Happy Holidays!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! We enjoyed our visit to Salem and spending time with my dad, brother, my brother's fiance and my two nephews.

I went to my dad's gym Wednesday morning before we left for home. I attempted a couple running intervals on the treadmill, but that didn't last long. I keep thinking I'm better because my knee doesn't bother me throughout the day, but, man, as soon as I try and run the pain comes right back. Thursday I spent an hour on my friend's elliptical machine - for some reason that machine didn't bother my knee at all, so I got in a really good work out!

Then this morning I had 10 miles scheduled. I went to the gym hoping to get in a few running intervals again. Well, I started out with a super easy 4 minutes walking, 2 minutes running and that lasted about an hour. It was so great to be RUNNING again and see the miles ticking off a little more quickly! Then sometime after that I hit my limit and didn't recognize it right away. My knee really started to hurt and I ended up knocking off at about 8.4 miles.

I'm pretty discouraged right now as I sit with an ice pack on my knee. I've got two weeks left to heal. I know I can't rush the process, but I also can't postpone the race! I also know that worst case scenario I can walk the whole marathon, but I really, really, really, really do NOT want to have to do that.

On a more positive note (pun intended), here is a note that our team received from Jill. Jill is one of our patient honorees - a local cancer patient in whose honor we are running and raising funds. She is currently undergoing treatment in Seattle.


Hey everybody!! I hope all is well with each of you this week. I wanted to say thanks. Sometimes I say thanks and maybe you all don’t know what I mean by it, so I will tell you, briefly.

Thank you for providing hope for my friends and family who worry a lot about me and whose hope plummets each time my cancer returns and builds each time doctors have ideas for new treatments.

Thank you for helping me have faith in mankind knowing that you are generous, caring people who will put yourselves out there for people in need, often for people that you don’t even know.

Thank you for helping with research that may someday save my cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, brother, niece, nephew or friends.

Thank you for inspiring me to walk more and hopefully get myself running one of these days.

Thank you on behalf of blood cancer survivors and other cancer survivors all over the world who don’t know you and may not even know what you are doing to try to save their lives.

Thank you for persisting when I’m not there watching or even thinking about the fact I am a survivor. And thank you for helping me to feel that I can take time not to always feel like a survivor.

When I say thank you, I do mean thank you. I hope that each of you will remember this always.

Love, Jill


This note is for everyone who has become part of my team over these last months. Whether you have helped financially by donating to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, taken time to run with me or keep me company at the gym, prayed for me, or been one of my wonderfully encouraging cheerleaders, thank you.

Made It!

Yeay! I have now completed my last long run - well, except my race of course. My next three weeks are less instense and my "long" runs are not nearly so long. It's just maintaining the work I have done so far and conserving strength for the big day!

I felt great today when I started out. I cycled a little, then did some brisk walking on the treadmill. Rex kept me company on the treadmill for an hour and a half, then I got on the cycle. Once my behind couldn't take the cycle anymore, I got on the elliptical. That didn't last long - I started to feel that familiar pain in my knee at that point. So I got back on the treadmill and that was much better. Julie spent the last hour and a half with me on the treadmill also. It was SO great to have company to pass the long day! Thanks, my friends!

So my knee was great pretty much the whole time today! I thought about trying to run a little, but decided against it. A long run day is NOT the time to push things. I am expecting I'll start adding some running in again by next weekend's 10 miler. Even now, in the evening, my knee feels just fine. My heel on the other hand . . . I wore my new shoes today. I had been breaking them in over the last couple weeks, but still I ended up with an ENORMOUS blister on my heel! I felt my foot slipping around at one point so I stopped to tie my shoe tighter - but I think the damage was already done at that point. My shins are a little sore now too, but overall I'm doing pretty well. Tomorrow I'll rest by sitting in the van all day driving to Salem!

Here's a picture of Hailey and I at her Christmas party at school on Friday.

I'm there!

I have officially met - and surpassed - my fundraising minimum! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has helped get me there! Every single contribution, no matter the size, has been a huge encouragement for me! All of us - everyone who has become part of me team - have become part of something great. May the efforts we have put in make a difference in many lives!

Update: My knee is still a little iffy. As suggested by my coach, I am planning on skipping the 20 mile run tomorrow. Instead I'm going to do the time (5 hours) at the gym on the cycle, elliptical and treadmill. It's going to be a looooooong lonely day. Friends, if you have some free time on Saturday, drop me an email and I'll let you know what gym I'll be at and what time. Stop by and take a stroll on the treadmill next to me or go for a leisurely bike ride on the cycle by me. And bring a cheeseburger. Kidding. Although Propel and Shot Blocks would be great!

We are leaving Sunday (my rest day) for Salem to spend Christmas with my dad and brother, but I'll try to post again before we leave and let you know how tomorrow goes.

Thanks again my friends for your financial support! It's a great relief to have that goal met - and surpassed! I'm still accepting donations at this point too! Anything I receive from here on out is 100% for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - all my expenses are paid!

Lame

I went to the gym this morning for my 9 miler. I managed to get in 3 miles on the treadmill before my knee really started to hurt. I got on the elliptical for a couple miles, but then had to get back on the treadmill because my feet were falling asleep. Does anyone else have this problem? My toes go all tingly on that thing. Weird.

Anyway, after that I bounced back and forth from the elliptical to the treadmill - whatever caused the least pain to my knee. You know, it was never so bad that I felt I couldn't go on, but I know I need to take it easy. I can't rush the healing process - even though it is making me NUTS that I can't run like I'm used to.

