Er, yeah. I went for a run today.

When someone is paying you money to run with them, you run.  I can feel my effort now, and I am sure I will feel it tomorrow, but it shouldn't be too bad.  I have felt worse.

I did feel guilty the evening after the Dopey stuff ended when I saw plenty of people shuffling and having trouble getting in and out of the shuttle buses and on stairs at Downtown Disney.  I wasn't sore. Should I have been sore?  Crippled?  I can say that I was dog tired.  I still am today.  I want to take a nap all the time and I have even found myself getting loopy tired in the car as I am driving home and I have to guzzle a bunch of water to have to go to the bathroom to stay alert.  And I'm getting 6+ hours of sleep a night.  I guess I need more sleep than I thought.

The only place that I was sore after the race was my left foot.  On the bus back to the resort after the marathon, I was doing some ankle rolls and and ankle and toe flexes and found my left foot to be sore and tight.  After I found some food and got back to the resort room, I pulled off my shoes and socks and found this…

HOLY $#!%

How in the heck did that happe…..oh, wait….DANG!!! I forgot that the day before when I was in Epcot at the aquarium watching a dolphin demonstration that some goofball kid was swinging on a railing between to levels on the observation deck and swung through and landed on my left foot.  At the time, it hurt like hell and I yelled when it happened.  The kid, nor the parent, said anything and I just kept on moving.  After riding Test Track and having a beer at the Biergarten in the Germany pavilion, I had forgotten about my foot.  What is really sad is that I cannot find this beer in Houston.

After my shower, I slathered Traumeel on my foot and wrapped it up with some stretchy Kinisiotape.  It didn't hurt to walk around on and it almost felt better wrapped up.  After taking the tape off the next morning, the bruising was gone!  I still had some swelling so I reapplied the Traumeel, Kinisiotape, and compression socks for the flight home and after 24 hours, my foot was back to normal and no swelling or pain!

I had a tough CrossFit workout my first day back that involved LOTS of running and squats but I got through it.  I have taught two spin classes this week and they were tough, but I got through it.   The run today was good, but I stuck with a run/walk interval.  I don't want to wear the machine down because it still has to go out there and perform.

I still have to run for Josh.

I can see that there are about 50 people that are reading my blog posts each time I slap one up.  All it would take is for each person to go to this link...

https://my.reason2race.com/LIZGARCIA

and make a $25.00 donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for me to hit a base goal of fundraising for Josh.  I really want to go beyond $2,000.00 and be able to help him and his family, as well as the research doctors LLS supports here in the Texas Medical Center.  I wouldn't do all of these stupid human tricks just for kicks.  I do them for others.

Help me help Josh.

Later Gators,

Liz

It Was Like the Movie, Groundhog Day

The alarm rang again at 2:15 am.  I hauled myself out of bed and put on a purple Team In Training singlet.  I got on the bus at 3:15 am.  I walked across the Epcot parking lot.  But wait, it was cooler this morning than the day before.  I was now in a long sleeve t-shirt and I had a Disney World rain poncho wrapped around my legs and shoulders to stay warm.  I made the same mile long walk out to the corrals.  I stood in the same long line for a port-o-can.  I stood at the same spot at the back of the corral and looked at the other participants and wondered if some of them had spent more time putting together their costume than actually training for this marathon.  Really, Mrs. Potts, what are you doing up in corral F standing near the Clif Pace Team member holding up a 4:00 hour pace card?  If Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, Ursula the Sea Witch, and some strange pink and blue furry monster from Monsters University were going to be running faster than me then I was going to throw myself on Capt. Hook's peg leg.

Our Corral got moving fourteen minutes after the wheelchair division and unlike the day before when the fireworks did not go off for our corral start, they lit up the dark sky and sent us on our way.  I kept to my 5 minute run/ 5 minute walk interval and felt bad having to stop on the side of the road and start my walk interval while everyone was dashing around me through the grass. "SORRY!!!  I have to stick to the plan!"  I finally ditched my long sleeve shirt around mile two and had the cold air hit my sweaty arms.  If I wasn't awake before, I was after that.  I thought that I had taken all the pictures that I needed to for the first half of the race because I had taken them the day before and then I run into the Magic Kingdom and Cinderella's Castle was lit up with extra lights like I have never seen it before.

