The craziness that is my life...

WHEW! It's been a very eventful and busy few weeks...I'm not even sure where to begin! I'll start with the bad, so I can end on a positive note!

Long story short, the past few weeks I haven't been my usual up-beat and chipper self - my body is still doing the crazy things it was doing a few weeks back + some. I have been having some weird running "side effects" that I hadn't experienced before. Out of nowhere (during a run) my body turns ice cold, a wave of nausea and the "I'm gonna pass out feeling" comes over me. My breathing is not like it used to be - now it actually feels HARD to breathe when running, I have been experiencing very painful migraines that tend to last for a day or two, and last but not least insomnia. The sick feeling and headaches usually leave me dizzy and disoriented - which is nothing I have experienced before. At first I thought this was just my tired body telling me to slow down - oh no...not quite.

One afternoon Scott and I went for an easy 3 mile jog...nothing crazy...piece of cake, right? Ohhhh no. Around the 1.5 mile mark the sick feeling came at me full force, causing me to *GASP* walk. Just as I'm trying to shake the feeling, it happens. There I am, in front of someones cute 'lil house throwing up for a good 2 minutes. Uhhmmm....not normal! Thank goodness Scott was with me - I get so scared when stuff like that happens. The rest of the day was a blur - I had a terrible migraine and was weak as could be. I chalked it up to just having a bad day and onward I went...

Fast-forward to Friday. I was at work - again not feeling like myself. Despite it all I was pumping myself up for the 18 miler I was going to run in the morning. I decided to run it on my own instead of with the team, I needed to do this on my own to get myself back. That night I could not fall asleep...not even for an hour or two. It was now 1 am and I saw no signs of falling asleep. Not sure what got into me, but I decided to start my 18 mile run at 2:30 am...yes, you read that right. Surprisingly, it was a great run! Well, great until mile 15. It was actually REALLY nice to be outside when the rest of the world was sleeping. Very peaceful! I didn't see many cars on the road, except of course a police officer. He drove up behind me reeeeaaallly slowly - trying to figure out what in the world a person was doing outside at 3 am. I'm sure I was a big disappointment - no, I was not some rebellious teenager sneaking out of the house...just some crazy girl going for a run in the middle of the night. I think my reflectors gave it away :)

Then it all went down hill. Out of nowhere I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach 10 times over and felt like I was going to pass out. I was about 2 miles from home and turned around as quickly as I could! When I got home I made a b-line for the shower hoping it would calm me down a bit - no such luck. I have never felt so sick. I tried to sleep it off, but that only lasted an hour. I tried to make my way to the bathroom and came THIS close to collapsing onto the floor. My body turned to ice, but I was still sweating bullets and I'm pretty sure my eyes were rolling back into my head or so it felt. I yelled for someone to come help (I was at my parents), but they were both gone - I started to really panic. I honestly thought I was going to have heart failure right then and there. I called Scott - he was working and I didn't want him to leave because it's such a pain to get coverage and he was 30 minutes away. I mustered up the energy to make it back to my bed and waited for someone to get home. For the next 6 hours I was sick as a dog. Scary stuff.

After realizing that this was anything but normal, I decided I needed to see a Dr. After multiple attempts at drawing blood, they got a teeny tiny bit - good news...everything came back normal. Next Thursday I will go in for a stress test and see if anything else is up.

Tomorrow I am running 12 miles with the team (much better than the 19 I THOUGHT I had to do) - I am planning on taking it nice and easy! Wish me luck!

* This is not "long story short" as I promised...and in true dana fashion - very dramatic (Scott can vouch for that!)...I apologize!

Please (and I mean PLEAAASE!!), if you have not and would like to donate to this great cause you may do so by clicking on the link at the top right-hand corner of the blog. Fundraising has come to a stand still and I would LOVE to see that number go up ASAP! My deadline is September 25 - but I can take donations until the middle of November. Some very kind souls have passed my link on to friends - the offer still stands for anyone who hasn't and is willing!

Race day is in exactly 1 month!! Wooooo hoooo!

T-Minus 51 Days...

Can you believe it?? I surely can't! The big day is ALMOST here!! So exciting :)

Last Saturday 8/23 I ran my longest run yet - 15 miles! It was insane. After taking a 3-week hiatus I did pretty good! My only complaint is that the coach forgot water stops after mile 3.5 and I started to panic because I felt like I was going to pass out - around mile 8.5 I was in complete panic mode but happened to be running by the barber shop that my dad, Ross and Scott go to - so what did I do? Ran in of course declaring, "I'm Craig Weinstein's daughter, I 'm sorry to interrupt you...but can I PLEASE have some water?! I'll explain later!". Luckily Phil the barber loves all 3 of them and happily directed me to his mini fridge - thanks Phil! The last half of my run didn't go as smoothly, but that's expected. I started to hit a wall around mile 12-13 but pushed my way to the end. I am pretty pleased with the end result considering my "break" 3 weeks prior.

