One Down One To Go

Well, Christmas has come and gone, can you believe it? Now we await the new year which is only a few days away. My christmas was great. I left last Thursday for LA and spent 4 days with my parents. I got some much needed rest and of course some hanging out time with them, which I don't get to do very often. I took Patch with me and he had a great time as well although I think he's still trying to recover from the trip....haa, haa. I drove home on Christmas morning and celebrated Christmas with Rocky and his family in the afternoon. Santa was really good to me and I got lots of goodies :o)

New Year's will be spent at a party in San Francisco which I'm very excited about. I've never been to a big fancy party for New Year's. I'll be going with Rocky, Olivia, Phil, Lael and Anthea. The theme is 007. They are going to have a casino gaming area and cigar lounge among a few other rooms. I also got hooked up and we will have a VIP Table which will be nice cause we'll have our own area to sit and put our stuff down. A lot of times you just stand for hours at these parties. The table also comes with a few other perks like a few bottles of champagne, food, private bathroooms, bar and cocktail servers. Should be a fun night!

I hope everyone has a very SAFE and fun New Year's!

Still Here

Wow, haven't written in a while.

Life has been crazy busy. We are in the last few weeks of the TNT Fall Season . Our Arizona people still have a few weeks to go before their race. I'll have about 3 weeks off and then the Spring Season starts...YIKES. Work has been crazy busy and stressful but I think things will calm down soon. I was out of town 2 weekends in a row. And last but not least I've been trying to get ready for Christmas. I can't believe that Christmas is in 10 days. That's just crazy, I feel like it was just Christmas and we were just ringing in 2006 and now it's pretty much over. With all that has been going on I am pooped and I'm thinking that is why I now have a nice lovely cold :o( which I need to get rid of in the next few days before my 3rd trip of the month. I'll be going down south to see my parents for Christmas. Should be interesting since I'll be driving down with Patch. It'll be his first LONG car ride. Oh and he graduated from doggie training yesterday. That was another thing I had going on the last 6 weeks. We are all done now though and I can have my Thursday evenings back.

New York was amazing, I really loved it and I can't wait to go back. Rocky's parents made sure I wasted no time and it was not a relaxing vacation. We were on the go everyday but they made sure I got to see and do lots of things in the short time we were there. The Reyes's are like engergizer bunnies they just keep on going :o) It was fun though. I was able to catch a show, we saw Chicago. I went to the Empire State Building with Rocky. We ate all kinds of yummy food and did lots and lots of shopping. Oh and I can't forget the yummy Chocolate Bar, that was the best. In fact I just saw that Oprah has it on her list of gifts, it's called MarieBelle. It was delish.

I've been doing some major eating, drinking and desserts the last few weeks but somehow I've managed to keep my weight. I'm thinking it's because I've also been so active with all the walking around...PHEW!!! That's a relief, I'm really hoping I can keep that scale down for another few weeks. I've still got a few more holiday lunches to do plus christmas and new years. I am still planning on doing boot camp which I think starts on January 22nd. I'll also start my running back up the first week of February.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and a big toast to Ms. Olivia because Sunday is her 30th Birthday!

Happy 30th Birthday Olivia!!!!!

It's CHILLY!

geesh can it get any colder around here? My car said that it was 34 degrees when I left for work at 7:30 :o( I'm not liking it and I better stop complaining because I am going to be spending the next 4 days in weather just like this because I'm going to NEW YORK...woohooo! Rocky and I leave with his family tomorrow for New York. We are going to have fun and play :o) I have never been there and am SUPER excited about it. The tree lighting is tonight which means NY will be in full christmas spirit mode. I can't wait. I am all packed up and ready to go. Mr. Patch will be spending the weekend with Momma Olivia. THANK YOU, OLIVIA :o) They will be heading up to Yuba City on Saturday. Olivia is spending the night there and going over to Sacramento on Saturday to cheer on our friends who are running the Cal International Marathon. Patch will get to play with his cousins Chloe and Max. Should be a fun weekend for them.