 AWESOME!!!  I made a much needed pit stop in the TomorrowLand bathrooms.  All I am going to say is that I have learned that I will avoid eating beets the day before a race.  Those of you that eat beets know what I am talking about.  I was only about 5 minutes off the half marathon pace when I ran through Cinderella's Castle, but that was the bathroom break.  I kept the fluids and salt delivery on schedule.  I was really feeling good.  I would always pull over to the far right to power walk.  Yes, I probably looked like a complete idiot with my arms swinging and my hips wagging, but I was passing other walkers.  At times I wondered when my Nike+ gal was going to tell me when my 5 minutes of walking was up and I could run again.  I always picked right up and fell into good form on the run intervals and passed people up.

Each year that I have run the WDW marathon, there have been small changes to the course and this year was no exception.  At mile 8, the course took us onto the Petty Speedway race track!  There was a local classic car organization or two that had come out and had their classic cars parked on the track and the owners were out cheering for us.  The cars took up more than a third of the track.  When we exited the track we headed out to Animal Kingdom and before we entered in the back I saw some of the keepers with goats, lambs, pigs, a miniature pony, and a donkey all on harnesses and leashes out to great us.  Very cool.  When we exited Animal Kingdom out the back of DinoLand, there was an aid station and I decided that I needed another pit stop.  At least I was staying hydrated.  There were lots of people cheering for us at Animal Kingdom and I took the opportunity to get a picture with the official Mousecot of the Marathon since there was no line at all for photos.

I sent out a quick Facebook update to let everyone know that I was at mile 14 and then I kept on walking and running.  I had a few people comment to me that I was really moving with my walk.  I was!  Sure, I was slower than if I was running, but I was still passing other walkers.  I was seeing more of them now and I was also seeing tons of people pulling over to the medical tents to slather on Biofreeze and Vasaline.  My chub rub from the 10K was ok, but I was keeping an eye on it.  At mile 16, I could see the runners on the other side of the road headed to Hollywood Studios and caught a quick glance at their mileage marker.  21.  Dang, ok, five miles until I get there.  Normally it is just an out and back past the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, but this time they took us into the complex, we ran past fields of people practicing soccer, ran on the New Balance running track and ran around the infield and past the scoreboard of the ball field where the Florida Marlins have their spring training games.  It was at third base that I ran into my friend Amy again!  I was so happy to see her.  We exchanged a few words and we both agreed to stay in touch about me heading to Kona, Hawaii in March.  She was on a walk break and I was on a run break, so I headed on.  I found another bathroom that was empty around mile 19 and decided to go, but nothing happened.  Well, stuff happened so that I felt better, but I am sure that is way too much information than I needed to give out.  Mile 20 clicked by.  Mile 21 clicked by.  I was still feeling strong on my run intervals and I was not experiencing any pain.  Right after mile 21 was a steep overpass that I had a run interval on.  85% of the people there were walking and the green Army men from Toy Story were going Sgt. Hartman on everyone.  "YOU CALL THAT RUNNING?!?" "PICK IT UP SOLDIER, HUP HUP HUP HUP!!!"  "I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU WALKING."

As I made my way through Hollywood Studios, I picked up my little bar of chocolate that they hand out over by the Tower of Terror and stuffed it in my Fuel Belt pocket.  I have found that trying to eat chocolate at mile 22 of a marathon is like giving a dog a spoonful of peanut butter.  I would save that little gem for later.  I also was handed a package of Monsters Inc. fruit gummies that I stuffed in a pocket.  Park guests were inside the park by now and the crowds were going crazy.  I'm not sure it if was for us or that they were angry that we were blocking their way to get to the Toy Story ride.  Mile 23, now I'm down on the sidewalk that leads from Hollywood Studios to the Boardwalk area.  I pass my resort room.  It never occurred to me to just end there and head up to the room.  I was close to the finish now. Mile 24, I was around the Yacht Club and Beach Club resorts.  It was time to run.  No more walking.  Mile 25, inside the World showcase!