I have been experiencing a few mental road blocks, but I refuse to let them stand in my way. I am so excited for this race and how far I have come in my training - I can't wait to get out there and show everyone what I've got. Thank you to everyone who has been there for me - it really means the world to me to have such wonderful friends and family...brings a tear to my eye :)

By The Numbers...

Miles Run: Appx. 310 miles
Minutes Spent Running: 3,100 minutes
Hours Spent Running: 51.6

Wow! That's insane. Seeing that errr on the computer screen makes it seem so real! I am excited to see what my final total will be.

As of today, August 28th, I have 1,375 in my donation bank. I still have $2,485 left to raise by September 25th. If I can get 24 people to donate $100, or 48 people to donate $50, OR 96 people to donate $25, I will pretty much be at my goal! If you haven't (or have!) donated and would like to - I suggest that you do so by the September 25th deadline:) If you are willing - PLEASE pass my blog on to anyone you know who may be interested in supporting this great cause!

Thanks Again!

D

Quick Update!

Hey everyone - it's been A WHILE since I've posted anything - time for an update!

3 weeks ago I got injured - hurt my knee so badly I was limping around...even swimming put too much pressure on it...not a good thing when I have a marathon less than 2 months away! I have spent the last 3 weeks resting up and nursing my poor knee back to health. My body is spent - I am tired of running/sweating/blisters/energy gel etc. These past 3 weeks were spent doing a lot of "thinking" and psyching myself up for my last 2 months of training. I am physically and mentally exhausted as I have so much going on in life at the moment, but I refuse to give up...I have worked TOO hard for this. So, as you can probably imagine going from 30+ miles a week to 0 for 3 weeks did a number on me. Last Monday was my first day back and it was miserable! Since I haven't been training I decided to ease into it and walked 1 mile/ran 2. Well, it was anything but enjoyable. I almost passed out at the very end of the run, I was huffing and puffing and sweating BUCKETS. Luckily, I was pretty much home when I started to feel sick and was able to calm myself down. It was not an empowering run to say the least. I knew it would take me a few days to feel like myself out there again so I refused to get down about it. Yesterday I hydrated properly, ate well and had a fantastic 4 mile run!

I am starting to feel the pressure and for a short time I was letting it get to me - I have come too far to hold myself back. As of yesterday I have 2 MONTHS to prepare for this race and I plan on giving it my ALL.

Tonight I have a nutrition clinic with my team followed by a short run - I am hoping I get lots of good ideas tonight - I am officially back in marathon mode, BABY!

Tomorrow I am heading over to Marathon Sports to replace my shoes (and maybe a cute running outfit...or two!) - they say you are supposed to replace them every 300 miles, depending on the person. I am just under 200 miles so far, but I am certain my knee pain has something to do with some worn out sneaks - time to upgrade! I am hoping it will help with the knee and relieve some of the lower back pain that came out of no where.

I *think* my run on Saturday is a 16 miler....ugh...crazy! I will be sure to update you on how that goes and I promise to be more consistent with my posts!

And the begging begins....:)

I have around $2700 left to raise by race day...that's A LOT! I'm asking for your help in getting there! We can do this! Any little bit helps. Please pass my information on if you know of anyone who would be interested in supporting this wonderful cause!

If you would like to donate on-line, you may do so by clicking the link at the top right-hand corner of my blog.

Thanks Again!

xxo D

I was TESTED!

And it wasn't pretty. Yesterday was our 12 mile team run in Grafton - I was all ready to go, just the usual early morning wake up that leaves me dragging - something I usually snap out of, apparently not yesterday. I have no idea what got into me, but I just felt like I couldn't do it. My body felt like rubber and wasn't in sync - terrible combination. Kristina and I both weren't into it and at mile 3 decided we'd had enough. As we approached our first water stop, I saw coach and Annelle (our mentor) shaking their heads at us, "I'm just done, I'm having a bad day and I just want to stop". They weren't having it. They wouldn't let us hop in the back of the jeep and call it a day. I was NOT happy to say the least. Yes, I will admit - I am was being lazy and making excuses and when I have my mind set it's hard to change it. I was PISSED to say the least. Thankfully they didn't let me give up. I set small goals for myself throughout the run and I am proud to report I DID finish. It wasn't all pretty, but I got it done. It really wasn't until mile 8 that I decided to finish the entire thing (coach said he'd come by every 2 miles and if I really felt like stopping he'd pick me up, of course he didn't end up checking on me because he knew I could do it!), of course at that point I was in a lot of pain - something I hadn't experienced 'til now. It wasn't muscle pain - all joint pain. My hips were SO sore. So sore that if I stopped for a water break, I was in tears when I started to run again.

