$559.20

My roommates and I had our annual summer party last weekend, and decided to add on a fundraiser. We raised $559.20! Awesome! I have raised a total of $2,374.00. Only $1,426.00 to go!

Here are some pics (hope to get more later, I only took one the whole night!).

Kim (our former intern) and me. I wore my vintage 50's-60's dress. Love it!

George and me. He should really get into fundraising, he went around, and got more donations from our guests (the one's who didn't know it was a fundraiser, I guess). Thanks George!

I will post more pics when I get them.

Have a great day!

Mandi

P.S. I have yet another honored teammate. Joe Fowler, who has completed treatment for non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, is doing well, but dealing with health problems due to the chemo lowering his immune system. I worked with his wife, Joanne, when I was in Little Rock. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

SURPRISE!

So, I went for a run last night, 4 miles. I can tell you that sometimes I don't think about much when I run, sometimes I think about things I would think about if I were just walking or sitting somewhere. Then there are times that I have what I guess you could call 'small realizations.'

I was running along, almost halfway to the Washington Monument, and I was thinking about how people can surprise you. In good ways and bad, people will surprise you. It's like when you think you know someone, and they exhibit traits that seem totally opposite of what you expect. Then it hit me. People who know me are probably REALLY surprised that I'm training for a marathon. As a matter of fact, I know people who had to blink, then look at the letter/e-mail again, just to make sure it was really from me. Because as I've said before, I've never done anything REMOTELY like this in my life.

Then I thought further. Because of anyone who is surprised by this, I think that I'm probably the most surprised. How cool is that? Surprising YOURSELF!

Now, I'm not writing this as a pat on my back, far from it. I'm writing this, because it's something I would encourage others to do. Do something different than you've ever done before. Something that others wouldn't expect (now I'm not saying something illegal or unhealthy or dangerous... let's not go overboard here! =) ). You will probably surprise everyone, but most of all yourself. It feels really cool, I promise!

Another thought I had last night was, I wonder how many tourists pics I've been in? You know, like in the background. As I was running the sidewalk that goes around the Washington Monument, it was a pretty nice scene. The Marine Band was playing, people were sitting in the grass - listening, and others were sitting around the Monument, taking pictures of their family and friends in different spots. Some in front of the Washington Monument, others of the cool views of the Lincoln Monument to the west, and the Capitol to the east. I felt kinda bad about not stopping when I saw someone take a picture, but they didn't seem to mind. That's when I had the thought... I wonder how many people get home from their vacations, develop their pictures, and there's little ol' me. Sitting in the background, or running by-my pony tail flying.

So yeah, running last night was nice. It was almost getting dark, nice breeze, tourists and softball players on the Mall. Glad I'm doing it.

Have a good one!
Mandi

Mile 100!!!

As of last night I have done 100 training miles! Whoa!!!

I didn't even realize (although I knew I was close). When I got home last night from my 4 mile run, I logged it on my blackberry/outlook. And there it was. 100 total training miles.

My run last night was nice, it was slightly overcast, and there was a light breeze. I went as soon as I got home from work, so it was still light outside. I really like my new route. I run from my house, down the mall,up and around the Washington Monument, then back home. So great!

When I do this route in the mornings, I run through the Smithsonian Castle's Garden. Soooo pretty!

Never would I ever have guessed that I would actually ENJOY running! I guess that's a good thing, since I'm only going to do more and more of it.

Have a great and blessed day!
Mandi

Double Digits, Baby!!!

Last Saturday I broke double digits, and did 10 miles! 10.WHOLE.MILES! Wow, never ever thought that would happen. Luckily, I had a great group of people to do it with, which makes it so much easier...

Not that it was easy, mind you. We started at Fletcher's Boat House, ran towards the Georgetown Waterfront (along the Potomac, really nice biking/running path), then turned around back to Fletcher's. That was 4 miles. The hardest part was not stopping when we got there (that was the second water stop). We ran past that another 3 miles, then back to Fletcher's for a total of 10 miles. Whew!

What a great feeling! Next Saturday, 8 miles, another 'break,' but with a good hill workout. San Francisco, here I come!

On the donation front; I have raised $1,564.80, that is 41% of my goal!

That's about all I have for now.

Peace out,
Mandi

P.S. I do have another honored teammate, Mrs. Billie Cole, I just found out she has non-hodgkens lymphoma. Please pray for her!

Mile 71

I just added it up, and I have done 71 training miles! In addition to walking 1 mile a day on weekdays (to and from work), my dogs have gotten a workout!


I had to do last Saturday's long run by myself, because I was out of town, so I did it Sunday on the Mall here in DC. It was uneventful, except for being barked at by a passer-by, and yes, he was human. Lovely.


I can just say that as for doing those long runs for myself??? No thanks! So boring, even my iPod didn't help. Having a big group to run with is extremely helpful in keeping motivated, and just maybe pushing yourself a little more harder than you would by yourself.


Well, thats about all I have to say. Much thanks for everyone who has donated so far, and all the moral support! Also, thanks to my sister for running with me last week, which I know she had to do considerably slower than usual. Also, to my Mom, who would wake up early with me, and go to Murray Park to walk the Big Dam Bridge. You go, Mom!