There was no way that I was letting that chick dressed as Ariel, the Little Mermaid, that I had been seeing off and on all morning long, beat me to the finish.  Lime green and turquoise blue tutu chick, you are not finishing in front of me either.  I had seen so many tutus and sparkle skirts over the past four days and they were getting on my nerves.  4:45 Clif Pace Team chick and your pace group, sorry, I have to get by you, NOW!!!  The Gospel Choir at mile 26 had an area that was big enough for me to swing around the pace group.  .2 miles to go and the photographers were all over the course.  I could see the finish.  I felt my throat want to close up and tears coming to my eyes. NONONONO, KEEP IT TOGETHER AND FINISH!!!  I gave Mickey a high five as I crossed the finish and I dissolved into a sobbing mess.  I pulled over to get out of the way and just let it all go.  A race volunteer asked me if I was ok and I nodded yes and tried to pull myself together.

I have been struggling over the past eighteen months with a personal goal that I missed, a shoulder injury that kept me from running for ten months, super low motivation to run when I could, and a serious case of negative self image as an athlete/runner.  I did not feel worthy to wear any of my finisher's shirts or gear from any of my Ironman races or past marathons within the last few years.  I did not tell new people I met what I did.  I told one guy at CrossFit who asked me if I was the gal who had done an Ironman to keep that information on the down-low and that I really didn't want people to know that about me.  I had worked with a therapist/life coach to try to figure out where this was all coming from.  When I registered for this crazy thing nine months ago, I thought I would get motivated and run. It didn't happen.  I was scared going into this thing because I was severely under trained.  My longest run was 12 miles and that was back in September or October.  And then, I was hit with a ton of bricks when my kid came home and told me that Josh had been diagnosed with leukemia.  I had lost sight of why I ran.  I had let running become about trying to qualify for a race, to get faster, to reach another goal.  When I started to run, it wasn't about me, it was about the person who could not run.

I am not able to donate blood or plasma because I have had open heart surgery, but I can run.  And running wasn't going to be nearly as painful as a bone marrow aspiration in the hip or sternum.  I had to run because Josh needed me to.  He didn't ask me to run for him, I just told him and his family that I was going to do it and see if I could get a few people to donate some money to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Sure, no one has any money after the holiday bills have started rolling in and tax season starts.    The economy is bad.  The kids need braces, the dog needs to go to the vet, the car needs a new alternator, the home owner's association wants to be paid.  People get tired of always seeing the same people asking for money over and over again for some cause or another.  I get it, I am fighting an uphill battle to raise a few bucks.

But a $20 a week coffee habit can pay for almost a day and a half of parking expenses down in the Texas Medical Center and Josh's mom, Cindy, has to have him down at MD Anderson a minimum of three days a week.  A $100 evening out at the movies (3D) for a family of four with snacks and drinks can cover the cost of a bag of IV fluids.  Could you make your coffee at home this week?  Could you just go rent a movie from Red Box and buy a $1.50 bag of popcorn kernels and pop your own popcorn on the stove top or in your microwave?  We say we cannot give because we don't have the money, but what kinds of non-essential expenses do we have in our daily life that, for one week, we might be able to redirect towards finding a cure for blood cancers and helping a kid like Josh.

All it take is a few dollars here and there to make an impact in Josh's life.  Insurance doesn't usually cover the cost of teachers coming to the house or the hospital to keep kids with cancer up to date with their school work.  Insurance does not pay for parking garage fees.  Insurance does not pay for experimental protocols that have not been approved by the FDA.  Going to the link below will allow you to help cover some of those expenses and fund 16 research doctors in the Texas Medical Center.

https://my.reason2race.com/LIZGARCIA

If you are unable to contribute, you might know someone who would want to.  Please feel free to pass the link on to others.  I will continue to run for Josh over the next few weeks and keep you updated on how far I go.

