8 miles for my grandfather.

I received a very generous donation and a sweet letter from my great Aunt Norma Jean yesterday. In it she talked about my grandfather, Foster Wright Case, whom I never had the opportunity to meet. She told me that he passed away January 15, 1970 and that he was only 48 years old. He served in the Military under General George Patton and was wounded and received the Purple Heart. In another envelope I received from her, she wrote that he passed away from Leukemia, and that I probably already knew that. Nope, sure didn't! It really blew me away. How did I not know? I never knew much about my grandfather because apparently I lived in my own little world as a child and didn't pay attention to much. I called my mom and she didn't think I was serious that I didn't know. I'm not sure how it slipped by me, but I had no clue. So glad I found out now and not after I cross the 26.2 mile mark.

So today my run was in dedication to him. Although I am also running the marathon and doing all of the training in honor of him, today was a little something extra for him. It was 8 miles just for him. It was my first 8 miles, EVER! I actually feel like I have really accomplished something. Although it was an easy 8 miles, yep I said easy, thinking back, I'm amazed that I did it. When we first started I was a little apprehensive about running 8 miles. Thankfully I had Katie and Rachel by my side the whole time to keep me company and keep my mind off of the running. It made the run so much more enjoyable and very easy. It's definitely a confidence booster to make it through 8 miles without any trouble. I can't wait to hit another "mile" stone. In two weeks we will hit 10 miles and I have to say, I can't wait.

lessons learned.

On Saturday I ran 6 or 7 miles (a little confusion there) with my team at Furman and then that night I ran in the Candlelight 5K run. So in all I totaled at least 9 miles that day. I definitely paid the price for it the next day. I ended up with shin splints on Sunday and Monday. They weren't too terribly bad and with a little TLC, lots of ice and advil, I'm pretty much back to normal today. So my first lesson learned from Saturday was not to overdo it. Although 3 miles doesn't sound like a lot compared to what I have been running, it's a long 3 miles if you ran 6 miles earlier in the day.

My overall time in the 5k was just under 30 minutes. 28:56 to be exact. Although I would have liked to have hit more at the 28 minute mark, considering the circumstances, it wasn't bad. It was a tough course for me. About 2 miles of it was entirely uphill. I thought I was good at conquering hills, but this one beat me up. Every time I got to a small crest I realized I still had 2 miles to go uphill. I heard every one around me cursing because they all realized the same thing that was going through my head. I'm glad I wasn't the only one fighting that hill. I really enjoyed the race, but sure wish I hadn't been so fatigued because I would have enjoyed it that much more.

My second lesson learned on Saturday is to run hills. Long hills. Not the sort hills that I tend to run in downtown Greenville, but long ones like the ones I will encounter in San Francisco. I don't want to get there and feel overwhelmed by the hills (especially the one at mile 6, that's a doozy). I want to feel confident and healthy to tackle them without any problem.

Third lesson. Get as close to the starting line as possible without being run over at the start. There were close to 1800 people running in this race Saturday night. I just kinda jumped into the pack not really caring where I started out. That was a mistake. I ended up behind a lot of slower paced people and had to shimmy my way around them on the narrow course. Not that this took a lot off of my awesome 29:56 time, but it was a little frustrating to have to speed up and slow down for people. There was even this one tall lanky girl trying to get around everyone and I was trying to follow her through the open spots. But she kept starting and stopping and jumping from side to side. It was almost like she was dancing. It was quite amusing, but equally annoying because apparently she had no peripheral vision and kept "dancing" into my running path.

I really enjoy races and the atmosphere. Although the competitive side of me wants to be faster and stronger, it's also nice to just get out and enjoy the festivities. I got to see a few amazing men run some 4:58 miles to finish the race in 15:17. Unbelievable! It was also nice to participate in a race with my cousin Christian and a few of his friends. Although I didn't get to see him before the race, I enjoyed the company after the race. He finished in an amazing 27:31 minutes. Way to go Christian!

As for my fundraising... I still need your support! I am hoping to reach at least $2000 by July 14. That's 3 whole weeks for you to get your donations in! This goes to a great cause and one that is especially important to me. So start saving your pennies! Any amount donated will be greatly appreciated! Check it out here... http://pages.teamintraining.org/sc/nikesf08/lmerkt.

new shoes.

This week I was out of town and missed our team meeting at Fleet Feet in Greenville. I convinced my mom to take me to Fleet Feet in Huntsville so I could get new shoes. I was looking at my old shoes last week, and although I feel like I just got them, they were already pretty worn down. They were starting to hurt my feet and I knew that they were really the correct shoes for me. The guy at Fleet Feet in Huntsville was very helpful and finally got me in the perfect pair. He also suggested insoles which help support my arch more. These new shoes feel so good I never want to take them off! I really tested them out this morning on our long run. They felt great and I can't imagine not having them now!

