6 miler

I woke up still a bit stiff and sore from Saturday's workout but managed to haul my butt to the Highline for a 6 miler. It wasn't too bad, just slooooow. I'm hobbling around now as my calves have really tightened up. Again. Ugh. Guess it's good that I'm just going to be sitting at my computer working on school stuff all damn day. Fun, fun! How's everyone else doing???
--Tina

Back to Red Rocks

That's me on the left with my Boot Camp Girls! (Nice bandanna, huh?)

Yup, my Boot Camp group hit Red Rocks yesterday for a TWO HOUR workout beginning at 5:45am. WHEW! It was a hell of a workout, friends! We did a lot of trips up and down the stairs, then a lot of running across the rows down and up, and then weight work to bring our heart rates back down to a normal pace, and finally some ab work. Intense. As it got to be later in the day, more and more people started showing up and the place was crawling with folks looking for a good workout on a Saturday morning. Crazy.
The worst part was that this is Widespread Panic weekend at Red Rocks and the place wasn't yet clean by 5:45am on Saturday morning. Let's just say that the smell was NOT the smell of the "great outdoors" and that I got an extra oomph to my workout every time I had to jump over a pile 'o puke. Lovely. I said to my teammates, "It certainly wasn't a John Tesh show here last night." Wow.

After the big workout, we had Sam's birthday party! He's one!!!!!!! The weather was perfect for a lovely day in the park... there were a million cute kids, great food, fantastic cake, and Fat Tire in a can (who knew?)! Guess what?!? ARVID RAN TO THE PARTY!!! YAY! We're so proud of him! Very impressive! : )
--Tina

Stupid PhD School

Ahhhh.... summer. It was going so well there for awhile... I'd get up in the morning, work-out, hit the pool, do some leisurely reading, watch some reality TV and call it a day.
Not anymore.
I've had three intense days of class and while it's exciting and stimulating, I'm exhausted and have a "to-do" list that keeps growing and growing and growing... AHHHH!!!! I need to buy a new computer, write six papers (with research), participate in some sort of on-line discussion with my classmates, and read about 17 articles and a couple 'o books... on research methods and educational reform. Ugh.
Anyway, I've kept up with my early morning work-outs this week--amazingly--and am looking forward to hopefully dragging Chele's butt with me to Red Rocks at 5:45am this Saturday to do 2 hours of training with my Boot Camp group! Anyone care to join us????? Looks like the Sunday run isn't working out for anyone... when should we try again? (After the 4th?)
--Tina

Boot Camp Day 5

Today was a doozey. Sally (our trainer) had us doing cardio sets with a big focus on arms. WHEW! I'm feeling it already! I probably won't even be able to lift my arm to answer a question in class today.... ha! Yup, today is day one of "PhD School' as I like to call it... Eric left me a note reminding me to "be nice to the other kids" in class today. I'm scared to death. Will they like me? Who will I sit by? Will anyone eat lunch with me???? : )

Anyone in for a Sunday evening run this weekend???
--Tina

City Park Run

I did about 4.5 or 5 miles this morning. I decided to head down Colfax to City Park and was loving this run, wondering why I didn't do the loop at City Park more often. It's got a nice trail and has a nice, gradual hill around by the golf course/zoo. And then I remembered. Once you get to Colorado Blvd., there is no trail. There's a single-track dirt path that's been grooved in by bikes and today it was pure sludge--again with the sprinklers. I decided to run in the grass but my ankles were wobbling all over the place and I feared an accident so I did a sort of "prance" thing to keep moving without walking and was relieved to hit 17th where the sidewalk reappeared. This, however, proved to be even more dangerous as this section of the sidewalk is clearly 1,000 years old, filled with cracks, unevenness, and general danger to someone like me who is prone to tripping (and falling). Soooo... while half of this 3.4 mile loop is wonderful, the other half sort of sucks. I think I'll just turn around at Colorado Blvd., next time and head back to where I'm not so worried about sludge and breaking an ankle. Just a heads up for those of you who are tired of Wash Park and are looking for somewhere else to run. Cheesman Park is nice, too, but the loop is pretty short--it is hilly, though.... no matter which way you run.
Happy Training!
--Tina

Let's Play This Game....

Pretty shoe, huh? Here's the trivia question of the day.... Whose shoe do you think this is???? Submit your comment here... : )

Group Run #1--After Pictures!

