One note- more detailed post coming soon!

First off, thanks to Pat for mobile blogging on my behalf yesterday, and thanks to all of you for following along and sending comments- Pat would read them as they came in when he caught up to me, and it really did help- it was like a virtual crowd of supporters. Believe me- I needed it around mile 20. Things got tough- but I knew I had lots of folks cheering me on!

One small note- it did not take me 20 minutes to run that last mile. I did not do it super fast, but Pat didn't do that last "Amy's done" post until we were either in the tent after the race or back on the shuttle to the hotel- I can't remember. Either way, I wasn't QUITE that slow, although I was pretty slow at that point.

More to come (including photos!) tonight or tomorrow night, as soon as I get a chance!

Thanks again!

THANKS TO KELLY ELLIS!

Big thanks to my New West coworker, KELLY ELLIS! Kelly has been around for the whole Amy Running journey, right from the start. Kelly has been super supportive the whole way, and I really appreciate her donation! Thanks, Kelly!

Week 21: In the Home Stretch!

First off, I have been an inconsistent blogger lately, and I apologize to the 3 of you who check this regularly. Things have been a little busy around here- first and foremost- Pat got back from Iraq last Tuesday! It is such a joy and relief to have him home, but I don't want to get into too much detail about that here. After Sunday, I'll let you know what a deployment more closely resembles- TRAINING for a marathon or actually running it. I still suspect that it is the former.

I also had a minor set back with my training- as reported earlier, I was feeling great after the 21 mile run two weeks ago- I was on top of the world! Then I woke up that next morning and had the same pain in my foot that I had a few weeks ago, only this time it was in the left foot. I didn't think a lot of it as I seemed to recover in about a week the first time, so I tried to stay off of it (although I didn't do as good of a job this go-round,) and iced it, etc. This time it didn't get better as quickly, though, and I actually missed our 12 mile training run for week 20. Luckily it finally started to feel better by early last week, and now I'm back in the game and pain free! Oh, and I completed week 21's 8 mile training run with no problems, AND I saw Ryan Reynolds (see post below) at mile 6! We yelled all kinds of encouraging phrases at him and told him that he would be fine in his marathon, and gave him the anti-nipple bleeding tips we've read. I think he thought we were crazy.

Here we are now in the home stretch- the marathon is just DAYS away, and I am still somewhat amazed that I am going to run a marathon. I AM GOING TO RUN A FREAKING MARATHON! If you had told me a year ago that I'd be headed to San Francisco on October 19, 2008 to run 26.2 miles, I would have laughed at you, and then sat down on the couch to watch TV while eating a bag of potato chips. No lie. But here I am- living proof that anyone can do it. I watched Spirit Of The Marathon this weekend, and I would recommend it to anyone thinking about attempting one of their own- it goes to show that anyone can do it. There is a 70 year old guy in the movie that started running the Chicago Marathon 5 years ago and runs it every year... amazing.

I don't think I would have been able to do this on my own- no way. Team In Training is a remarkable organization, not only in the training and support that they have provided me, but for the hundreds of thousands of dollars that they raise for Leukemia and Lymphoma research and treatment. At this point, I have raised $5,625, which is nothing to sneeze at, but my Westside Los Angeles team has raised- get this- OVER $257,812 as a team! A quarter of a million dollars- imagine what that money can do. It's a whole research grant, it is patient aid and education. It's pretty cool. My team consisted of 81 folks fundraising, which averages out to about $3,200 per person. Now- an even more impressive figure? There are 7,000 TNT participants running in the Nike Women's Marathon this Sunday! If each one raised even $1000 less than the $3,200 per person our team raised (and I am estimating low- I imagine the figure is actually higher,) That is over $15 MILLION dollars raised! How amazing and awe-inspiring is that?

At the end of the day- at mile 24, when my feet just don't feel like they can go any further, that is what is going to get me through. That so many of you believed in me enough (even when I didn't believe in myself) and care about this cause, and you reached into your wallets and helped us make a difference. I have no illusions- I know that Sunday will be hard. But I don't think it even begins to compare to the chemotherapy or radiation or any of the other tough stuff that folks battling blood cancers go through every day. I am running on Sunday for my cousin Ashley, and I will think of her and the folks like her when the going gets tough, and I will know that I can keep going, because I can. And I know that any one of them would choose a marathon over chemotherapy any day of the week. This is the least that I can do, even if it is more than I ever thought that I could do.