There is still a little mix up about out schedule. We are now on week four. That's right, week four. I am so good that I went from week one to four. Not really. This morning we were going to run either 6 or 7 miles depending on what we felt like. I stuck with the 6 miles since I will also be running tonight in the Candlelight 5K Run. The group I was running with  wasn't real sure the course for the 5 mile loop around Furman and so by the time we finished running we were under an hour and we all felt that there was no way we ran 6 miles in that amount of time. So we ran another mile and so I think we probably ran around 6.5 miles. I felt pretty good today, although towards the end I started getting very hungry and a little weak. I'll have to start thinking about options to refuel on these longer runs. I think my few days of rest this week really helped me out. I definitely need to take a couple days off of running a week just to let my body recover.

Tonight I am going to run the Candlelight 5k Run with my cousin, Christian. I'm thinking he is definitely going to give me a run for my money. I am going to really go out and see what I can do. I need to push myself a little harder than I have lately, just so I know what I am capable of. The summer going into my freshman year of college, I was in the best shape of my life. I ran a 5K race in Athens that summer and finished in 26:03. If I can even get close to that, I will be very happy! So we'll see. I've been running my training runs at about 10 minute miles, so shaving off 4 minutes doesn't seem that impossible! I'll let you know how it goes.

Every time I talk about new shoes, I hear this song in my head. "Hey, I put some new shoes on, And suddenly everything is right, I said, hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody's smiling, It's so inviting, Oh, short on money, But long on time, Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine, And I'm running late, And I don't need an excuse, 'cause I'm wearing my brand new shoes." Lyrics from Paolo Nutini's song New Shoes.

thank you.

I first of all want to thank all of those who have donated so far. It means so much to me for the generous contributions and more importantly, the support. I can't do this alone! Every little bit helps, even just the words of encouragement. I finally sent out emails and letters should be going out about the middle of the week. I am getting really excited about all of this and am loving all of the training and all of my teammates. Again, thank you. Keep the encouragement coming because I am definitely going to need it in a few weeks when I start running 7 plus miles!

I also want to add that I will be also running in memory of Rebecca Johnson. She is the mother of a dear college friend, Quinn Johnson. She passed away when he was 12 years old from complications from leukemia and the treatment. Although I know they have come a long way with treatment, I still feel like they have a long way to go to find a cure! That's exactly why I am fundraising and running in this marathon. With your help, we can all help to fund the research that one day will result in a cure. My thoughts go out to Quinn and his family. Thanks for sharing your story with me.

Saturday, I also ran in my second race of all time, the Sunrise Run in Simpsonville. It was an 8k race, just a little shy of 5 miles. Most everyone from my team was running in the race since our coach was the director. I haven't had the best week of training, I've just been really tired and haven't really recovered as well as I usually do, so I was really nervous about the race. I finally met up with my team members which eased my nerves a little bit. At least I would have someone to run with. I don't think I could do it alone! My goal was under 50 minutes and Katie, who I ran with the whole time, had a goal of under an hour. We met in the middle and hit somewhere under 55 minutes. It really boosted my confidence and I felt really good the majority of the run. The beginning my legs burned, but it easily wore off as I got warm. I hit the water station at 3.5 miles and think I almost drown trying to get a sip of water. I think I was trying to keep going and get as much water as I could, but it didn't really work out like I had planned. I think I had a small sip of the glass of water the lovely water girls gave me. I'm going to have to work on that! 

I definitely walked away from that race feeling good. It made me feel like the marathon isn't going to be that bad. Check back with me after I run the marathon and see how I feel about it! I just loved being out there in a competitive environment and being around all of the runners. It's a nice feeling to be surrounded by people who share the same interest as you. Everyone is always so nice and friendly. I think I am going to stick to running for quite awhile.

I am really excited about the upcoming weeks because our long runs on Saturday will be getting, well, longer. This Saturday it will be 6 miles. And I'm pretty sure this will be the first time I've run six miles, ever. I've hit 5.5 several times, just haven't made six yet. So I'm excited about it! I am also going to be running in the Candlelight 5k Run Saturday night. I might be kicking myself in the butt on Saturday for planning on running this 5k after a 6 mile run in the morning. But I'm pretty sure I can do it. It's just 3.1 miles. My little cousin Christian is also suppose to run in this race with me. Which I'm pretty sure he'll kick my butt. But it will be a lot of fun to be able to run with family! I can't wait!

hills and stench.

As the beginning of my "official" training starts, I get nervous thinking about all of the obstacles that could be put in front of me once I get to San Francisco. I had a conversation with one of the other girls and we were talking about the hills in San Fran. A lot of the articles I have read about the course say there are only 3 or 4 major hills and that they aren't even that bad. Other articles I have read, which are mainly reviews from women who ran the race, say that they are killer hills. So who do you believe?? I think I am going to side with the women who have been there, done that. Here's what the Nike website says about the course, "San Francisco has been voted one of the top running cities in the country. Why? The scenery, the cool weather and the challenging yet confidence-boosting hills!" Confidence-boosting hills, huh? We'll see about that.