We made it! It was hot--ohmygodsodamnhotsoooohotwoah--hot, hot but the four of us all got in our SECOND run of the day and were feeling pretty good! The best part? Showering up and then hitting Benny's for dinner and chowing down on some seriously greasy Mexican food! Yuuummmmm.... Hey, when you get in 9 miles in a day....
(Look at us... we're so gross and sweaty that we can't even touch each other for the pictures... compare these with the "before" shots! Bwahaaa!!!!)

Group Run #1--Before Pictures

Here we are "before" the 4 mile run at the Highline on Saturday night! It's frickin' HOT, HOT, HOT (85 degrees) before we even begin but we're feelin' good! WOHOO!

Thank God!

I woke up this morning to do five miles at Wash Park and thank God, my rhythm is back! WHEW! I certainly didn't break any speed records but I felt somewhat smooth and I didn't make another "Reasons I Hate Running" list in my mind this time... Instead, I just listened to the music in my ears and enjoyed all the other people out there running at the park this morning! I did have to take two or three one minute walk breaks for my achy knees but I finished at my usual time so that didn't set me back too far... I'm trying to protect these knees so that I'm good to go on race day!
A few of us are going to do four more tonight... I'll see y'all at the Highline at 6:00pm!

A Trainer's Tips for the WWR that I Found Online...

From a Pro:

Wild West Relay would surely be beautiful to run (I love Leadville and all running in the Rockies).

Major decision for any relay run: Are you going to have fun, or are you going to race?
Totally different mind-set for the two. Yes, racing can be fun, but it creates tension.

Generality: Pictures look like a lot of dirt roads and the Rockies. Do you already
run on dirt of some kind? Are you comfortable with (slight) altitude stress (equal
effort will not produce same pace)? Higher/drier Rockies air means you need to drink
more. I used about 1.5 times as much water in the Rockies as I do at home (sea level
in Puget Sound).

Can you get big roomy vehicles (a van allows you plenty of room for gear
and stretching out the legs as you go). Make sure at least two people per
car are familiar with the vehicle. It can be dangerous when a thunderstorm
pops up and you are in a strange vehicle.

The choice A thingie:
a) Save something for the next leg as far as effort goes.
b) Plan to have a half-mile or so warm-up before each exchange, or agree the
runner can start the leg slowly as the muscles get loosened up (again).
c) Get refueled/rehydrated immediately after your leg ends--not thirty minutes
later, immediately.
d) Stay off your feet as much as you can.
e) Start each leg in control, warm back up
f) Might need to be able to run with a hand-bottle or fannypack hydration
system--check on how close the crew/team support car can be out on the course.

Training? The distance isn't outrageous. It's the starting and then stopping for an
extended period that you aren't accustomed to--
a) take a three or four week stretch, one or two days each week do a 3-5 miler
in the morning and again in the afternoon.
b) run Friday evening, Saturday morning and afternoon, and Sunday morning
c) anything else that stresses your mind and body in some cyclical sort of way

Remember you might be running at o'dark in the morning, might want to do a
night run or two--flashlights (hand-held or head-lamps) is a different sort
of running.

Long-distance relays are wonderful events and can be fun adventures--all have made great memories for me.

I couldn't resist...

Mullet??? It's not so much the mullet in the one picture below, it's the "ugly teeth" in the first one--here, let me highlight them for y'all! Oh my god, I can't stop giggling as I write this... SO FUNNY!

Studs are in!

Look at Dawn's mullet in this picture, HA!! She looks so serious, too. These pictures are from our girls weekend last November. Dawn was getting harrassed for being a rocker as she was wearing a studded bracelet and belt all weekend. Many of you may remember the studs as they were popular in the 80's with the long haired rockers. Dawn's rebuttal..."Studs are in!".....okay, Dawn, whatever you say. It became sort of the quote of the weekend. The next thing I know I'm watching the Sex and the City movie (it is only THE fashion movie of the year)a few weeks ago and what is Carrie wearing with multiple dresses and outfits for multiple scenes.....A STUDDED BELT. Tina and I nearly died...we both looked at each other immediately and said "Studs are in!" As if I know anything about fashion, how dare we question the fashion designer. I told Dawn about it and she thought that was funny. She is going to see if her sister can dig out her studs for when she goes to see the movie......

