Nope, I Haven't Dropped Off the Face of the Earth...

...I've just had a bit of a cold this week and have been trying to get a lot of rest. I feel much better today. Now if I could just get this congestion to go away I'd be all set. I'm tired of all this nose blowing. Wish me luck!

Running, Ribs, and I ♥ Ski Bus

After a nice relaxed four-mile run and gym workout this morning, this afternoon brought with it a flurry of activity and errands. In the midst of all that, I got two more donations. Woohoo! I like that cheer.

The first donation came from our friends Chuck and Kristin. This is the same Kristin who fed us a fabulous meal (the main course of which was those amazing ribs she makes...I really have never tasted ribs so good) on Saturday night. Thank you for the awesome donation, and thank you for the ribs. Yum.

The second donation came from one of my ski bus buddies, Doug, and his wife, Edy. Thanks to both of you for your kind donation and your support. I had fun skiing with you this year, Doug. Hopefully next year we get better snow! I will make sure that we are always stocked with green tea.

Those ski bus folks are great people. If you, dear reader, ever get a chance, you should ride the ski bus one day. Good food, great conversation, fun times. Another advisor has this fabulous "I ♥ Ski Bus" shirt that I desperately wanted last fall. Alas, I found the shirt, but it is not made for people with my particular brand of shoulders.

More Surprises

Yesterday was a busy, busy day. We woke up and drove into town so Mark could drop me off to meet my TNT group for a long run. The run went well, and my plan was to ride the train back to my friend Laura's house so I could get cleaned up and ride with her to Jennifer's birthday party. Just after crossing the Morrison bridge, I saw the train go by right in front of me. I thought I'd try to catch it, rather than wait 20 minutes for the next train out in the rain. Well, after chasing the train for a full 10 blocks, I finally gave up.

After quickly getting a coffee (and then chasing another train for another couple of blocks...I guess it was only 10 minutes between trains), I managed to ride out to a place where Laura could meet me. I ended up just going to the birthday party in my somewhat-soggy running clothes. ;-) The party was really fun and it was great to visit with friends. Afterward, I promptly came home, got cleaned up, and fell asleep for about an hour.

When I finally checked my e-mail late in the day, I found another surprise donation, this time from Ellen & Pat. Woohoo! They have already contributed once, so this was totally out of the blue. Thanks so much, Ellen & Pat, for this donation and for your neverending support. It is great to run with such enthusiastic and supportive folks behind me.

And thanks to Chuck & Kristin for having us over for a great dinner last night. I came home and fell promptly into what I think was a rib-overindulgence coma.

I Had a Great Friday, How About You?

This morning, I woke up and went to the gym, not sure what I'd do besides run. I ended up at my favorite PE class. We played volleyball outside in the sun, went out for a quick run, and then ate ice cream at one of the tables in the courtyard. Ice cream! Do you know how much I love ice cream? Our class instructor, David, brought the ice cream in these really creative hollowed-out oranges (very nice of him). The ice cream was a mixture of vanilla and what was scooped out of the orange. Kind of like a creamsicle...and really good. I'll need to try that myself soon.

This afternoon as I was doing some fundraising work I got a surprise online donation from Heather. Heather found my site via Susie's Graphics (Susie is my sister-in-law and she is fabulously creative, check out her website). I'm so glad she dropped by. As I said in my e-mail to Heather, I love donations that show up out of the blue like hers did. It really makes me realize there are kind people out there in the world. Thanks, Heather!

Mark and I saw A Lot Like Love this evening. Yes, I know it is kind of a cheesy chick flick...but it was still pretty funny. It was nice to get out for a bit. I was a little sad we don't really have anywhere to go to dessert and coffee after the movies. In New Mexico we always used to go to Double Rainbow. Most places are closed at that hour here, and as much as I like Shari's for breakfast on Sunday mornings, it just isn't one of those places I want to go to get a big piece of chocolate cake and a latte.

More Mail!

I came home from a very difficult run today to two more donations. Wahoo! We're making progress.

Thank you, Audrey, for your donation and also for being so kind and helpful on the ski bus. I had fun getting to know you, and it is too bad we didn't get many ski days that overlapped. Hopefully next year we'll have a less-strange snowfall. Your support is welcome, and I will most certainly run in honor of Jason.

And thank you, Dennis and Brenda. Your donation was a fun surprise today! We always have a great time visiting with you when you are here. Hopefully we'll see you this summer...that homemade lemonade is just too good to go a whole summer without. ;-) Thanks for supporting me in this effort. I will definitely run in honor of Bill and Gerry.

