Fourteenth Group Run

I'm calling this entry "Fourteenth Group Run" even though it was just me and Chris running together, doing our big 20 MILE RUN!

We woke up around 5:00am on Saturday, got dressed, and both had two hard-boiled eggs and a thick piece of Asiago toast with butter (yummy). We prepared some bags with water, Gatorade, and Starbursts and put notes on them that basically said "Don't touch." Chris loaded up his fuel belt and I loaded up my new fanny pack that Christine generously gave to me, and we headed to Hull to strategically place our supplies along our route. We did so, then drove to the Derby Street shoppes. Kristen was there early and we said hi to her, then headed out to run 20 miles!

We started out slow and steady. My knees and hips hurt me as soon as we started, but nothing I couldn't run through. It was cold and drizzling at the onset, so we each wore sweatshirts, but as we approached the first water stop at mile 3, we were both both getting warm, so we ditched the sweatshirts. (Side note: There were slugs everywhere. Slimy, orange slugs, all over the sidewalks. Just thought you should know.)

Chris and I both brought 3 GUs, and wanted to try to eat about every hour. We would have needed another GU each, but I think we stuck to this while we could. We both opened the first one about an hour into our run, around mile 5.

We kept going, and just before mile 6, Kate, Christine and Monica found us and gave us some Powerade and some encouragement. So, we skipped our bag of water and kept on going.

Around mile 8, Chris was feeling tired and thought he'd have to walk. He had anther GU and decided to at least keep running until the half-way point. We stopped at our mile 9 water stop, and there we pulled out some of the Starbursts and devoured them. He felt much better after that, and started running so fast I could barely keep up! He said he really just needed to eat something. I think it helped me too. We're both thinking of pre-peeling some Starburts and carrying them with us in baggies for the marathon!

We kept going on towards mile 10. Lorri drove by and stopped to say hi. At the intersection of Nantasket and Draper Aves., it was time to turn around! We stopped again at mile 11 for more Gatorade, water and Starbursts. Around mile 12, we took a walk-break, and then Kate and Christine stopped for us again. After that, Chris' knees just wouldn't let him keep running, so I went on ahead.

I felt amazingly energized for some reason, and was able to run at what felt like a pretty good pace for the rest of the run! I really think this is because of the nice, slow pace for the first half, and also the GUs! For my 18-mile run a while ago, I felt completely drained. The Rice Krispie Treats helped for a few minutes, but I think I must have really hit that wall. GUs have saved my life! I wish I hadn't waited so long to try them out.

Just before I got to the mile 17 water stop, I noticed my belly was feeling a little empty, so I had more Starbursts when I got to it. That helped for a while, but the hungry feeling came back. Unfortunately, I was out of food, but fortunately, I only had about 2 miles left to go. I knew I just had to hang in there and get it done, and then I could go to Panera and eat whatever I wanted! It wasn't that easy, of course. The bottom outside of my left foot started to hurt then, but I just plowed through that pain and kept going. When I got back to the car at Derby St., I had a huge, goofy grin on my face, because I WAS DONE! I had run 20 miles!

I went to Panera, but the weirdest thing happened: my hunger temporarily disappeared. I got a drink and got a text from Chris; he was on his final 3 miles! I went to the running store where we typically meet, and where TNTers get 20% off, and asked the sales person about my foot. I have has the same pair of running shoes since February and I wanted to know if that could have anything to do with the weird new pain. He said it was probably just from running 20 miles! haha! but he said it was probably time for new sneakers anyway, so I bought a brand new pair of the same exact sneakers.

Then I read my book on a bench until Chris ran up, and we drove our route again so that we could collect our bags of supplies.  For the rest of the day, we iced our knees and watched DVDs, then went to bed at an embarrassingly early time for a Saturday night!  IT was around 8/8:30.  

Now we taper down until the marathon!  I'm feeling much more confident  about the race now that the 20-miler is over!  I was pretty nervous after the 18-er.  IT was so rough!  I feel more prepared now.  My only concern (and it's not even a real concern) is the weird foot pain, which still hasn't gone away, but I'm going to stay off of it for a few days instead of going on my 4 and 6 mile runs this week.  