Later Gators,

Liz

22.4 Miles Done, 26.2 To Go

It is not easy getting up at 2:15 am, EST when the body is still on CST.  I have done it twice and I only have to do it one last time.  Let me give a quick recap of the Donald Duck Half Marathon and then I have to go to bed.

Yes, we were up at 2:15 and out the door to the shuttle bus by 3:10 am. Today it was quite a bit different from the 5K and 10K pre race set up.  For the 5K and 10K, we had an area that was about 380 meters from the finish line that had five or six lettered corrals for the runners.  This morning for the half marathon the lettered corrals went up to the letter P.  The start was about a mile walk away from the race finish area where gear bags were dropped off and the pre race staging area was.  So this morning there were all the people running just the half marathon, the people that were running the Goofy Challenge of the half and full marathon, and then us Dopey folks who were running everything they could throw at us.

I got into my corral early enough that I had to end up leaving to find a port-o-can while I was waiting.  I made it a point to sit and relax at the back of the corral.  Of course all of the fast people head right up to the front.  The people in the back made for interesting people watching.  Corral F is not too far down the chain from A and B that house the people who are running at a stupid fast pace and not taking it slow enough to get their money's worth out of the event.  So as I was watching people enter Corral F, I had to wonder if some of them spent more time putting together their costume to run in than they did executing their run training.  Soon enough, we got started and the fireworks were shot off for each corral.  I could not tell how long it was between each one, but it was around two minutes.  The weather was warmer and even though there was a breeze, it was still warm enough for me to only have on a short sleeve toss-away shirt.

As I made my way across the start line near the back of my corral, I kept an super easy pace and just hung back with the people that were around me before the race started.  When my first walking break came at the five minute mark, I will admit that it was hard to slow down and walk as everyone was passing me up.  As I ran through the dark, I stuck to my 5 min run/5 min walk race plan.  It was convenient that I was on a run interval when I passed lots of spectators near the monorail station and again on Main Street USA inside the Magic Kingdom.  It was humid so I had taken care to slap petroleum jelly on the insides of my legs to keep the previous day's chub rub from getting worse.  I felt it the entire way. but it wasn't as painful as having a wild squirrel biting the inside of my legs.

I think that it was around mile 6 that the sky started to lighten a bit.  The clouds and fog hung in there but all it meant was that no one was going to get sunburned.  I did have to dodge in and out of people on some narrow areas of the course, but for the most part, I was able to stay on target with my pace.  At mile 7 I had one of the Team in Training Coaches walk with me for about 100 yards as she checked on me and how I was doing.  It was interesting to see the tail end of the walkers at 8.5 miles as they were at the 3.5 mile mark.  Around mile 9 I saw a girl running in a Speedo bathing suit and then realized that it was one of my friends from Hawaii that I went through Newton Coaching Certification with.  It was so great to see Amy and to let her know that I will be in Kona in March.  She let me go as she was sticking with friends and I headed down the road.  At mile 10 I got to walk with another TNT coach as he checked on me.  At mile 11 I considered grabbing more petroleum jelly to slap between my thighs but I knew that I could tolerate the discomfort.  At mile 12, the spectators were gathered at Epcot to cheer the runners into the park.  At 12.1, I finished my walking and I ran it all the way in.  I was impressed that my GPS was pretty accurate today compared to Thursday and Friday.  I was getting great updates on my pace every five minutes and I knew that I was going to be under my goal of 2:30 using my run/walk interval.  Official results say 2:21.37, or a 10:48 min/mi pace.

I collected my wristband to prove that I finished the race for the Dopey Challenge, got my medal, a banana, and then headed out to get a few pictures before climbing on the bus to get back to the resort.