Please say a little prayer for me between 7 AM and 1 PM PST on Sunday as I will be slogging it out on the streets of San Francisco and I'm sure I will need all the help I can get. I heard rumors that there was a website folks could go to and enter your bib number to track your progress as you go- if that is in fact true, I will post that info here. I'll send an update once I'm done on Sunday when (God willing,) I am a Marathon finisher, and will post photos later next week!

Thanks again for everything- I can't believe it is here!

Thanks to AMY TROENDLY!

Thanks to my dear friend, AMY TROENDLY, who's name I seem to consistently misspell, along with the name of her awesome fiance, Andrew Buck. I'm not sure what my problem is- where the mental block comes in- but it happens on a regular basis. I'm pretty sure I have it correct here, but It wouldn't surprise me if I got it wrong again. That should be no indication of how cool I think they both are, or how much I value both of them and their friendship! Amy was one of my HOB girls, and I always look forward to our reunion dinners. Thanks, Amy!

Thanks to the Vescovos!

Just wanted to send a thank you to my dear friends, the VESCOVO FAMILY! Brooke is one of my best friends, and I think, knowing me so well, she had a few doubts on my marathon aspirations. I distinctly remember a time in college when Brooke made it her goal to get me off the couch to go for a run. I think I made it a quarter of a mile when I decided- Nope, I'm done. But I'm glad to have made it to the end of this training and am so thankful for her support for over a decade. Thanks Brooke, Peter and Peej (Peter Jr.)!

Thanks to the Jureys!

Big thanks to my good friends, MARY & JOHN JUREY! I work with Mary at New West Records, and I feel really lucky that I landed some really great co-workers. Mary has been there since the beginning of the running journey- she got herself up really early and came and cheered me on in my very first race- the Santa Monica 5k last December. She's also one of the first people who suggested I think about doing a 1/2 or full marathon with an organization like Team In Training. I have so much fun every time I hang out with Mary and John, and they've both been so supportive of this crazy running thing I've gotten myself into. Thanks guys!

Thanks!

Thanks to MO SHARPTON! Mo is one of Pat's good friends from growing up. I feel really lucky that I get to kind of inherit so many cool friends through him. I always look forward to getting to see Mo when we go back to Charlottesville. Thanks Mo- can't wait to see you soon!

Also, thanks to KAREN HERNANDEZ! Karen and I worked together at House of Blues back in the day, and her and I share a love for a certain boy band that pretty much every 20/30 something woman I know loved back in the day. The difference is that Karen and I got to re-live our youth a couple months ago and squeal like 12 year olds, only this time, with cocktails. Karen and I, along with a bunch of other former HOBers, have participated in the Revlon Walk for Cancer a few times in memory of our dear friend, Liz Fitzsimon. We all share a desire to wipe out all forms of Cancer. Thanks for your support, Karen!

THANKS to KATY KYLE!

I got a donation from my old friend KATY KYLE yesterday, and wanted to say thanks. I guess we aren't THAT old of friends, but we go back to college days, and that time is getting further and further away! Katy & I lived together (along with 3 other girls- it was a pretty full house,) our last 1/2 victory lap semester in college, and had a whole lot of fun. We had the same major as well, so we had a bunch of classes together and she always managed to make boring MIS classes a lot more fun. She's one of those great folks who I always love being around because we just have fun together. It's been too long, Katy! Hope to see you again before too long. :)

WEEK 14: No pain, no gain?

First off, Thanks to JANETTE BAXA! Janette and I worked at House of Blues together for about 2 years, and she is a whole lot of fun. We don't get to see nearly enough of each other now that we don't work together, but it is always so great to see her and catch up. THANKS JANETTE!

