DNF #2 aka How NOT to do a HM!

Well,I had a race on Saturday morning....my 2nd HM on tap. Well, I was supposed to FINISH it. This was not the case this time.

I would have done it much easier if it wasn't one thing that I got in the way a week earlier....the flu. Not just any flu - the SUPER FLU!! And it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I happen to get it just a day after arriving home from a school-related trip to Washington DC. I love flying. I just hate getting sick after I get home part. I thought it was just another sinus infection because the symptoms at first looked like it was pointing in that direction: drippy nose, sinus pressure, the huge fatigue, and did I mention the drippy nose?! Then the next day....BAM! I got hit the body aches and more nasal dripping that brought on some coughing. I went to work feeling like I could handle it....WRONG!! It ended up where I thought my work day would never end. Then I had the night from hell where my body just started attacking itself with the headache and body aches. That's where at 5:30 am with nausea from the headache from coughing too much (Zofran...you are damn GOD-SEND!!) I started to wave my tiny white flag and resign to having to stay home from work. I just had enough....before I went back to sleep for another 4 hours.

And I slept...and slept. Until I took each ounce of strength to get my cell phone and make an afternoon appointment with my doctor. That's where I got the news..after getting a giant q-tip stuck up my nose: THE FLU. FML!! Seriously?!

But I got the greatest gift that a doctor could give when you are sick with the flu and coughing a lot: CODEINE! It makes most of your troubles go away with every 4 hour stretch of sleep. My husband at one point thought I looked like death warmed over and adorable. (Thank, hun!)


Fast forward to Saturday morning, I was feeling 95% better from the flu and ready to run this HM. I ended up struggling after mile 3. The fatigue came back. I started coughing up phlegmy-phlegm. I then started to struggle very bad. Then the lightning struck 1/2 mile away....F***! Then I kept on running and lightning again....f***y-f***! When it started pouring, that's when I decided that it was not worth being a human lightning rod and getting worse than was already. I put my safety and health first.

Yes, I am pissed! I have a right to be. But I still have two more HM to go this season. I am not done yet. I have Grandma's in less than 5 weeks. I will be putting every ounce of energy into preparing for this race. I am determined to get my sub-2:00 somehow. I just need to get rid of this cough first.

Rock and Roll Chicago HM Recap: TIME FOR PLAN C!

It was a nice day for a race. I was quite nervous before the start of race. I know that I have been training for awhile so I know that I am in the game. I started out in the 5th corral, which was awesome. I felt very strong as I ran in the Loop, but once I got to mile 9 along the lakefront the humidity hit me hard. I struggled during the last 2 miles of the race, but was determined to finish and attempt to go sub-2:00 HM. I was extremely happy to finish even with the finish time. I was happy to just PR during the race. I am more determined to complete a sub-2:00 very soon and work harder for the Chicago Marathon.

Mile 1 8:53
Mile 2 8:42
Mile 3 10:12
Mile 4 9:56
Mile 5 7:15 <~~~~ Wow! Where did that come from?!
Mile 6 9:16
Mile 7 9:26
Mile 8 9:35
Mile 9 9:44
Mile 10 9:24
Mile 11 9:47
Mile 12 9:24
Mile 13 9:39
Mile 0.46 (according to Garmin)- 4:15 (9:11/mi)

Avg Pace - 9:19/mi

Bring on Race Jitters

Tomorrow's my BIG DAY! With it, it comes with the race jitters....and lots of them. I just want to do very well. Here are my goals for the race:

• PLAN A - Hit a sub-1:50 to earn a preferred corral for the Chicago Marathon
• PLAN B - Go sub-2:00 HM and smash my previous HM PR
• PLAN C - Just beat my previous HM PR

I am strongly hoping for PLAN A in the morning. Now I am heading to bed since I have a 4 AM wake up call.

CDC Race Report

Well, it's been a couple of days. I am slowly feeling a little bit better. I was very, very sore yesterday and not in the greatest of moods. I did get a massage last night, which has helped to relax me.