Now that I'm home, iced and showered, my knee is quite stiff. It actually feels worse now than when I first left the gym. This is maddening!

I have my final long run next Saturday, the 22nd. It's 20 miles. After that we have two shorter runs, then the race.

Every Day And In Every Way . . .

. . . I'm getting better and better.

I've been cycling some this week and have not felt too badly. Tomorrow is supposed to be a 9 mile run. I'll be going to the gym and seeing how far I can get on the treadmill. I may end up finishing up on the elliptical or cycle. We'll just see.

I am SO close to my fundraising minimum! Less than $200 to go now! Thank you SO much to all my team members who are making this possible!

Baby Steps

Yesterday was tough. My knee was really hurting. I iced it several times during the day and obviously didn’t run or anything. Today I’m still resting and it feels a little better. If I walk slowly enough, I almost appear to be walking normally. I’ve been stretching frequently and icing as much as possible. Just the little bit of improvement today has been encouraging though. Hopefully I will be well enough to at least start cycling or swimming soon.

Remember, I am still several hundred dollars from my minimum and my fundraising deadline is fast approaching! You can still come in under the wire for a 2007 tax deductible donation. Rather than a typical Christmas gift, consider a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in honor of a friend or family member – particularly for someone on your list that has everything, or someone who has also dealt with the effects of cancer. An honorary gift eliminates a lot of shopping stress for the giver, saves the recipient the hassle of storing yet one more thing and can make a real difference in the fight against cancer.

Click on the link to the right or mail a check directly to me. Email me at jamn3kids@yahoo.com if you have questions.

And please forward the link to my blog on to others you know who might like to become a part of my team!

I will be wrapping gifts at Barnes & Noble in Boise on December 20th from 8:00 to 10:00 pm. Donations will be accepted and will go toward my fundraising efforts. Stop by and see me and help fill the donation jar!

@*%#@%&#!!!

Well, I did it again. Started out too fast and hurt myself. This time I was feeling it by mile 6. My right knee this time – last time it was my left.

Our route today took us from Municipal Park to Lucky Peak, nine miles out and nine miles back. I was barely moving by the time I reached Lucky Peak. Just walking was excruciating. After about a mile back, I gave up trying to run at all. Coach Mike gave me a knee brace, then I was able to get a decent walking pace going with a stiff as a board right leg. As long as I didn’t even slightly bend my knee, it was manageable. So it was a looooooong remaining 8 miles. I didn’t even bother to think about trying the 19th mile. Today was not the day.

What was so frustrating was that I never got fatigued. With the exception of my knee (and my right hip a little), my body was feeling great and I was anxious to run. But that one thing made running impossible. It was just maddening. I’ve never been so SICK and TIRED of walking!!

But I finished. I was offered a ride back a couple of times, but I couldn’t bear the thought of not completing the course. It was about all I could do to bend and sit down in my car once I got back. I made it home, iced my knee then took a wonderful hot shower to get the chill out of my bones.

So this week I will lay off quite a bit, let my knee heal and hope for a pain free 9 miles next Saturday.

Let It Snow . . .

. . . but not today.

I'm getting ready for my 19 mile run today and have awakened to a thin layer of snow on the ground. It snowed a little yesterday afternoon after raining all day. Today is supposed to be cloudy, but no more precipitation. I'm counting on that.

I'll let you all know how it goes today!

Hodge Podge

Hoo boy. Once again, lots to catch up on here.

Most importantly I’d like to ask you all for your prayers for my running buddy, Becky. She has started experiencing some serious pain with these longer runs. After visiting a chiropractor, she discovered she has some long time injuries that are just now being aggravated by the intensity of her training. She needs to decide if she can continue training now and complete this upcoming race or if she needs to bow out, recover and shoot for the next one. I certainly will miss her company and encouragement if she has to postpone, but the most important thing is for her to take care of herself. So please keep her in your thoughts and prayers and she makes her decision.

The weather provided some small challenges this week, so I’ve spent more time on the treadmill than usual. That’s been good though as it gets me more accustomed to running in a warmer temperature. And I’m feeling pretty adept with the machine now. This Saturday is a long run – 18 miles. Anita-Nell suggested I try and put in 19 and then do 22 rather than 20 on my next and final long run. That will get me much closer to the actual 26.2 I’ll be doing in Phoenix. The thinking is this: If I run 22 miles before the marathon, when I get to the race itself and I hit that 22 mile mark, I will only have 4.2 miles left to go. Mentally, I can set myself up to thinking, “This is just a morning run now. I can do this, no problem.” So that’s my game plan and we’ll see how Saturday goes. It’s going to be cold, but not rainy or snowy. Yeay!

The P.F. Chang’s Rock N Roll Marathon sent me an email announcing the headliner band for the victory party after the race. It’s going to be Kool & the Gang! How kool is that! There will even be a costume contest, so I’m looking forward to dressing up, disco style and having a blast! I will have quite the cheering section there in Phoenix, so I’ll have lots of dance partners! My dad and brother are driving down together from Salem, my friends Julie and Rex will be coming from Boise and my friend Heidi is coming over from Texas. I’m overwhelmed! I didn’t even think in the beginning that people would actually go all the way to Phoenix just to see me run this race! That means so much to me! I love you guys!!

Only 5 1/2 weeks to go! (insert excited/terrified scream here)