GOOD LUCK Cal International Runners :o)

Well as far as the weight loss goes, I had gained a few pounds over the Thanksgiving break but I've lost them already and I'm back at what I weighed in at on 12/20 so not too bad. I will be starting my boot camp now on January 22nd. That will work out much better for me. I'll be able to do the full series without missing any days. I'm looking forward to it and it'll get me in good shape for the New York Marathon training season.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, it's here that holiday where you eat and eat til your eyes pop out of your head :o) I am going to try to be very very good this year and not over do it. I did very well at weigh in this week and I am down another 3 lbs....WOOHOOO! Why is it I always go on a diet during the holidays? :o( waahhhh. My eating festivities will start tonight though. Rocky, our friend Lindy and her doggie Max are coming over to celebrate Patch's bday. We are having crab, steamed artichokes and PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE...YUMMY! So I will be good all day and save all my weight watcher points for dinner. The crab and artichoke aren't bad at all actually so that's a plus but the cheescake and wine is what get's ya. I can't wait. And YES, I did say that this is for Patch's bday. I have also ordered him a doggie cake and I got him a birthday hat. Stay tuned for pics next week.

I am suppose to start boot camp on Monday. I need to call them though and find out if I should start or wait til the next 3 week session starts. I just realized that I'll have to miss next Friday and the following Monday. They don't have make up classes so I'm thinking I may need to wait til the next session starts. I want to make sure I make all the classes.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, yummy and safe Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday Patch!

Today my little guy turns 1 year old :o) I met him when he was just 8 weeks old, he was such a little itty bitty guy. He weighed a little over 1 pound when I went to see him. I'm still not even sure how I ended up with a doggie, we aren't even allowed to have them in our apartment. I was just playing around and looking on craigslist and when I saw his picture I had to have him. I went and looked at him and fell in love with him. He had 4 siblings and he was the only one with long hair. His brothers and sister all had short hair and were either all black with one white spot or there was one little boy that was all brown just like the Taco Bell dog. I picked Patch. Patch was only suppose to be about 4-6lbs and today he is weighing in at 12lbs...YIKES. He is not overweight he just turned out to be a bigger doggie.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY PATCH!

Boring Update

I haven't updated in a while so I thought I'd write something although I have nothing exciting to write about :o( Next week will be my last week to enjoy my sleep before I have to start getting up at 5:00am. My boot camp classes start on the 27th, I'll probably need them after the Thanksgiving meal although I plan to be a good girl and not overdue it on the food. Weightloss is coming along great. I was pretty bummed on Monday when I weighed in and had stayed at the same weight as last week but I weighed myself at home this morning and I'm down another 3 lbs.....woohooo! I am down 8lbs. YIPEEE! I gotta say that I LOVE Weight Watchers cause I can still eat the things I love. I have not been depriving myself of any yummy foods. I am just not eating like a piggie. OH but I don't care how many points Pumpkin Cheesecake is I am having a big fat slice on Thanksgiving Day :o)

This Saturday I've gotta help mark the course for the 20 mile run so I'll be out on my bike. My poor bike hasn't seen the outside of my house since May. I sure hope I manage to stay on it and not land on the ground somewhere :O( It'll be fun though to be riding out on the course supporting the participants running their last long run before the Honolulu Marathon.

Thursday nights are doggie training with Patch so that's where I shall be tonight.

Run Forest Run

Actually it's more like Run Dean Run. So as you've already read in my previous blog entry Dean Karnazes is running home. Last Friday I was having dinner at home with Olivia and Rocky and I had said "Wouldn't it be funny if Dean did like Forest and just kept running and ran home from New York" haa, haa, well HE IS!


You can track him here Where's Dean?

Boot Camp

Well, I have signed up for Boot Camp. Yep, I sure did. They had a great deal, probably cause it's winter so I went ahead and signed up. My classes begin Monday, November 27th. 3 days a week for 3 weeks. I chose to do the shorter program because of the holidays and I won't be aroudn much. I will see how I like it and maybe I'll sign up again in January when things are more mellow. For now I know the hardest thing will be getting up at 5am. Class starts at 5:30 :o( YIKES but it's the only class I can take and still make it home in time to get ready for work. I can't wait to see the results and hopefully with me eating better I'll see really good ones.

Here is a little bit from their website, Bay Area Boot Camp:

Bay Area Boot Camp is a women's only four-week program of fitness instruction, nutritional education and team motivation. Exercises include: calisthenics, short distance running/walking, body weight resistance training, weight training, jump roping, crunches, obstacle courses, PAR courses, hill running/walking, hiking, agility and power drills, sports drills, medicine ball work, stair climbing, partner drills, pilates, sport yoga, surprises and much more.

NOTHING....