OK, now I've got a confession to make: Sometimes, I really still hate running. Yesterday was one of those days. First, let me explain- we moved our normal Sunday runs to Saturday this week, because the San Gabriel Valley TNT team put on a "mock" 1/2 marathon for all the LA TNT Teams. It was really cool- there were probably 300+ folks out at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena at 7:30 AM on a Saturday- each one raising money for this great cause. So I got up bright and early and drove inland yesterday to participate. But I thought I'd do one better, and make up for the miles I missed on my trip to Palm Springs last week. So I arrived at 6:30 and met another teammate to do 2 miles before we started on the 13.1.

Those first 2 miles were no problem- it was still pretty cool and there was quite a bit of cloud cover. So I was feeling good about the 1/2 we were about to run.

Then we ran the 1/2 marathon. It was suppose to start at 7:30, but in typical TNT fashion, it didn't start until nearly 8. (I'm really glad I'm training with them, but my one pet peeve is that we ALWAYS seem to start late. I am not a morning person, and I'd really rather get things over with that early in the AM.) We did one loop around the Rose Bowl (about 3.3 miles,) and then part of another loop. Then we headed off on a trail, and that's where it got tough. It got hot and there was no cloud cover, and large parts of it were up hill. I think I was pretty OK up until mile 10, but I kind of hit the wall after that. I had a hard time letting go of the fact that I was really on mile 12, and kind of regretting my idea of running those 2 extra miles in the beginning. The last 3 miles were a pure battle of mental toughness. And I almost lost, unfortunately. It's good that I've had tough runs before where I don't feel so great, because I'm learning that I can press through it, but man, it isn't fun to do. I got a cramp in my left IT band at about that point (10/12 miles, depending on how you are looking at it,) that made finishing seem impossible. But I stretched and walked and kept going, and made it to the end. It was the kind of run where I was asking myself why I was doing it for the better half of it. But I finished, and it felt good. I now know that I can drag myself through 15 miles, even if it hurts.

FINALLY back up and running!

I'm not sure how it happened, but some of you may have noticed that my blog disappeared for the last few days. Apparently, an automated "spam robot" identified my blog as computer-generated spam. Not sure how that happened. Then it took 3.5 days to get restored...but whatever. Let's just hope it doesn't happen again. It is late and I need to go to bed, but stay tuned- tomorrow I'll be posting an Olympic-themed blog.

I do want to thank ELLEN, MATT & KATY ANN EVANS for their generous donation! I've known Ellen and Matt for a LONG time, we grew up at St. Matt's Episcopal Church in Austin, and then we all wound up at Texas A&M and also worked at Camp Allen for a summer together. I love both of them and really can't wait to meet their daughter Katy Ann. I actually can't believe I haven't met her yet...

Thanks to THE MAV!

Big thanks to MIKE MAURO! I work with Mike at New West, and he is responsible for our fabulous website, among many, many other things. I could tell you the story of why we call him the Mav, but I think it is probably more fun to leave it up to your imagination. Anyway, THE MAV is ridiculously talented in all things technology, and he's also ridiculously nice. THANKS MAV!

Week 11: 13 miles??? That's NOTHING!

First off, super thanks to JOANNA RUIBNER! Joanna is the one of the other 4 snarky ladies I had lunch with after mile 8, and she has quite possibly the coolest job ever. She does voice over work, and I actually just heard one of her commercials just now, which reminded me that I needed to blog. "Serious morning workout? Serious morning fuel! Carnation Instant Breakfast!" Thanks, Jo!!!

So this morning we ran HALF A MARATHON! Yes, that's right- I am now officially halfway there! And I gotta say, 13 miles wasn't nearly as hard as 11. I'm learning so much about how to listen to the signals my body is giving me. Last week my legs were NOT happy to be running past mile 7.5. Today, I did a much better job of continuing to move and stretch when we stopped at water stops. Today, my legs were fine!

My feet, however, were another story. I've been getting pretty bad blisters on my big toes for the last few weeks. They started on the outsides of the right big toe, and then moved to the inside left. I had 2 pretty gnarly blisters on my left big toe this morning, and by mile 7 I knew that I had a matching blister on my right inside big toe. I like to think of it as my toe's own personal way of asking me "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU THINKING?!?" I would post a photo, but I think that would probably make some folks stop looking at my blog all together. Completely gross.