Breakfast tasted wonderful, the pool was cold for my leg dip, and the walking I did around Epcot today has kept me from being sore.  I think the dorky compression calf sleeves helped as well.  I had a good German meal in Epcot for dinner.  I know that will be the most helpful for tomorrow.

Ok, I am falling asleep at the computer.  Keep me in your thoughts tomorrow as I finish this for Josh.  It is pouring outside right now.  Let's hope this finishes up before 2:15 am.

Later Gators,

Liz

The Stark Realization of What is Ahead

The 10K is in the bag.  9. 3 miles down and 39.3 to go.  39.3 miles.  39.3.  Thirty-nine point three.  HFS.

This morning the race was one hour earlier than the 5K so  my alarm woke me up at 2:15 am (1:15 CST!!!) and I got my gear on and headed out the door to grab a bus before the lines got too long.  Even though the temps were warmer than yesterday, there was a breeze this morning.  Did I take my toss away shirt this morning?  NO.  What a dumb ass move on my part.  I really wanted it to ward off the goose flesh.  When we pulled up to Epcot, we were the first bus there.  I got in and out of a port-o-can quickly, did a little warm up run and some neuromuscular exercises and just tried to move enough so that the breeze would not chill me.

So being in corral A does have some benefits.  You get out on the course early and the on course entertainment is still super fresh.  I was going into this strongly adhering to a run five minute/walk one minute interval.  After the first five minutes, Nike woman tells me that my pace was 7:38.  SHIT!!!  SLOW THE F--K DOWN!!!  I did my one minute walk and pulled over to the edge of the road.  I was the only person walking.  That's ok, that is the plan and I was sticking to it.  I started my run again and got going and started passing people.  SLOW THE F--K DOWN!!!  My mile splits were somewhere between 9 and 10 minutes.  Every time I started to run after my one minute of walking, I was zooming along and passing people.  I was not out to pass people, it just happened that way.  I stopped to drink a cup of water and eat some Shot Blocks around mile three.

I stopped to snap a picture of the World Showcase that was all lit up.  I stopped to futz with my shorts that were starting to chaff the insides of my upper thighs (UGH!!!).  I stopped for photos with Chip n' Dale.  I stuck to my 5/1 interval like glue.  There were some moments that I thought my intestines were going to give me issues, but I figured that it was just gas and I was going to be finished soon enough.   Running up to the finish, the time clock was reading 1:00.23.  I knew that I was going to cross still at the one hour mark and I know that it took me a few seconds to get across the start line.  I started in the dark, and I finished in the dark.

THAT WAS WAY TOO FAST!!!  WAY TOO FAST!!!

Other than the chub rub on my inner thighs, I had no pain during the run but I knew that for the half I was going to have to really rethink my plan on how to run it.  Each day they have been herding the Dopey people into a special chute to get a wrist band.  We have to have a wrist band for each race on Sunday to collect all of our medals.

Next, they give us drinks and food in these nifty little snack boxes.  Then we get our medals and our photos.

I tried to get a massage, but I guess I finished too early because there was no one in the massage tent.  After getting some calories in me and photos with some world known celebrities, I found my roommates and we headed back to the resort for breakfast in the hot tub.  I made sure not to sit in there too long this time.

I decided in the hot tub that I was going to run for five minutes and then walk for five minutes.  The runner's handbook said to walk more, so that is what I decided I was going to do for the half tomorrow.

I got cleaned up, pulled on my compression sleeves, and headed over to the Magic Kingdom to check out the new section of Fantasyland.  I did my Fastpasses, found some lunch and ended up walking around quite a bit from one side of the part to the other, based on where my Fastpass rides were.  On my last ride, the Tomorrowland Transport, I decided to prop my feet up and I had time to think more about my half marathon plan.

I decided that I needed to walk more of it than just half of it.  I want to have legs for Sunday.