Oh, the Beloved Mini(and chicken leg)

Oh my god that picture you posted of the chicken leg is hilarious and reminded me of this picture we took in Napa. FYI, Dawn brought a mini brush when we went to Napa for my bachelorette party a few years ago. Which is no big deal, it's a brush who cares, right? One morning, she lost the mini brush and proceeded to say the words "mini brush" 4000 times....where is my mini brush?, have you guys seen my mini brush?.....to which Tina replied, "Stop saying MINI BRUUUUUUUUUSH!" From that moment on, the mini brush showed up everywhere...in pictures and even in our centerpiece after Dawn set the table for breakfast one morning...it took a while to notice it...When she showed up for my wedding a month later she brought mini brush garland(actual mini brushes tied on a ribbon) and decorated the room with it! She kills me....

A Fresh Dose of Inspiration

After last night's team meeting, I woke up this morning to head to Boot Camp with an extra bounce in my step. Having all of us (well, almost all of us) together, talking about Dawn and the race and making our plans felt so good and so positive. I am in awe of each of these people who are determined to put in the miles, raise the money, and open their hearts for Dawn. The energy was truly palpable and I'm still riding on that high today. We laughed a lot last night (I think our abs will be in great shape by the time we cross the finish line) and made a lot of decisions. Everyone is stepping up to help and in 49 short days, we'll be ready to do this thing! Yay, us!
--Tina

Updates from our First Meeting!

Team Luv a Dub!!!!

We had our first meeting last night and it was fantastic! Thanks so much to Chele and Jeremy for hosting!!!! What a perfect evening! I'm so excited!!!!

Another big thanks to Chele for determining the legs and printing out our "packets"!!!

Runner 1: Arvid
Runner 2: Stoney
Runner 3: Biggie
Runner 4: Pat
Runner 5: Jen
Runner 6: Tina
Runner 7: Mel
Runner 8: Chele
Runners 9-12: To be split up between Jeremy, Mark, Tim, and Sarah... (these are the toughie legs..)

We also determined that we would rent 2 vans (is Jeremy doing this? Pat?) so that we have room to spread out and haul around coolers, clothes, etc. I THINK this is how it will go: in the first van will be Chele, Mel, Tina, Pat, Jen, and ???. In the second van will be Arvid, Stoney, Jeremy, Tim, Sarah, Biggie, and Mark--with one of those folks in our van once "the toughies" figure out who's running what leg. I definitely feel a "competition" coming on between the two vans and our decorating abilities.... ahem. Start looking for streamers, posters, etc., etc.!

Mark also said that the hardest part of the race is NOT the running.... it's all the "downtime." Start looking for things we can do to fill our time, folks... cards, magazines, frisbees, footballs, etc., etc. (I think Pat wants to knit. HA!)

In talking to Mark, it sounds like we may not need drivers. It sound like a pretty shitty duty for the driver (as they do NOTHING but drive for 30 hours... stopping here and there and filling time... booooooring). Because we have six runners in each van, someone is always available to drive. Sooooo, Shannan and Eric, you're off the hook if you'd like to use your energy to head to Steamboat before us and get the grill going and the beer cold. Totally your call here...

We've got Sam as one of our AWESOME volunteers (YAY!) and now we just need two more... sounds like Chele's working on this...

We are also lucky to have a photographer who will be documenting the race for us--YAY, Frank!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Jeremy/Pat are going to be booking the place in Steamboat soon so be sure to let Chele know how many of you will be up there Saturday night.

We also discussed fundraising and how we're so blessed to have the Stelter Company and Chele's hospital possibly matching our donations! WOOHOOOO!!! Get out there and raise money for Dawn!!!! Stoney is going to help us out by posting a flyer/jar at Govnr's Park (and the other restaurants that they own) and we're also looking into a Garage Sale to be held at Shannan's sometime soon--details to follow.

A couple more things (wow, we really accomplished a lot over wine and beer and delicious snacks, huh?)... We are going to do a "team run" if you can make it this Saturday night. Our thought was that we could run individually on Saturday morning and then meet for a 4ish mile run together. (Again, we think it's better to do two shorter runs per day than one long one.) We'll meet at 6:00 to run the Highline Canal together. Plan to meet/park at the church on Hampden (almost at Colorado Blvd.)--do you know where I mean? Let me know if you're unsure....I can't think of the name of that church... We'll plan other group runs/hill training/conditioning at Red Rocks as we go.

And finally, please mark your calendars NOW for our final team meeting to be held at Chele/Jer's on Saturday, July 26. This will be a really important meeting where we'll tie up loose ends and make sure we've got everything we need.... I'm not sure what time we decided on but let's go with 6:00. If you know that this won't work, let Chele or I know so that we can re-schedule so that we can ALL be there. We may need another meeting between now and then but we'll see how we can do over email.

