Reasons to Run...the TNT Mission

Throughout my 10+ weeks of training with TNT, our coaches and mentors, as well as our teammates have encouraged us to keep aware of the reason we are running--not the physical benefits and the team bonding (although those are great things), but to help raise money for blood cancer research and ultimately a cure. It's easy to forget those things, especially when you think about the cancer survivors.

Of course, not everyone can be a survivor. I had a grandmother and an aunt who lost their battles with cancer. They were both much older when they passed away, so while it's still a tragic loss, it's not the same as when it's a child. Just today, I read about an 8-year-old British boy who died of leukemia recently. The article was short, but the little boy seemed so wise for his age and emotionally strong. The part of the story that really got the tears flowing had to do with the fact that his parents had arranged a pseudo-wedding ceremony so the little boy could "marry" his school sweetheart. He died the day after the ceremony. The entire article can be found here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2443562/Dying-eight-year-old-%27marries%27-his-school-sweetheart.html.

Tomorrow morning, when I get up for my run early in the morning and I debate about whether I want to get out of bed, I'll be thinking about him. I'll be thinking about him, too, when I ask for donations to Team in Training for the benefit of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, so that I don't have to read anymore stories like this one in the future.

The Gold Run (Run 50)

Saturday was another team run--this time at Mirabeau in the Valley (to hop on the Centennial Trail)--so it was much, much more flat than last week's team run.* I ran with Heather Butner again, and I must say that although I am certainly stepping up to keep pace with her (she is probably around 8 inches taller than I am), it's really nice to go out for a long run and have someone to talk to and work through the miles. A 60-minute training run* is considerably faster (in terms of the feeling of time passing) when you are having a conversation. Granted, I find myself out of breath and asking Heather very open-ended question so that she has to do more of the talking, but I am contributing.

It's really encouraging to be out at the team runs, particularly when Curtis and Kendra Edlin are out practicing with us. Curtis is in a 5-year remission from Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (after five months of chemo), and he is currently being treated for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. Curtis and is wife Kendra are out training with us with Team in Training--and fundraising--even though Curtis is currently being treated for Leukemia. It's pretty amazing to see someone faced with such a serious battle who is out training and fundraising to help himself and others. It certainly makes your feet keep moving once you hit that 6th or 7th mile.

Almost to the Halfway Point (in Donations)

Yesterday morning, when I checked my email at work (which I do first thing every morning while drinking my coffee from Madeleine's) and saw that I had received two new donations towards my $4,000.00 fundraising goal, one for $50 from Judith Elder and one for $100 from "Anonymous." I also received $100 from Ralph Leutz that day. Then, this morning, I received $25 from my niece MacKenzie (who is not even a year-old, but very computer savvy).

So, my fundraising total has now reached $1,900.00 as of this morning.* A big thanks to all who have sent donations--I really appreciate it, and I know it is going for a good cause. Also, for the "Anonymous" donors, I must apologize that I cannot personally thank you, as Team in Training and LLS do not provide me with contact information or names of any of my anonymous donors. I would love to thank you personally.

Finally, I know that I have asked many people for money. Please do not feel like you can't donate because your donation will be too small. Every dollar donated actually makes a difference, so even if you want to donate a dollar, you're still helping the cause.

*As a reminder, my fundraising page (see the link on the right) does not auto-update donations that are personally given to me or mailed in--please be patient to see your donation appear on my fundraising page if you donated other than online.

36, 7, 40 (Beginning of Week 8)

Sunday was the beginning of Week 8 of my training schedule. I began week 8 by skipping my 30-minute recovery run (Run 36). This is not to say that I didn't need to recover--the hot, hilly run 35 from Saturday left me a little sore and a little dehydrated on Sunday.

I overslept Sunday morning--perhaps my body's way of saying all this running means you need to sleep more, met a friend for coffee, and I headed into the office. Yes, even after school is over and even though I no longer work retail (where weekends are required), I often work on Sundays. After work, it was around 4:30-5:00 p.m. and around 100 degrees. Not time to run. Had dinner and ended up watching the Olympic Trials,* which were amazing, but also disheartening. I watched men's and women's sprinting/hurtle events (including seeing Tyson Gay break the 100m record, even if it was wind-aided), and a bit of swimming. One of the women competing in the 400m hurtles had had a baby about 7 months prior, and she had what I guess (unscientifically) to be around 7% body fat. I have some multiple of her body fat percentage--and the only "baby" I had in the last 7 months (or, ever) was a holiday food baby. By the time it had cooled to below 80 it was about 9:30, so I skipped my recovery run. My ego was deflated to say the least.

