Today was a rough training day. I drug myself to the Y on my lunch break, but I just didn't have it in me. My legs felt like they weighed 100 pounds...each. I think I'm getting shin splits, but luckily the TNT head coach, Clark Ensz happened to walk into the Y while I was there, so I got to pick his brain about that. Apparently my toes are uptight and need to relax more when I'm running!
Work's really busy. I'm planning a new event for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society called Race to Anyplace. It's a 6 hour stationary bicycle competition. On March 20, teams of 2-12 people will ride stationary bikes in 15 minute heats for 6 hours in hopes of winning one of our amazing prizes. Awards will be given to the teams that ride the furthest, and a grand prize will be given to the team that raises the most money.
So, if you know anyone who loves spin class, get them in contact with me (susan.fleming@lls.org) and I'll get them a brochure for this exciting event!
Highlights of the day:
Getting lots of donations in the mail (thank you all SO much!)
$5 movie night at the downtown Warren
On a related note, the movie Dear John is completely unrealistic. No girl would ever break up with Channing Tatum.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Stick-To-Itiveness (it was seriously a synonym for perseverance on thesaurus.com)
I am on a total high right now! Today I have so much to be excited about, so I'll start at the beginning...
This morning was the TEAM's group run. I love getting to see everyone every Saturday morning, and I love even more that it means I don't have to run by myself. Therefore, I was extremely disappointed when I woke up and realized that I wouldn't be able to join them this week. This is because I have had a stomach bug off and on all week, and it was definitely ON at 6 am. Therefore, I turned my alarm off and hoped that if I got a little more sleep I would feel good enough to go get my 5 miles in at the Y.
When I woke up at 8 I did my routine stretches while still 90% asleep when I heard a crack that sounded like Zeus sent a lightning bolt straight into my loft and into my back. I immediately felt excruciating pain in the same areas I had had so many problems with after my car accident a few years ago. My upper back/shoulders/neck have not felt this bad since right after my accident. I'm talking I couldn't move my head side to side; couldn't raise my left arm higher than my shoulder. I couldn't find a single position that felt comfortable or relieved any pain. I won't lie - I was a little scared that I had seriously hurt myself.
After laying in bed for about an hour I finally made myself swing my legs over the edge to see if I could walk around and loosen myself up...and that's when I saw it.
Last night before going to bed I stubbed my toe. I don't know what was in the path between the light switch and my bed, but whatever it was did a number on my little toe and my tear ducts. Anyone who knows me well knows that this is common practice in the life of Susan. Therefore, I didn't think anything of it. I immediately knew I had broken it, but all of my broken toes and trips to immediate care for X-rays in the past had told me that there was absolutely nothing anyone could do about it, so I just tried to forget about the pain.
This morning I realized I did not break my toe. Oh, no...I did much worse to my littlest piggy. I SPLIT THAT BABY OPEN! I know, it's gross, but true. When I say split open, I do mean that it is splayed open like a baked potato waiting for butter and sour cream, but it's not too terribly bad. Maybe I should go get it sewn up, but we'll just see how it feels/looks tomorrow...
Right about now you're thinking "so why, exactly are you excited?" Well, I'll tell you why!
There I was, laying in bed, feeling sorry for myself...for about 4 hours. I was in a lot of pain, but I knew I needed to get my miles in so I wouldn't get behind.
After watching an episode of Biggest Loser on Hulu I worked up the motivation to get myself to the Y. On my way out of the building I decided to stop and get my mail, and you'll never believe what was in there! There was $460 worth of donations! That was all the motivation I needed. I thought to myself, "self, if these people believe you can do this, then you can! There are going to be days you don't want to go run...those are the days that will get you across the finish line!" Thank you all so much for donating and believing in me!
So there I was on the treadmill at the YMCA - terrible back/shoulder/neck pain; hanging out with the little piggy that had just barely escaped from the slaughter house....all while trying to ignore my spin class "injuries."
I had gone to the Y thinking "just get the miles in." However, before I knew it, I had been running for 30 minutes without stopping! I ran 3 miles without walking! This is HUGE!