Remember: Please register for the race, guys!!! You can do that at www.wildwestrelay.com--Go to "Registration/Database" then "Team Registration" and we're obviously Team "Luv a Dub." Once you've registered there, you can mail your $90 check to Michelle.

--Tina

A New Attitude

I'm back from the pool where I kicked up my feet, read about 60 pages in my book, and watched all the kiddos run, run, run around the pool while the lifeguard continually blew his whistle reminding them again and again, "Don't run." And then it me. I really am an idiot (that seems to be my "word" throughout these updates). I should be damn grateful that I can run. That I can throw on shoes and head out whenever I need/want to. In fact, I thought about this for so long that I'm officially ready to write my Top 6 list of reasons that I LOVE running now. Here goes. (1) Running is MY time. With my earbuds in my ears and my face looking out ahead, I am free to think about whatever I need to... a luxury that normally doesn't occur doing other activities. (2) Even though I'm sloooow, I'm doing it. I'm running. It's taken me a long time to get to where I'm at having not picked up running until moving to Denver and I'm proud of that. (3) I love when you're out on the trail (usually the Highline) and you give that little nod to the other runners coming at you from the opposite direction... it's a "knowing nod" that only runners know. I'm happy to "know." (4) We all know that I'm no athlete... I can't throw a ball, catch a ball, hit a ball with a bat, or toss one up into a basket but I've got my running. If I can keep from falling down, this is something that I CAN do. It used to be just cheerleading and tennis... now I've added running. AOA (Adult Onset of Athleticism). (5) I can run in so many different places depending on my mood. I'm not restricted to a court or a gym. I can head out my front door and run down Colfax where the homeless folks cheer me on. I can head out to the Highline and get those loving "nods" from the others runners out there doing long runs. I can go to Wash Park where it's busy and crowded and full of distractions. Or I can head downtown and run down the 16th Street Mall, weaving between tourists and locals, enjoying the perfect timing of the "Walk" signs when you find the right pace. (6) Because I run, I am connected to this group of loving friends who chose RUNNING as a way to honor Dawn. I am so grateful to be a part of this group. I am grateful that I'm included, grateful that my slow stride isn't ridiculed, grateful that I have a body (even these aching knees) that allows me to do this in the name of our friend. And so I apologize for the whining in my last email but I'm better now... promise. We all have good days and tough days, right? Sometimes you're lucky enough to have both all in one day. I'm looking forward to heading out again soon.
--Tina

Wednesday's Run

So I went to Wash Park today to do two laps (just over 5 miles) and it was TOUGH. My legs (and abs and triceps) are soooo sore from yesterday that today was a real struggle. Again. As I was running, I began listing all the things that I hate about running. Allow me to share. (1) The sprinklers at Wash park. They create thick,thick mud to slog through and while it should feel good to get wet as the spray drops over the trail, it takes my breath away every time and I hate it. Hate. It. (2) My Nike + iTunes thingy. It's not working. It tells me that I'm running at a 30 min/mile pace and that when I get all the way around the park (2.6 miles), I've gone about one mile--barely. Wrong, wrong, wrong. You suck, Little Miss Voice in my Earbud. I almost threw it into the lake today. (3) People who walk three across on the trail. I get the walking and talking with friends thing but do you have to take up the ENTIRE path? There's a HUGE inside ring where these ladies could even grab three MORE friends and walk across the whole damn road if they so chose. Apparently they do not so choose. (4) Sucking wind. If I turn my headphones off for a minute and listen to my breathing, I sound like a 400 pound woman huffing and puffing. I've been running for years now and I still suck wind. Irritating. (5) I hate being passed by other runners. It makes me feel as slow as I am... Even when it's some skinny, tall runner-man with about 2% body fat, I feel like a loser as he (or she) cruises on by me. (Particularly if this is the moment where I happen to be listening to my pathetic breathing.) (6) Girls who are fit enough to run in just a sports bra and mini-shorts. Bitches. Ok, ok, if I looked like they do, I'd sport that outfit myself but because I don't look like them--no way, no how--I'll do the chick thing and hate them. OK, I'll stop at 6 for today because I really need to get my head in the game here (anyone else singing that stupid song from "High School Musical" now??? Oh wait, if you don't teach middle school, you probably have no idea what in the hell I'm talking about... nevermind. Mel?). I'd love to be able to write my Top 6 reasons that I looooove running but clearly I'm not feeling it right now. Let me give my wheels a break today and get back to you. I think I'll head to the pool and kick 'em up for awhile. Read a book. Now THAT'S something I'm good at (right, Chele?)! How many days until race day? 50. Five-oh. Oh boy. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone tonight for our meeting. Anyone else struggling like me? Doubtful. Hurumph.
--Tina