My race day started at 3:45 AM on Sunday. I got dressed and relaxed before I started the hydration and fuel process. After I was ready, we headed towards the Loop on the train. It was weird riding the train this early on Sunday, but the weather was SO beautiful. Once we got to our stop, we walked to the starting line. I saw the "Hi" guy near the starting line. I then headed down to the Team in Training tent before heading to gear check.

Then Josh and I went our separate ways at the Starting Line. He headed off on his bike to meet me on the course. I started to get myself pumped for the start of the race. I was also nervous at the same time. Then it was time to get started. I ended up in the 2nd wave instead of the first, which went to the elites. Here's the synopsis of the race.

Mile 1-5: I felt like I was completely flying. I was running at between 8:20-sub-9:00/mi. I felt good.

Mile 6-8: I was starting to feel very fatigued. The wind from the lake was creating a HUGE resistance even though I have been able to run against the wind many, many time. My legs felt tired. I really pushed myself. I had one of the TNT coach running with me. I really needed the support.

Mile 9: I...HIT....THE....WALL! I also started to feel absolutely LIKE SHIT! I had to completely STOP. The TNT coach had me put my head down to get the blood hitting there again. It helped a little bit better. I then starting walking slowly before running again.

Mile 10-13.1: My main goal was to FINISH. Time did not matter at this moment...period. Right before I finished I saw Josh again. I then had my "bite me" moment and yelled at Josh to "f***ing get out of my face." Then I ran to finish....and I finished strong even though my legs did not want to.

After I finished, I called Josh to find him. Once I found him, I immediately starting crying because I was so glad to finally finish even though the time I got was not what I wanted. Then I found Barb and thanked her for cheering me on. We chatted as we cheered on other TNT runners who was struggling to finish. Josh and I then said our goodbyes and then headed off to the TNT tent for breakfast provided by the chapter.

I then got myself some pancakes at the TNT tent. Once I got my post-race meal, I was rudely greeted by my GI tract with the strong urgency to use the port-a-potty RIGHT NOW. I found Josh and quickly handed off my plate to him and RAN to use the facilities for Round #1. (I am NOT going to go into great detail for everyone's sake.)

Afterwards, I quickly ate and begged to head home so I could rest. On the train ride home, I could feel Round #2 hitting my GI tract. But thanks to some Imodium, I stopped Round #3 from forming in its tracks. Josh and I lounged on the couch and watch the TiVo-ed Opening Ceremonies on the TV before taking a long 3 hour (MUCH needed!) nap.

Now I needed to rest today and tommorow before starting my Chicago preparations on Thursday. I plan to add (with the advice of my awesome chiropractor) resistance training to my plan in order to help me prepare for Chicago along with some hills and speedwork before my 20 miler in a month or so.

Now I plan to hit the sack. I need to sleep. The race report is sponsored by my right big toe. What a beaut!

2:11:14

Still recovering. Not happy with the time.

Race report later.

6 miles......DONE!!

Today was a really great day to go to the gym after a wild day of work. It is SO hard to work on the weekends because I have problems getting my long runs done AFTER work. But today was an exception. I went to the gym and found there was hardly ANYONE on the treadmills. It was pure HEAVEN! I had NO guilt in using a treadmill for longer than 30 minutes and pressure to get off around that time. I watched my Gophers play against Illinois during the Semis. (And LOST....that's another blog post!) The times went very quickly by. I was able to get negative splits done and finish my last mile in 9:42/mile (It kinda equals 8:15 - 8:30 on the trails without the resistance of the treadmill from my experience - SUPER FAST!)

When I got done, I REALLY, REALLY made sure that I stretched because I was already starting to feel my muscles tightening up. I even endulged in the foam rubber for a "beating" so I do not feel sore later.

Right now, I am starting feel VERY, VERY sleepy from my run. Time to go to bed and allow the muscle fibers to rebuild. Rest day is tommorow and back to work for one more day.

Today's Workout
6.04 miles
65:00
10:45/mile

Hill Training DONE!!

It's my first hill training in two weeks. I made sure that I had enough carbs today for lunch today since I was going for 40 minutes today, which ended up 46 minutes instead. It really paid off in the end. The 8% incline still kicked my a**, but slowly getting a little easier to do. My quad feel like I did 100 squats today.