A Few Things

1. Like I mentioned before, I had to skip the 15-mile run last weekend. I haven't been running very much this week. On Monday I still wasn't feeling great. So I ran 4 or 5 on Tuesday (I still haven't mapped it out), then took Wednesday off. I'll run 5 or 6 tonight, but that's it. I have to rest on Friday if I want a shot at being able to run 20 on Saturday! I'm sort of feeling unprepared for that 20-miler because I haven't kept up with the mileage lately. But on the other hand, I think my hips, shins, ankles, and knees are happy with the rest they've had this week. So, we'll see what happens! 20 is the longest we run before our marathon. I can't believe it's here already!

2. Chris and I have just one fundraising event left! It hardly seems possible. haha... If you're in the area, come to Margaritas in Weymouth for dinner or drinks this Sunday, June 7. As always, 5% of your check will go to the LLS!

3. I'm going to miss out on running with the new South Shore team on Saturday. Chris and I are starting early and finishing late (20 miles is going to take a long, long time). I'm bummed, because I got to meet most of them briefly at kick-off and they all seem really cool. However, we have a whole summer to get to hang out!

That's about it for now!

Weekend Update

Friday night was my purse party. I'm happy to report that it was a big success! People bought over $1,000 worth of Tamara's adorable handbags, which means that over $250 is going to the LLS. I helped, of course, by buying several myself. ;-D

Saturday morning was Kick-Off for the new participants. Chris and I held a sign in front of the building and directed people inside. We got to meet our "mentees" face-to-face, which was great! They seem really cool and we're excited to start training with them.

Yesterday, Chris and I were going to run our scheduled 15-mile run together... but I had a cold! I felt slightly dizzy every time I stood up, so I didn't exactly think running was a good idea. Chris put on his new fuel belt, though, and headed out himself. He's such a trooper!

I'm feeling better now, which is good, since our big 20-mile training run is this coming Saturday! I want to be in good shape for that. I feel well enough to attempt my 4-mile run tonight... I'll just bring extra tissues!

Heavy Fundraising Week

You can tell it's really getting down to the wire, because Chris and I have been pulling out all the stops on fundraising lately! This week in particular, I've been super busy.

On Monday night, I baked cookies, decorated them Tuesday night, and brought them to work on Wednesday to sell for donations.

Last night was our Uno's Dough Raiser, and tonight is my purse party!

AND, Chris just started a Sox ticket 'promo' on his fundraising page. Check it out!
http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/rnrseatl09/ccappelbii

Things have been a little crazy, but it's all for a great cause. Together, we've raised about $6,000 so far, and we WILL reach our combined goal of $8,600 for the LLS!

Chris' Knee Update

Well, his knee is still hurting him. He had the MRI and it revealed a small tear in his meniscus tendon. Apparently that tendon won't heal on it's own, because it doesn't get enough blood flow to it for it to heal itself. So, surgery may be needed to repair it.

Chris asked his doctor if he should get surgery, and the doctor said he couldn't tell him yes or no. He might not need it, and it might not make his knee feel better. He told him that if he stops running, and the pain goes away, he might not want to have the surgery done. So, Chris is going to keep running for now, complete the marathon, and then... we'll see. In the meantime, he's been wearing a sleeve on it, icing it a lot, and taking lots of ibuprofen.

I'm really proud of him for not giving up. Obviously, I don't want him to over-do it and make his knee worse, but he's so determined to keep going!

Boston's Run to Remeber

This week, we didn't have a group run on Saturday. Instead, some of us got together on Saturday morning to have breakfast. We decided that since no one was running, we should still get together as a group, because this weekend is the San Diego Rock'N'Roll Marathon - Lorri's and Christine's event! GOOD LUCK, LADIES!

Chris and I were scheduled to run 13 miles this weekend, which worked out perfectly, since we singed up to run the Boston Run to Remember half-marathon on Sunday. We woke up at 5am, ate some breakfast, and headed out. As we left the apartment, it was pouring and pretty cold. We took the T to the Seaport World Trade Center, where the race started and ended, and luckily when we got there, the rain had stopped. We got there with time to spare, checked our backpack, and hung out inside for a while, because it was still chilly outside.

