Day 11- Commitment

Today I "rested" (as per the marathon training schedule), meaning I did not exercise. What I did do was run errands and clean house all day. One of those errands was to drop off my registration at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society office!

Luke and I talked and decided that I could just go ahead and make the commitment. Our reasoning was bifold: 1) I had proven my ability and determination to see this through. 2) We realized that I needed to start fundraising ASAP in order to make the goal of $1700 by February 16th!

Tomorrow I will stray slightly from the training schedule for two reasons. First, the schedule calls for me to be running by 7:30am. This would mean Luke would have to be in charge of caring for Ethan. However, he has had a long week and wishes to sleep in. Since this is one of the last Saturdays he'll be able to do so, I'm granting that wish. Secondly, we have company coming tonight and that places housework as a high priority. So, instead of running the "long run" at 7:30am, I am going to try to squeeze it in this afternoon before company arrives.

BTW I got "The Notebook" when I registered, and inside, among other things, are the bios of two of our Honored Teammates. After reading them, I am more determined than ever that I WILL do succed!

Day 10

Today I succeeded in my plans to run/walk my errands and then some! Yeah! I walked/ran quite a ways (pushing Ethan) and really pushed myself in between stores. Also, when I got back to the apartment complex I did another 14 minutes of run/speed walking on the treadmill. I'd hoped to get some idea of how far I could run after already having pushed so hard, but Ethan was having none of it, so I had to keep bending over (legs still going) to reinsert his pacifier or jiggle the stroller, etc. So the quality of my exercise was compromised. I did get through at least 5 straight minutes of running though before I had to reduce my speed to deal with him. Afterward I made sure to stretch really well (he'd finally fallen asleep, but I needed to go do some chores).

I feel really proud of my accomplishment today and I'm feeling more and more confident that I can actually do this!

I had another event to attend this evening, so I didn't get to writing yet, but I plan to get at least 1/2hr in before bed. Thus, I end this post. :-D

Day 9- New Confidence

Since I didn't get to exercise Tuesday, I decided to do my three miles the next day...then my husband, Luke's, car broke down and ate up half my day. So I did my three miles Wednesday night on the treadmill. Because I'm trying to decide whether to join the running team or the walking team for the LLS, I decided to try to run a fair portion of my 3 miles- just to see what I could do. Well, after the first 5 minutes I was convinced that only in a moment of insanity would I sign up for the running team; but I kept going and by the time I was done I'd found a new confidence. Keeping in mind that I would have to do it again the next day, I completed 3 miles in less than 42 minutes and I think I might have done better. Yes, granted this is only 3 miles, but hey, I'm just starting out and it's a lot better than I thought I might be able to do! (I think I might do even better next time, too!)

Today, I'll wallk/run in the real world while I run some errands. So I won't be able to accurately time my acheivement, but I'm a fair judge of how hard I'm pushing myself and I aim to continue to push past that "I want to quit" mark. I've always known that I can go farther than my mind would initially have me believe, but after enduring 22hrs of labor (20 w/o medication) I suddenly have a new belief in my ability to endure and persevere. I am so excited by the thought that I might actually be able to run a 26mile marathon come June 4th!!!

And now that I have that goal in mind, whenever I start to think about how hard it is to keep going, I just remind myself that it is probably NOTHING compared to what a nine year old goes through in kemo therapy! And the thought that children are being tough enough to not only fight something like that physically, but mentally as well.... makes me push even harder! It's amazing to think that my running might make a difference- however small!

Day 8- A New Beginning!

I did not get in my three mile walk today. Instead I took Ethan to the pediatrician for a vaccine, purchased a new sports bra, and helped my sister-in-law hook up her computer.

Also, tonight I attended an informational meeting regarding the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training Program. A decision has been made that if I can train everyday and still keep up with the house chores between now and their Kickoff date (Jan. 31st), then I will join the team!

I also have not yet had any time to write today. We will see how the evening progresses. For now, I have household chores to perform. :-D

Days 6 & 7

Friday (Day 6) went as expected- too busy for either exercise or writing. C'est la vie. (That's French for "that's life")

Monday (Day 7) I did manage to squeeze in about 15 minutes of aerobic exercise before the long drive back home. Also, although I did not actually write in my novel today, I did spend a good portion of the ride home mentally "chewing" on it.

Tomorrow I will take Ethan to his doctor's appointment in the morning and then shop for a proper sport bra (mine is too small since the pregnancy). Then, I plan to get home in time to go for my "regular" 3 mile walk outside. ;-D

See you later!