Night before the race

Tomorrow is race day.  Today I pampered myself with getting a massage and a pedicure.  Then I attended the inspiration dinner.  Sat next to 2 very nice women named Diane and Donna.  Both are walking the half tomorrow so I will have someone to walk with if I decide not to run so much.  Right now I'm planning on doing the run/walk thing.  My only concern is my left foot.  I've had this pain on the top of my foot for a couple of weeks now.  It does not seem to be getting any better.  I'm just hoping to ignore the pain and finish the race.   This time tomorrow....  I'll be posting the details. 

5 days

Yep.  that's right.  In 5 days I will run/walk 13.1 miles.  Not bad.  I added a couple of hundred dollars to my fundraising which puts me $155 away from my goal.  I'm really happy with that.  A big thank you to everyone who has donated.  I can't wait to send you my update when I cross the finish line.

13.1 miles....  here I come!

Arboretum 11/17- Last team run!

Wow!  we just finished our last team run for the season.  The marathon is next Sunday and I'll be racing whether I'm ready or not.  Let's hope I'm ready.
On Saturday we met at the Arboretum off of Lake Washington Blvd.  It was a pretty big group and the weather wasn't bad.  Overcast but no rain.  I only did 4.5 miles.  At some point I hit stop on my running app so it did not record the entire run.  That is why the map only shows 2.5 miles but I promise you I did more.  I walked/ran the first part with the team captain, Sandy.  The 2nd part I ran with 2 runners that are close to my pace-- slow but still moving.  It is a shame I met up with them on the last run because I could have used the company on some of the earlier runs.  Oh well, I'll try to find them next Sunday and tag along if they will have me.   I'm feeling pretty good for next week.  I think i will be tired and sore at the end but I know I can do it. 
After the run, I headed home for a quick shower and then I picked up my friend Suzi and her daughter Catie out in Bellevue.  They were in town for a dance competition and I gave them a quick tour of the city.  We went to Pike Place market for lunch and took in the sights of the market place on a busy Saturday.  Then I drove them over to the space needle for some photo's and then back to Bellevue.  Traffic was crazy but we made it in time for their dance drama. 
I still need $300 to hit my fundraising goal.  I'm hoping for a last minute miracle.  If you are reading this and haven't donated, look to the left on the page.  It is tax deductible and goes to a great cause. 
Thank you to everyone and I may do another post before next Sunday.  Stay tuned! 

Suzi and Catie at the market

the bridget tower

Catie getting ready to add her gum to the famous Gum Wall

Flowers at the market

11/10 West Seattle

2 weeks to go!  Hard to believe it is so close and I will be running 13.1 miles in 2 weeks.  Hope I'm ready!
This weekend we ran at Alki Beach in West Seattle.  It was a beautiful but cold run.  It was a high of 31 degrees when we started at 8am on Saturday.  Luckily it warmed up as we started to move.  About 2 miles in, I was no longer cold.  I started off walking with Coach Zak.  We did the first 2 miles mainly walking and a little bit of running.  He stopped at 2.5 miles at the water station and I continued on.  I did about 6.75 miles with the group.  Then we practice ended, I walked another half mile back to Starbucks for a coffee and then back to my car.  Gave me a total of 7.75 miles.  Not bad.  I felt fine afterwards but I still feel a little concerned about doing the entire 13.  It just may be a lot of walking.
Afterwards I broke my habit of eating bad food.  I went home and made myself some scrambled eggs with Egg Beaters.  I have got to stop the stacks of pancakes every Saturday! 
Alki beach was beautiful that early.  The only people out were walking dogs and most of the dogs had on cute little coats.  I love a dog in a coat and I so wish my dogs would let me dress them!  No chance.

The Team!

sidewalk art at Alki Beach

West Seattle Lady Liberty

Cool Bottle Yard

For those of you who have donated recently, Thank you so much.  For those of you who have waited for the last minute, this is it!  This week is our last to collect donations.  Make it happen!