....that's what I've been doing...haa, haa. I said I was going to take a break from running and that's exactly what I am doing. My little feet have not seen my running shoes since Nike which will be 3 weeks this weekend. My plan is to probably take off all of November and December and then come back fresh in January. It's not good for me to not do anything at all so I think I may take some yoga classes at a place right around the corner from our house. I've been there before and I liked it. I had really wanted to take the boot camp class held at Heather Farms but its kind of expensive and I'd have to take the 5:30am classs....uuhhh...I can barely get up at 6:30 to go to work. I'll keep ya posted though on that one. I just feel like I need to do something other than sit on my butt and knit and watch tv all night. Although I did find a picture of a yoga knitter today :o) maybe I can find one of those classes somewhere.

While I've been doing nothing Dean Karnazes finished his 50 marathons in 50 days. He finished in an amazing 3:00:30 at the New York City Marathon on Sunday. That was his 50th marathon. I can't believe it. I would have came in in like 20 hours after running 49 marathons the previous 49 days. Then on Monday he decided that he couldn't just stop there so he went on a 28 mile run. What is he doing today you ask on day 53? Here is what he wrote today:

DAY 53
Miles: To be determined
Weather: 56 degrees, rain

Today is the most liberating, terrifying, exciting, and confusing day of my life. I am walking out of a hotel room in New York City, and running west. Why west? Because that is the direction of my house in San Francisco. Yes, I am running home from the New York City Marathon, the final marathon of the Endurance 50, across the country back to my house.

What is my plan? I really don’t have one. There is no script here. It will be kind of like reality TV, only this is not TV. I’m not sure of the route I’ll follow, I’m not sure where I’ll stay, I’m not sure how long it will take. All I know is that my heart is telling me this is the right thing to do.
My family is behind me, which is the most important thing. I talked with them at length to get their feelings about this next leg of the journey, and they were 100% supportive and encouraging. “It will be fun, dad,” my daughter, Alexandria, said, “We’ll come find you every weekend and run together.”

The Endurance 50 was more of a spiritual journey than a running event. None of us had ever anticipated this would be the case. People from around the globe united and came together in ways that were astonishing to us all. We saw the very best in human nature, we saw the human spirit come through in remarkable and touching ways. In a world that can be so divided, running showed us that it has the power to unify people.

So let us run.
Heading west,
Dean

Check out his blog, he's got some video footage on there and you can keep track of his journey home.

So see, there is no way that I can just sit around and not do anything. So I will find something to keep me going til I start running again in January.

Happy Halloween!

Penny the Cowgirl and Browndielocks

Official Nike Pics

i like this one but Lael's arm in in my picture :o(

heading to the finish :o)

2006 Season OVER!

Well, I think my 2006 Season is over. This year's biggest goal and accomplishment was my triathlon. I knew going into this year that I was going to mainly focus on that and that I would not do any full marathons. I wasn't even sure how many half marathon's I would do. I ended the year with 2, not bad. I didn't train very well though for those 2 and it was very obvious in the way I felt while running them and in my time. I am not upset though because I still did them and finished off with 2 great medals. Well, one awesome medal and another cool Tiffany's necklace :o)

The trip to Disney with the gang was a blast and well worth running the Disney Half Marathon. I didn't feel to bad at Nike and since the money at goes to LLS it's always worth doing it. Since I am Captain with Olivia of the Fall Team I still have a ways to go before that is over. Our last race of the season isn't until January so it'll be a while before I get to sleep in on Saturday mornings. I enjoy doing it and being out there so it's no biggie.

I am probably going to keep running here and there with the team but no major training for a while. In fact right now I have NO races planned til New York which isn't even til November 2007. I may join the spring team but I'm not sure if I'll do a race or not. Olivia and I have even chatted a bit about doing Relays so maybe we'll sign up for a few races and get a relay team going, we shall see. I really need to take a break and regroup so I come back nice and refreshed to train for New York. I am really looking forward to doing THE New York Marathon :o) and to the trip there with everyone. Should be fun.

Happy Running!

Nike Pics

Nike Half Marathon - DONE!!!!

2:55:27

:o(
:o(
:o(

2004 Results - 2:40:22
2005 Results - 2:46:14

As you can see this year's time was NOT GOOD and I have officially set my personal worst. I will write more about the race tomorrow. Today, every inch of my body is sore. I think my eyelashes even hurt.

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone. No matter how well you train Nike always seems to kick our butts. Those DARN hills always get us. Everyone finished though and that's what matters.

