Race Day

I was too nervous and excited to sleep much, and woke throughout the night, afraid I would sleep through my alarm (not that it's ever happened before but there's a first time for everything). I popped out of bed at 7 am, and began the job of waking up myself and the rest of the family. In the midst of the chaos I checked my email and was thrilled to discover that a last minute pledge met my total donation goal of $500! Big Sis was also the recipient of $80 in pledges. That got my adrenaline pumping, and I sailed through the rest of the morning.

We bundled up, and were in the car by 8 (a little behind my desired schedule, but still with plenty of time to spare). Big Daddy was a little skeptical of my claims regarding 20,000 people coming out for the Race. Once he saw the traffic, and especially the back up at the Capitol exit, he quickly conceded that I might be right about the number of people we were about to face. We parked and walked, and I was really overwhelmed by the sheer number of bodies out there. I jumped into the mass around the 13:00 mile mark, and tried to mentally prepare for the 3.1 miles I was about to face.

The race began, and we all watched the competitive runners surge forward. It was at least 5 minutes before my group approached the starting gate, and it was several more minutes before I could separate myself enough to actually run. I spent the next few minutes after that dodging walkers (seriously people, you were not going to hit a 13:00 mile at that strolling pace) before I could get a little space around me and settle into a rhythm. I had my special Race playlist on my iPod, and it was a good motivator to keep going (and people say the Spice Girls are worthless - Ha!). It was a beautiful cold, sunny day and the course wound around downtown. There were no mile markers, which for me was a bonus, as I think it might have been more disheartening than helpful. It was hard to be passed, but it was a mental boost to pass people. The most difficult bit was the last 1/2 mile - up the hill to the Capitol building. It wasn't Mt. Everest, but a slow and steady pace helped get me through it.

Almost to the finish line!

I achieved both my goals - to raise $500 in donations, and to run the whole race. I don't even know what my pace was, but we estimate it around 30:00 total. Not bad, considering I wasn't even running 2 months ago.

I am grateful to all of those who supported me through donations, training advice, and just by asking how things were going.

I am thankful for my sweet husband who supported my by watching the kids so I could run on my own and who woke up early on a Saturday to hang out in the 40 degree weather with 2 semi-cranky kids while I ran this Race.

I am honored that Big Sis and Big J were there, and that I can try to be a good example to them by being active and philanthropic at the same time. (I do love to multi-task!).

I am amazed to see so many people come out for the Race - whether they were runners or walkers, pushing strollers, racing a 5:00 mile, or rolling in their wheelchairs, for a few hours we were all united in a common goal - to support Komen for the Cure and to raise money to work towards stamping out breast cancer. Almost 5% of the population of the Des Moines metro area came out for this event. That's incredible!

I am motivated to keep going. My running may have to go indoors for a while, but I am hopeful that I can keep a consistent workout schedule and continue doing 5K's and more.

Big Sis before her race.

Big Sis did great, too. The Kids' Race was chaotic, but she crossed the 50 yard finish line like a champ!

Big J all bundled up for a cold morning outdoors!

Thanks again to everyone who pledged money to support us. Words can't express how grateful we are for your monetary vote of confidence and for all the support we received.

So close!

I am just $130 away from my pledge goal for the Komen for the Cure race on October 25. First, thank you to those who have donated. I am grateful for your support of this important cause and of me. I won't let you down - I ran 2 miles yesterday & will continue to train and push myself until I finish running that race!

Next, I am so close to my monetary goal, but would be incredibly grateful for any additional donations. It's NEVER too late to pitch in, and every single dollar helps. I hate grovelling for anything, but would happily walk through a bed of hot coals on my knees for additional donations. Or run 3.2 miles - I think it's going to be just as painful.

If you're not able to donate right now, please consider doing so in the future. Money is always needed to fund research and prevention programs. There are tons of great pink ribbon items out there, and they make wonderful Holiday gifts, too. Thanks for listening to my poorly worded plea.

Go Team Baby Bootcamp!

Week 2 Update

Training: I'm still on the program. It was a little more running this week, mixed in with walking. I did the program on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. I got up early on Saturday, bundled up Big J, and we went up the hill and around the lake by the library. It was a cool, foggy morning with lots of bunnies out along the trail. I'm most enjoying getting outside and exploring different trails and paths. Week 3 ramps up the running, so I'll be interested to see how I do. After the first 5 minutes or so I seem to adjust fairly well, so hopefully it will continue. My knee is bothering me a little bit, but the twinge usually goes away after warming up.