Tommorow - 35 minutes of EZ running OUTSIDE. They are talking 50's for the forecast. I hope they keep their word.

First Half-Marathon Training Run

I feel very good and confident about this training and it shows!

Chicago Half-Marathon from a spectator view

It's the day after my 5K and now I am have switched roles as the spectator today. It's great that both Josh and I are running races the same weekend. We can both share our aches and pains along with fixing each other up afterwards. I am still a little bit sore from yesterday, but I have been dealing with this very well. But today was Josh's day and intended to do so.
The day started out very, very early - well, not early for me if this was a WORK DAY - at 5 am. Josh, Shea, and I along with Shea's wife, Kathleen all hopped into their car at 5:30 am to head to the Half-Marathon and picked up Justyna on the way before Lake Shore Drive closed up for the half-marathon. It was a very beautiful morning.

After we parked the car, we headed out toward the starting line. As Josh was about to head to port-a-potties, I look to my right to see the Roadrunner booth and very quickly recognize Lora and Haight. I ran up to the booth and say Hi. After some quick hugs and hellos, Josh and I talked to both of them for a while before taking our pictures. It was so awesome to meet both of them since I moved to Chicago. Then it was off so Josh could get ready to start. I wish Lora good luck and headed on our way.

After Josh took care of business, it was time to say our goodbyes and allow the men to head to starting line. I wished Josh lots of luck and told him how proud I was of him followed by a quick kiss goodbye. Then Kathleen and I headed to our post on Lake Shore Drive near 57th Street. It was a great spot because we could see Josh, Justyna, and Shea twice without running to the next street. Then we waited....and waited for the first runner to come by us. And they eventually did. The men run by first and then finally first woman runner raced by after I swear 12 guys.

Then we waited to see our men to run right by. With my great cowbell, I became the best spectator ever. Thank goodness it did not come with a lost voice. I still have a semi-long day ahead of me and needed it badly. I totally missed Josh, Shea, and even Lora's pace group since I was focused on looking all of them. In fact, when I saw the 2:40 pace group come by, Josh sent me a text message at 8:30 that he was at the 5.25 mile marker according to his Garmin.

Oh crap!
I quickly moved to the barrier where I propped myself up to watch the returning spectators heading back towards the finish line. We eventually found our friend, Justya and her friend, Tasha finally walk right by us showing signs of struggling early. We encouraged them to keep moving before they closed off the course and started to sweep people off at mile 7.

Then we continued to cheer. I focused on those who were really struggling and encouraged them to keep running.

Shea was the first one to run past by us muttering something about needing salt. I encouraged Kathleen to leave me at our spot so she could meet Shea at the finish line. 10 minutes later, I saw Josh who greeted me with a big sweaty kiss. I gave him a salt packet (after thinking about what Shea said and remembering my two years of the pre-race lecture by the Rock Doc at Phoenix. Ooops!) He took the salt packet and then washed it down with the water I had for him. I told him that I was so proud of the effort he put into the race even though he has been struggling with an ankle injury (look at the irony there - hmmm!)

After he left, I hurried to the finish line to catch him before he finished. I attempted to get a pre-finish picture which did not happen. Josh ended up trying to reach me after he finished. He asked me not post his finish time right now, but I can tell you that it's the same close time I had this past January in Phoenix. That's all I am going to say and sticking to it.

I then met him at the finish corral. After I found him, we walked to get the free food for him (The post-race food was NOT in the same area as the finish chute - BAD IDEA!) Since there was a long line, I told him that I would meet him at the end of the line. As I was making my way to the end of the line, I ran into Haight and asked him he's seen Lora. He told me that she was back at the Roadrunners tent. I won't say how she did, but I will leave it up her in her blog to disclose that - if she choose to do so!) I also saw a gal who passed out a few minutes prior to my arrival. I overheard that she had sushi the night prior to the race. That's another BAD IDEA to have before a race and have stuck it in the back of my head. After Josh got his food, we went over to talk to Lora for a few minutes before leaving to meet Shea and Kathleen at their car.

After we made it to the car, Josh, Shea, Kathleen and I drove to Medoci - or at least took a long time to get there with all of the road closures near the half-marathon. Justyna and Tasha met us there since she finished an hour after Josh did and was only 4 blocks away from the finish line.