2 Days Til Race Day!

YIKES just 2 days til I'm running Half Marathon #9 (I think). I'm still not really excited about the race but I think it'll be a fun day and probably an emotional day. Found out yesterday that Trish will be saying a few words at the start of the race. Trish is Vanessa Wittmer's mom. Vanessa was diagnosed with ALL in 2003 and is currently in remission..YAY, Vanessa!

Sunday is also Cole's birthday. Cole would have turned 4 on this day but he lost his battle with AML in June of 2004. I'll be thinking of Cole as I am treking my way through the hills of SF. This race has always been on his birthday weekend so it's always been a special weekend. Brandy, his mommy, ran the race last year as her first half marathon with TNT. It was a amazing day for her. We'll be thinking of Brandy, Keith, Emma, baby Andrew and of course Cole on Sunday.

I am all packed and ready to go. Tomorrow night we'll be staying in Daly City at Rocky's mom's house. It's a bit closer for us over there. We plan on heading to the Expo around 2:00 tomorrow, pick up our race packets and get out of there. It's going to be a mad house at Union Square. We've already done our Nike gear shopping so no need to hang out there. We are going to hit the knitting store real quick :o) YIPEEE more yarn :o) and then off to Daly City to relax. Sunday morning Rocky and Patch will drop us off at the start and pick us up at the finish. Rocky, Patch and Karen are going tod drive around and hopefully meet us around mile 4 and 9 to cheer us on and to refill our water/gatorade bottles.

HAPPY RUNNING and GOOD LUCK to everyone doing Nike this weekend.

Ready for Nike?

I've gotta admit that I am not ready for the race this weekend. I am really just going out there for fun and to get my Tiffany's Necklace or Bracelet. Not sure what they are giving out this year. Of course I am also doing this race because it benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Believe me I have spent my share of money at Nike Town on Nike attire for the race. I will be in full Nike Marathon outfit :o)

I am looking foward though to the break after the race. I just have not been in the mood for major training. It'll be nice to go out and run 3-4 miles a couple of times a week but not actually HAVE to and be training for anything. I think the constent non-stop training for the last few years has finally taken a toll on me. I will continue to run a few miles with the team but I don't really need to get serious about training until June 2007. That's when I'll start training for the New York. My goal is to push my self hard because I want to go good in New York. It may be my last full marathon so I want to give it my all. Half Marathons are just much nicer and that's probably what I'll stick to after New York. Olivia and I were also talking about maybe doing marathons but as a relay team. That sounds like a fun idea. We can still get some races done but only have to do 6-8 miles at the most.

When I'm signing up for marathon #6 I'll have to read this post again and remind myself that I had said I'd never do it again....haa, haa!

THANK YOU!

Just wanted to thank everyone who came out to our fundraiser on Saturday. Also, THANK YOU to those who helped make the night possible. My boss, who provided the location, Rocky and Ollie for playing and Karen for helping with the yummy appetizers. This was our 2nd Annual Art for Charity Day at the Blackhawk Art Gallery. We had some awesome raffle prizes and stuff for our silent auction. We made almost $800 :o) woohoo! I was kind of bummed because the turnout was not as great as last year but the people that were there made it a successful and very fun night. THANK YOU!

Not a Match :o(

I got a response back from the National Marrow Donor Program and I am not a match for the patient I had been contacted about. Here is what they said:

Dear Claudia

Thank you for your involvement in the National Marrow Donor Program. We appreciate the time you took to speak with us, update your health history and donate an additional blood sample in the attempt to be a potential bone marrow/stem cell donor. We were able to perform additional testing for compatibility between you and your potential recipient. The results of the testing indicate that you and the patient do have some differences, but could still be considered a suitable match.

Since the differenes do exist, the physician is requestion that we continue to test and search for other donors who have greater compatibility. At this time no further testing will be requested of you. If the physician cannot find another donor that matches the patient more closely, we may contact you to be a bone marrow or stem cell donor in the future.

Funny Quote from Dean Karnazes

Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.

No matter what I have never given up and hopefully will never have to. I sure hope I never have to crawl. That would be scary.

Today he is running marathon 26 of 50. So far he is doing great and plugging right along. After 25 marathons he is still running at a 4 hour pace. I can't even imagine it. He's amazing and a little crazy :o) Read Dean's Blog.