On a positive note, I have now raised $1600 towards my fundraising goal of $4,000, which is 40%. The $4,000 is not just a goal, but the minimum amount I have to raise to even be able to run the race. The Nike Women's Marathon (and Half-Marathon) was full within 2 days of accepting entrants. The only way to get into the race now, is to be running and fundraising with a Team-in-Training team, as I am doing. Part of the exchange for my coaching, training schedules, race entry, etc. is a minimum fundraising goal, which I have to reach in order to run in my event. If I do not reach the $4,000, then all the funds are still donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, but I will either have to pay the balance or forfeit my race. So, I still need to raise $2,400 by October 6, 2008.**

The good news: training started on May 11, 2008. I am starting Week 8, and October 6 is in the beginning of Week 22. So, I am third of the way to the fundraising deadline, but 40% to my fundraising goal, so I am right on track. Remember: Every donation, no matter the size, will help.

*I am not going to watch a single moment of Olympic coverage in August because I believe China's less-than-stellar human rights record should have precluded them from hosting the event. However, I am watching some of the trials held in the U.S.

**If I pay any portion of my fundraising total on October 6 (not counting any funds I have already donated--which to date is $159), then I have a month after my race (November 19, 2008) to submit funds raised so I can be reimbursed for my additional out-of-pocket expenses. Ideally, I would prefer to donate no more than $1,000, as this would be the amount that I would likely incur to travel to and run the race myself.

Three Weeks Down, and I end in stitches...

Truly I did not end my run today all stitched up--I actually ended up with a side stitch. I'm fairly certain it's a combination of starting out too fast and wearing too much clothing while running. As has been a theme of these posts, my type-A+ personality really interferes with my ability to do things at which I am not good. As I am a very new runner, I have a hard time recognizing that right now, this is my pace, and it will only improve with time and effort. I didn't expect to be setting world records, but I had hope to be a bit faster.

That said, I have finished all my runs (save number 13), and from May 11, 2008 through today, I ran for a total of 7 hours, 13 minutes, and 51 seconds. This is considerably more time* than I will spend running the half-marathon course in October.

Back to the stitch--I don't think I've ever quite experienced that stabbing/can't breathe sensation that a side stitch brings. Thanks to a teammate (that I don't yet know by name) and my mentor, Marianne, for stopping to help me get my breath and get back running. Next week, I'll try to start out slower and dress more appropriately for the weather.

Finally, in three weeks, I have raised $535** towards my goal of $4,000. I really appreciate everyone who has donated so far. I've gotten a couple of apology notes with some donations from people saying they were sorry that they couldn't donate more. Please don't apologize--every donation of every size helps towards the goal of curing blood cancers.

* I certainly hope that I will be running the half-marathon in under 7 hours!
** Donations can take a few weeks to show up on my fundraising page (located here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/nikesf08/rhaynes, so the total there is not always accurate to date).

This Is How We Do*

There have been a flurry of questions about my training for Nike. Trust me, there's no way that I could run 13.1 miles (in a row) tomorrow. I could complete 13.1 miles tomorrow, but I certainly would not be running them (and, it would really cut into my work day)!

Since I am running Nike with TNT, I have to raise at least $4,000 to even run the race. So, if I don't raise the $4,000, I either pay out of pocket to reach the $4,000 fundraising minimum, or, I don't get to run. But, I'm not worried about that at this point. In exchange for me raising $4,000, I get my entry fee paid, my travel expenses, and most importantly, I get training to actually be able to run the race.

My training lasts 23 weeks. Weeks 1-7 are a base phase, during which I will be running "easy" runs to build my endurance and to get my body accustomed to running consistently. I will run 5 days a week during those weeks. We run for time, not mileage, but, if you run at a slower pace, you have to run for a longer time period (to make sure you're getting ready for the longer runs later). During week 1, I ran for at least 150 minutes (I actually ran a little more than that). Week 2, I ran for at least 160 minutes (again, I ran a little more). Week 3: 170m minimum; Week 4: 190m minimum; Week 5: 190m minimum; Week 6: 200m minimum; and Week 7: 200m minimum.

During weeks 8-18, I will be in the strength phase. I'll still be running five days a week, but I will be upping my intensity and adding in hill and tempo runs throughout the week. The minimum time spent running during those weeks is: Week 8: 190m; Week 9: 200m; Week 10: 200m; Week 11: 210m; Week 12: 210m; Week 13: 220m; Week 14: 240m; Week 15: 200m; Week 16: 250m; Week 17: 200m; Week 18: 260m.

During weeks 19-23, I will be in the taper phase. I'll still be running 5 days a week, but I'll be running easier runs to allow my body to recover from the strength training to be prepared for my race (in week 23). The weekly running time minimums will be: Week 19: 190m; Week 20: 230m (four days of running only); Week 21: 160m (four days of running); Week 22: 130m (four days of running); and Week 23: 130m (four days).

Finally, on Sunday, October 19 (technically, the start of Week 24), I will run the Nike Half-Marathon (13.1 miles). That day, I'll be running for distance and not time.

* I have not forgotten grammar. This is the title of a song by The Game, and it's one of my favorite running/workout songs.