After a great well deserve brunch (and running into Lora and Haight again outside while waiting for a table for 7 people), we received a ride to the Marshall Fields store on State Street where we were meeting Josh's mom for the protest that we made plans to join in for a hour (which we did). We did make it on at least one of the newscast - the NBC affiliate.

On the way home, I was so tired and exhausted from the LONG day along with still recovering from the 5k yesterday. I ended up taking a long nap once I got home while Josh took it easy. Tomorrow's going to be a very relaxing day. Both of us took the day off from work - THANK GOD! I have a much needed chiropractor appointment in the morning following by doing what I want afterward and depending on how Josh is feeling in the morning. Tommorow also is the start of the 10K training program for the Treat or Treat Trot 10K on 10/28. I plan to challenge myself at this event since I know that I can do it!

Knees and One Half-Marathon Pic

Yes, fellow bloggers! I FOUND a picture within the lost and found section that could not be pulled in the first place. It's only one picture, but it's better than nothing. I am happy with the picture....and YES, I was cold as I slowed down during the half-marathon. Speaking of running, I am forced to slow once again. Instead of my ankles, it is my right knee. Originally, I thought it was a problem with my IT band stuff. I keep stretching and stretching along with using some heat too. But it feels like my patella is scraping against my tibula or tibia causing it to lock and making walking simply difficult. There's a grinding feeling - very painful. I plan to make a phone call to the chiropractor tommorow and have my knee looked at to decide if my hip may be the cause of it because it is pulling on the muscle. I would like to get out again for another work-out, but will hold off until I am seen and an injury is ruled out. **sigh** I have an extra 4 - 5 lbs on my body since last week and would like to start to work them off quickly. On top of it, I am retaining a lot of fluid too - especially around my stomach area. Tight work pants a huge motivation for me. I will update on it tommorow.

