It's TIME!

OK, the vans are being picked up as I write this, the food (LOTS OF FOOD) has been purchased, the signs are made, the bags are almost packed... we are ready!!!!!!!
I'll see Van #1 folks at 3:30am and Van #2 folks on the course....
Deep breaths. The time is fi-nal-ly here.
This is for you, D Dubs!!!!!!!!!!!
Let's get our asses over the pass!!!!!

A Message from the Captain!

From Michelle:

Hi everyone, just a recap of where you need to be and what's happening Thur/Fri.

If you are in van 1(legs 1-6) you need to be at my house on Friday at 3:30am. If you are in van 2, you need to be here at 7 am. We are picking up the vans late on Thursday...since Jeremy booked as a VIP(and got us a huge discount) he is the only one that can pick them up so they won't be here until 7 pm.

The local Denverites can handle decorating the vans. If you are in van 2 and you have something to contribute to the "mandatory" van list..I need it on Thursday. If you are in van 1, I will call you on Thursday to confirm what you are bringing as we are getting everything together. No need for anyone to make an extra trip here if not necessary. Vans 1 and 2, pack an extra bag for Satruday night and you can bring it to our house Thursday morning and Shannan will get it to SS.

Don't forget garmins, headlamps, camera, video camera if you are willing to contribute. We are pretty much handling the food and drinks for you for the van.

 I bought cold compresses, tape and 1 wrap for each van should injury occur to the already injured or anyone else.

 ALSO, VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!----I NEED SIGNED WAIVERS FROM MARK AND TIM BY THURSDAY AND FROM MEL AND BEAU FRIDAY AM.

Thanks everyone, see you in 3 days! 

And Done...

Today was my LAST day of Boot Camp!!! I am done training! D.O.N.E. I didn't get in an extra run but we did about two miles at Boot Camp this morning so I'm counting that as "good enough." My legs are a bit tight and sore so I plan to kick 'em up as much as possible over the next few days (I'm heading to the pool now to get started on that!) WOOHOO! I can't believe we're almost there!
THREE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!
I picked up a bunch of stuff for us at Walgreen's today and Shannan and I are going to Sam's Club on Thursday afternoon (so the fruit will stay fresh) to get the food and then bring it to Chele's to pack everything up and organize it all. We're going to be good to go!

Taper Time

Boot Camp this morning was "sluggish" at best. I. Am. Tired. I think it's definitely time for me to back off.... I will do one more session of Boot Camp tomorrow but I told my trainer that it'll have to be heavier on the arms than the legs and then I'll try to get in one easy run either this evening or tomorrow and that'll be it. I'm planning to do NOTHING on Wednesday and Thursday and hope that's enough rest to really make me fly over those hills (HA!).

IMPORTANT INFORMATION!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, we met at Chele's last night for our final meeting and I think we're good to go!

We've divided up the supply/equipment list and will get all the "requirements" taken care of. Shannan has been a rock-star in getting us all set!!! Shannan will also be making a trip to Costco for food (bagels, granola bars, peanut butter, jelly, honey, fruit, G2, Gatorade, fruit, fruit, fruit, snacks, etc.). If there's something SPECIFIC that you're desperate for, please get it and bring it! There will be some restaurants to stop at and we're buying this food to SHARE so we should be all set.

We're working on signs for the vans and will decorate both vans on Thursday night. We will let you know what time we plan to meet (hopefully early so that the first van can get home to sleep). PLEASE try to come to Chele's if you can on Thursday night so that we can pack the vans as much as possible AND to give me (Tina) your bags for Saturday night up in Steamboat that I can give to Eric so that he can bring those up for us and we won't have to have them taking up precious room in the vans! Let us know ASAP if this WON'T work for you... perhaps you can drop your bag off at Chele's or my place earlier in the week.

When you're packing for the van don't forget to bring LOTS of clothes (everything from warm stuff to cold stuff), sunscreen (there will be some to share in each van), Nalgene bottles, money/ID, sunglasses, deodorant, toothpaste, pillow, blanket/sleeping bag, towel, etc., etc.

Now, the important stuff...
1. Chele, Sarah, and I (??) will pick up the vans on Thursday afternoon and bring them to Chele/Jer's house. (We'll need three people to do this...) WE WILL LET YOU KNOW ASAP WHAT TIME TO BE AT CHELE'S ON THURSDAY NIGHT--keep checking your email/this webpage.