At race time, Chris and I headed to the very back of the crowd. We wanted to take it nice and slow, and we decided to stick together for this race. The National Anthem was sung, the airhorn sounded, then off we were! Just as we started to run, the sun came out, and it was suddenly a lot warmer.

We stayed at the back of the pack the entire time, so for a lot of the race, it didn't seem like we were part of a race at all; it was more like we were just out for a run! Only, we didn't have to worry about cars and there were water/aid stops along the way. It was kind of funny to run through the streets of Boston at 8:00am, when they were all blocked off. I work very close to the Seaport world Trade Center, and walk through these streets all the time, and it was weird to see them so empty.

We mosied along for a while, then somewhere around mile 3 or 4, we saw the police on motorcycles preceding the current leader on the opposite side of the road running toward us. We'd only been out for 45 minutes and this guy must have already been on mile 9 or 10! Insane.

I had tried my first GU Enery Gel ever on a 7-mile run a few days before, and decided I didn't HATE it (even thought they're totally weird and SO sweet), so I brought a few with me for the half-marathon. I'm glad I finally started using them... Rice Krispie treats are not exactly the easiest things to carry. A past TNT participant I've been talking to a bit advised me that I should be refueling every 45 minutes to an hour, whether I feel good or not, so I'm really taking that advice to heart. I think eating earlier and more often during my 18-miler might have helped, and having a GU instead of a R.K.T. probably would have helped even more. Anyway, I ended up using two of the GU gels during the half-marathon. I tried new flavors, which you're not really supposed to do during an event, but it worked out for me. I like the fruity ones! Strawberry-Banana and Orange Burst are A-OK in my book.

Poor Chris was doing great until about mile 9. His knee was holding up as well as he could have hoped. But then he ate a GU that just didn't agree with him. It was one that he picked up at the GU station at mile 8... and it was chocolate flavored. He said it made him feel very nauseated. UGH! The poor guy. His upbeat mood quickly went very sour. He stuck it out though! I'm so proud of him!

Towards the end of the race, it REALLY felt like there wasn't a race going on. Even though there still weren't any cars on the course, there were tons of people out walking around. When we got to Downtown Crossing, we had to look out for the police at the road blocks to tell us which way to go!

Then finally we made it over the bridge and there was a crowd of people cheering us on, so it felt like a race again. By then it was pretty hot, and we were thrilled to see the finish line. Like a couple of big nerds, we held hands to cross the finish line together, and our time was exactly the same: 2:50:35. We were happy to finish in under 3 hours!

And Chris' knee wasn't too bad afterwards. He's going to talk to his doctor today about his knee, so I'll try to update tonight about that.

All in all, the half-marathon was a good time, and I'm really glad I got to run an entire race with my husband! (We decided that for the marathon next month, we may split up eventually, or it could end in divorce. ha!)

If there are any good photos from the race, I'll post them when they're up. We also got some sweet medals, so I'll post a picture of those too!

Two Thirds There!

Thanks to all of the generous donations I've received, Acoustic for a Cure, and a cookie sale, I'm over 2/3s of the way to my fundraising goal!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/rnrseatl09/jcappella

That's not good enough though. I need $4,300 by June 15... and so does Chris!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/rnrseatl09/ccappelbii

I really, REALLY want to see $3,000 in my account, like, now. I've been obnoxiously posting my link on Facebook today, because I want to get there by the end of tomorrow! I now only need $80 to do just that! I can TASTE it!

Some wonderful people answered my call and donated today, and more have posted my link on their Facebook accounts, and have spread the word about the purse sale, Uno's, and Margaritas!

PLEASE... donate, and help me spread the word! I need YOUR HELP to do this! (And again, so does Chris!)

We'll be running 7 miles tonight in 90-degree heat tonight, so I promise you, we'll earn all of those donations! We're so grateful to everyone who's already supported us and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We couldn't do this without you!