The run today was interesting. I ran about 7 miles, and I can definitely tell I'm not used to running in the warm sun. I think I'm going to start bringing a water belt on my runs, since today I felt a bit parched and actually ran into an office building to get a drink from the water fountain. I think I was also a little sore from skiing (and that spectacular fall). I think I'll go for a nice and easy 3 to 4 mile run tomorrow.

Mail!

This afternoon I received a very cool-looking envelope in the mail. Usually any mail I get is either a bill or a direct mail offer. On the rare day I get a personal letter or card, my name and address are usually handwritten on the front of the envelope. But this letter...I knew from the moment I glanced at it that it was different. My name was typed carefully on the front of the envelope, and the note inside was neatly typed as well. Thank you so much, Uncle Paul, for taking the time to send such a thoughtful and kind donation. Your note made my day!

Half-Marathon Recap

In preparation for getting downtown by 6:15 AM on Sunday, I was asleep by 9:30 PM on Saturday night. I know many of you find that difficult to believe, me being the night owl that I am, but I woke up, ate my oatmeal, and hustled downtown to meet my running buddies.

We shuffled across the start line just after 7:00 AM, and we tried to maintain a conservative pace amidst all the chaos. Race starts are usually so exciting many of us often end up running a little faster than planned. This was no different, as we breezed through the first two miles a couple of minutes under our goal pace.

Then the rain started (and some wind gusts too). And it kept on falling for the next 40 to 45 minutes. It actually felt pretty nice, and it kept us cool. We took water breaks when necessary, cheered on Team in Training teammates running in the other direction of the out and back portion of the course, and basically tried to keep ourselves in good spirits for the whole race. We realized we need to make a list of entertaining stories to tell each other during Anchorage, since the miles seem to go by that much faster when we are laughing and happy.

Our coach was fantastic. She met up with us at mile 10.5 to give us a few finishing tips and to tell us we looked strong, which made us feel pretty good. We dragged ourselves up the Steel Bridge ramp, hustling a little at the top to get it over with all the more quickly. Then we picked up a little speed for the run in to the finish, still laughing all the way as I exclaimed with disbelief that the finish was, "That mat right there?! You mean that one? Right there?" That mat was actually a mat we ran across that read our electronic timing chips so they could announce our names as we finished. It is pretty fun and surprising to hear your name called out as though you were finishing in the top 10, not the top 711.

Overall, we finished exactly where we wanted to, and, with the exception of the first two miles, we were very consistent with our speed. I feel like I could have run a little further if needed, so that gives me confidence that were are on track with the marathon training.

I am finally getting over the insane case of the chills I got immediately after finishing. I did a little cross training today up at Mt. Hood Meadows. I took my warmest jacket, since I decided I'd rather be too hot than too cold after those post-race chills on Sunday. The snow softened up a bit more than I'd expected after lunch, and I took a most spectacular fall. Both skis popped off (thankfully!), and I'm pretty sure I flipped end over end, hurtling through the air after spinning around. I felt fine, but after that, I decided I'd better go in before I hurt myself. Tomorrow...back to running.

Thank You, Angela

I received your welcome donation in the mail today. Thanks again for supporting me by both donating and being kind enough to forward my fundraising e-mail on to friends. I wish you a wonderful week!

Oh, How I've Waited for This

Since I first read about the Athena and Clydesdale divisions a few years ago, I have been patiently waiting for one of the races I enter to offer those divisions as an alternative to age group divisions.

You might ask, what are Athenas and Clydesdales? The Athena division is typically for women who weigh more than 150 pounds, while the Clydesdale division is usually for guys who weigh in at more than 198 pounds. I'm glad they came up with the name Athena for us girls, rather than some other large horse name, since that is not exactly the way we Athenas prefer to be described. Athena sounds fierce. I like it.

I have been somewhat tall for a long time, and 150 pounds came and went sometime during my senior year track season in high school. I have never been a flyweight, and running has always been a bit of work for me.

In any case, when I registered for the half marathon I'm running on Sunday and saw the Athena division listed, a slow smile crept over my face. No, I don't have any expectations of placing or running super fast. It is just nice feel like you belong.

We Owe You at Least a Few Starbucks' Molasses Cookies

To Matt, Laura, and Gillian, thank you for your great donation, your support, and most of all, your friendship. We are so lucky to count you among our good friends. And thanks, Matt, for making the extra effort to go through your company's matching program. That donation match will be a great help!

Thanks, Mom

I know you might never see this, but I wanted thank you here anyway. Your donation and your cheer of "Run, run, run, Michelle" mean the world to me.

Perfect

As my running partner and I headed out for our run earlier, neither of us was thrilled to be dragging ourselves out into the cool evening air. It really has been quite cold lately. But by about 5 minutes into our run, I realized how much I love running in exactly this weather: chilly, the sun falling slowly into the horizon, the scattered clouds hinting of rain to come. I warmed up fast, never overheated, and felt energized for the entire run. I ran an extra few miles because I felt so great. During the last mile, a slight drizzle fell. I love that, I run faster in the rain.