So here is the plan.  I am going to get at the back of my corral and I am going to just let everyone go.  I am going to start out with some running, but I am dialing things way back to where I feel embarrassingly slow.  After 5 minutes, it is walk time.  and I will be walking until I get near lots of spectators.  That should be around mile 4 or so.  Once I get to Ticket and Transportation, I will run and look awesome for the spectators and then walk to the Magic Kingdom.  I will run on Main Street USA and then pick up the walking when I am out of the park.  I will probably run past the Grand Floridian Resort and again as I am coming into Epcot, but if I am not in a park with all the photographers or anywhere near spectators, I am walking.  This is going to be a SLOW morning.  I need to save my legs for Sunday or you might find me in a location that is not so magical.

I will probably still be finished before many of you are even dressed and have had your first cup of coffee.  The start is at 5:30 am.

That means it is past my bedtime.

Later Gators,

Liz

Here's the Plan

I am letting all of you know up front that I am not going to win this Dopey Challenge.  So now that this news is out of the way, I am going to tell you all how I am going to get through this.  Slowly.

Family Fun 5K

I ran about a mile and a half, grabbed some water and then saw Dopey.  I had to stop for a photo.  It was a big FAIL.  The flash washed out the picture.  I got a good 10 minute or more break waiting in line.  I ran to mile 2.5 or so and took a cool pic of Spaceship Earth at the front of Epcot.

I ran to the finish and felt great.  The starting temp was 57 there were a few little sprinkles of rain, but nothing much.  I was sweating, but after getting my medal, snack box and getting out of the finisher's area, I was starting to get chilled.  I found my running friends, we hit the bus to head back to the Boardwalk Inn and I grabbed a breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee and I had breakfast in the hot tub.  I have been hydrating all day to make up for it.

Disney Minnie Mouse 10K

I am planning on doing a run/walk program and I will admit that it is going to be HARD to stick to it because I felt great today.  I don't have my Jiminy Cricket who will tell me to stop and walk and really make me do it.  I will have to let my conscience be my guide.  The runner handbook tells the Dopey Challenge participants to take more liberal walk breaks than in the 5K and if the participant has not been running at least three days a week, to walk the majority of the 10K.  !!!  !!!  !!!  Ok, ok, I will take liberal walking breaks.  I get it.  I have to be able to still have legs at mile 18 on Sunday.

I'm in corral A for the 5K and 10K.  HA!  MIND GAMES, I tell you, mind games.  "Go slow, but we are putting you in the fast person corral."

Disney Donald Half Marathon

Again, a liberal run/walk program.  The runner handbook recommends walking as much of the event as possible.  Wow, ok.  I guess I am going to do a lot of walking.

Disney Mickey Mouse Marathon

The plan is to go embarrassingly slow for the first half and then see what I have left in the tank for the second half and if I can negative split.

This event is going to be a challenge for me to be able to reign things in and keep it slow and easy.  I know I am slow, but going slower than slow is going to be a mental challenge as hundreds and thousands of people will be running past me.  These will be the SLOWEST 5K, 10K, half, and full marathons I have ever, EVER run/walked/shlepped my way through.  Do not congratulate me for a great race.  This is not a race.  Just keep encouraging me to go slow and just put the miles behind me.  Keep reminding me that I cannot let this be about me, it is all about Josh.

Ok, off to bed.  I have to be on the shuttle bus to the start line by 3:15 am.

Later Gators,

Liz

The Bar Has Been Set!

So if you read the last post, you might have seen a comment that one of my son's friends was diagnosed with leukemia last month.  That is one of  the most devastating things for a parent to be confronted with.  Every parent wants their child, or children, to grow up healthy and happy.  So I decided that I wasn't going to sit around and not do anything.  If you have been a reader for a long time, I don't think that there are many long time readers left, you might remember the fact that I cannot donate blood which is in great demand by cancer patients.  What I can do is I can run.

And I have set the bar high.

Meet Josh.

Josh is the son of one of my husband's co-workers and we have known Josh since he was a little kid.  Josh is now a senior in high school.