Boot Camp

So today was Day 3 of this crazy Boot Camp that I'm doing with some friends from school down in Parker. We meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30am (YES, that's AM) and our trainer, Sally, works our butts off for at least an hour. WHEW! Today we focused on "legs" and did everything from 100 lunges to burpees (yes, I had flashbacks from elementary school PE class) to planks with side dips to punches to.... oh, everything. It was TOUGH. Again, I'm already thinking how I can get Eric to take me seriously when I say that I want that handicap bar in my bathroom. Hmmmm.... I think I'll relax for the remainder of the day and then attempt to get up and run tomorrow. I thought maybe I'd run tonight but we'll see how tight my legs get during the afternoon. I've got to go do some "pre-work" for my doctoral classes that begin next week and I have to smile because the last time that I saw Dawn was up in Breck where I met the girls after I took the stupid GRE test. She called me "PhD" all weekend... Smile, smile.
--Tina

Seven JUNK Miles...

I just got home from a 7 mile run on the Highline Canal. It sucked. Ugh. Now I'm really nervous. It was hot (just like it will be during the race), I was sore (just like I will be during the race), and I was sucking wind (just like I hope NOT to do during the race). I think the professionals call runs like these "junk miles." They were definitely junk. I just could not find my rhythm and everything just plain hurt. Damn, damn, damn. I tried to slow down (doing that "I'm-still-technicallly-running-but-really,-an-old-lady-could-pass-me-walking-right-now" thing) but that didn't help. I tried walking breaks but once I started that, I didn't want to start running again. I tried blasting good 'ol JT into my ears thinking he'd get me going as usual. No such luck. The drum beat of the White Stripes couldn't do it either. Neither could The Killers. Not even some hard core dance music did it for me today. So, basically, I trudged along in a half jog, mostly pathetic walk form and came on home. I'm aching and pissed off. Why can't my body perform the way I'd like it to? I know that I'm no "natural athlete" by any stretch but come on, let me at least go for an easy long run when I want to. So yes, I put in 7 miles today. Am I feeling good about it? Not even close. Junk.
--Tina

Damn, I'm Sore...

I've managed to move from the bed to the chair to the couch today. I may have overdone it with the whole Red Rocks thing (particularly having done it the day after Boot Camp)... Idiot.
--Tina

Good God

I "did" Red Rocks today. I had no idea what I was "doing" but I did it for an hour. I've been to Red Rocks as a tourist, a concert-goer, and a hiker, but never as a "runner in training for a ridiculous race." Today was different.
I parked at the top and when I looked down, the amphitheater was busy with other folks crazy enough to attempt a work-out in this beautiful venue. There were groups of women squatting and lunging and skipping. There were two men "boxing" across each row. There were tourists at the top taking pictures and some on the stage reenacting their favorite band.
I had no idea what to do so I followed the girls' lead (unbeknownst to them). I jogged down the steps then walked back up. I took the rows by two's (and then by three's) and ran all the way across them as I zig-zagged back to the bottom. I then attempted to "run" back up. I made it row 35 and then sucked wind for about two minutes and walked the rest of the way up. Good God.
Next, I jogged back down... allllll the way to the lower lot and attempted to "run" up the steep ramps back to the stairs. HA. Run, my ass. I made it about ten steps and then my stride turned into some sort of leap/skip/wide walk thingie. I'm sure it was very graceful and pretty. Bwahaaaa!
Finally, I went back up the stairs, saw a woman doing some dips off the edge of the stairs and followed her lead. She then did some push-ups and that looked like a good idea (please, God, give my legs a break) so I did that, too. I made it down and up (getting slower each time) a couple more times and by then I had been there for one hour and that sounded impressive enough for my first time out so I stopped.
The best part??? I (of course) had to use the restroom in the Visitor's Center (down a loooong flight of stairs) and I had the lovely, lovely gift of using the handicap restroom so I was able to use the bar to hoist my aching body and shaking legs down to the toilet. Oh, what a gift. I'm thinking of asking Eric to install of those in my bathroom here at home. Squatting down sucks. Trust me.
So that was my first day 'o training at the Rocks. I can't believe I'm going to admit this but it was..... gasp..... fun. Seriously.
When I got home and told Eric how many people were there training his response was, "Idiots." We are a bunch of idiots, aren't we???? : )
--Tina

Some Musings...

