You Asked My Opinion

~On December 29th, we're having a fundraiser night at Orange Leaf Stillwater!  10% of sales from 6pm - 9pm will go to Team in Training.  Join us!! ~Need a tax write off?  Coincidentally, I need to raise money by December 31st.  You can donate here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf ~My  sister-in-law donated a lovely scarf which I then forgot to take with me to the raffle event.  The next person who donates at least $10 through the websiste gets a bonus scarf!! (here's the link if you need it:  http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf ) ~The 46 people on my TNT Flex Team for the Star Wars Half have donated $98,010, and our fundraising deadline isn't until next week.  Go Team!  Check out my amazing teammates: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ho/starwr15   I just found this page and I love it!  It shows all of my teammates, with links to our individual teams.  Spoiler alert- they're all f...

I need to do more miles so that I can finish the last 1.5 episodes of Serial. 

http://youtu.be/6pttqFUviWs I thought I was joking when I said today my only plans were to "run" 10 miles and then recover.  I did 9 last week with no rest after.  Surely 10 would be fine.  Nope.  Nope.  Nope. 

Eek.  How did I get so behind at updating you on mileage?!?  Sorry. October 15, 2014- 4.40 miles in 1:16:27 October 17, 2014- 4.00 miles in 1:12:57 October 19, 2014- 8 .01 miles in 2:31 October 22, 2014- 3.01 miles in 0:56 October 23, 2014- 1:64 miles in 0:27:42 October   24, 2014- 1.50 0:26:53 ( walked to Walkaround, but didn't log Walkaround time and walking home) October 25- walked the homecoming parade quite briskly October 26, 2014- 5.01 miles in 1:26:59 Pretty lousy excursion.  October 28, 2014- 5.10 miles in 1:34:30  Throw in 1:30 of ballet/jazz/contemporary on Thursdays and 1:15is of belly dance on Fridays. Total since I started in September: 63.2 miles. Total calories burned in running: 10,263 Total time run: 19:13:23 Not too shabby.

I have some nerve issues.   Every few months my left leg goes numb, sometimes my whole pelvis goes numb. I go to the chiropractor.  They move something in my hips that is more painful than childbirth (not even exaggerating, I gave birth with an epidural and a C-section, the way nature intended), and after several days (and maybe a couple of adjustments) everything is all better.  Well, I have to relearn how to belly dance on my left hip, but I'm getting used to it.   I've been to my primary care doctor.  Nothing major except a B12 (makes zero sense) and iron deficiency ( duh.  I'm a dietitian, I could tell you that from looking at me.  Those symptoms haven't changed since I was about 12).  I've been to the neurologist ("yay, it's only the sensory nerves, not the motor nerves", which means my legs will move where I want them, I just can't feel it). Three weeks ago my left leg went numb.  Made appointments with the chiropractor. ...

My dad never finished his master's degree.  He also was not my advice-giving custodial parent when I was growing up.  Remember that, it's important later.   Graduate school was pretty rough for me.  My first semester was great (all cool nutrition all the time!), and then I had a semester of my dietetic internship, which by definition, was hellish (Yay cool nutrition! Boo cranky preceptors and dying patients).  Then I had a semester of research and the only non-nutrition graduate classes (how did I do undergrad level, grad level and a thesis and STILL feel like statistics is a foreign language?).  And then it went further downhill, academically speaking. Bit of advice, if you're not particularly fond of your thesis or advisor, have a pretty good job without the MS, and just can't bear to do another thesis revision, I suggest you don't get pregnant.  Kinda messes with your whole "grad school focus".   Anyway.  Here's where I'm going with this. ...

*My #%#%*+¥~ phone died again, so I had to estimate that last 0.8 miles.  I was going to do an out and back, estimated about 0.4, went a bit farther and turned around.  Then got in my car and drove the road that somewhat parallels the train.  It was 0.1.  What the wha? I KNOW I ran longer than that because I passed multiple (illegible) distance markers. Oh well.   I know I ran pretty close to 7 miles in 2 hours with 3 water stops and a potty break.  Somehow in the next 3 months I have to be able to do that 7 miles in about 1:15.  No pressure or anything.   10/11/14- 1.33 miles in 23 minutes Total mileage: 33.5 miles Huh.  That's my new trick.  When I'm tired or discouraged, I'm going to look at total miles.  That makes me feel pretty awesome.  

