will probably be running from Rocky Point Park at about 8am and heading along Guildford into Port Coquitlam. Anyone looking to run 16kms or any part of it at a 5:45 - 6:00/km pace is more than welcome to join me!
The fundraising is all done as you can see from my previous posts but I had a little something else to keep me busy this week. My sister Breanne, her husband Jim and their daughter Ella welcomed another baby girl - Samantha - into the world on Friday. Congratulations to the Fenyedi/Corrick family, she is absolutely beautiful and has already stolen her Auntie Lisa's heart just like her big sister did!
Thanks to everyone for their support again this week - even though my fundraising is finished my web page is still available for any donations you may still wish to give to the Arthritis Society. Together we can make a difference in the lives of others!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Fundraising is D-O-N-E!!! Bring on the marathon!
It's true! I reached my $5,900 fundraising goal this past week and what a HUGE relief that was. I might have shed a tear (or two) when I realized that I had reached my goal. I knew I was stressed about it, but I had no idea how stressed I actually was until the muscles in my neck started to relax and this state of calm washed over me. Whew!
It was a busy week - not only did I finish my fundraising but I also did my last long run before marathon day. Now some of you are looking at the side of my blog thinking, "is she crazy? She has 23kms to run this week!" This is true, so I'll rephrase - the taper has begun! Over the next couple of weeks my training focus switches from long steady runs to shorter faster runs to work on my speed while letting my legs recoup before a very warm run day.
I just happened to check the weather today in the Caymans and was slightly shocked to read the 27 degree weather at 6am this morning. The most shocking part was the "feels like 36 degrees" written down the side. Oh my, this will be an experience indeed! I can honestly say that I have never run in that kind of heat and am fairly certain that it will be a shock to the system. The master plan is to lay on the beach for the 2 days that I have in the Caymans leading up to run day and try my best to acclimatize my body to the heat before taxing it by running a marathon. This whole thing sounded a lot more enjoyable before I really started to think about the chafing and possible heat stroke that might come into play. I am currently accepting applications for water boys and will bring extra luggage to smuggle you down there!
This week will be another interesting one for the Fenyedi/Corrick clan as my sister should be giving birth to baby #2 any day now. One could say that my sister is prepping to run a marathon of her own this week. Good luck Briggy, you're a fabulous mom to one and you're going to be just as great with two! I can't wait to meet my new niece/nephew. Come on out little one :)
A million thank yous to those of you who donated and gave me your support over this past year. I couldn't have done this without you! I didn't realize going into this year how humbling an experience raising that amount of money can be. Those that fundraise on a regular basis are in a class all on their own and they deserve the highest amount of respect society has to give. Thank you for your support!
It was a busy week - not only did I finish my fundraising but I also did my last long run before marathon day. Now some of you are looking at the side of my blog thinking, "is she crazy? She has 23kms to run this week!" This is true, so I'll rephrase - the taper has begun! Over the next couple of weeks my training focus switches from long steady runs to shorter faster runs to work on my speed while letting my legs recoup before a very warm run day.
I just happened to check the weather today in the Caymans and was slightly shocked to read the 27 degree weather at 6am this morning. The most shocking part was the "feels like 36 degrees" written down the side. Oh my, this will be an experience indeed! I can honestly say that I have never run in that kind of heat and am fairly certain that it will be a shock to the system. The master plan is to lay on the beach for the 2 days that I have in the Caymans leading up to run day and try my best to acclimatize my body to the heat before taxing it by running a marathon. This whole thing sounded a lot more enjoyable before I really started to think about the chafing and possible heat stroke that might come into play. I am currently accepting applications for water boys and will bring extra luggage to smuggle you down there!
This week will be another interesting one for the Fenyedi/Corrick clan as my sister should be giving birth to baby #2 any day now. One could say that my sister is prepping to run a marathon of her own this week. Good luck Briggy, you're a fabulous mom to one and you're going to be just as great with two! I can't wait to meet my new niece/nephew. Come on out little one :)
A million thank yous to those of you who donated and gave me your support over this past year. I couldn't have done this without you! I didn't realize going into this year how humbling an experience raising that amount of money can be. Those that fundraise on a regular basis are in a class all on their own and they deserve the highest amount of respect society has to give. Thank you for your support!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Pub Night Saturday Nov. 13th - See you there!