All in all, it was a tough run but a very necessary one. I was miserable and MAD pretty much throughout the whole thing, but it was a lesson that will help me get through the tough times.

This week I plan on following the schedule to a T. I made a pact with Kristina that we'd work hard/push each other this week. Starting tomorrow morning (Monday) with a nice run at 6 am, can't wait for that! :)

It's been a few weeks since I've sent out my blog and fundraising link - fundraising has plateaued a bit and I'm hoping we can work on that this week! Does anyone work for a company that matches donations? Or knows someone who does? It's very easy - All you need to do is fill out the paper work (which I'd be HAPPY to do) and they will match my total (usually $1,000). It's very easy on your end and would be a HUGE help in my fundraising efforts! If anyone would be willing to help me out please e-mail me at danarunsnike@gmail.com.

If you would like to donate on-line, you may do so by clicking on the link at the top right-hand corner or my blog. Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement! This is a tough time in the training process - I need all of the motivation I can get!

xxo D

7/22/08

Wahhh...not my best day. I was SO tired after work all I wanted to do was nap but I had promised Kristina I'd run with her...what was I thinking?! Today was a bit rough so my goal was to get out of the house and be active. We got a mile into our run and decided to walk the rest...I know I know, I swear it's the first time! Eating on the other hand? BAD BAD BAD.

B: Starbucks Banana Chocolate smoothie (it's only got 250 cals and has a bunch of protein, didn't feel so bad!)
L: Small wheat/garlic baguette slices topped with rotisserie chicken, watermelon and a glass of milk
D: (this is where is gets bad...) 1/2 potato w/ a little veggie chicken pot pie. WW club crackers and late night macaroni and cheese (eeeek, at least it was whole grain!)

11 Miles & A New Agenda...

Hola! A few days late on my weekly post, I apologize! I had a pretty good week last week - 2 strength training workouts (upper/lower body), treadmill workout (blech!) and a nice 5-miler around n-boro. Saturday was our 11 mile team run - it was STEAMY! One thing about living in New England that sucks is the weather. It's never dry heat, theres always gotta be some humidity thrown in there.

I have a new way of tackling long runs. I only "start" the run when I get to the half-way point. For example, last Saturday I kept telling myself the first 5.5 miles was a "warm-up". Once I reached the half-way point, even though I was VERY sweaty and tired, I told myself what's another 5.5 miles? It sounds weird I know...but it works! Granted by mile 9 I was on the verge of tears - my hip flexor was pretty close to cracking in half I think. Thank goodness for Kristina, once we reached the top of the North St. hill I let out a little cry (a noise, whatever you want to call it), basically letting her know I was about to throw in the towel. At that point we had less than a mile and she wasn't letting me give in. This is the point in any run where you are pretty oblivious to everything around you (pretty sure I almost got hit by a car...or a side view mirror), look like you are going to drop dead and/or throw up. Kristina could see I was struggling and brought up "sam's girl". Every week we have a dedication and person we run for - Saturday it was for "sam's girl". Sam is a med student working in pediatrics, one of his patients was a little girl who had Leukemia - she hated being cooped up in the hospital while all of her friends were free to enjoy summer, in turn she was not fond of any of her Dr's...except for Sam. She would light up when Sam was around, making him pictures, one of which said "my favorite dr!". Dr's had hope for her, but she took a turn for the worst and passed away a few weeks back.
So, as I was in my moment of panic Kristina looked over to me and says "sam's girl, dana"...without hesitation I yelled "SAM'S GIRL" right back. As I said it tears filled my eyes. The least I could do was finish strong for this little girl who went through more pain than I'm sure I will ever experience in my lifetime.
Those last 2 minutes of my run were definitely the most meaningful. K and I began singing "Sweet Caroline" at the top of our lungs while doing a little dance (more like flailing our arms). I'm sure everyone who saw us thought we were insane and that was OK. 11 miles down, baby!