2. Van #1: Chele, Jen, Pat, Mel, Tina, and Sarah MUST be at Chele's at 3:30am on Friday!!!!!!! (Ouch, I know.) Mel, we'll meet you at the start at 5:00am, ok? Just a reminder that the start is at the TOUR center, NOT the events center...

4. Van #2: Jer, Stoney, Arvid, Biggie, Tim, and Mark MUST be at Jer's at 7:00am on Friday!

(Just in case, The Stelter's live at 2201 E Dartmouth Place, Englewood, 80113.)

We have our condo reserved for Friday AND Saturday night--Eric and Shannan will stay there on Friday night (Frank, you're welcome to crash there, too!!!!) and that way we'll have a place to check in to when we're done with the race on Saturday. Van #1 will be able to shower and get out so that it's open when Van #2 comes in... Eric will put your bags here.

We plan to run in as an entire team with Arvid and enjoy those finish line photos and then have a champagne toast back at our place with our t-shirts on for pictures...

Please save your receipts and bring cash/a checkbook so that we can divide up the costs for all the "stuff" (vans, food, supplies, etc.) once we're up in Steamboat!

FIVE DAYS!!!!!!!!

More pictures taken at the meeting...

The FINAL meeting...

10.5

I somehow managed to make it 10.5 miles this morning. It was much cooler than it has been and it actually wasn't too bad. The first eight felt pretty damn good, in fact. It was the last 2.5 that were a bit tough (and pretty slow). Now my legs are tight and sore and I can't imagine what that last leg of the race is going to feel like. We'll find out, huh?

See you at Chele's in a few hours, guys!

ONE WEEK!

Did y'all receive the email with ALLLL the "last-minute information" regarding the race? WHEW! There's a lot to think about and I'm thankful that Shannan and Chele are on top of things and have already gotten us started. I'm thinking they're REALLY not going to let us use our iPods and that's been stressing me out all day. Argh. Aw well... we'll survive. Maybe I'll just sing out loud--HA! (That's a scary, scary thought!)

I did Boot Camp yesterday and while I planned to run this morning, my body is fighting me. I am sore, achy, and exhausted. A sure sign to back off a bit. Eric and I walked to lunch today (I considered that my exercise for the day) and I took a long nap even though I slept for eleven hours last night (yes, ELEVEN). My plan is to do my last long run tomorrow (8-10 miles), walk or bike on Sunday, do Boot Camp Monday and Tuesday with a light run or two mixed in there and call it good after that. I won't do anything except maybe a light walk on Wednesday and Thursday.

Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at Chele's!

One week and counting! Can you believe it?

Getting Closer!

I did Boot Camp this morning and THEN ran 4 miles... and it was brutal. How can it be so HOT even so early in the morning? Good God. Tell me it won't be this hot when we run... pllleeeeaseeee!!!!!!!

Stoney has to work on Saturday so he won't be able to come to the meeting--I told him I'd take copious notes and then thought that if anyone wants to head to Gov's after the meeting, we could fill him in and work on Jackass's plan of drinking booze to hydrate ourselves... I like it. Just keep it in mind...

Eight days. Eight. I'm just saying...

Finish Time Bets?

Anyone?
Shall we have a little wager as to who predicts the closest finish time???
I say 3:02pm on Saturday.

Donations

Chele, do you want us to bring the donations we have on Saturday? Who do we write the check to again????

I love lists...

I started a list of things to think about.... I know, I know, I'm anal as all hell but seriously? The race is a WEEK FROM FRIDAY!!!! We've got a lot to think about!!!

Here goes...

