And The Countdown Begins...

The San Diego Marathon is in SIX days and to celebrate, the Long Beach team gathered together for our SD send off party.  It was a great way to spend our last practice weekend together as well as a perfect way to honor our team's accomplishments.

At our party, one of our coaches mentioned that one of the most rewarding aspects of being on Team in Training is watching our runners and walkers cross the finish line for the first time.  As a mentor, I can't wait to see the smiles on my teammates' faces as they make their way to the finish!  They've all trained so hard this season - from their first 40-minute run to the 12/20-miler they completed a few weeks ago - and have raised tons of money for cancer patients around the world.  It is so exciting to be at this point with them today.

I'm in such a unique position because I get to share this experience with my wonderful team.  The San Diego half-marathon will be my very first "official" race and I am so honored to be a part of TNT Long Beach.

We've all got an exciting weekend ahead.  And in 26 days, I will be celebrating once again with Team in Training at the Seattle Marathon!  Can't wait!!!

If you will be in San Diego this weekend (for the Mud Run or anything else), I hope you'll hang out 'til Sunday to cheer us on!  And of course, if you can't make it but want to make a monetary contribution to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, you can make a donation here.

A millon thanks for your continued support and well wishes!!

San Diego is Just Around the Corner!

We've been training hard for several months now, and with the San Diego Marathon just 27 days away, the excitement is building for Team Long Beach!  Our full-marathoners ran a whopping 18 miles on Saturday while the halfers did 11 (I did 14, but that's a different story), and many will reach a personal record at our next practice.

I, on the other hand, just reached my own personal record with 14 miles.  Last season, I hurt my knee during a 15-mile run which took me out for the rest of the season and about a month ago, our first 14-miler aggravated my IT band, causing me to walk the last 2 miles.  I still finished it, but certainly wasn't pleased with the outcome.  After taking a few weeks off, I ran 10 miles two weeks ago (instead of 18) and this week, FINALLY got to 14 (instead of 18).  Yay me!

You may have heard of RICE as the ideal way to treat injuries - I absolutely believe in it.  Coupled with a steady stream of ibuprofen, RICE, which is the acronym for Rest-Ice-Compress-Elevate, has helped me out tremendously.

My new favorite running toy is the Cryo-Max ice pack.  Unlike other ice packs, the Cryo-Max stays cool forever!!  I actually used it last night because I tweaked my right knee (from napping, not running), and after two hours, my ice pack was still ice cold.  LOVE!

Twenty-seven more days 'til SD!  Forty-seven more days 'til Seattle!!!!