Josh is a member of the band.  To say that Josh is smart is an understatement.  He was able to advance two years in school but his parents advanced him one year so that he would still fit in with the kids in his grade level.  But school is on hold right now.  After spending two weeks in ICU, Josh was able to come home for Christmas but he still has to go to MD Anderson three times a week for his chemo and transfusions.

I cannot help Josh out with a blood donation, but I can run my @$$ off and get people to donate money to help him.  I think that there might be some people out there who might want to see me do a few stupid human tricks and toss a few bucks Josh's way.

Here is the goal:  I am setting my goal to run a minimum of 100 miles by March 1st. for Josh and it started today.

Today I ran 7.2 miles.  But here is the exciting part.  By this time next week, I will have run over 58 miles for Josh.  Yep, this week I am running another 50 miles for Josh.  You will need to stay tuned to how it goes.  If you feel so inclined to help me raise $2,000.00 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, here is a link for you to make a donation:

https://my.reason2race.com/LIZGARCIA

98% of your donation will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for patient aid and research.  Patient aid is money to pay for the things that insurance will not cover such as the $14 a day parking garage fee at MD Anderson or the cost of one hour with a social worker for Josh's parents and brother as they learn how to live life with cancer in it.  The Texas Gulf Coast Chapter of LLS supports 16 research doctors in the Texas Medical Center at MD Anderson and Baylor College of medicine.  Your tax deductible donation stays local to benefit Josh and his family.

Now, I challenge you, gentle reader.  Hit the link above and make a donation.  It is whole lot easier than running.  If you think that you can donate a few cups of coffee money, hit the link above.  If you think that you can donate the cost of a night out at the movies, hit the link above.  If you think that you can donate the cost of the new pair of shoes you were looking at to add to your collection, hit the link above.  If you know that you cannot donate right now but you know three people who can, forward them the link above and tell them that they need to donate to Josh. 

You can make a difference with just a few dollars.

Stay tuned to how I am going to knock out 50 more miles of running this week.

Later Gators,

Liz

Where to start...

Ok,

Life has gotten in the way.  I neglected this blog and I have probably neglected myself in the process.  Here is a brief follow up from the last post I made seven or eight months ago to get you caught up on what kind of mess I have been dealing with:

1. My secret project was learning how to play the violin.  I had my first concert in November.  It is humbling and exciting.  I sound awful.
2. The kid failed Algebra I and took summer school and made an 86.  His comment, "It makes so much sense now, that it is easy."  We had a bad teacher.
3. Three walls of our dining room were torn out to replace studs eaten by termites.  What a mess.
4. July saw the resignation of the band director and things were up in the air for summer band to start in two weeks.
5. The kid got an AWESOME band director.  He has done great things with the kids.
6. My dad finished his chemotherapy and started his slow recovery back to normal and cancer free.
7. I started CrossFit and I kind of like it.
8. School started and my stress level jumped up at least five notches.  
9. October. Meh. The kid fails World History AP.
10. I start coaching again and get a nifty job as a virtual coach.
11. I think I ran a few times in October and November.
12. My kid's friend from band is diagnosed with leukemia.
13. December left me stressed out to stay on top of the kid to get his work done and help keep him on track for finals.  I think we passed.  I'm too chicken shit to look at the online grades.  It is what it is.  I cannot change the past.

And now it is 2014 and do I have anything to show for it other than stress tics in my left eyelid and a jacked up neck?  Personally, no. However, my dad is back to doing the things he enjoys.  My kid made Region Band. I haven't killed anyone with my cooking or burnt the house down trying to decorate the Christmas tree.  

BUT NOW IT IS 2014:

I started today with a CrossFit workout that, at the end of the day, I was able to get the fastest time out of eight groups at the prescribed workout.  I have someplace to go to next week that is starting to excite me.  I have not had a vacation since that crazy Carnival Cruise last January.  I am in need of a vacation.  Bad.  

There is a shimmer of hope that this year will be much better than last year.  Let's see if I can make more than one post for this year.  I am back to being slow but I am still determined.

Later Gators,

Liz