11/3 Running Elements in Bellevue

3 weeks from tomorrow is the Seattle Amica marathon.  I hope I'm ready.  I missed the longest run of the season when I went to Sacramento last weekend.  I tried to run there but it was hot!  I made the mistake of going out mid-day Saturday and it was in the mid 80's.  I made it 4 miles and then I was done.  And I was frustrated with my running App.  I hit stop at one point and it quit tracking my run.  So, I started over.  Then  I hit stop again.  That's when I decided to head home.  We had our monthly bookgroup meeting that night and it was a great time. Super glad I went even if it did mean missing practice.  
Today we met at Running Elements in Bellevue.  I did just under 7 miles.  It wasn't too bad.  At the end I felt like I could have gone a little more.  I'm not worried about the first 10 miles but the last 3 have me concerned.  The rain had just stopped this morning and the weather wasn't too bad.  I noticed 2 things- 1st was how green everything smelled.  It smelled really fresh until we passed by someone yard who must have just put down fertilizer and then it stunk!  2nd thing was how beautiful the fall colors were.  The trees are crazy red, orange and yellow.  Really beautiful.
My running pal Martha showed up to help with the water stop.  Not sure if I mentioned this before or not but she hurt her knee a few weeks back and was told to rest.  That has stretched to almost 2 months and she has had to withdraw from the race.  Really disappointing.   But, she will be there in spirit and I will represent both of us!

my breakfast

 After the run I stopped in a little hole in the wall place and grabbed breakfast.  2 eggs, bacon and 2 pancakes.  YUM.  The perfect breakfast.  When I got home I took the dogs out for a longer than usual walk.  I thought since I really needed to go more miles I should try to add to my daily mileage with the dogs.
My fundraising is now at $850.  Still need another $850.  Yikes.  3 weeks to raise a lot of money.
If you are reading this, the link to donate is on the left hand side.  Feel free!  If you already have donated, thank you.   It will make the difference in someones life.   I sincerely appreciate the support to me and to the program.  

The colors of Fall

Colors of Fall #2

A couple of more update and then I'll have to find a new subject to blog about.

10/20- Marymoor Park in Redmond

Yesterday we went back to Marymoor park.  I like that trail because it is very straightforward and I don't worry about going the wrong way.   It was COLD!  It was 45 degrees when we started at 8am and only 49 degrees when we ended.  3 weeks ago we were still in the 70's.  That was fast.
I did 9 miles.  Not bad.  I think if I can do 9 miles then I can probably do 13.1.  It felt pretty good.  I was tired but I could still walk and after a few hours I almost felt like normal.  I am worried that next week is our longest run yet and I will be out of town.  It is 11 miles and the longest run we do before the race.  I'm going to Sacramento again to visit family.  I'll take my running clothes with me and will just need to force myself to take a couple of hours out of the day and walk. 
Near the 5 mile mark I went by this house that had all of this art work on their fence.  It was totally cool.  There was a large Starbucks picture on their garage.  Of course I had to photograph it.


Starbucks on the garage



Art on the Fence

My Fundraising is coming along nicely thanks to my very generous friends and family. Right now I'm over $700. Thank you to everyone who has donated!   I still have close to $1000 to go and not much time to get there.  The link to my fundraising page is on the left of this page.  Feel free to click over there and make a tax Deductible donation.  Tax season will be here before you know it!  This week I plan to send out a few e-mail and give the run a jump start.  5 weeks till the run!   

Fall has arrived!

