Day 59-January 27th My First Injury/ Different hair color anyone?

Okay so I know that doing a lot of running will cause (overtraining, running down hills) an injury at some point-IT Band issues. It hurts when I walk up stairs, jog and even when I have it propped up.I have to say that it is more annoying than anything. For more information about the IT band, click on over to Runner's World.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-286--13273-0,00.html

As for my tagline about hair changing color, I am making a promise to myself and to my donors that if I reach my goal by February 28th then I will dye my hair. So please feel free to vote as many times as you would like. And for my sake, I am hoping for the color pink.

What do you think? Maybe a different color?

Day 55 January 23- Ran 10 miles on the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethseda

Alrighty so this past Saturday our Maryland Team ran on the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethseda. Because I am training for the full marathon my training runs tend to a bit longer than the rest of the team sometimes. The course that we were running had a few hills that were quite steep I even got to run past Santa (yes Santa in full beard with red running shorts and a white shirt to complete the look). It was chilly when we first started running but by the end of the run I had shed a layer including my gloves (I won't do that again; I needed the gloves at the end of my run). The course was full of cyclists, walkers, families and then good ole TNTers. Everyone I met was very nice and had great manners on the trail.

Because the trail was paved, my feet took a pretty bad beating. I was definitely feeling the physical side effects (very sore feet, tight calves and knees that were like jello) after my run on Saturday morning.  One thing that I did on this run was to try out Jelly Beans http://www.sportbeans.com/
It was nice to have a boost in energy on mile 5. I also tried Starbursts and pretzels. I'm not looking forward to the gels.

My time on Saturday running 10 miles was 2 hours and 15 minutes. And this is where I was running on Saturday. I will be back for more this weekend.  http://www.cctrail.org/CCT_Maps.htm

Day 48, January 16th- Ran 8 Miles in 1 hour in 40 minutes

First my apologies for not updating more frequently throughout the week. Saturday January 16th was my 8 mile run at Carderock, MD. I have to say that the scenery was beautiful but the weather on the Potomac river was a bit on the chilly side. It was the first time that our Maryland Team of TNT was able to get together. It was nice to be able to meet some of the people that I have been hearing about. There is one guy named Lucas that runs in "barefeet." He has a much  faster pace than I do but he had really muddy feet by the end of the run. Check out the picture of "barefeet running shoes" below courtesy of REI.

http://www.rei.com/product/754765?preferredSku=7547650148&cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-datafeed-_-product-_-7547650148&mr:trackingCode=A0164576-8893-DE11-93DB-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA

Also on our team is family of three running the Country Music Half Marathon. There is Pat, Cathy and Robbie. Robbie ran with TNT last year and got his family involved for this season with TNT. I think its great that a family is getting involved with the Team In Training. I will try to get a picture of the three of them up here soon.

Training during the week is starting to get tough. -I think for me its more about time management. As for my 8 mile run, I thought my time wasn't too bad. I did complete the run with all my limbs attached.  Stay tuned for more action!

Day 43-Tuesday Jan. 12th Wanta put some cash in your pocket?

Alrighty guys...so I have started getting creative with my fundraising efforts in order to reach my goal. I did a bake sale this past Sunday as well as at work this week. With the Super Bowl only a few weeks away, I have decided to get in on the action with a fun game called Super Bowl Squares. Alright maybe some of you know how to play or maybe you don't....here goes.... Each square is $10.00. You can buy any square you wish and you can buy as many squares as you would like. I will use the numbers in each column to determine the winners at each quarter of the game. I will draw numbers 0-9 out of the hat to determine the value of each column and row. It will be random so good luck picking a box.

So what about the cash? The pot will be 50/50 (50% goes towards my commitment with LLS and 50% goes to the 4 winners (1 winner per quarter)). If you want to play, please send me a check made out to me at Laura Harrison, 3702 Farmland Drive, Fairfax, VA 22033. Please be sure to include your contact information so I can send you your prize if you win.  If you have questions, shoot me an email at itsmeguesswhat@yahoo.com. You can also call me at 229-938-6166.

Good luck to you all! I'm so pumped for the Super Bowl!

Day 41- Sunday Jan 10th Bake Sale Anyone?

I got up and got my day started with labeling the baked goods for the Bake Sale today. One of our Maryland Team mentors decided to have a bake sale at three of the Giant stores in the Besethda/Cabin John area. I signed up for the late afternoon shift (1-to sleep in and 2 to go running afterwards). I have to say that I had a great experience with the bake sale. I stood outside of the Cabin John Giant with my bud Lindsey and we met some very generous people. Some of them were past Team in Training folks while others had a family member or close friend lose their battle. Others asked what we were doing and we explained that we were training for a marathon or half marathon for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and all funds that we raise go to them. Many people were supportative and wished us good luck with our training.  