So FINALLY it occurred to me today that my shoes might be too small. They fit fine for 6 miles or less, I can wiggle my toes and feel good as new. But I heard early on that once you start building up distance, your feet can swell up to a size. Sure enough, there was NO wiggle room in my shoes at the end of this run. So as soon as we were done with the run today, I headed over to top-to-top. By the way TTT is my new favorite hang out- I am in there at least once a week. I think it is fun to be surrounded by all the running gear and stuff, and the folks in there just know a lot. So today, I had them measure my 13-miles-in-totally-swollen feet, to see what they thought.

I am now the proud owner of a brand new pair of clown shoes. Not really, but that's how I feel when I'm not 6 miles deep into a run, because my new shoes are size 10!!! I was an 8 1/2 all through college, and my current running shoes are 9s. Apparently 9s are fine for a 10k, but for distance running, I'm one of the lucky many who's feet swell. The guy who fitted me for shoes brought out 9 1/2s and they were still not going to cut it. I am an over achiever in the swelling department- mine swell a WHOLE size.

I'm excited to give them a try next week and see how I feel with lots of room- I can't wait to see if it takes care of the blister problem, and if I feel like I actually feel like a clown in my new shoes.

Thank you!

Some thanks:

First off, thanks to BOB & DEE McDONALD! I've known the McDonalds just about my whole life- as long as I can remember. They live down the street from my parents in Austin and are wonderful people.

Next, thanks to ERIN & ANDREW OLIVER! Erin is someone else I've known just about my whole life- 24 years to be exact. We've been friends since we were 5- I spent as much time at her folks house as I spent at mine, growing up. Erin & Andrew got married last year and I love the both of them.

Finally, thanks to CRISTINA & STEPHEN COX! Steve & I went to college together and recently found each other again on facebook. Ain't technology the best? It is so great to be able to reconnect with people you might otherwise lose touch with.

Thanks so much to everyone who has donated! I can't tell you how much it means to me- the coordinator for West LA Team In Training called me today to talk to me about incentives for big fundraisers- she wanted to see if I thought I could get to $7,500! I think that might be a lofty goal, but who knows- I've gotten so much support from so many friends near and far- it just might happen!

Thanks!

Big thanks to JULIA RUBINER! Like Jeannie, I know Julia through my good friend Lisa Jenkins. She's 1/5 of the snarky women, and I could listen to her and her sister Joanna tell stories all day- they are a hoot. I should send Lisa a fruit basket or something, to thank her for introducing me to so many cool ladies.

Thanks

Big fat thanks to REID PRICHARD! Reid and I started at House of Blues at about the same time. Then Reid got a great job offer in Seattle and moved up there for a couple years- I got to visit once which was a lot of fun. Then they moved back to LA for a year, but Seattle proved too tempting, and they recently moved back. I'm sad I don't get to see more of Reid, but hopefully we'll make it back to Seattle soon!

More Thanks and mid-week hill training!

First off, today was a great fundraising day!

Thanks to ABBIE CONLEE, who I shared many great adventures with a few years ago when the two of us picked up and moved to Martha's Vineyard for the summer to sell overpriced T-Shirts and live it up on the east coast. It will always be one of my very favorite summers, and every spring when the weather starts to get warm, I start to reminisce about it. People say you can never go back in life but sometimes I really wish I could go back there! There is no one else I can imagine spending that summer with, and I wish I got to see her more often!

Next, JEN JONES! Jen and I share a special bond- we're both in love with US Marines! Jen's Fiance Keith is currently serving in Afghanistan, and it is so nice to have a friend in LA who knows exactly what I'm going through. Keith is one lucky guy, because Jen is the coolest.

Also, thanks to DAVE FORTIN! Dave and I worked together at House of Blues, and I have always been a little bit awe-inspired by Dave. He's been doing triathlons for as long as I have known him, and I distinctly remember overhearing him describe some of his latest training runs and bikes and swims while I was eating a chili cheese dog and fries. It feels so much better to now be in the healthy club!

JEANNIE LONG also gets big thanks!! I know Jeannie through my good friend Lisa Jenkins, and I'm so glad Lisa introduced us. We have a fun group of snarky women who sometimes lunch, and I hope we all lunch again sooner rather than later.