_______________________________________________________________

Now, don't get my wrong, I am VERY happy with the effort I have been putting into this, but in true Dana fashion, I can always find something to criticize (haha!). Now that my workouts are improving, my next area of business is eating. I am still enjoying big delicious dinners, most of which come within hours of my long runs, and the occasional trip to Bedford Farms for homemade ice cream after work. All of which is fine as long as I am consistent with my HEALTHY eating. Sooo...for the next few weeks I am planning on updating DAILY with my workout and eating plan. I am hoping this will keep me somewhat accountable knowing everyone will see it. For the past week I have done my best to cut out processed foods and focus on eating "clean". Please feel free to yell at me if I begin to stray :)

JULY 21, 2008

WORKOUT: Goal was to work on my speed, so I broke my 4 miles in half.
2 miles hard on TM - took me 17 minutes.
20 mins. upper body
2 miles "easy" on TM - took me 20 minutes.

FOOD
B: 1/2 dry oatmeal, 1 tsp. brown sugar, 1/4 cup milk & 3/4 cup fresh blueberries
L: Trader Joe's Roasted Veggie Enchilada (spinach, mushrooms)
S: Banana
D: Rotisserie chicken, 1 cup WW pasta w/ chopped pepper, onion, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, cucumber, feta drizzled w/ olive oil, (and this is where I became weak) 1 cup of "mexican shells".

Land of DOUBLE DIGITS!

I can't believe it, I am pretty much halfway done with training...insanity! Yesterday marked my entry into double digits...pretty scary but very exciting!:)


I did my best to make up for my bad week prior, but recently I've been feeling like something always gets in my way.


I was definitely feeling my slump during my 1st run of the week, but refused to stop or give in to to the heavy breathing and soreness. I never realized how competitive I am with MYSELF. It's actually a little ridiculous. If I don't perform consistently, I get so down on myself. If I don't run fast enough, or meet my goals I can't let it go. After our team run yesterday this came up. I was chatting with Byron, one of our mentors. I was asking how his first marathon went and if it was a total disaster (to which he replied "yes") and what advice he had for me. He said the mistake he made was over-training - he will never again follow the training schedule to a "T", because it was just too much. I can totally relate to this. Pretty much from week 1 I haven't followed the schedule, and was a little ashamed to admit it. Now, not so much. I always want to do more than is asked, something that is good for most everything except training for a big race. I guess that is my lesson of the week. My over-all goal is to FINISH the race, throw the desired times out the window. I am leaving it at that before I start over-analyzing :)


Yesterday I finished 10 miles. It was definitely a milestone:) We had water stops every two miles beginning at mile 3, and I swear that is what got me through! Once it was over, this wave of emotion came over me...10 miles is one of the many milestones I will reach, and damn it feels GOOD!

No specific goals for the week, just wanna keep on keepin' on as they say...

I am SO happy to report that as of today, July 14th, I have raised $1225!! It wouldn't have happened without your love and support...thank you all!!

If you haven't (or have!) donated and would like to, you may do so by clicking on the link in the top right-hand corner of my blog. THANKS AGAIN!

xxo D

Maine is NOT for running!!

Hey everyone! Here we go with the update of the week! I am ashamed to say that last week was not a good one - at all. I don't know what got into me, I wasn't feeling the least bit motivated. Ok, I will say it...I BARELY ran last week. Ugh. I ran 4 miles last Sunday and that was it until the 9 miler I had on Saturday 7/5. Yea...just imagine how that went!

I am 100% to blame. I wasn't being good to my body and let myself revert back to my famous couch potato days. Bad!! Saturday quickly approached and I KNEW it wasn't gonna be fun - and I was right.

Before I get into that, let me tell you about my weekend in Maine! I went up to Poland, ME with the Kenney's (family friends). Their family has a beautiful home on Lake Thompson - breathtaking! We arrived on Friday morning, had lunch with the family and then high-tailed it to the water for the rest of the day. Apparently I didn't listen to my own advice and got BURNT on my stomach and thighs! It was awful. Wearing pants, shorts or anything with a waistband just killed (imagine how those 9 miles were...ahhh). I learned my lesson quickly, and lathered up ASAP. I got to visit with C & E's grandparents, Don and Joan Zelten (sweetest hosts ever!), Aunt Mary and cousins Kristen & Karie, and of course Caren and Patrick. We enjoyed big family dinners, late night games of Scattergories and a beautiful fireworks display.

Saturday rolled around and neither Catherine or myself wanted to run. We were supposed to wake up at 8 but pressed "Snooze" 'til 10. Another bad idea - now we know why our team runs are early in the morning...because it's not 90 degrees! Catherine was nursing some serious shin splints and I was just feeling like a bump on a log - but we did it. 9 miles under our belts!