Pledges: I am so humbled to have received more than half my goal in pledges. Your confidence in me is inspiring, and I feel the weight of this responsibility on my shoulders every day of my training. I still have $200 to meet my goal, so I'll be sending out another groveling email asking for pledges and support. For those of you who have donated - Thank You! For those of you still thinking about it - do it! It's tax deductible! It's for a great cause! You won't be sorry!

In other news: I have a lovely goosegg on my forehead. I nailed myself on the corner of the trunk of my car while heaving the stroller back inside yesterday morning. It wasn't bad yesterday, but this morning it was marked by a nice red spot and some lovely swelling in the surrounding area. It's hard to see if you're not really looking for it, but I'm still glad I cut my bangs on Friday & I can kind of sweep them over so you can't see it. I iced it with a bag of frozen peas, but it still aches.

Have you been to El Rodeo yet? I have, and I want to go back. Tomorrow. And the next day. And possibly the next. Good Mexican food is hard to find outside the West Coast, and I'm a little shocked this place is as yummy as it is. In Des Moines? Oh yeah. Cheap, too. You know it's got to be good if the homies eat there. I know, it's a stereotype. But you shoulda seen the guy - he could have been straight out of South Central. Again - in Des Moines? Oh yeah.

Oh, It's On!

Well, now I've gone and done it. I signed up to run the Des Moines Race for the Cure. I'm part of Team Baby Bootcamp, and I even pledged to raise money - which is a first for me. See the sidebar - it'll be up until October 25th.

I've been doing a little running as part of the BBC classes, and have ventured a jog or two on the Jordan Creek Trail, but 3.1 miles is a whole different animal. I've got the Couch-to-5K-Plan, which says you can do it in 2 months. I've started the plan before, and it does work (last time I built up to 2 miles before I had to quit), but let's see if I can go all the way this time. I'm also worried that it will take me longer to build up, as I am a very slow runner (more of a plodder if you will) and even slower when pushing an extra 40 lbs of baby + stroller.

So who wants to run the Race with me? Just you, me and 20,000 of our friends, neighbors and countrywomen (and -men) all for a great cause!

Getting Healthy

Tomorrow I start a Baby Bootcamp class. No, Justin hasn't joined the military (I don't think his Daddy would allow that). It's an exercise class you do with your baby and a jogging stroller. I found a great program through the Parks & Rec department, and thought that there's no time like the present. It runs for 6 weeks, and meets 3 times a week for an hour. I hesitated to blog about this earlier, as I have mixed feelings about this process. I don't doubt that I'll finish the class, and enjoy doing it. I'm not afraid of that. I'm afraid that I will once again fail to follow through with my good intentions to start living a healthier life. I'm not sure when I stopped having any sense of personal discipline. Was it when I had kids? Or when I started feeling really comfortable with Matt (last year)? Regardless of when, it seems to be a daily fact.

Every year as my birthday approaches, I always think "This is the year I get in shape. This is the year I get healthy." I don't think I'm afraid of doing the physical work. I know it's not easy but I'm not looking for a quick fix or miracle pill. I'm pretty sure I'm afraid of the process. Any person who is more than 10 lbs. overweight for more than 3 months can tell you that being heavy is complicated. Losing that 10, 20 or 30+ pounds requires patience, work, and introspection. It's the introspection that concerns me. Taking a hard look at yourself is never fun or easy, and it's been much easier to avoid that process and keep those feelings boxed up. Being a bit of an overachiever with a smidgen of perfectionist (thanks Dad!), I know all about engineered failure. It's far less of an ego blow to simply not try when you know a project is really difficult, and you will struggle. Why risk trying and failing when you can simply not try at all & keep your pride intact?

I had the above discussion with my sweet husband this morning, and while I think he empathizes with me, he also helps me to keep things in perspective. He pointed out that I need to focus less on the exterior, and more on the interior. It's really is about being more healthy. If I can work on that, the physical stuff will improve, too. Or as he put it: "You just need to decide exactly when you'd like to develop adult-onset diabetes". Nothing like thinking about losing your toes to make a walk to the park seem pretty appealing.

It was also inspiring to watch some of the Hy-Vee Triathlon this weekend. On Sunday morning the run portion was headed right past our apartment. Malaina got excited when she saw the runners & wanted to eat breakfast on the porch so she could clap & cheer like the other supporters on the street. I whipped up some pancakes & we all sat outside & watched the runners go by. We talked about what they were doing & why, and I watched the variety of sizes, shapes & ages jog to victory. I'd love to do a triathlon some day, but don't have access to a pool right now. I'm going to have to settle for running in the Race for the Cure in October - which must be important to me, as I actually planned my vacation so that we'd be home that weekend. If Baby Bootcamp can start me on the path to better health, then I'll have another 10 weeks to train before RFTC at the end of October. October 25th is highlighted on my calendar. Good luck to me?