And thanks to JEANNE HART! Jeanne is a fellow TNTer who I've actually never met- she's completed 2 TNT events already and will be serving as the PR captain on the Long Beach team soon and just wanted to show some support! That's one of my favorite things about TNT- I really feel like I'm part of this really large family now- everyone who has ever completed an endurance event through TNT is so supportive and encouraging! I know I will be now from here on out, for the rest of my life, too. It is a great organization full of the best people who are working for a great cause, and really want to see you succeed. What more can you ask for?

Finally, thanks to BILL JOHNSON! Bill is my 2nd cousin, I guess. Or maybe another 1st cousin once removed? I think it is the same amount removed as Susan Kennedy. He's my mom's first cousin, and he's great. I have the most wonderful family! I wish I just got to see them all with a little more regularity.

Ok, so we did our first mid-week hill workout. It was pretty tough at first, but I got the hang of it and finished strong! We did 3 minute intervals where we ran up a pretty steep continual incline hill for 3 minutes, and then jogged back down. We repeated it 5 times. I know it sounds not too tough, but my butt is burning! I just kept thinking about what a workout it was getting and that got me through. I like these mid-weeks because it is always easier for me to work out with the group than by myself.

Week 8 is great...kind of.

First off, I want to thank DALE AND BETTY ZINN! I have known the Zinns a really long time- they live down the street from my parents and are wonderful people. Thanks so much!

Now, on to the details. This morning was our 8th long run, and I went 9.5 miles this morning. I prefer to look at it as a 10k & 1/2, or a 15k. For some reason, putting it in those terms really illustrates how long it is.

Now, today was not the best run I've had to date. I woke up just not so much feeling it. I was just tired (and I got a decent night's sleep last night.) The week has just been long, and the weekend didn't feel long enough. For breakfast I mixed things up a bit, and instead of my usual granola bar, I added in a banana. I won't be doing that again. At about mile 3.5, I really felt like I might loose my breakfast. We did the same basic route we did a couple weeks ago when we ran 8 miles, and the stretch up San Vicente blvd was particularly hot and that didn't really help. So I slowed myself down, and ended up walking that next mile with another really sweet girl in my group. The rest of the pace group kept going, and I figured they'd pass us once the turned around. To our surprise, when we got to the water stop, they'd all waited for us! It was really sweet and made me appreciate doing the marathon with Team in Training even more.

The way back was much better than the way down. Taking the walk break was the right move- it allowed me to finish strong and still make it 9.5 miles today. Don't get me wrong- I was REALLY ready to be done today- I don't think I had anything left when I finished- I put it all on the table today. It felt good to get it done, but I am exhausted today, and I hope I don't have many more training days like today.

Thanks, Noah!

Thanks to NOAH REDDELL, one of Pat's college roommates, who generously donated to my marathon fundraising yesterday. Noah, can't wait to see you in December! Thanks so much!

In other exciting fundraising news, it was announced yesterday in our weekly TNT newsletter that I am currently the LEAD FUNDRAISER for the Westside LA Team!!! And that was before Noah's donation and a few mailed in donations that haven't hit yet. I am currently at $4,350, well on my way to my new goal of $5,000! Please keep spreading the word- it is only because of your generosity that I've been able to raise so much money so far, and I know I can raise even more for this great cause!

THANKS!

I got home from work today to find a little love in my mailbox.

First off, just wanted to give a shout out to BRIAN & LISA GALE! Brian was my first boss at House of Blues, and him and his wife are great people. They moved all the way across the country and are sorely missed here in SoCal. THANKS BRIAN & LISA!

Next, thanks to SUSAN & MICKEY KENNEDY! I could explain how I am related to them, but I'm not totally sure if I know... wait, I can do this. Ok, so I'm pretty sure Susan and my mom are first cousins- their moms (Her mom Linda and my grandmother Cleo) were sisters. So that would make us second cousins? Or first cousins once removed? I'm not totally sure how that works. Regardless, they are wonderful folks, and I really appreciate the donation. THANKS KENNEDYS!

THANKS!

I got a donation last night from one of my Mom's good friends and her husband, MARY ANN & RAY PRICE! She has been a friend of my mom's for about as long as I can remember, and her and her husband are absolutely wonderful people. Thanks Mary Ann and Ray!