I'd like to quickly note that going in to this challenge I had decided that I was going to run/walk the marathon. Many people told me that you can keep the same pace as many runners if you give yourself one or two minutes to breathe every ten minutes. I was easy to convince. After all, the thought of running 26.2 miles without stopping for a break sounds like complete torture...something they should consider in lieu of capital punishment.
I finished the final 2 miles with my normal run/walk combo, but at a much faster pace than usual due to my complete surplus of adrenaline.
I'd like to think that I got through those first three miles with a lot of mind games and little help from my friends *N SYNC. So thank you JC, Justin, gay one, weird one, and one who was in My Big Fat Greek Wedding! Eh, who am I kidding...we all know I know all of their names...they WERE my first concert after all...
This morning was the TEAM's group run. I love getting to see everyone every Saturday morning, and I love even more that it means I don't have to run by myself. Therefore, I was extremely disappointed when I woke up and realized that I wouldn't be able to join them this week. This is because I have had a stomach bug off and on all week, and it was definitely ON at 6 am. Therefore, I turned my alarm off and hoped that if I got a little more sleep I would feel good enough to go get my 5 miles in at the Y.
When I woke up at 8 I did my routine stretches while still 90% asleep when I heard a crack that sounded like Zeus sent a lightning bolt straight into my loft and into my back. I immediately felt excruciating pain in the same areas I had had so many problems with after my car accident a few years ago. My upper back/shoulders/neck have not felt this bad since right after my accident. I'm talking I couldn't move my head side to side; couldn't raise my left arm higher than my shoulder. I couldn't find a single position that felt comfortable or relieved any pain. I won't lie - I was a little scared that I had seriously hurt myself.
After laying in bed for about an hour I finally made myself swing my legs over the edge to see if I could walk around and loosen myself up...and that's when I saw it.
Last night before going to bed I stubbed my toe. I don't know what was in the path between the light switch and my bed, but whatever it was did a number on my little toe and my tear ducts. Anyone who knows me well knows that this is common practice in the life of Susan. Therefore, I didn't think anything of it. I immediately knew I had broken it, but all of my broken toes and trips to immediate care for X-rays in the past had told me that there was absolutely nothing anyone could do about it, so I just tried to forget about the pain.
This morning I realized I did not break my toe. Oh, no...I did much worse to my littlest piggy. I SPLIT THAT BABY OPEN! I know, it's gross, but true. When I say split open, I do mean that it is splayed open like a baked potato waiting for butter and sour cream, but it's not too terribly bad. Maybe I should go get it sewn up, but we'll just see how it feels/looks tomorrow...
Right about now you're thinking "so why, exactly are you excited?" Well, I'll tell you why!
There I was, laying in bed, feeling sorry for myself...for about 4 hours. I was in a lot of pain, but I knew I needed to get my miles in so I wouldn't get behind.
After watching an episode of Biggest Loser on Hulu I worked up the motivation to get myself to the Y. On my way out of the building I decided to stop and get my mail, and you'll never believe what was in there! There was $460 worth of donations! That was all the motivation I needed. I thought to myself, "self, if these people believe you can do this, then you can! There are going to be days you don't want to go run...those are the days that will get you across the finish line!" Thank you all so much for donating and believing in me!
So there I was on the treadmill at the YMCA - terrible back/shoulder/neck pain; hanging out with the little piggy that had just barely escaped from the slaughter house....all while trying to ignore my spin class "injuries."
I had gone to the Y thinking "just get the miles in." However, before I knew it, I had been running for 30 minutes without stopping! I ran 3 miles without walking! This is HUGE!
I'd like to quickly note that going in to this challenge I had decided that I was going to run/walk the marathon. Many people told me that you can keep the same pace as many runners if you give yourself one or two minutes to breathe every ten minutes. I was easy to convince. After all, the thought of running 26.2 miles without stopping for a break sounds like complete torture...something they should consider in lieu of capital punishment.
I finished the final 2 miles with my normal run/walk combo, but at a much faster pace than usual due to my complete surplus of adrenaline.
I'd like to think that I got through those first three miles with a lot of mind games and little help from my friends *N SYNC. So thank you JC, Justin, gay one, weird one, and one who was in My Big Fat Greek Wedding! Eh, who am I kidding...we all know I know all of their names...they WERE my first concert after all...
Friday, February 12, 2010
PAIN!