Race Weekend Recap

WARNING: This post is going to be LONG!! Well, this weekend was very busy. I hope to get most of the details from the weekend in this blog entry. Friday After getting to sleep at around 12:45 a.m, I had my alarm set for 6:00, which seemed too damn early. I was able to get the last of my stuff packed within the 30 minutes I had to get ready before my ride arrived. I also was able to sneak in a bagel and cream cheese as I waited. The temp were around 9 degrees when I woke up that morning. TOO darn cold! Once my ride arrived, I moved quickly to get into the warm car. It only took us about 30 minutes to get to the airport, park the car, and the walk into the terminal. Once in the terminal, I received my boarding pass and checked in my luggage before going through damn security and walking to the gate. The time seemed to move very quickly by the time I reached the gate. I even saw my buddy and fellow alumni, Frank, who's now a mentor. Our plane then took off at 9:00 a.m. to Phoenix. It was only a 3 hr 10 minute flight to Phoenix. There was some turbulence, but not too bad of a flight. When we arrived in Phoenix, they said that it was only 50 degrees outside, which I was shocked about. I thought it would be warmer than that. WRONG! After getting our checked baggage, my TNT group took a nice bus to the hotel. We ended up sitting on the bus for at least 20 minutes extra while we were waiting to receive notice on our rooms. Since our rooms were not ready, we checked them in with the concierge desk so we could walk to the expo. I ended up spending about 1 1/2 hours at the expo before walking back the hotel to see if my room was ready. It was not ready yet so I walked to over the Quizno's for a late lunch. After getting my lunch, I walked back to the hotel and sat down in the lounge to watch TV as I ate. After taking a few bites out of my sandwich, the bartender explained that I could not eat in the lounge. EXCUSE ME! I am waiting for my room and just relaxing as I ate....and I am a PAYING customer. GEEZ! Give me a damn break! Well, after I found another spot and finished eating, I went back to the check-in desk to see if my room was ready. It was finally ready and was able to get my bags into my room. I was starting finally relax at 4 PM - two hours before the RFB gathering. After relaxing for about 2 hours, I made my way downstairs on the elevator and towards the bar. As I almost made the bar, I heard someone say, "Denise!". I turn around and it was Pat and his wife. After saying "Hi!", I explained to him that I was heading to the bar to get our tables ready. We ended up walking together. It was a small pub...and I was SO glad to get the table reserved for that night. THANK GOD! After sitting down for a little bit, Jenn arrived as well so we talked a little waiting to see anyone else would show. Well, no one else showed, which was okay. We ended up chatting about the race and other stuff. It was a fun. I made to meet Jenn outside of my hotel so she can head to the expo herself and then make a fun trip to GCU. We ended up calling it a night around 8:30. I headed to walking back to my hotel room, where I vegged out and talked on the phone until I went to bed early - under a certain person's orders - around 10:30 pm MST. Saturday I had planned on sleeping until 9 am, but my body clock had other ideas and woke up 7 am instead. UGH! I started my day eating a bag of pretzels and starting up the fluids again with Powerade while talking on the phone again...and enjoying as much cable TV as I can. (I do not have it at home!) Then I took a nice shower - using the awesome Aveda soap bars (**sigh**I was HEAVEN!!) and then made my way downstairs to the Starbucks connected to the hotel. Breakfast at the Starbucks was CHEAPER than the hotel food. Example: The continental breakfast was $12.50. A bagel and cream cheese was $3 and the juice was a separate $3.50. Yes...they were making a KILLING off of us poor runners who were there for the marathon....and HAD to EAT! After eating my breakfast, I met Jenn outside of the Starbucks where we walked to the Expo. We ended up spending about 1 1/2 hours at the expo, which I did not mind. More free stuff - more stuff to take home and stuff in my suitcase. Then we walked to where Jenn had parked her rental car and drove to GCU. It was a short drive on the freeway. Once we got there, we were met by the security guards at the gate. I showed them my school ID (Thank GOD I brought it with me!) and we drove in. We parked the car near the Administration offices and just started wandering the campus. My main goals while I was there was 1) see if the bookstore was open and 2) find the computer lab to check my e-mail. After some wandering around the campus, taking in the sights, and asking a few people, I finally found the computer lab. The Internet connection was a very, very slow - and very, very frustrating, but I was able to check some e-mail - not much. When I was finally finished, we walked back to the car and then drove around to find a place for lunch since both of us were very hungry. We made our way to the same Quizno's that I had lunch on Friday since it was across from the hotel. After we ate lunch and chatted some more, we went our separate ways before I left for the TNT pasta party. I spent the time relaxing in the hotel room watching more TV and prepping my stuff for the race as well. I left to go downstairs again with my TNT group for the pasta party. It was a fun event of eating pasta, listening to "The Penguin" talk and hear more inspirational story to get us psyched up for the race the next morning. After the pasta party, we headed back to the hotel for a team meeting to discuss pre-race details. Then I headed back to the hotel room where I tried to relax before heading to bed. It was hard to relax because the nerves were kicking even someone was trying to calm me down. I was more worried about how the cold air would affect my lung than anything else. I did not want to fail during this race even though I would take precautions to prevent it from happening. I finally went to bed at 10:30 and made plans to be up by 4:45 a.m. Sunday (RACE DAY!) 4:45 seemed to be SO early, but it was an important day for me. I was up, dressed and ready to go by 5:15 so I could meet the MN Chapter in the lobby by 5:30. Once I was down in the lobby, I got my bagel and peanut butter to sit and eat while waiting for everyone else to arrive. There were people in my group who had shorts and tank tops on. They were NUTS! The temps that morning was at only 29 degrees. TOO damn COLD for standing around for over 2 hours before the half-marathon. I already had my windbreaker pants, capris (and had my race number on it!), sport bra, short sleeve cool max shirt on, tank-top, and then my breakaway jacket on with a pair of gloves AND socks TOP OF THAT, but they were NOT keeping me warm. We were out at the starting area by 6:15, which was TOO damn early. My feet after about 30 minutes were getting COLD. I had to keep moving in order to stay warm. I was desperate! When the marathoner left to go to their corrals, we went to the 1st corral to watch them take off. As they were heading out, one of the marathoner from Georgia ditched their LONG SLEEVED shirt, which was PERFECT. I grabbed that and another souvenir shirt to cover my mouth during the first mile of the race. When everyone was turning in their stuff at the UPS gear check, I was quickly getting the shirt on and staying warm (and very happy too!) After spending 10 minutes in the line for the port-a-potty (ewwww!), we walked to our corrals. I ended up in the 19th corral. The officials were late starting the race. On top of that, it took 30 DAMN long minutes to reach the starting line. They would let one corral go and then STOP before letting the next one go. It was very frustrating and time consuming. I also did the stupid act of forgetting to start my stopwatch to keep track of my time progress. UGH!