*Vans--when/where to pick 'em up? Who?
*Checkbooks to pay everyone we need to pay for everything we need to pay for (vans, hotels, food, gas, etc.)
*Thursday night thoughts? Are we staying in Ft. Collins or....where are we meeting to drive up? Who's driving???
*Cars... where do we leave them? Who's taking our other "stuff" to Steamboat? (Eric and Shannan most likely)
*Transportation back home on Sunday/Returning the vans (who? when?)
*Team Equipment (there's a list to note on the website) for each separate van: headlamps (with extra batteries), reflective vests, flashing LED lights (huh?), vehicle signs indicating "CAUTION--RUNNERS ON ROAD" (need tape), first aid kits, trash bags, clipboard, vehicle registration/insurance, stopwatch, toilet paper, paper towels
*Anyone have walkie-talkies to use between vans (if cells phones don't work do these?)
*Paper/pens (yup, I'll journal and pass notes I'm sure)
*FOOD/DRINKS: Coolers with ICE: fruit (bananas, oranges, berries, apples), granola bars, bagels, water, Gatorade/Propel, paper towels, cups, wet wipes
*Vaseline/Glide
*Toothbrush/paste
*Deodorant
*Face wipes
*Pillow/sleeping bags/blankets
*Sunscreen
*Lots of clothes... a change for each leg: warm weather, cold weather (layers), socks, bandanna (plus plastic bags for the stinky stuff), hat, sunglasses
*Bear bell/pepper spray/whistle (!!!!) EI-YI-YI!!!
*CAMERA!!!!! Video-camera anyone?
*Foot-care stuff (blister band-aids, powder)
*Fuel belt (to wear while running)
*iPod (whether they're allowed or not, dammit!)
*Money (cash)/credit cards/ID
*Rain gear (even just trash bags)
*List of food, etc. that Eric and Shannan can get ready for us
*"Race" t-shirts for post-race photos!!!!
*"Stuff" for Saturday night/Sunday morning (PJs, fresh clothes, sandals (ahhhh....), etc.)
*Hotel info.--share confirmation numbers, etc.
*VAN DECORATING SUPPLIES
*A good book (you know how Mel and I like to read, Chele)
*Football/frisbee/cards, etc. for "entertainment" while waiting to run
*Scrapbook stuff so we can work on it for Dawn as we go (I've got this!)
*MINI-BRUSHES and MINI CHICKEN LEGS and STUDS... lots of studs! They're in, you know!
*Knitting supplies for Patrick!!!

I'm sure this list will grow and that you all think I'm a big 'ol DORK right now but it's the teacher in me... "Everyone grab your buddy!" Bwahaaa!!!

Words of experience

Arvid talked to a client that has done this run two previous years. She said the thing she learned that was most valuable was to take it easy on the first two legs to leave yourself plenty of energy for the last leg. She said she ran her usual pace on the first leg and found the last leg was more difficult. The next year she ran easy early and had legs left for her last run.

Here is Arvid when he saw his race schedule. He has been training and following Jacka$$ suggestion on hydration. One keg a week will keep you well and truly hydrated.

WE HAVE OUR START TIME!

I just checked the website and Team Luv-a-Dub has a 6:00am start time!!!! We're supposed to arrive one hour early so that means we'll need to be at the Budweiser Events Center by 5:00am. Soooo, we leave Denver by 3:45??? Maybe we should crash at Mel's and/or grab a hotel room or two since there's so many of us?
Oh, and our bib number is 80. I feel good about that. Lucky 80. Niiiice....

Taper?

When do we "taper"? I did 5.5 this morning and plan to keep an "intense" schedule this week but I'm wondering when we should start backing-off... What do you guys think???

Meeting?

We originally planned to meet this Saturday at 6:00 at Chele's place to make sure we were good to go for the race... does this still work for folks?

Dawn's Benefit

It sounds so cliche but seriously, it is difficult to find the words to share with you guys what the benefit was like on Friday. It was absolutely amazing.

To start the evening, Lisa, Eric, and I met up with some of Dawn's friends at a bar in the city to take the bus to the benefit (which was held in Merrionette Park, south of the city). Everyone was so kind and wonderful and Scott, Dawn's boyfriend, got us all hooked up with drinks and tickets, etc. for the bus ride (he is incredible). Dawn met us at the bar and she looks fantastic. She was in her wheelchair and did not have any of her prosthetics on but it was still Dawn--if that makes any sense. Her hair is in a cute, short bob now and her smile filled the whole room. My heart was so full when I finally got to hug her.

When we arrived at the benefit site, we walked in and literally were stopped in our tracks. This place is HUGE--huge, huge, huge--and it was PACKED. Packed. Our best guess is that there were easily over 2,000 people there (yes, that's the correct number of zeroes). People filled THREE huge rooms and were packed in shoulder to shoulder. There were huge screens up which ran a slide show of Dawn (so cute) and many guest speakers spoke during the night. Dawn's mom brought us all to tears and then Diego Gutierrez (a midfielder for the Chicago Fire) spoke on behalf of the campaign "Nothing But Nets" which works to save lives by preventing malaria in children in Africa.