Have a great day!
Mandi

Pics from Arkansas and whatnot...

The Big Dam Bridge

Me and my sister after running 4 miles. In 90% humidity!

Me at the Big Dam Bridge after running with my sister.

Oh yeah, and one thing I forgot to add from my first run in Little Rock. Some guy passed me, and said, 'those shoes sure look heavy,' or something to that affect. I turned to say something to him, like 'I know, I need to buy new shoes! HOW DID YOU KNOW???' I looked down, and he was running barefoot! He passed me, and just kept on going. I caught up to him, because he had decided to walk, and spoke to him for a little bit. He was training for a 5k, and turns out, he runs races barefoot. Crazy! He said it takes lots of practice... well I would guess so!

By the way, I finally went and bought new running shoes yesterday at Georgetown Running Company. Asics, sweet.

X-TRAINING AND THE BIG DAM BRIDGE

Hi all! Just thought I'd give a little update...

The training process involves running (or running/walking for me) 3 times a week. On Sundays and Wednesdays, I am supposed to do cross-training. This can vary, sometimes I will go to the gym in my office building, and do the elliptical and bike. But the last thing I want to do is go back to work (yeah, I know I'm not working, but I'm going to the BUILDING).

Another possibly little known fact about me. I will buy exercise videos and very rarely if ever use them. So what are the chances, one might wonder, of me actually buying an exercise BOOK and using it? Well, here's your answer. About a year ago, I bought the book Smart Girls Do Dumbells, which I found by doing one of my favorite hobbies... searching different topics on Amazon.com. (yes, I know, I'm a nerd! ;) ).

So I decided to give this book a try. I have to say, in the short time I've used it, I think it's pretty good, but will have to give a complete recommendation in a month or so. It has easy-to-do exercises that focus on an area of the body... different arm and leg exercises, precisely. Then you do one ab exercise and one stretch. It has different combitions of daily exercises, for 30 days. I had decided that since they weren't that hard, I would just do them everday (which is what the book recommends). Couldn't hurt, right?

Well, I was about into the 5th day, and it was a leg day. One of the exercises was a calf raise, specifically an upper calf exercise. I will say that it hurt A LOT to do, but I just thought to myself, 'this has GOT to help with my running.' Was I SO wrong!

I could barely walk for about 3 days. I had to skip out on my Thursday run last week, because on my Tuesday run.... let's just say that I made it to the Washington Monument from my house (2 miles), but had to pretty much walk most of the way home. I couldn't BELIEVE how bad it hurt! I would stop and stretch, which didn't help at all. They would just cramp up... It was miserable. Plus the fact that I had to walk 1/2 a mile to work afterwards...

So the moral of this one is... if you are training to run a marathon, DO NOT, I repeat, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT do any excerise where you will be so sore that it will hurt you to walk. Because if you can't walk, your REALLY can't run!

Not to worry, I got right back on track, did my 5 miles on Saturday. The coaches call this a 'break,' because we did 7 miles the Saturday before, and will do 8 miles next Saturday. Had to do it on my own, because I am home in Arkansas for a week! Woo hoo! Sore, sore legs, but if feels good...

Oh yeah, and by the way, people in DC complain about the humidity SO MUCH, that they caused me to have a slight amnesia when it came to it being worse in Arkansas. I really had myself convinced that the humidity in DC might be worse than down here. COMPLETELY WRONG! I was drenched with sweat before my first mile, and never get near that bad running in DC. So there, I've been cured of that little case of amnesia. Gotta love the heat in humidity in the South.

I ran a path that goes by Murray Park (it's right down the road from my sisters house), and goes up to the Big Dam Bridge. It's the first time I've seen it close up. (I saw it at night with my sister and parents, how they have lights on it that change colors, might have been just for Christmas, I'm not sure). How pretty! For those of you who don't know, the Big Dam Bridge goes across the Arkansas River, and is so named because it is directly over Murray Lock and Dam. I remember going to field trips to the dam in elementary school, so it's cool to go back there now.

Anyway, the Big Dam Bridge is the nation's longest pedestrian bridge (built for that purpose), spanning about 1 mile across. It links 25 miles of biking and hiking trails in Little Rock and North Little Rock (for those of you who may not know, the Arkansas River separates the two). Definitely a must see for you non-Arkansans who find yourself in the area... check it out here: http://www.bigdambridge.com/.

So, here is my little mini-update. This would be my third set-back, the first one was when my inhaler ran out, and I missed a week of training (because my doctor's office took FOREVER to refill it). The second one was a very sore knee that I could barely walk on. I missed one day running (a Thursday) with that. It's amazing what stretching and a little ice can do! I ran 7 miles the next Saturday, and my knee felt BETTER afterwards!

The good thing about these set-backs is that they have been very minor, very easily overcome. It just makes what I'm running for even more poignant. Because they in no way compare to what cancer patients have to deal with. Believe me when I say that I use that for inspiration, because I really do.

Have a blessed day!
Mandi

P.S. I will be adding pictures of the Big Dam Bridge later on, after I take them! (or you can go to the website http://www.bigdambridge.com/, and go to the Gallery section).