The first few miles were easy until the urge to use the port-a-potty came again. I was able to hold it until mile 5 where I found short lines and quick return on them. I only lost about 5 minutes from my time, which I was okay to lose instead of time at the end of the race because I decided to hold it in that long. At around mile 6, I was able to take off the breakaway jacket and tie it around my waist.

I felt pretty good most of the run 'cept I really looked forward the Accelerade stops every 2 to 3 miles. I also used two packets of Sport Beans. I received a Clif Shot, but could not open the damn thing at all. UGH! The Sport Beans got me there at the finish. I found that the road was going uphill slightly and then a hill at mile 10.5. I was not happy with the hills. The course was supposed to FLAT.

UGH!

Well, I saw the road leading up the ASU stadium coming up around my mile 11.5, which got my 2nd wind kicking in. But my legs and body starting slow a bit and had the urge to just walk, which I allowed my legs to do. Then I picked it up again and ran. When I reached the mile 12 marker, I started to allow my legs to walk more and then running. As I approached the finish line, I picked it up and ran. I wanted to run through the finish line and look good for the photographers. When I saw the clock at 2:58:15, I really wanted to finish before 3:00 and have a good time.

After I crossed the finish line, I cried SO hard. It was truly a very emotional time for me. I finished a half-marathon after dealing two injuries, frustrations of TNT fundraising, and then dealing with the realities of an impending divorce. I have been through SO much!! When I received my metal, I cried some more. When I received my Mylar blanket, I asked for the guy who gave it to me to give me TWO hugs because I needed them very badly. There were a few people that I wished where there to give me a hug, but not there so I looked for the first available person.

Then I found the place where they were taking photographs with the logo. I did not want to stand in line for the pros so I looked for an open one to take a picture with my camera phone. I found a couple and asked them to take my picture. In exchange, I took their picture as well. Then I was off to the yummy carbs - bananas, oranges, and BAGELS - and the AWESOME FREE SANDALS, which my feet were crying out for desperately. It hurt MORE to stand in line than to keep moving.

After I received my FREE sandals, I headed to the TNT tent to check in, get my free PB&J, pretzels, chips and other yummy treats - and then get my gear at the UPS gear pick-up. Once I picked up my stuff at the gear pick-up, I was OFF on a mission - to find FREE beer. Yes, FREE beer. I missed out on that last year and I was NO way going to miss it again this year. It also gave me the incentive to keep moving and loosen up my poor leg muscles. Once I found my oasis - ok, the FREE beer, I found a good place and drank both of them. It tasted SO good. Then I walked back to the TNT tent to catch the shuttle back to the hotel.

I felt the two beers kick as I was riding the bus. WHooohooo! It was a good feeling. Once I got back to my hotel room, I got the stinky clothes off and some comfy temp clothes so I could just sit, watch the rest of the Bears-Seahawks game and talk on the phone with a few people about my finish. After I made my phone calls, I took a very nice warm shower and the rubbed some of the stuff that I bought at the expo on my muscles. It felt SO good.

After I get myself freshened up, I headed back downstairs to get something to eat the hotel restaurant. I ended up having a medium-sized side salad that had chopped eggs, bacon, croutons, spinach, and ranch dressing, which costed me $6. Ouch, but I was hungry and did not feel up to walking anywhere outside of the hotel room. The Starbucks was closed as well, which sucked. It tasted very good and left me satisfied until dinner.

After a late lunch, I went back upstairs to take small nap. I was woken up by someone with about 15 minutes of my nap left, but glad to talk to him. I was then out the door to go back downstairs for the Victory Party.