There was a HUGE silent auction and I actually came home with a SIGNED "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" DVD and SCREENPLAY by Nia Vardalos. Eric got a signed Cal Ripken Picture which he was thrilled about! There were so many items to bid on and I am so anxious to hear how much money was raised as there were a lot of people bidding a lot of money on behalf of Dawn. There were also raffles taking place all the time and while we didn't win anything there, it didn't even matter... we just wanted to give money to Dawn in any way that we could.

Dawn had a "reception line" all night long with everyone desperate to hug her, love her, and talk to her. I got to talk to her about our race to which she replied, "You're all crazy!" and we laughed about mini-brushes, chicken legs, and she said that she'll be out to Colorado to visit soon--to which I said, "No! We're going back to Napa!" I got a, "jibe ho!" from her and it felt so good to see that spark that attracted me to her in the first place...

The place was so crowded that it was difficult to move around but everyone was so friendly and the mood was so positive and we met sooo many amazing people that we left feeling so good that Dawn's support system is this huge and is so loving. It was incredible.

At the end of the night, we took the bus back to the bar and I got a chance to sit and laugh with Dawn and her girlfriends for a little while and it was so great because it was so... normal. We told funny stories and laughed and Eric gave her a hard time about being responsible for my "jibe-ho" addiction upon returning from Napa with her. : ) Dawn wanted Sarah to know that she was wearing her necklace and sends so much love to all of you--particularly to Chele and Sarah who she misses terribly...

It was an incredible night filled with hope and inspiration and I am so glad that we were able to go. I promised Dawn that we'd call her when we crossed the finish line and I know that we will ALL feel Dawn with us as we get ready for the big day...
I didn't take too many pictures for a couple of reasons but they did say that there will be new photos posted on the blog soon.

(They sold out of t-shirts immediately--my plan was to buy one for all of you so shoot!--so I'm anxious to get our race t-shirts!)

Stupid website.

Eric just pointed out to me that the Wild West Relay website is exactly one week off in their countdown to the race--lovely. So, no, it's not 22 days until race day. Nope, it's certainly not. It's more like TWO WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!! While I KNEW this, it seems much more "scary" now. TWO WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I haven't done a night run! I still hate hills! Where's my head-lamp? Do we have decorations for the van??? TWO WEEKS!!!!!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!
: )
(Eric just told me to have some wine and frickin' relax. Got it.)

22 DAYS!

Can you believe the race is only 22 days away???? WOAH! I've survived two days of Boot Camp in a row and have one more tomorrow morning and then we're off to Chicago for the weekend! I wish the whole team could go but don't worry, we'll share our story of training with Dawn and make sure she knows how much we all love her!

Part III

I did it--I managed to get up and run 4.5 miles this morning... and I didn't die.
Ahhhh..... that's good news!

I've got Boot Camp tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday (yup, I added an extra day since my trainer is going to come down to Wash Park for it!) and then we leave on Friday for Dawn's benefit in Chicago!!! We are so excited! We're meeting our friend, Lisa, at our hotel and then we got hooked up with Dawn's boyfriend, Scott, to take a bus with everyone from the city to the benefit--YAY! Sounds like we'll be on the bus with Dawn so I'm very, very excited! Anything you want me to pass along to Dawn??? (Besides how much we love her!) I'll take lots of pictures and give you lots of details to pump us up for the race!

Part II

I managed to do four miles tonight (it was just too damn hot to pull five... ugh)! It didn't feel bad--my knees just ache for the first few minutes but then my stride seems to smooth out and it's not so terrible... My hope is to get up and run again tomorrow morning (when it's cooler). We're down to 25 DAYS, team!!! TWENTY-FIVE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Part I

I did Part I of II this morning... 5.5 miles at Wash Park... despite my bloody nose, it was a good run! Tonight I'll do another five or so and then try to get up and do it again in the morning. (I deserve this, trust me... I "overindulged" all weekend for E's birthday! I gotta detox in every sense of the word!!!)