10/13 Gasworks Park- Seattle

WOW!  It's been a few weeks since I've posted.  I've been extremely busy.  Unfortunately I have not been busy running.
I skipped the 9/22 practice.  It was raining that morning and I was just exhausted so I stayed in bed.  Then I felt guilty so I went to Greenlake park and decided to do 2 laps to make up for not going to practice.  No good deed goes unnoticed.  While I was walking, someone broke the passenger window in my car and stole my credit card and license.  Ugghh.  Getting the window fixed was a pain but now all is good.  I got a new license and CC.  I left on Friday 9/28 for California.  We had bookgroup that evening which is always fabulous (check out our blog on the right hand side- Beehive).  I did a little walking in Sacramento on Saturday.  Walked from the hair dressers to the target on Broadway.  just a little over 1.5 miles.  Nothing to brag about but it counts.  Then I left for Houston.  We had our big leadership conference with 10,000 attendees.  I had planned on running or walking a few days but it didn't happen.  We worked 12-15 hour days.  I was so exhausted that the thought of running would have made me cry.  Got home late Sunday night and back at work on Monday. 
So, 10/13 was my first real practice in a few weeks.  We went to Gasworks Park in Wallingford on Lake Union.  Very cool park.  It was a little overcast and rainy but still a good day.  I did just over 6 miles.  That was plenty since I hadn't gone any distance in weeks. 
I have to pick up the pace because I only have 6 weeks till I hit 13 miles!


Leadership Conference in Houston



Old City Cemetery in Sacramento

Gasworks Park



View from my run



On the Trail

9/15- Lincoln Park in West Seattle

Ave of the Stars

Today's run was at Lincoln Park in West Seattle.  I haven't been to west Seattle very much so I was excited to see the area.   It was as beautiful as I expected.  We ran by the water for a good part of the time and the rest of the time it was by houses that sat on the water.  One thing I love about Seattle is the public art.  There seems to be more public art here then anywhere I've ever lived.  I saw several beach sculptures and art in yards.  There was one stretch which was called Ave of the stars.  There were star diagrams on the sidewalks.  I'm wondering if you can stand in that spot and see those stars.  It was pretty cool. 
We ran for 2 hours.  For me that was 8.5 miles.  I'm sure real runners would say that is super slow but me it was pretty fast.  I have been walking 3 minutes and running 2.  It comes out to a 14-15 minute mile. I would like to get it to under 14 minutes but at this point I would be happy at lower 14 . 
The drive home from West Seattle was super slow.  There was a ton of traffic and I have no idea why.  It probably took an hour to get home.  The problem with that was that when I got out of the car my legs were so sore and stiff that I could barely walk up to the apartment.  And on top of that, I then had to walk the dogs.   Ugghh.
My running partner, Martha, has been out for the past 2 weeks.  The Saturday I missed due to the whale watch, she hurt her knee.  I haven't seen our other running buddies for the past few weeks and am wondering if they dropped out.  It's not as much fun being on your own.   
I've raised just under $700.  I still have $1000 to go and only 2 months to do it.  I have to get busy!

View from the path

Cool trailer

This house had a dog statue on top of it. 

9/8 Marymoor park- 8 miles

Today we met at Marymoor park in Redmond.  I ran/walked 8 miles!  It took me 2 hours because I'm not super fast but I still did it.  I feel like if I can do 8 miles, I can do 13.  Half Marathon here I come!
The park wasn't super scenic.  We ran by the lake for part of the run but most of the view was blocked by houses.  Our timing also wasn't great.  The park was hosting a Run for Paws event.  Some kind of dog walk to  support PAWS which is a dog adoption agency.  Now I love a good dog walk, but at one point we were running back to our starting point and running against the crowd.  I could not even stay on the path because there were so many people and dogs.  That last mile was my slowest because I kept having to stop and move off of the trail to let the crowds pass.  
I left the park and went and got a pedicure.  I didn't really need one but my feet hurt and I wanted to soak them and the thought of having a foot massage was too good to pass up.
My donations went up over the past week.  Thank you to everyone who donated.  I'm getting closer to the goal.  IF you haven't donated, the site it on the left hand side of my blog. 
My goal this week, 2-3 practice runs at Greenlake and at least another $100 in donations.

View of the Lake

Old car on the side of the trail.  It was weird because all of the houses were
super fancy and then here was this old car. 

The traffic of the dog walk.

I gotta get movin!

HaHa!  This was me not too long ago.