I'm not even exaggerating when I say 6 out of the 9 miles were up-hill. It was BRUTAL. Never again will I abandon my training schedule because I was NOT ready for that. I have learned my lesson.

After my poor performance on Saturday, I am making a promise to all of you to STEP IT UP from now on. I have been working very hard, but not hard enough. There are so many elements that go into proper training and although I have been consistent with most of them - I am still slacking.

I realized that a "slow" training week can affect the strength and endurance I have built thus far, and I'll be damned if I let it affect anything else from here on out! (hold me to that...ok?!)

I just got back from a 6.8 mile run (I'm LOVING my Nike chip!) with Megan and am heading to yoga tonight at 7:15.

I am happy to report that as of today, July 7th, we have raised $955!! I am so thankful to all of you who have donated and given me words of encouragement - PLEASE keep them coming.

Now, can I ask a small favor of all of you? If you know of anyone who would be interested in donating or my story - please pass my TNT (link at top right of my blog) and blog link on to them! (PLEEEASE!). I have been approached by so many people thanking me for putting my time and effort into this, it only makes me want to exceed my goal.

I love you all!
xxo D

Bad Ass?...errrrr...OK!

I have been called lots of things for running this marathon - crazy, ridiculous and even stupid (thanks whoever called me that...). However, my favorite to date, believe it or not, is "bad ass". I was talking to a good friend the other day - she sent me an e-mail that was full of encouragement and at the very end she ended with, "you're bad ass...". I never thought the word (s)? "bad ass" would have a profound effect on me, but somehow it did (in a weird empowering sort of way...). I AM bad ass for embarking on this journey - one with many ups, downs, pains, smiles and tears. I have many moments where I feel very proud of what I'm doing, but also moments where I feel overwhelmed, tired and downright crazy. I knew going into this that it wouldn't be a piece of cake, that there would be days I just wanted to give up, call Monica at the TNT office and tell her this just wasn't working out and "thanks, but no thanks". I do feel like that, often actually - but I also find myself worrying about things that initially never even crossed my mind. What if I get hurt while training and don't even make it to the race? What if I don't make my fundraising goal? What if I can't get through the long team runs? What if I let everyone down? I also never knew what a roller coaster of emotions I'd feel. One second I can't lace up my shoes fast enough, and the next I have NO desire what-so-ever to get off the couch. I have come to expect it, but it's still not always easy to snap myself out of it when I'm in the moment.

This past week has been a good, but interesting one. Physically I have been all over the place. My goal for the week was to work on my cross-training - I have realized that strength training is a MUST in addition to my running. As the mileage is increasing, I have been noticing how weak my upper body really is. Last week I took a Body Pump class (high repetition strength training class that covers everything from biceps to glutes), and worked in a 30 minute circuit in addition to running...and boy did the extra activity tire me out!

I am pretty pleased with my workouts last week - some days I was on and others not so much, but I got it all done, that's all that matters...right?

Saturday 6/28 was our 8 mile run. The weather just wouldn't give me a break - when I left the house at 7 am it was MUGGY and CLOUDY. Awesome start to the day. I was NOT excited to be up that early. What I could have used was a sunny, low 70's kind of day (couldn't everyone?) - but apparently the weather man felt differently.

It was a rough start - the 1st 3 miles my legs felt like tree trunks, I was tired, uninterested and sweating buckets. Mind games were in full effect the entire 80 minutes I was running, again no break there. I trudged to the end, only stopping for quick water breaks and when I reached the end my hips felt like they might crack in half. Nothing else to report except that it's o-v-e-r.

Workouts Last Week:
Sunday: Off
Monday: 4 Miles/ 60 min. Body Pump
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: 7 Miles
Thursday: 4.2 Miles
Friday: 2 Miles/ 30 Min. Circut
Saturday: 8 Miles

I am hoping for another productive week in terms of training, wish me luck!

I am up to $855 as of today, June 29th...YAY! Thank you all SO much! If you haven't (or have!) donated and would like to, please click on the link at the top right-hand corner of the blog. I can't express how much your support means!

Love D

PROGRESS!

Hey everyone! I will start off by saying I had another great week of training (as I sit here icing my knees with bags of frozen veg tables!). I am finally beginning to see my endurance improve! I can officially say I am OBSESSED with running AND all things running.