I went out to the buddy run on Tuesday and felt pretty good. I ran with Olivia and we did about 3 miles. Her hip was still a little sore from doing San Jose last Sunday so we took it easy and only did a short distance. Of course I'm not complaining :o) haa, haa. I'm hoping to get another run in before Nike in 10 days..YIKES...but we'll see.

CONGRATULATIONS to Brandy and Keith. Andrew Cole Regan arrived on Monday morning at 2:29am. He weighed in at 6lbs 8oz and 18 inches long. Mommy and baby are doing great. Little Emma is adjusting great and loving her little baby brother.

GOOD LUCK RNR San Jose Runners!

Another race day is here. This weekend our Disneyland group along with a bunch of our other TNT friends are running the Inaugural San Jose Rock & Roll Half Marathon. I am not running it. I decided to take a little break and I'm glad I did since I signed up for Nike which is in 2 weeks. The rest of my crazy friends decided to do Disney, San Jose and Nike all 2 weeks apart. I will though be driving down to San Jose tomorrow with Karen, Phil, Rocky and Olivia. We will go to the Expo, have a yummy pasta dinner and then head back to the hotel to rest up. A very special little fury guy is coming with me. Patch and I will be along the course on Sunday cheering everyone on. I really need to get him a TNT shirt made :O)

So GOOD LUCK! Everyone I look foward to watching you all cross another half marathon finish line.

The other exciting news for this week is that I got a new car. I am so excited! I picked it up today and I LOVE IT. All the extra space will come in handy when hauling around all our water stop supplies and of course when I start riding my bike again. Which I REALLY need to do soon. My poor little bike has just been sitting in my living room collecting dust. I was really considering doing the Solvang Century next Spring but I think it would be way too much to try to be on the run team as a captain, even though I have a great co-captain, and try to be a participant on the winter cycle team. Solvang will have to wait. I would love to do a century and I've heard great things about that one.

Here is the new ride - Honda CR-V :o)

On a very sad note :o( a little boy I wrote about when I was training for Wildflower, Jake Raborn, lost his battle with cancer yesterday at 3:10pm. Please keep his family in your thoughts as they struggle with this huge loss.

Feeling Blahhhh!!!

Well, I've got a another race in 23 and I've done no running since I got back from Disneyland. I started getting sick the Thursday we got back and I am still sick, not happy about that all. I am finally feeling a little better today so I am hoping that I am on the mend. I have to be in San Francisco at 6:30am tomorrow morning for our Coached Run. I don't plan on running, I want to feel 100% before I get back out there again or I'm gonna relapse and that's not gonna do me any good. Our coached run this weekend will take the runners through part of the Nike course so that should be fun and interesting for everyone. I will be helping out with the water stop. I hope it's not too cold out there. I think I'm going to be on the Great Highway. It can get pretty chilly out there with the ocean being right there.

Have a great weekend!

More Fun Disney Pictures

Disneyland Half Marathon - COMPLETE :o)

Saturday

We met at our house at 5am to start our drive to Anaheim, we managed to pull onto Disney Drive around noon. We grabbed some lunch and then headed over to the Expo to pick up our race packets. The expo wasn't too big so we didn't spent much time there. We checked into our hotel around 3 and took a little refresher nap and then headed out for dinner around 6. We had some yummy pasta at Mimi's Cafe. We wanted to eat dinner around 5 but the restaurant was packed the best we could do was 6 and even then we waited for a really long time. Because we had to be up at 3am we literally ate and rolled into bed. I think we were all in bed and asleep by 8:30. We were all exhausted from getting up early and the long drive so it wasn't too hard to fall asleep even though it was early but little did we know we'd be woken up at 9:30 by a loud noise that sounded like we were in a war. We weren't but that's what it sounded like. For about 30-45 minutes we got to hear the VERY LOUD fireworks coming from Disneyland. It was the last day of the 50th Anniversary Fireworks so they went on forever and were super duper loud. We all had a hard time falling asleep after that and then it was the 3:00am alarm doing off :o(

