Run, Dana, Run!

3.1 to go… Time for some energy goo!

We’re running on the I-90 express lanes and I’m pacing at 2hrs45m. I feel great!
So far we ran through downtown and the International District. I love Seattle!

Today is the big day. And I’m nervous. And excited. But mostly nervous that I would oversleep since I’m not a morning person and getting up before 6 am always stresses me out. So my mind woke me up several times last night and I finally got up at 5:15 am.

First of all, THANK YOU all for your support over these last few months! Your kind words, votes of confidence, words of inspiration, playlist suggestions, and donations to Team Potlatch Fund have blown me away. I don’t think I could have done this without this enormous outpouring of support - especially on those days when all I wanted to do was skip a training run and sleep an extra hour.

It’s also not to late to pledge your support. The race officially starts at 7:30 am and I am planning to cross the finish line at Memorial Stadium at the Seattle Center between 10 and 10:30 am. Come out and cheer me (and 16,000 other runners & walkers) on or send your encouragement electronically by making a comment here or texting, emailing, facebooking, etc. And if you’re interested in pledging your financial support to Potlatch Fund, read our blog post and check out the link on Network for Good. Our fundraising goal was $3,000 and last I checked we were only $300 away from that goal!

Team Potlatch Fund blog post http://www.potlatchfund.org/blog/?p=705

Network for Good link http://www.potlatchfund.org/philanthropy/donate.html

That’s all for now because I need to go eat breakfast and get down to the starting line. But I’ll be blogging and posting photos of the race and posting them here, too.

Again, THANK YOU!

Dana

Snowy trek to the grocery store!

Just a snapshot of Snowzilla 2010…

Team Potlatch Fund at the 2010 Potlatch Fund Gala!

I’m down to 5 days, 9 hours, and 20 minutes until it’s time to run the 1/2 marathon! Which is a terrifying thought right now - mainly due to the crazy weather that we’re experiencing here in Seattle. But more about the Return of Snowzilla later…

I’m also kind of nervous because my training hasn’t been as on track as I’d hoped. From my last post, you’ll remember that I missed my long 8 mile run because of my much-needed mini vacation to Los Angeles but vowed to make it up. I did - with two runs the following week at 6 miles and 4 miles - but then I had to skip my other long run this past weekend. I had planned to run 8 miles on Sunday with my friend Joyce, who kindly offered to run along the section of Lake Washington that is on the marathon course and give me some good advice and encouragement. Unfortunately, I had schedule my last long run to be the day after the Potlatch Fund Gala, which is our nonprofit’s biggest fundraising event and required a 12-hour work day. And dancing afterwards, of course. All in heels. Which meant that my feet, ankles, and knees were all achy on Sunday. And I only got four hours of sleep. Basically, sort of a recipe for a running disaster. And if that wasn’t enough, when I woke up it was snowing outside. 

But the Potlatch Fund Gala was a wonderful success! We’re still in the process of tallying all of the ticket sales, sponsorships, donations, raffle ticket sales, and silent auction proceeds from the night - but we are confident that the event raised a significant amount of money that will go towards the trainings, capacity building, and grants that we offer to Native communities in the Pacific Northwest. We also provided the opportunity for Gala attendees to pledge their support of Team Potlatch Fund as we head into 5k, 1/2 marathon, and full marathon races this coming Sunday. Along with the donors that had pledged before the gala, we have already raised $2,700! We’re only $300 away from our goal of raising $3000!

Again, HUGE THANK YOU for all of your support - financially, socially, emotionally, physically, and even musically. I really appreciate everyone’s support and feel honored that you’ve read my blog over the past few months.

Finally, we’re experiencing another bout of Snowzilla this week. It snowed yesterday but didn’t really stick. This morning we woke up to more snow and this time it really impacted our morning commutes to work and school. It took me 2 hours to get from my house to work and another 2.5 hours to get home from work. Despite that, I still had the time and discipline to get in a 3 mile run at lunch in 32 minutes. I’m easing out of my training this week so I’ll probably just get in another run and Core class on Wednesday. I’ll be sure to update later this week as the race gets closer!

Seattle 1/2 Marathon Course Map

Here’s a map of the course!

It’s already week 11 in my training calendar. My how time flies…

I’m recovering from a cold that I got at the beginning of the weekend, so my training has been temporarily been put on hold. But I anticipate getting back to running by Thursday and my last long run will be on Sunday after the Potlatch Fund Gala.

I printed out the course map today and took a good long look at what I’m up against on the 28th. All things considering, it’s really not that bad. I ran part of the course in downtown Seattle last year in the 5k and then ran another stretch (the dreaded Interlaken hill) in the 10k I did in July. For my run on Sunday, I’d like to do a practice run of the stretch from the I-90 bridge along Lake Washington to the Arboretum. That will be a nice scenic part of the course but I also anticipate some hilly terrain that I’d like to preview before the real deal.

Other than that I’m just trying to get and stay healthy. This cold really got me down over the weekend and my body sent a clear message to me that I’ve been pushing it too hard. But I’m on the road to recovery and feeling stronger every day!

I went to the gym at 8:30 am this morning with the goal of running at least 6 miles in an attempt to try to catch up to this week’s long run goal of 8 miles. I failed miserably :(

My last post was on the importance of using the foam roller to stretch out and relieve some of the muscle tension I’m experiencing around my knees. I did roll out on Tuesday, but I’m still having trouble with those tight muscles causing my legs to feel really achy, especially when I run. So instead of running 6 miles, I ran 1.5 miles before getting off the treadmill and going to stretch and roll out my legs. I got back on the treadmill and did another 1.5 miles before deciding that the soreness was uncomfortable enough to stop. I made a promise to myself at the beginning of my training routine that I would not force myself to run through pain because long-term injuries just aren’t worth it.

Nevertheless, I left the gym feeling really disappointed in myself and frustrated with this persistent soreness that I’m experiencing. I came into the office and slouched down into a chair to get some advice from my boss Ken, who has run numerous full marathons. He told me a couple of key things: 1. feeling sore & achy is normal for long distance runners, 2. ease up on myself - I’m not going to improve my fitness in the next 2 1/2 weeks so pushing myself hard won’t matter. What will matter is if I injure myself in the next couple of weeks. Basically, he said that I’m fit enough now to run the marathon and that easing out of an aggressive training plan is the best thing I can do to prepare at this point. This made me feel a little bit better, but I’m still feeling bummed.

Any other positive words of advice for me? Cheesy motivational slogans? I could use a smile or two…

P.S. I’m either getting old or on my way to becoming a serious athlete as I bought my first tube of IcyHot pain relief creme today. So now I smell like a little old lady.