9/2 - 3 miles at Greenlake

Before I get started on my journey- Thank you to everyone who donated to me this week!  I am now over $400.  I feel extremely fortunate to have such generous friends and family.  If you are reading this and you haven't donated, the site is to the left.  If you just can't donate, no problem!  I'm taking motivational donations also!

I was feeling guilty about missing the Saturday run so I hit Greenlake on Sunday.  The walk around the inside track is only 2.8 miles so you have to go a little past your starting point and then back to hit the 3 miles goal.  What I should have done was make the loop twice but I was anxious to get the the farmers market in Ballard.   I just adore a good Farmers market.
Greenlake is such a beautiful area.  The lake was already hopping with paddle boats and families spread out enjoy a late Sunday morning.  The weather was pretty darn perfect at noon- low 70's.  There are enough dogs and people to watch to make the walk wonderful.  I didn't run but I'm planning on another trip this week with a little running.
Next Saturday we have a 2 hour walk/run scheduled with the group which means about 8 miles for me (yes I'm a slow 14-15 minute pace).  I haven't  done more than 7 miles to date so I need to get ready!


The lake




Makes me want to sit down and read a book



Saw this cool looking Crane and 4 turtles sunning themselves.

flowers from the market

9/1- Whale Watch

So, I must admit that I skipped my Saturday group run to go on a Whale Watch.  I had no choice!  Kimberly and I had bought a Groupon for a Whale watch in the San Juan Islands.  They stop the trips on Oct. 1 so we only had a few weeks left to use it.  AND they only offer this particular trip on Saturday mornings.  The whale watch was totally fun and worth the money.  We had to drive about 1.5 hours north to Anacortes at the crack of dawn for the trip.  We saw several whales, seals, sea lions and bald Eagles. 
I'm making up for the missed run by committing to 3 long runs before next Saturday (long means 3 miles or more;) 

One of several whales we saw. 

Deception Pass Bridge

The sun came out and the water looked like diamonds

Sea Lions sunning themselves

me on Deception Pass bridge

Enjoy the nature photos!

8-25 6.65 miles

Yesterday we were out in Renton for our walk/run.  We did just under 7 miles.  Actually 6.65 miles if you want the exact number.  This time I walked with Martha for half of the walk and then Leslie and Sandy joined us for the 2nd half.  We didn't do very much running so our time was a bit slower then the time I had last week. 

I wasn't crazy over the location.  It was our first time at a place that I didn't find very motivating.  It was at Lake Youngs in Renton.   But I never saw the lake!  We were on a path that ran  outside of a fenced off area.  There were plenty of hills to prepare us for the hills of Seattle.  But the path was single file for part of the time and because of the fence, you couldn't really see much.  I didn't even take any photo's because there was nothing to photograph.
I did get a blister on my toe.  Not good!  I thought I had something in my shoe because I could feel this irritation.  I thought it was sand or something.  When I took my shoe off, there it was.  I big water blister the length of my 2nd toe. 
I will miss the group next week because I'm doing a Whale Watch with my friend Kimberly.  That means I have to make it happen during the week.  I'm going to try to hit Greenlake at least 3 times. 
Number 1 goal this week----  FUNDRAISING.  I am way behind.  My goal was $1,000 by the beginning of September and that has not happened.  Focus!

7 miles

On Saturday August 18th we did our longest run yet.  7 Miles!   It was a weird practice for me because I had been gone the 2 previous weeks and didn't get a lot of practice it.  Plus it had been in the mid 90's for 2 days which is super unusual for Seattle.  The training group decided to make a 7am optional start time.  I choose to show up at the usual 8am.  But my walking/running mates choose the 7am.  So, I arrived at Kirkland and took off on my own.  It actually wasn't bad doing it on my own.  It gave me a lot of time to think.  But the time goes faster when you have others to talk to so I missed my group.
But, I was proud of myself for finishing the course.  That is over half way to the Half Marathon.  Not long now! 

A rabbit on the path

Kirkland public art

More Art

The run