Sunday - Race Day

We got up and got ready, had our morning breakfast and headed out at about 3:45 to catch the 4am shuttle. There was a shuttle stop right in front of our hotel so that is where we waited. We got the race in about 10 minutes which meant a lot of standing around but we were told to be there by 4:30 so we were. We hung out in the area which would later be the finish line area. Around 5am they had us walk over to the corrals and sit there until the race started. I wasn't really cold but cold enough to not be happy about standing around so long. At 6am sharp the race started. I started out running with Phil and Olivia. We all run at the same pace so there was a good chance that we would start and finish this race together. My training hasn't been great and of course my eating and sleeping for the last few weeks has been horrible so I figured I would finish in about 2:40. I felt really great during the first 6.5 miles. I had even broken away from Phil and Olivia for a bit and was running at a little faster pace without filling too tired. It was awesome running through Disneyland and the California Adventure Park. Sure looks different when there aren't a bazillion people running around. The employees were out there cheering us on and that was cool especially since it was so early. Around mile 7 or so I heard Olivia call my name, her and Phil had caught back up to me and we started running together again. When we got to mile 9 or so I really had to go to the bathroom so they went ahead and I stopped. There was only one person in front of me so I wasn't there too long. At this point Rocky was flying by and was well on his way to finishing in about 2:15. I guess him and Lindsay had gotten separated at some point because he was running alone. By this time we were about to enter the Anaheim Stadium. It had definitely warmed up a bit and I was feeling it. By the time we got out of the stadium we were at mile 10 and there was a water stop at about mile 10.25, that's when I felt I really needed a break. My fingers looked like sausages and I was tired. I walked from mile 10.25 to mile 11. It was a much needed break but since I only had 2.1 miles left I needed to get running and just finish the darn thing. I started a very slow run and not long before we hit 12 miles Lindsay was calling my name. She had slowed down quite a bit and was running alone but managed to catch up to me. She was also having a hard time. We ran the last bit of the race together and pushed each other through. We crossed the finish line holding hands :o) I finished in 2:41:21. Not too bad, I figured 2:40 so I was only off by a minute. I did not have a great race but it wasn't horrible. I did get dehydrated though and this is the second race, Napa Marathon was the first, that I have some major issues with my electrolytes. I have noticed that even though I do not take my gels and gatorade together that after a while of it all being in my belly I start feeling sick so I stop taking the gels and drinking the gatorade which is not not good especially on a hot day. I end up feeling horrible during the end of the race which is why I slow down so much. I also end up feeling very sick afterwards and takes me a while to recover from having a very sick nauseaus feeling and a horrible headache. I am going to start trying endurolyte pills and hopefully those will help me and I can stop taking the gels and gatorade all togther. I have a few weeks to play with that before my next race.

I have to say that it was a great race. The water stops were very well stocked and had bottled water water not that icky hose water like we've had in other races. The finish line was a bit chaotic but they had lots of yummy food, water and Powerade for us. The medal is awesome and we got dri fit shirts in our goodie bags. The only thing I can think of they need to improve on is the timing of the shuttles and that we really don't need to be there at 4:30am. I would definitely do this race again.

After the race we headed back to the hotel. We picked up some beers and ordered a pizza which was delivered to the pool. We did our ice bath in the pool and had pizza and beer. Hee, hee...what better way to have a post race meal :o) We got cleaned up, took a nap and then headed out to California Adventure. It was a nice park but not worth the money. There wasn't much to do there. We had dinner at a very yummy Mexican restaurant Downtown Disney and then headed back for some much needed sleep.

Monday

We had breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen and had a blast with Goofy, Pluto and few other characters. We then spent the next 8 hours at Disneyland. We drove home on Tuesday.

Today my legs feel like they are going to fall off but I think it's mostly from the two days of walking at the two parks. It was a great fun filled weekend though and I'll definitely do it again next year.

CONGRATULTIONS.....Rocky, Olivia, Lindsay, Phil & Karen. I had a great time on our road trip, the race and hanging out at Disney :o)

and also, CONGRATULATIONS to all our other friends that ran the race. It was fun seeing you all down there and I hope you had a great time.

and YES, you did read correctly I have another race coming up. Last Thursday we wer given an opportunity to sign up for the sold out Nike Marathon. I signed up race day is in about 4 weeks.

I'm Back :o)

I will post a Disney update soon but I just wanted to ask everyone to keep Brenda in your thoughts today. She will be getting her marrow transplant later this evening.

Disney in 3 days!

Well, we leave for Disney on Saturday and our race is on Sunday and I have to admit this will probably be one of my worst performances. My training hasn't been great and let me just tell you what my eating has been like the last week. My parents have been in town since Saturday and I took the last few days off work to be with them. Here is how my eating feast went.