I walked with a few people to go to the Victory Party. It was a fun time at the Victory Party. They served Mexican food - fajitas, fruit salad, pinto beans, rice, and cookies at the end. They also had a cash bar. Once I got my food, I sat down with my teammates. One of the spouses bought me my first beer (actually third if you count the first two from after the race). By the end of the night, I ended up having a total of three more beers. I was having a good time.

They had us on the dance floor starting the Electric Slide (which is VERY interesting after a couple of beers and wearing the free sandals) and other popular dances. It helped to keep the legs moving and made the evening very interesting. They even made the evening more crazy when they brought out FIVE rolls of toilet paper and had several people pull them out into the audience. It became very crazy and zanny. We ended the party at around 9:30 and walked back to the hotel room. I ended up sobering up in my hotel room with a bottle of water and some pretzels before going to sleep at 12 midnight.

Monday

I woke up at 7 am even though I wanted to sleep in MUCH more that morning. I sat on my bed and continued to relax while watching TV. I knew that I would need to be out of the room by 12 noon so I was soaking it up as much as I could. I had a little bit of issue during that time, but I had one more trip to Starbucks for some goodies.

Our group ended up leaving for the airport at 1:30 for our originally scheduled 3:35 flight, which ended up being 30 minutes LATE to leave. Rule #1 - DO NOT leave very bored guys near the PAC (Personal Address Center) at Sky Harbor Airport. They will play around and goof off. Geez!! I ended up getting home around 8, waited 15 minutes to get OFF the plane, and then another 30 minutes to find my baggage. Once home, I relaxed, worked on homework, and caught up on e-mails before heading to bed at 1:30 a.m.

That's the whole weekend. If you want to see MORE pictures (70 pictures...and COUNTING...still growing!), PLEASE click on this link to see ALL of them.

I plan to rest the remainder of this week. My right heel and the right side of my right knee are painful still so I need to rest them for a little bit longer. I plan to get on the eliptical on Monday and work slowly back up to running again.

Stay warm, everyone, and stay dry!

Firefly's HOME....

...and VERY tired. I will post more about my weekend tommorow or Wednesday. I am in the middle of the big catch-up period, but will do something very soon...I PROMISE! Thank you SO much for the support and posts. Special thanks to Josh for posting my pictures about my progess and weekend. Time to get some sleep...FINALLY!

Calling P.F. Chang's Arizona runners (and any AZ RBF members too!)

Consider this your BIG invite to the Pre-race gathering! Answer the calling!

Day: Friday, January 12, 2007

Time: 6:30 - ??

Place: Seamus McCaffery's Irish Pub and Restuarant (one block from my hotel room at the Wyndham Phoenix - sweeeeeet!)

Note: I will calling the bar and speaking with the manager in the morning to get a space reserved for us.

Let me know if you can come out and hang with us.

16 days to go!!!! Wahoooooooooo!

Music for Firefly

Happy Hump Day!! Well, now that I have decided to go down to the half-marathon, I need to some good music to listen to while I complete it. I know that there will bands along with the half-marathon route, but not EVERYONE. Thank GOD for my iPod to get me through those quiet areas that would require additional inspiration. On top of the t-shirt I created to inspire me when I arrive in Phoenix, I would like to have the music I listen to during the entire race to do the same thing - inspire me. In order to complete the 13.1 miles at 10:00/mile pace or faster, I need about 36 songs - about 3 songs per mile. The music needs to inspiring to keep me moving through the course. Each of you can contribute one, two, or even three songs, which I would play together and know that you are cheering me on during the race. After I get enough songs, I will either check to see if they are one that I have already or I would download them from iTunes. I may even burn the songs onto a CD if anyone's interested too. I will post the list of songs in order by mile right before I head out to Phoenix. I look forward to carry all of you during the race in spirit. The race is getting closer and closer. The new year is almost here as well. I hope this race will be a good start for the new year. I have a few things will be changing in my life during the new year. I hope that this is one of those things. Today was a good cross-training. Legs are still a little bit dead still from Saturday's run. I did turn down the intensity and resistance a bit. I will try to get a nice 3 mile recovery run tomorrow on the treadmill or just rest the legs if needed. Today's work-out 35 minutes- Elliptical machine 3.49 miles 379 calories burned 10:01/mile - still slightly slow...ugh!