Here are a few pictures from the Bake Sale:

Our quaint table in a great location-a special thanks to Miguel and his son Jose.

Lindsey smiling at happy shoppers

Buddy Run on Sunday

Day 40 Saturday Jan 9th Ran 5 miles in the snow

OK so I know that the South has been cold lately and maybe even had a dusting of snow but has anyone ever tried running in it? Any takers? This past Saturday was my first run in the snow and I have to say that it wasn't too bad dispite the cold weather (and the occasional ice patch or two). We had a combined training with our VA and DC teams. It was nice to have a lot of people on the trail as we ran because it makes for more support as you hit the longer mileage. A special shout out to the VA TNTers Heather and Donna- I can't wait to run with you guys again. Go TEAM! Because I was coming back from 2 weeks of being sick, I ran 5 miles instead of 6. It felt good to be back with the team (gosh I hadn't seen them in 3 weeks). 

Here are a few pictures of my teammates:

Myself, Amy, Robbie

Amy is our staff contact for the Maryland Team from Team In Training.

 Robbie and Jenn are two of team mentors (past TNTers). 

Jenn, Myself, Lindsey

These are two of my running buddies. You will typically find us together on Sundays for our buddy runs at Fletcher's Cove or on Friday nights eating pasta and watching movies together in preparation for our Saturday morning jaunt. Gotta love 'em!

On Saturday after our fun run,  we had our Personal Honored Teammate Picnic which allowed the Team in Training participants to meet and hear the stories of our honored teammates and their families. Every person that spoke had a story that would tug on your heart strings but one that stuck out in my mind was about an elementary kid named Carson that was diagnosed with cancer while he was in kindergarten. It took 3 1/2 years to beat the cancer but he did! He was a little late to gathering but he had a great excuse-he was playing basketball and his team won! Carson is one of our honored teammates for the National Area Chapter and we are thankful for him and his willingness to share his story.

Carson and one of our TNTers

The Honored Teammates Picnic was a reminder of Team in Training's mission-to find a cure for blood cancers and to improve the lives of patients and their families. A special thank you goes out to all of the honored teammates for sharing your story with us-this marathon is for you! Go TEAM!

Day 38-Thursday Jan. 7th National College Football Championship

Okay so today super busy at work. One of my coworkers is going to be out for the next two weeks so we have been preparing for her absence. She will be missed greatly. At the same time, myself and another coworker have been staying late proctoring exams for some students. Tonight at 8pm is the National College Football Championship between Alabama and Texas. Go SEC! I have decided to go running on the treadmill while waiting the game. A girl has to have priorities. Right? Well here's to 4 miles!

Day 32-New Year's Day 2010

I hope that everyone had a great New Year's Eve. I spent my New Year's Eve hanging out with my family at home playing board games-I can't say it was a rocking party but I enjoyed spending it with my family. It is only fitting that I mention that with the beginning of a new year comes resolutions: to lose weight, to stop smoking, to start eating more nutritiously, to become more financially sound. The list of resolutions seems to be endless these days and the solutions to help you achieve those resolutions is as well. I was reading an article in today's paper that talked about a resolution of kindness and here is an excerpt from the article.


“What's the nicest thing that you did for someone else in 2009?

We can't wait another moment to make someone's life more meaningful, to relieve another person's burden, to bring a little joy into someone's day. And then there are the more demanding acts that become defining moments for us in our relationship to others. When are we truly self-sacrificing? When can we give of ourselves without a reward or an expectation of reciprocity? What is kindness anyway?

Psalms tells us something important about kindness. The world is built on it. The world depends on it. Each of us depends on it. Like bricks and mortar, like the steel undergirding of a building, like the skeleton of a human being, it is kindness that provides the scaffolding for a life of purpose. Kindness is not an impulse. It's a regular discipline that expresses itself as compassion, consideration, sympathy and caring.

Commit yourself to daily acts of kindness directed to others. Maybe it won’t be so hard to answer what the nicest thing that you did for someone was in 2010. And maybe, in thinking hard about an inventory of kindness this year, you'll also remember the nicest thing that someone did for you. Kindness: Pass it on.”

I thought the article addressed something differently about resolutions than what I have been hearing or seeing and that is that kindness expresses itself as compassion, consideration, sympathy and caring. Kindness: Pass it on.

Food for thought:All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don't discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others. ~Danny Thomas

A special thank you to Aunt Marcy for her donation-your momma's spirit will be with me as I run in April.