Red Rocks

I did an hour at Red Rocks yesterday morning! WHEW! It's getting a bit easier but I'm still nervous that the race is so close....
Here's what killed me yesterday... there's these high-school boys (I'm assuming) who are up there training for football (I'm assuming) and they RACE from the stage all the way to the top... it takes them like five seconds, they don't stop, and then they go back down to do it again. I can make it to about row 40 (at a "brisk" pace--certainly not a "race" pace) and then I have to stop and find some air. Oh to be young...
Today's my "rest day" as I'm recuperating from Eric's birthday yesterday but I plan to do two runs on Sunday...
Anyone want to think about a night run sometime????

Update

.... so apparently Eric went out to my car immediately after I left, opened the door, woke the guy up (who was a "totally out of it homeless guy") and told him to get the hell out. The guy seemed "stunned and confused" (classic.... as though it's perfect normal to crawl into someone's backseat to sleep....) and attempted to begin crawling through the seats as if to exit through the door. Idiot. Eric proceeded to tell him to get out the exact same way he came in...so the guy crawled back out through the back. E said he proceeded to stumble off down Colfax and it was all he could do to just leave it at that. He may have even proclaimed, "No one scares my wife like that and gets away with it!!!" (Ok, ok, maybe those weren't his exact words and maybe it wasn't that dramatic and cheesy but I did love how E went out to "take care of things" this morning when he really could have just slept through it as the guy was bound to leave when the sun came up...)
Again, Colfax. Bet that doesn't happen down in the Ranch....

You may be asking this: What does all of this have to do with training for the race? Probably nothing. Except that I wouldn't have been UP at 4:45 am unless I was doing my Boot Camp training... does that work for a connection? : )

Fight or Flight? Ahhhh.... Colfax

So it's 4:45am and I'm walking out of my condo building (pictured above) to my car in order to head out to Boot Camp and what do I see? A GUY ASLEEP IN THE BACKSEAT OF MY JEEP!!!!! Yes, seriously. (The windows are out of the back so it's "open" but still.... come on, buddy, find a bench or something "public"!!) Immediately my "fight or flight" instinct kicked in and while my first response was to kick the holy hell out of this guy's feet in order to get him up and OUT, I thought twice about the implications of that move and instead went back inside to get the keys to Eric's car. I whispered to Eric what was going on and when I got back home he had moved my car and the guy was gone... I am soooo curious to hear the story from Eric as to what he had to do to get this idiot out of my car. (I'll let you know once he wakes up.) I'm not gonna lie, I was a bit shook up all morning but luckily I was able to get my aggression out during my work-out.
Oh, Colfax... home sweet home.
Still planning to hit Red Rocks in the morning... anyone? Anyone?

Thank goodness!

Thankfully, my Nike+ system seems to be working again so I did not have to go into full-rage mode during my 6 miler this morning. I'm sure you're all relieved. As am I.

I think I'm doing well on my distance-training... now I need to do some hill work. Big time. UGH. I plan to hit Red Rocks early Friday morning if anyone's interested... I think we're down to less than 30 days. Gulp.

We don't run ALL the time!

We can still go out drinking!

30 minute miles

So I went for a four mile run this morning and I tried to give my Nike Running System another chance but again, the stupid lady in my ear told me I was still running 30 minute miles. I hate her. I may be slow but I'm not THAT slow for the love the god! Anyway, I went to the Apple store at the mall and they gave me a whole new sensor so keep your fingers crossed that this one works otherwise you're going to see some serious RAGE from this gal.... hurumph. I'll keep you posted. (I wish Oprah would give us all new Garmins.)
--Tina

HOT!

I just did 8 miles and it's hot, hot, hooooooootttttt out there! WHEW! My run felt pretty good despite the sweat dripping down every orifice of my body.... Please tell me that it will be much cooler at that elevation during the race! Hope you're having a great weekend!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day, Team Luv a Dub! I hope you all enjoy a wonderful holiday with friends and family!!!! Thinking of you...
Love, Tina

Guess what?

Only 36 days until RACE DAY!! Now THAT'S motivation, isn't it??? It was definitely serendipitous that my mini-brush fell out of my cabinet this morning when I got up to workout... Dawn's with me on every workout and during every run...

So the first session of my Boot Camp ends tomorrow BUT the next session starts next week if anyone would like to join in on the fun! It's at 5:30am in Parker on Tuesdays and Thursday (with a few Saturdays thrown in at Red Rocks) but at that time of day it only takes me like 20 minutes to get there... If you're interested, let me know!