Today was one of those perfect running days when I feel like I could run for hours. One of those days when I realize why I've never strayed too far from this sport. The sense of true freedom and total self reliance is something I really crave. Not every day is like today, but today easily makes up for all those others.

My Husband Is Quite Distressed

My resting heart rate is lower than his for the first time since I've known him (~13 years). Pretty cool.

His response: "I'm going to have to run more and work harder now."

Sun and Rain and Snow

I am so happy our long run was yesterday morning when the sun was out and shining gloriously. Today it has rained steadily for much of the day, and it sounds like a foot of snow may dump in the mountains in the next few days. I may need to get out there to ski, do a little cross training.

Yesterday's run was not our longest, at just 10 miles (did I really just say that?), but I felt great. I am amazed that 10 miles feels okay. I felt like I could've run a few more, which is good, since I'm planning on running the Race for the Roses half marathon this weekend. Some of our teammates have been training and fundraising for this event, so as a team many of us are trying to get out there and run in support of their efforts. The rest of us are training for either the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, or the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon, so we still have a ways to go.

I'm Still Here and Running Along...

Thanks to those of you who donated and helped give me a big confidence boost this week, I turned in my final commitment paperwork on Friday. Wahoo! I am so thrilled to continue raising money for the Leukemia & Lyphoma Society and training with the rest of the team. As a group, our Anchorage team is really strong, as most of us who started fundraising and training in February will be at the starting line in Anchorage in June.

Thanks to The Roach House for your support, donation, and all those fabulous treats. You guys are great neighbors. You aren't allowed to move away. ;-)

Another big thanks goes out to Barb, John, and Aaron for the donation and for always having a kind and supportive word for me. You have no idea how helpful it is to have such great and motivating friends behind you.

I was really happy to check my e-mail today to see that another donation came in early this morning from our friends Noel and Jenny. Thanks so much! We hope your new life in Philadelphia is going wonderfully, and we are still sad we to have missed your wedding last summer.

To those of you out there still considering making a donation...it is not too late. Your donation and support are very welcome and would be much appreciated. You can go directly to my donation website if you want to donate online, or you can e-mail me if you'd like to send a check or need other information. Thanks in advance for helping me raise funds for such a great cause!

Thank You for Rallying Round

Over the last couple of days I've received a handful of donations...wahoo!

Thanks to the magical Cough sisters (well...one is a Zabukovec now), who have taken my e-mail and sent it to their family and friends. You two should do an event like this sometime, you are both such positive, strong, and energetic women...and you are great at rallying the troops.

Thanks also to Scott, Michelle, and Skylar for their donation and support. You guys are great! I am hoping we'll finally get up there to visit with you guys soon. Skylar must be motoring around everywhere now.

Inga, thank you, thank you, thank you! We hope to see you soon, and we hope you have a great birthday later this month.

Thank you, John, for your surprise donation. I am so glad you saw my forwarded e-mail and took the time to make a donation....it made my day!

And thanks also to Angie, Mike, and cutie-pie Jennifer. Your donation was a super way to end my day...it was such a nice surprise waiting in my inbox. I can't believe Jennifer is almost a year old. Wow!

A special thanks to all of you for rallying around my effort to raise funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

I hope we keep up this great progress. Any of you out there that wish to pass on information about this effort to family and friends are more than welcome to. We are raising money for a phenomenal cause, and any extra word of mouth would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Running in Oregon is Much Preferred to Running in Hawaii

I love running in Oregon. The air is perfect. The temperature is usually just right. The rain is manageable.

We just returned from a trip to Hawaii, where running, for me at least, was quite a different experience. The air was heavy and thick with humidity. The rain was unpredictable, sneaking up on you with little warning. The salt from the ocean air would make the sweat dripping into yours eyes even saltier.

But really, who complains about *anything* in Hawaii? We had a great time. Mark played a bit of frisbee, we visited with good friends, we snorkeled near a couple of sea turtles, I walked on the beach a lot, and I had my favorite sandwich at Kua`Aina. It doesn't get much better.

That said, I ran 12 miles yesterday...in OREGON. True to form, I felt great. It is good to be home.

Have I Mentioned Lately That You Guys Are Great?

I returned home from our trip to see that two new donations had arrived. The first was from longtime friends Doug and Helen. Thanks for supporting me in this endeavor! We hope to see you sometime this summer out on the lake!

The second was from Chris, Jeana, Neil, Ryan, and Ashley. We hope you guys had a great day skiing and enjoyed all this crazy new snow! Many thanks for your donation! I'm sure we'll see you soon.