So running in Greenville is definitely going to prepare me for the hills. I'm not sure if I'll actually find a hill around here that will be as bad (yes, the pessimist in me is talking) as the ones on the course, but I'll definitely be prepared to take them on. I've been basically forcing myself to find hills and run them, although I hate them with a passion. This morning as I was running and came upon a hill at about mile 4, with tired and achy legs, I remembered the saying from my teammates, "Just run right through it." It made me giggle and made the hill less of a daunting task. I think I probably mumbled "bite me" at some point in the trek up the hill.

Another thing I am going to be prepared for is any horrible stench that I might encounter on the course. Although running next to the river in downtown Greenville is very scenic and peaceful, it also comes with the awful smell of the sewer line that runs parallel to it. (Well I am assuming it is a sewer line.) Every so often I will be running along and the smell just hits me like a ton of bricks. I usually have my mouth wide open getting a nice big breath and as I inhale, I get a mouthful of this awful smell. It never ceases to make me gag. The good thing is that it only lasts for a couple of steps, but still it's nasty to think about where that smell is coming from. So, I am prepared for any stench that may come my way on race day. It's not going to knock me down! I will "run right through it!"

official start.

Today is the official start of my marathon training. There has been a little confusion about the exact start date, but I am calling today the official start date. There are about 19 weeks until the actual marathon. It kinda makes me nervous to think that I am in this thing for reals. Although I have been running consistently for over 2 months now, I still have a bit of anxiety about committing to something so big and challenging. I know I can do it, but there's definitely this big weight on my shoulder. I have to be strong and fit and healthy for the next 4 months. And I'm not sure if my 525 calorie Philly Cheese Steak for lunch today qualifies me as being that healthy, but it sure was yummy!

Today we are scheduled to run 2 miles. I can't even remember the last time I ran just two miles. I know that seems like a lot to some and it wasn't too long ago that two miles was tough for me, but now two miles seems like a warm up. Never thought I would say that! It makes me really proud of myself that I have come that far in two months. One reason being that I've never been much of a runner, and two, I'm surprised because I actually enjoy running. I enjoy sweating and just getting out there and doing something for me. I have no idea what I even think about when I run, but I know that I work through a lot of things that are bothering me when I am out there. It's quite refreshing. I watch an interview with Lance Armstrong and his ex-wide was the one interviewing him. She mentioned that running makes her feel "clean." Running makes me feel "refreshed." I can't even imagine where I would be right now if I hadn't committed to running this marathon.

I kindof got off track there... We are scheduled to run 2 miles today and since that is a little easy for me, I ran a little bit more than that. As I was walking out the door this morning, sans dog, I was trying to decide whether or not I should take something to drink. I don't want to have to carry it the whole time, so I opted out of taking anything. That was the first major lesson of the training. Take something to drink if it even crosses your mind because you will kick yourself in the butt if you don't. It was already hot and humid and I knew that I would probably need something, but figured that I wasn't going to run anything over 5 miles, so I would be fine, right? Well the last half mile I headed up a killer hill down by the river and it just about killed me. I was pretty much dehydrated and actually hit my milage at the time I needed to stop. So from now on, any thing over 4 miles with the temperature being 75 degrees with 75% humidity, I'm taking something to drink!

slow and steady.

My new motto is "Slow and steady wins the race." Although I hardly think I will win the race going as slow as I run, but it's still a good motto. Maybe, just maybe, I could win it. I'll keep dreaming. I'm hoping eventually I will pick up my pace a little bit without huffing and puffing. I do feel myself getting a little bit better, especially when I start out slower, I can really push hard towards the end. And I don't have this awful leg pain that I have to run through in the beginning.

We had a group run this morning and for the most part of the run I ran with Katie and Bonnie. Katie talked the majority of the time which was really nice! (Thanks Katie!) It definitely keeps your mind focused on something else other than how far, fast, or how much longer. These group runs really help my motivation. I woke up this morning not really wanting to get out of bed or to even run, but once I got there I felt great and motivated. And afterwards, I feel even better. I don't think I could do any of this alone.

This week my running partner, my dog Bama, is with my parents. It's going to be a good thing and a bad thing I think. Not even 24 hours from being away from her and I realized how much I talk to her! She definitely keeps me company and definitely motivates me in the mornings to run. My alarm goes off and she is right there nudging me and jumping on me to get me up. I'll miss that, especially towards the end of the week when I get tired and lazy. But not running with her will also allow me to run further/longer and not have to stop every mile or so to let her get water. So it's definitely going to be a long week!

"Just run right through it!"