Saturday - Burrito for lunch, pizza for dinner
Sunday - Big Breakfast, starbucks coffee/muffin for lunch and the YUMMIEST crab dinner. We had calamari for an appetizer, I had the crab roasted in garlic and butter, wine and ice cream for dessert.
Monday - not much for breakfast and dinner but had a hamburger with mushrooms, swiss cheese and avocado for lunch and a side of union rings.
Tuesday - Salami Sandwish for lunch and dinner
Wednesday - Fresh Choice for lunch which should be healthy but I overate.

and lots and lots of soda. I also have not worked out since Saturday.

so, when I write next week about how bad I did, I'll have to look back at this post and remind about how bad I chose to eat this week. OH WELL, I had fun hanging out with my parents and this weekend I am going to the happiest place on earth. No matter what I will finish the race and at the end I'll get a super cool Disney medal.

GOOD LUCK to everyone running this weekend, we'll see you all at Disney.

Also, please keep our friend Brenda in your thoughts. She has gone back to UCSF to get ready for her Bone Marrow Translplant. She has a long recovery road ahead of her.

TOOOOO Busy :o(

I have been insanely busy at work and have had no time to update :o( boo, hoo. I am taking a few days off so I need to make sure stuff is squared away here. Of course I've got like ten thousand other things going on.

I did want to write real quick though about darn Power Bar getting rid of my Power Gels. I am so sad. Those are the only gels that work for me and don't make me sick. Of course I didn't find that out 4 months ago when I started training, I find out 10 days before I am suppose to run my half marathon. I am going to be trying some new stuff this weekend and praying that it will work and not make me sick. Power Bar decided to re-vamp the Power Gel, it now has 4x the sodium and I guess it's a lot thinner. I tried it a while back when it first came out but it made me feel icky but at least they still had the old kind. I had no idea that they would get rid of the old one though and only have the 4x Sodium. BOO, HOO time to start trying something else. I am not happy :o(

THE MISSING PIECE?

Am I the missing piece to saving someone’s life? I got the call today that I never imagined getting, it's not something I think about at all...well I have recently only because of Brenda.

In 2004, Ms. Olivia twisted my arm and dragged me to the A's Fan Fest at the Oakland Coliseum along with a few of our other TNT friends from our 2003 Spring Season. It was a fun day and I got into the hunt for A's players. We were there for what seemed forever stalking the Oakland A's players. We had a great time and manged to get quite a few pictures with the players and quite a few autographs. Towards the end of the day our friends had had enough and they all left. It was just Olivia and I roaming the coliseum to see who else we'd find. We came to a room where the National Bone Marrow Organization had set up an area for blood typing. I am a big baby when it comes to needles and wasn't so sure I wanted to do it BUT there was an incentive. A picture with Barry Zito and Bobby Crosby and a signed T-Shirt...SIGN ME UP. I think of it now and geesh what a selfish girl I am. I wasn't even thinking that some day I could save someone’s life. That of course has changed since meeting Cole and Brenda and the rest of our honorees. Olivia and I signed up, we gave blood and were signed up on the Bone Marrow Registry. We got our signed shirt and managed to get a picture with Barry Zito. I only was able to get a picture from a distance of Bobby Crosby. We were happy girls and that ended our day with the A's.

Today, 2 years and 7 months later I got THE CALL. The National Bone Marrow Registry called me today and I am a match. I am not sure right now if I am excited or super nervous. The only thing I know right now is that I am a match for a 61 year old male with Myeloma. I was asked if I wanted to do this and I said YES of course I do. I am not a match for Brenda but I am still a match and I could potentially save someone’s life. I was asked about 60 something questions on the phone and since I am pretty darn healthy we will go ahead and proceed. The only concern is that I may be to small...HAA, HAA...I laughed when she said I was tiny. I guess compared to the guy who needs my cells I am tiny. I will go in on September 11th (wow, what a day to pick) for more blood work. They will run lots more tests on my blood and see how close of a match I am and if I will be a better bone marrow or stem cell donor for him. It will be between 6-12 weeks before I know what is going to happen. I can't believe it.

Of course I had to call Brenda and tell her. She thought it was awesome that I may be a potential match for someone.

I do too, but I will admit I am nervous. I have a lot of reading up to do about this. This may not work out but I am hoping it does.

I will do this for the 61 year old man who needs me to do it and I will do it in honor of my friend Brenda who'll be going through her own transplant in a few weeks.