In the beginning of the week I was having a lot of knee pain (primarily in the knee cap) and was starting to freak out. It's too early for any injuries - so I went to the Dr. to check things out. I have since started taking Glucosamine Chondriton and Flax Seed Oil (thanks Rena!), both which help lubricate the joints. That, along with icing my knees and popping the occasional Ibuprofen has REALLY helped the discomfort. I was even able to increase my mileage this week without over doing it.

I feel like every week I have a running break through. This week I reached the milestone of getting through my 6 and 7 mile runs without feeling like I was gonna die. In fact, I learned I can actually carry a conversation well past mile 5 - trust me...that's huge! I also focused on a faster pace (another milestone which we will get to later!).

Over the course of the week I ventured into no man's land AKA Grafton, MA (which is beautiful). It is literally farm after farm - we even made a new best friend, a horse that we named Ginger (seriously, we come up with the most ridiculous things to keep us from getting bored, naming random horses is one of them!).

I just returned a few hours ago from our 7 mile team run. I didn't feel my best today, but I definitely exceeded my expectations. The morning didn't start off very well - I forgot my breakfast and resorted to a packet of GU (energy gel) because my stomach was going crazy before we even started the run. Thanks Coach Kevin, if it weren't for you I would have been toast this morning!

Kristina (another teammate) and I ran together today and boy did we kick some major (excuse me mom!) ass. We were flying! We ran to Westboro and through Tuft's Vet school where we saw some lamas, really big cows, roosters etc.

When we came to our last hill we decided to try out Coach K's hill climbing strategy - running up the hill in a zig-zag form. I'm not even kidding when I say we ran up that hill pretending like we were airplanes (wings out and all!) - I spent more time laughing at myself and "flying" then I did paying attention to the hill I was climbing. Whatever gets the job done!

When all was said and done we finished in 72 minutes (that is INCLUDING 4 short water stops). MUCH better than I expected. I have never been able to carry a 10 minute pace that long - yay for improvement!

Workouts Last Week:
Sunday: Off
Monday: 3 miles/ Body Pump (weight training)
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: 4.2
Thursday: 6.2
Friday: 0ff
Saturday: 7

I also want to thank everyone who has helped me reach the point I'm at. I owe my friends, especially Megan, a BIG thank you for letting me vent about my training and share my successes. To everyone who has contributed to help "wipe out" blood cancer - I can't thank you enough!

If you haven't and would like to contribute, there is a link to my TNT page in the top right-hand corner of my blog.

xxo D

A Marathon Runner's Favorite Things...

I can guarantee you won't run out and buy "Dana's Favorite Things" (as you might with Oprah's)...but if you ever decide to run more than 5 miles, take my advice!


These babies are my beloved spandex shorts (not these exact ones, but you get the point). They may be hideous looking, but they are a MUST, and I mean MUST! Now, unless you are rail-thin, PLEASE don't wear them by themselves... esp. if you are a 60+ male.


Next we have the delicious tasting GU. These guys come in handy during long runs. I am definitely not a GU aficionado quite yet - most people don't use these unless they are running reeeally long distances. I happened to be at Sports Authority the other day, and decided to pick a few up to see which flavors I liked. Why would someone make an energy gel in a "Latte" flavor, or how about "Margarita"? I was nauseated just thinking about it, nevermind in the middle of a 10 mile run!
Ya ya ya, I know it's just a hat...but this is one of my best purchases yet. This Nike hat has seen me through many runs thus far, keeping my face from turning into a tomato. I also, doesn't hurt that it looks cute - I like to think of it as an accessory to my running outfit:)






This is my Nike running tracker thing (not sure of it's official name). You attach a wireless adapter to your iPod, and then attach the chip to your shoe. It keeps track of distance, pace and calories burned. I LOVE it!






I have tried EVERY dry fit, cool max, cool mesh sock out there and these are by far the best! They are so thin, you barely feel like you are wearing anything. The sock has two layers to it, so instead of your foot rubbing against the sock and creating blisters, it just rubs against the other layer.

ADIOS WEEK SIX!

Hola! Another week down, phew! I actually had a GREAT week, despite the disgustingly humid weather we had. Poor Scott, his AC broke the 1st night of the heatwave - I stayed far away from his house...it was STEAMY!

I tried to beat the heat by running early in the am or late at night. A few days it was manageable, but others it was (no joke) 80 degrees at 7 am. I will admit though, I did use the heat as an excuse for 2 days, but that was as long as I was gonna hold out - I had 6 miles to look forward to on Saturday.

