A follow up, finally. And big plans.

I posted in December that race weekend with Team Challenge was amazing.  Sadly, that word doesn't even come close.  I came home on a huge high and couldn't help but smile and even tear up a bit when telling people about it.  It was the best experience I could have hoped for and the more I talked about it, the more I processed it, and the more I understood what my being there, what Team Challenge and CCFA mean.  I was sure from the moment I crossed the finish line that I wanted to do it all again.  As the days passed I was hoping that the feelings I had weren't fleeting and weren't just some strange adrenalin reaction.  I'm sure now they weren't.

December was busy for me with a business trip just after Vegas and a much needed family vacation the week before Christmas.  But I couldn't get Team Challenge off my mind.  I also couldn't get off my mind the itch to be out walking, jogging, anything.  The weather had been more than cooperative before Vegas, letting me get the miles in outdoors.  And while it hasn't been a bad winter by any stretch, it has gotten fairly cold (it's supposed to be in the 40's next week which is great, but not to be counted on).  I did my homework and today I got my new treadmill.  I spent 3 hours putting it together, made sure it worked, then walked upstairs and tried to forget it was there.  I'll be thrilled that it's there tomorrow after work, but for now, it's resting, as am I.  I am so happy to have it because it lets me work out when I want, not when the weather and work are cooperating.  It lets me work around my Crohn's and not feel like it has any more control than it already does.  And it means I'll be working towards crossing the finish line in Vegas on December 4, 2011 with a quicker time and less nerves about the miles.

I'll be in Vegas in December, hopefully as a mentor.  I had so many questions throughout the training process that without the wonderful coaches and mentors that Team Challenge has, I'm not sure I could have even come close to any of my goals.  I want to help make the experience great for other people.

Fundraising will start early summer again, and hopefully all of the amazing people who donated to make research, trips to Camp Oasis and services for people with Crohn's and colitis possible, will see all the good they have done and will be willing to step up and help again.  The smile on my face certainly shows all the good that has been done, and I think that'll go a long way.

This year is starting off wonderfully, and without a serious Crohn's flare to keep me down for so long like last year, it's going to continue just the same way.  This year - big things!

13.1, done!

 

I did it!  More to come, but for now – it was amazing, wonderful, moving, touching, inspiring, exhausting, uplifting, surprising and so many more things that don’t quite fit into words.  It felt incredible to be tougher, stronger and more determined than Crohn’s; incredible to win. 

But yes, more to come…

6.2

 

I didn’t get in the mileage I was hoping for this morning, but I got in a good 6.2 before Crohn’s got in the way.  But that’s why I’m doing this, right? I was pacing at 14.9 minutes/mile, a good time and just over 3 minutes/mile faster than where I need to be in Vegas (which is in 2 weeks…what?!?).  I’m not sure how it has gotten so close since it has seemed so far away for quite a while now, but here it is.

I’ll hopefully be able to get out again tomorrow and get in the mileage I wanted for today.  Then I’m told it’s time to taper.

5.5, 6.5 and 9.6

 

I’ve been quite bad at updating lately, but the miles have bee ticking by.  In the last seven days I have hit 5.5, 6.5 and 9.6.  I felt good after each, and after today’s 9.6 I felt like I had at least another mile or two in me before I would have chosen to stop.  I could have kept going past that, but that’s where I would have stopped.  I called it a day at 9.6 because my left knee was a bit achy so I thought I’d end things before it moved to hurt.

9.6 miles took me 2 hours and 3 minutes.  No land speed records here, but I am on pace to finish with plenty of time left in Vegas.  I know races, especially races with lots of people, are different, but I’m hoping that will push me faster and not the other way.

Race day is getting close and while it isn’t so much a race in the traditional sense for me, I am excited, nervous and a dozen other emotions all at the same time.  I want it to be December now.  I know it will come soon enough and I’ll be wishing I had a few more weeks to train, but at this moment, I wish the finish line was in sight in more than just my mind.

5.5

 

My day at work was long.  Very long.  But due to a meeting I had close to home near the end of my day, I was home at a rather reasonable hour.  After a quick change it was off to the track.

Today found Kansas City hit with gusty winds that were going only in one direction.  While I am not a fan of getting smacked in the face with a big burst of wind just as I turn a corner, it did keep me cool so I ought not complain. 

I popped in my ear buds and enjoyed Jon Stewart for a bit over an hour and got in my 5.5 miles before the sun went down.  A bit slower than I think it might have been had it been first thing in the morning (and not uber-windy), but I feel good about it.

4.1

 

I did my first track workout today.  It was boring.  Really boring.  There was nothing to see or keep my interest but it is a necessary step to the half in Vegas as I need to get used to walking on a completely flat surface that has slightly less give than the trail on which I’ve been training.  I was only able to get in an hour of time before a gaggle of children arrived to do whatever it is that gaggles of children do on Saturday mornings at a track.  But I did cut 1.4 minutes off of my mile time.  An abridged workout for sure, but a good one none the less.

9

 

Yesterday morning was 9 miles even.  I was exhausted by the end and was actually having a conversation with myself for the last quarter mile, which is up hill.  I was convincing myself I could in fact get there and if I did, it would be a short plateau and then downhill to the car.  I might have looked like an idiot (it was an in-my-head conversation, but I am sure I still looked silly), but I got there.

My new camelback water backpack thingamajig worked rather well.  It was nice not to have a pack on my hips and it was easy to use.

My hips are more achy than they have been, but there is substantial improvement over yesterday night what I had to be picked up at the curb when leaving the ball game because the car was too far for me to hobble, er, I mean walk, and better than having to use my hands to pick up my leg to put it in the car.  So I’m guessing it is just two grouchy IT bands and a few quads that wanted some attention too.  Nothing to sit me out for more than another day or two.

I’ve been awful about updating, but I’m making progress and I know that even if it takes me over three hours (which I’m fairly certain it will), I will get across the finish line in Vegas and I will be proud and strong and all that good stuff.