Fundraising
I just sent out my fundraising letters this week, so hopefully I'll start getting some donations!
I'm also frantically planning a few fundraising events that I hope will bring in some good moo-lah and spread LLS's mission. I'll keep you posted once I have final dates set!
Training
I'm ready for it to be nice outside! I've been running on the treadmill, and I can't wait to be out in the fresh air! I can only handle so much of the nasty BO radiating off of the guy on the treadmill next to me at the YMCA.
I took a spin class last night from the TNT cycle coach, Travis Scheopner. He's the group fitness coordinator at Genesis on Rock Road.
I had heard horror stories about spin class and how crazy they were, and it didn't help when I received an email from Travis saying "Be ready to work hard!" I won't lie...I was a little scared. After enduring an entire class with Travis, I'll admit it...I hurt. I hurt in places I shouldn't hurt. All I'm saying is that I wish I could throw a couch cushion on top of that bike seat...
Aside from the personal injuries, spin class was awesome! If you're looking for something to do to get in shape, try a spin class! I promise you'll love it!
If you're free this weekend, come check out the Women's Fair at Century II. I'll be at the Team In Training booth today and Sunday!
I just sent out my fundraising letters this week, so hopefully I'll start getting some donations!
I'm also frantically planning a few fundraising events that I hope will bring in some good moo-lah and spread LLS's mission. I'll keep you posted once I have final dates set!
Training
I'm ready for it to be nice outside! I've been running on the treadmill, and I can't wait to be out in the fresh air! I can only handle so much of the nasty BO radiating off of the guy on the treadmill next to me at the YMCA.
I took a spin class last night from the TNT cycle coach, Travis Scheopner. He's the group fitness coordinator at Genesis on Rock Road.
I had heard horror stories about spin class and how crazy they were, and it didn't help when I received an email from Travis saying "Be ready to work hard!" I won't lie...I was a little scared. After enduring an entire class with Travis, I'll admit it...I hurt. I hurt in places I shouldn't hurt. All I'm saying is that I wish I could throw a couch cushion on top of that bike seat...
Aside from the personal injuries, spin class was awesome! If you're looking for something to do to get in shape, try a spin class! I promise you'll love it!
If you're free this weekend, come check out the Women's Fair at Century II. I'll be at the Team In Training booth today and Sunday!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
The Beginning of an Adventure
As some of you may know, I recently gained new employment at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). I am the new Campaign Coordinator for LLS's signature fundraising campaign, Team In Training (TNT).
To quickly explain, TNT recruits people from couch potatoes to experienced athletes to run or walk marathons, cycle 100 mile bike rides, or complete a triathlon. In exchange for months of training, travel costs, and hotel stays, participants raise money for LLS, ultimately funding blood cancer research and patient aid.
After attending my first TNT marathon weekend as a staffer (Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend at the beginning of January), I knew I had to experience it from the other side. Therefore, I've decided to train and raise money for the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon on June 26, 2010!
I know it may sound crazy, but I promise you it's not! This marathon will prove to be a life changing event in my life, and I would love for you to be a part of my journey to the finish line!
To successfully complete this event, I must raise $4,000 by the beginning of June. If you would like to donate to my cause, please visit my TNT fundraising website:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/ks/rnrseatl10/sflemintcw
To quickly explain, TNT recruits people from couch potatoes to experienced athletes to run or walk marathons, cycle 100 mile bike rides, or complete a triathlon. In exchange for months of training, travel costs, and hotel stays, participants raise money for LLS, ultimately funding blood cancer research and patient aid.
After attending my first TNT marathon weekend as a staffer (Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend at the beginning of January), I knew I had to experience it from the other side. Therefore, I've decided to train and raise money for the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon on June 26, 2010!
I know it may sound crazy, but I promise you it's not! This marathon will prove to be a life changing event in my life, and I would love for you to be a part of my journey to the finish line!
To successfully complete this event, I must raise $4,000 by the beginning of June. If you would like to donate to my cause, please visit my TNT fundraising website:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/ks/rnrseatl10/sflemintcw
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About Me
- Susan
- I've joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program! I'm raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and training to run the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon. Donate to my efforts at http://pages.teamintraining.org/ks/rnrseatl10/sflemintcw