On Sunday I did my 3-mile recovery run at the gym - I was going for a semi-decent pace...3 miles in 27 minutes. I hate the treadmill, I always feel like I am going faster than I really am. I took Monday and Tuesday off and then added on a few miles since I was a slacker:) Wednesday I met Heather in Grafton for a 4.2 mile run. It was pretty gross out, but having someone to talk to made it bearable. The next day I decided to make up for lost miles and head back to Grafton (this time by myself) to do the same 4.2 miler. It didn't go as smoothly and wasn't nearly as fun as having company with me! It was HOT, and the last 2 miles of the run happened to be in direct sunlight and on a busy road.

Friday am was a first...Scott and I went on our first run together (...hahha). It was a quick 2.5, I didn't want to over-do it since the team run was the next am. The little stinker tried to show me up! It went like this: Me jumping up on my soap box trying to give him "advice" and him trying to tell me I am wrong or "that's not how he does it". I'm sure anyone who heard us got a good laugh out of it! Surprisingly, we run well together...if he's lucky I'll let him come with me again!:)

Our Saturday run went AWESOME! We ran 6 miles (6.2 to be exact) through the back roads of Grafton - beautiful! My friend Catherine and I run at pretty much the same pace so we stayed together, pushing one another along when needed. We started off too fast and quickly learned it wasn't gonna be a pleasant run if we didn't slow down a bit. We set goals throughout the run and found that to help a lot. We had 2 big hills (one short and steep and one long and gradual) to conquer, and we delivered. It's amazing how your body can recover when running. For example, after the 1st hill (which was awwwful) I thought I was gonna pass out. It's amazing what a little deep breathing and mind games can do. We were both in good spirits the whole way talking about everything from matching running outfits to our much anticipated J Lo booties.

So far, so good!:)

* I have decided to post my prior week training schedule, not what I want to do this coming week, it always changes!

So last week...

Sunday: 3
Monday: Nada
Tuesday: Nada
Wednesday: 4.2
Thursday: 4.2
Friday: 2.5
Saturday: 6.2

'til next weeek!

xxo d

PLEASE!PLEASE!PLEASE! (...I'm starting to get reeeeeeeally nervous about this money raising thing)
http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/nikesf08/dweinstein

WEEK FIVE.

Hey everyone, here we are...week 5! Time is flying and not gonna lie...I'm starting to get freaked out by what's ahead of me! Everything started off slow, the miles were manageable...well not so much the case anymore! I was looking at my training schedule and starting around week 12, we have 5 mile "recovery" runs after our LONG Saturday team runs. After I run a cool 15 miles they want me to wake up the next morning and bust out another 5?? That is NOT my definition of recovery. There's not much I can do at this point...it is what it is.

Nothing crazy-exciting happened during week 5 (no fun Vegas-like stories to report...bummer), in fact it was verrrry quiet. I wasn't feelin' the motivation. I did not want to run. At all. A big thanks to my friend Megan, who kept me company on a few occasions last week. We had made plans to run and throughout the day I'd send her random e-mails and texts saying, "I'm too tired, ice cream instead?!", "I don't feel good, rain check??". Of course she wasn't buyin' it. Her response? "Tough. See you at 7". Thanks Meg! What would I do without you?!

Last week may not have been my best week, but I did stay committed to my schedule (the runs at least), there were a few small stops thrown in there, but I got through it.

Saturday was our team run. We had 5 miles on the agenda, not bad, right? I didn't think so. That was until we got LOST around mile 5. Yup, we got lost. My positive attitude took a dive when I learned we were gonna have to tack on 2 extra miles (ALL uphill mind you) onto the end. During the run I am pretty sure I was cursing to myself in hopes it would make me so mad I'd run faster. No such luck.

I'm feeling pretty good after the 7 miles. I'm actually not sore at all, it's a miracle. Our recovery run today was 3 miles (which I did on the treadmill because it's 9 million degrees and humid out), which is still in the good 'ol "recovery" category for me.

Week six workout schedule:
Sunday: 3 miles
Monday: Yoga
Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: XT 40 minutes
Thursday: 4 miles
Friday: Off (maybe some XT)
Saturday: 6 miles

Thanks again for the support everyone! xxxo D

Keep those donations coming!
http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/nikesf08/dweinstein

Week 3!

STACK at the Mirage

Elvis drinks Starbucks? Who knew!?

Me and a bunny...



The Strip...

Yum!

Graduation day...