Well here we are, the first week of November has come and gone and I've been lucky enough to have my long run day fall on a dry day yet again. Yeehaw! I did my 31kms this past week on Saturday morning so I could balance living life (yes I attended and thoroughly enjoyed a wine tasting on Saturday night) with my marathon training schedule. It wasn't sunny like it was on Sunday morning, but it was dry and it felt great. I bought my new shoes this week and took them out for their first spin on Saturday - it felt like I had pillows around my feet! It was fantastic! This week's long run will be 34km and it's the last long run before the taper starts. Woo hoo! I'll probably be running it on Saturday again this week so I can get it done before the pub night. As I've said before - I'd be more than happy to have you join me for all or part of it.
My last fundraising "event" is this Saturday, Nov. 13th. I am holding a pub night at the Point Pub in Port Moody and you can find full details on the left side of this page. I do still have tickets to sell so please contact me ASAP and let me know if you will be joining us. If I don't have your name and the number of tickets you would like, I can't ensure that you will get one. The burger and beer/highball deal is only applicable if you have a ticket and you need to order your food before 8:30pm. It's going to be a fun night and it finishes off the fundraising I've been doing for the past year so come on out and help me celebrate!
I'm not too sure if anyone has noticed, but the thermometer on my fundraising page made a HUGE jump in the past couple of days to 98%! I can't tell you how happy this makes me!!! As I said above, my pub night will now be more of a celebration with fun and games than a stressful event to raise x-dollars so please do come out and be part of the celebration. With your generosity and support, we've done it! I am absolutely humbled and amazed at the support you've all shown me to accomplish this goal for the Katherine's, Tony's Sue's, Christine's and the many other Canadians, young and old who are living with Arthritis. Thank you!
My last fundraising "event" is this Saturday, Nov. 13th. I am holding a pub night at the Point Pub in Port Moody and you can find full details on the left side of this page. I do still have tickets to sell so please contact me ASAP and let me know if you will be joining us. If I don't have your name and the number of tickets you would like, I can't ensure that you will get one. The burger and beer/highball deal is only applicable if you have a ticket and you need to order your food before 8:30pm. It's going to be a fun night and it finishes off the fundraising I've been doing for the past year so come on out and help me celebrate!
I'm not too sure if anyone has noticed, but the thermometer on my fundraising page made a HUGE jump in the past couple of days to 98%! I can't tell you how happy this makes me!!! As I said above, my pub night will now be more of a celebration with fun and games than a stressful event to raise x-dollars so please do come out and be part of the celebration. With your generosity and support, we've done it! I am absolutely humbled and amazed at the support you've all shown me to accomplish this goal for the Katherine's, Tony's Sue's, Christine's and the many other Canadians, young and old who are living with Arthritis. Thank you!
Monday, November 1, 2010
I'm leaving on a jet plane one month from today!
Is it just me or have the past two months flown by? It seems like just yesterday that I was starting my marathon training and now here I am, one month away from leaving for the Caymans and my distance is already up to 31kms and counting! That went by really fast and I'm sure the next 5 weeks will also fly by.
The next couple of weeks will be very busy. The pub night is coming up on November 13th and I still have lots of tickets left so please contact me if you are planning on coming. Keep in mind there are no ticket sales at the door as I have to get my numbers in to the pub this Saturday so they are ready for the group of us. Tell your friends and family, get tickets for all of them and come on out for a fun night to help out a great cause!
This week's long run will be between 31-34kms and I'll be running it on Saturday morning. If any of you are thinking of going for a run on Saturday morning, come on out for all or part of it, I'd love to have you! I haven't finalized my route yet so I can be flexible to pick you up along my way.
The thermometer on my fundraising page is at 90% though there is more money that will be posted in a couple of days. Yesss! I do still have a couple of the Epicure dip sets left for sale that I would love to have go to a good home so let me know if you're interested. Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this, your faces kept popping into my mind while I was out for my run on Saturday and you got me through another 31km run!
The next couple of weeks will be very busy. The pub night is coming up on November 13th and I still have lots of tickets left so please contact me if you are planning on coming. Keep in mind there are no ticket sales at the door as I have to get my numbers in to the pub this Saturday so they are ready for the group of us. Tell your friends and family, get tickets for all of them and come on out for a fun night to help out a great cause!
This week's long run will be between 31-34kms and I'll be running it on Saturday morning. If any of you are thinking of going for a run on Saturday morning, come on out for all or part of it, I'd love to have you! I haven't finalized my route yet so I can be flexible to pick you up along my way.
The thermometer on my fundraising page is at 90% though there is more money that will be posted in a couple of days. Yesss! I do still have a couple of the Epicure dip sets left for sale that I would love to have go to a good home so let me know if you're interested. Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this, your faces kept popping into my mind while I was out for my run on Saturday and you got me through another 31km run!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
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!
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!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
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!
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!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)