If it hurts so much, why do you do it?

I read this recently in Runner's World... and I definitely cannot give you an answer! Following my 15 mile run yesterday (11 miles at Chattahoochee River State Park with Laura Kittle - and 4 miles on my treadmill) I was fairly sore all Sunday but it wasn't too bad today. Which is probably a good thing because on race day I'll have to run an additional 11 miles! Yikes!

Since my training hasn't been going so great this summer - Atlanta's super heat wave mixed with LA Fitness not using enough A/C (south locations only) - I am pretty much following a last ditch training regimen. During the upcoming weekend I will aim for 18 (or 20?) miles, and then just taper for the last two weeks. I think if you trained hard all summer a month long taper would be essential, but in my case, I'm not so sure. Regardless, I will be completing the race, whether I have to mix in a lot of walking at the end or won't be able to walk the next day. Why? Good question!

On another note, fundraising is going really well. Waiting for some last minute pledges and sponsorships to come through so I can get a final tally. Thanks to everyone for pitching in!

Volunteering

From the Queen Bee of volunteerism, a report from the frontlines.

Last Saturday instead of running in the Lake Spivey 15K, I volunteered as a course monitor. In races, volunteers are key! Especially in a small neighborhood race like this, where everybody was spread out, making sure people didn't take a wrong turn in the twists and turns through all the subdivisions was pretty important.

It was fun watching the 'front of the pack' runners coming through. #1 was so far ahead, nobody trailed him for awhile. #7 was a woman with a stroller - always fun to see, probably less fun if you're being passed by.

I am signed up to help out at the Expo and starting aid station during the Thanksgiving half. Mostly for the fleece and sweatshirt, but whatever gets you out there. It's a good place to talk to other runners and should help with distracting me from any pre-race jitters. I always get anxiety before running - which shows I care I guess.

Goals for the weekend: Run 19 miles Saturday!!

Having such a busy schedule equals being very tired always and finding it hard to fit in a lot of runs... so I may potentially scale back to half-marathons for awhile... but you just never know.

Looking Ahead

A few races that I am looking forward to running this fall:

Lake Spivey 15K (10/02)
www.lakespiveyroadrace.org
$25 by 09/18
5K option
-- I did this last year through some beautiful neighborhoods. Support your local community!

Atlanta Thanksgiving Half-Marathon (11/25)
www.atlantatrackclub.org/Atlanta_Half_Marathon/htm
$55 by 10/31
5K option
-- This was my first half-marathon last year -- sticking with tradition.

Join me for a run?

Halfway there...

... both in miles and money!

This blog post is overdue by about two weeks. On Saturday (Sept. 4th) I made it to the 13 mile mark in my long run. Now to double that!

I also have passed the halfway point in raising money- almost at $1,600. Thanks to Sanjiv (my cousin in Seattle) and Sunil (my dad's college friend). You guys rock!

If you still haven't donated, now's the time!

65 days and counting!

Quick note on my earlier post about P90X- I had the blog address wrong. It's now corrected as http://www.ladiespressplay.blogspot.com/.

So today we got our New York ferry assignments- Staten Island Ferry at 7:15 a.m. They ferry you to the start of the race so they can have the course going through all five NY City burroughs. The countdown clock said 65 days till race day! The pre-race nerves kicked in :-/

Also, we bought our plane tickets. Anyone up for a Sunday evening NY night out? Everything's falling into place... everything except my non-existent long runs... talk to me after Friday, maybe that will change.

Last night did the bike so I could give my legs a rest. Tonight we're back on the run!

Thanks!

Just wanted to give a shout out to some of my recent donors! A big thanks to my parents' friends - Shailender, Hasan, and Kamla. Also want to thank all my friends that came out to the Sparkle fundraiser Friday night. We raised $200.00! Another step closer to the big finale. I will post pictures of that night soon.

In the meantime, running is picking up again. 3 miles on Monday and 5 miles w/ intervals on Tuesday. The weather is about to start cooling down, which means it's time to hit the trails/ streets.

Also wanted to tell anyone interested in P90X, my colleague at work has been blogging about her fitness journey: http://www.ladiespressplay.blogspot.com/. I will always support someone's jump into a healthier lifestyle!

Motivate please!

After two months of too much vacation, intense Atlanta heat, and capped off with a week-long wedding event... I need help getting myself back out there! I ran short runs Thurs/Fri/Saturday but all were pretty difficult runs for me. Sunday I managed 8 miles with no problems.

Any ideas for motivation or dealing with extremely busy schedules? All I've come up with so far is moving my work schedule up by an hour, so on days I have after-work activities, I can fit in a few miles.

Goals for August: Run 15 miles by the end of the month and raise at least $1,200! Friday night is the girls Sparkle cocktail party which should be really fun. Pictures will be posted.

Summer of 2010 = not a running kind of season :-)