Mom and I

WHEW! What a crazy week (as you can see!). Graduation was amazing - it was a gorgeous day, my family was there...everything was faaaabulous! Scott and I left for Vegas at 3:30 the next morning...no explanation needed...it was all it's cracked up to be. We ate some seriously delicious food, lost a lot of money, had our share of passion fruit mojitos, saw some great shows and (as you can see) saw Mexican Elvis (Scott was ready to go home after that, he saw all he needed to see!). Now I need a vacation from vacation! :)

I was a bad girl and didn't run OR workout while away. The only workout I got was walking up and down the buffet line haha...just kidding (sort of...). I decided to enjoy myself and relax (which means no physical activity what-so-ever), besides we weren't covering miles I couldn't already do.

On Saturday we had our team run, 4 miles. Surprisingly, I felt great and was excited to sweat a little. It turned out to be my best run yet! No aches or pains. Everyone was surprised I did so well considering my lack of activity while away.

The one thing I have learned so far is that running is 100% mental (for me at least). My body is capable of A LOT - more than I give it credit for. The days I find myself giving up, are the days my mind is everywhere it shouldn't be. Saturday was the first day I was 100% in. Even when I was at the bottom of the massive hill on North Street, I was excited (who gets excited about hills?! I know. I'm a dork!) to reach the top, even if that meant fighting off the "I'm gonna pass out feeling". Speaking of that feeling, I get it a lot. I usually talk myself out of it, switch up my breathing with hopes I don't wake up face down on the asphalt. So far it's worked and my face is still intact.

That's all for today...'til next week!

Workout Schedule for Week 3:

Sunday: 3.5

Monday: Yoga (supposed to be off, but yoga can't hurt!)

Tuesday: 3

Wednesday: Cross Train

Thursday: 4

Friday: Cross Train

Saturday: 5

Here is my TNT fundraising link...every little bit helps!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/nikesf08/dweinstein

xxo D

One Week Down!

First and foremost...I am 23 AND a college graduate!!! Yesterday was an AMAZING day all around...you couldn't wipe the smile off my face if you tried:) As many of you know, I was unsure if I was gonna graduate this Sunday...well, I AM! After 5 long years I did it. College was the biggest challenge I have faced thus far and now I feel like I can take on ANYTHING! Yesterday was filled with lots of happy tears, champagne and a major feeling of relief! the best feeling? I can do ANYTHING I want now...watch out world!:)

*now back to running*

Week 1 went great, a little stressful since I was trying my best to finish school. I ran on my own and followed the schedule to a T. The schedule said to only run 1 mile each day, I was tempted to run more but decided to follow my coaches advice. If I go into this too hard, I will most likely burn myself out half way through training.

The first team run was on Saturday morning. It was a blast! I met some very inspiring people! We are all SO different, but the great thing is we all have the same goal in mind...and that's what helps us relate to one another. We ran 3 miles through Grafton which is a cute 'lil town (but VERY hilly!), I was too busy checking things out to really notice how far I was into the run and what I had left ahead of me. Running with the team is going to be KEY to staying motivated, it was the first day we had all met and everyone was very encouraging right from the get go!

Thank you to everyone who has donated and motivated me with their inspiring words! keep 'em coming!

P.S....This girl is off to VEGAS on Monday am...WOOOOT!


xx0 D

WELCOME!

Hey everyone, thanks for checkin' out my blog! As many of you already know, I am running the Nike Women's Marathon on October 19th in San Francisco...not sure what has gotten into me, but I'm VERY excited for the journey ahead. What got me interested you ask? Well, I decided it was about time I started putting my time and energy towards something good besides on-line shopping, Perez Hilton and TMZ.com (No, really...If you knew how much time I spent on-line looking at this crap, you'd agree too!). I have always loved running and decided if I was going to suffer sore muscles, painful blisters and severe dehydration...I may as well do it for a good cause. This led me to Team in Training, a non-profit organization that raises money for Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma (blood cancer) research. I didn't really know much about blood cancer until I went to the information meeting and was immediately touched. After hearing countless heartbreaking stories, I decided I wanted to help find a cure for these people. I'm not gonna lie, it's going to be a LONG five months, but a very meaningful 5 months. It feels good to know that I am working towards something that can potentially save a few more lives.

I'm running the marathon with a good family friend, Catherine Kenney (who I used to babysit by the way, yikes!), and a friend from FSC, Heather Haley. These girls have some serious spunk, and when necessary will tell me to stop the whining and get moving (just what I need!).

I hope to update this weekly on my training, ups and downs, exciting news...all the good stuff! Please check back periodically!

If you would be so inclined, please help me reach my goal of $3895, all of which goes towards research. every little bit counts! xxo

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/nikesf08/dweinstein