Here's the thing... while Dawn has been fighting for her life over the past many months, she has no idea how much our friendship has blossomed. Sounds weird, I know. I met Dawn through Michelle and while I've only had the pleasure of spending time with her in Napa, Copper, and Breckenridge, I have come to know her in a rather intimate way through all of this. She has become so dear to me. She is what gets me up in the morning and what gets me out for my runs each day. Just today, as I struggled through this insane "Boot Camp" that I'm doing, I found myself thinking about Dawn and sending her my warm thoughts and feeling her pushing me to keep going. I'm sure that there are many, many people who feel this, too.
What's so amazing to me, as I've followed her journey through Chele and the loving blog/carepage, is how many lives she's touched. Just look at all those posts and comments and prayer lines. Heck, look at all of us, way out here in Colorado, who have spent many a night discussing her strength and her life and predicting all the incredible things that she will continue to do with her life. Even colleagues of mine who do not know Dawn whatsoever, check in with me often, wondering how Dawn is doing and letting me know that they continue to pray for her. This is a tribute to Dawn. There's a movie line that says something about everyone "needing a witness to their lives" and I believe that that's what we are now. We are witnesses to Dawn's life and through that role, we've learned more about our own personal lives. I find myself leading a more gentle life... one where I don't regret the late night concert at Red Rocks or the spontaneous trip to the Tattered Cover on a Monday night to hear that author that I've been inspired by... where I used to be tied down to my planner and my need to have at least eight hours of sleep every single night. I don't miss those events anymore. I go. Our girls group, that got lost in the shuffle of babies and school and work has reconnected and that's because of Dawn's reminder to us that nothing is more important than time spent with those we love.
I'm also inspired by Michelle's strength. I cannot even begin to know how all of this is affecting her... what SHE has taught me is the power of the positive. Chele has spearheaded this race and kept us in the loop, creating the human lifeline to Dawn. Her friendship is no doubt helping Dawn and is no doubt helping us as well.
--Tina

We've Got a Meeting Date!

Team Luv-a-Dub is officially holding our first meeting next Wednesday at 6:00 at Chele's! Let's remember to bring a camera and start the documentation! Anyone have a studded belt or bracelet we can sport??? Sounds like we're going to assign legs and find some times to do some hill runs, night runs (my heart is beating way too fast at the thought of this... have I mentioned my irrational fear of the dark?), and much more...
--Tina

Here We Go!!!!

We're really getting going now... The emails are flying and you can feel the excitement brewing! We just need to find two more crazy runners to join us in our race for Dawn--I have no doubt we'll find them. Dawn's good karma is out there and it will come back to us in the form of a complete 12-person team!

We're starting to work on the logistics.. whew. This involves figuring out who is driving, what those drivers are driving (we should probably rent two big "Napa Vans"), where we're staying both on Thursday and on Saturday, how we'll transport our "stuff," who will volunteer, what we'll wear... oh, and who is running which leg. In a brief impromtu meeting over at Shannan's, Arvid claimed the #1 leg (the easiest) while Melissa and I argued over who was going to get the next easiest legs. I totally win here, by the way... she just WON a 5K, doi. Jer is already stuck with the "very hard" legs whether he likes it or not. Then we've pegged Chele and Sarah for two of toughies as they just pulled amazing times at their half-marathon in California last month. I've accepted my slowness and hope that it helps me out of the "hard/very hard" legs in this race. Slow and steady... sloooooow and steady.... that's me.

I'm actually starting to get terrified. And excited. And then terrified again. I just looked at the 'ol calendar and figured out that we're a mere 56 days out. Woah. I think it's time that I stopped avoiding hills on my runs. With that being said, I will say this... I really look forward to running these days because as odd as it sounds, I feel that Dawn is truly with me on my runs. When I feel like walking (or crawling) or stopping at the local bagel shop rather than trudging on for another mile or two, I see beautiful Dawn and suddenly my legs start pumping and I feel like I can actually do this. She weighs so heavy in my heart every single day and I guarantee you that this is exactly what my other teammates are feeling as well. It's exactly why we're attempting this crazy thing.
--Tina