My 8-year old daughter has her father's grasshopper legs.  She runs like a gazelle and is a very sweet girl. Usually. I got a new running skirt last week.   "Mom! That's a really cute new running skirt! You look really good.  Except (in a matter of fact voice) your chubby legs".  Doh!   And yes, I was very amused, and not at all insulted.  I mention her (and her brother's grasshopper legs) all the time.  I DO have chubby legs (sorry about those genes, Daughter #2).   Although, I'm not sure where she learned the word "chubby".  I'm thrilled to say I didn't think it was a word she had ever heard.   Today after my run: "mom, did you have fun running? Are your legs thinner?" Yes, dear.  Yes, they are.  

Saturday October 4, 2014: 2.44 miles Sunday October 5, 2014: 6.90 miles  !! I know, right?  I'm just as shocked as everyone else.  AND my pace got better as I went longer.  Whoohoo Tuesday October 7, 2014: 4.21 miles And even better than the miles?  I feel like a runner! For those of you keeping track at home, that's at total of 22.2 miles since September 21st.  If you donated a dollar for every mile of training, we would be well on our way to helping to save lives and fund research.  If you donated $0.25 for every mile we would still be well on our way to saving lives and funding research.  See how that works?  It doesn't matter how much you give, because every little bit helps.  Use The Force to fight blood cancers.  Turn away from the Dark Side. Since The Force isn't very reliable for research funding, you can donate here:  http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf

http://youtu.be/petqFm94osQ I'm tired.  Everything is sore from dance and my uncomfortable bed.  It's cold.   But if I only run on days I feel good, I'll never get stronger. Ready to hit that 19:00 mark where everything is awesome.   http://youtu.be/rGnH6JPsv7E

Until I find a running app that will automatically upload my training, I'll just have to update you the old-fashioned way (if by "old-fashioned" you mean, the 2005 way).  September 21, 2014- Started running.  4 miles to Boomer Lake and back home September 22, 2014- Run with the family on the XC course.  Yes, they are all faster than me.  1.8 miles September 25, 2014- Hotel treadmill.  1.5 miles September 26, 2014- Belly dance day! 1:15ish.  Because running is  more fun with shimmies thrown in. September 28, 2014- 4.90 miles on the XC course.  Well.  That was humbling.  Today should have been a cross-train day, but it was a Hang Out with My Dad and Stepmother Day. Everybody needed that.  Twirling demo by the munchkin, 2 games of Life, Dad's goatee (f'real, it's the cutest thing ever.  Don't know who did it, but Kevin the home health care worker denied involvement), and seeing the brother and his girlfriend were worth...

Thursday I had to run on a hotel treadmill. Ugh.  I've never liked treadmills and hotel ones are the worst.  Let me rephrase that.  I am completely awkward on treadmills.  I'm sure that treadmill was perfectly fine.  The problem with treadmills is I am constantly either going too fast or too slow.  The extra problem with hotel treadmills, or any foreign treadmill, is I'm never on it long enough or frequently enough to figure out how to not be awkward.  Oh well.  I walked briskly and didn't really vary my speed much, but I worked the incline.  That's gotta count for something, right? I made that incline my b*tch.

A girl needed a project and a goal and a reason to get off the couch.   Ten Reasons to Donate to my Team in Training Goal http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf 1. Leukemia and Lymphoma Society ( http://www.lls.org/ ) provides academic grants, continuing education and drug development partnerships. 2. The quicker I reach my fundraising goal, the quicker I can focus on running training. http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf 3. "LLS research grants have funded many of today's most promising advances, including targeted therapies and immunotherapies and some of the therapies first approved for blood cancer patients are now helping patients with other types of cancers and other serious diseases. " - http://www.lls.org/#/aboutlls/researchsuccesses/ 4. The quicker I reach my fundraising goal, the more funds get donated to LLS.  http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf 5. "...helping patients with other types of cancers a...