So....I really need to blog more often because so much is going on with my training and fundraising! I'll try to hit the highlights for this post, so it doesn't turn into a novel - which, we all know can quickly be the case when I write and talk :-).
Saturday trainings with the team always have the potential to be interesting. Last Saturday, March 2, we met in Cornwall for a run, however instead of running on the rail-trail, we decided to add some elevation into our training and run around Cornwall. Little did we know, as we started out, hills weren't going to be the only "obstacle" and we would also be adding some "agility" work to our run! Our fearless leader, Brian, took us down a road with surprisingly very little traffic coming towards us, and we quickly realized why - there was a bridge out along the road ("out" as in there was absolutely nothing left of the bridge). So, we went down the stream a little and saw a log had fallen across the creek, making an effective bridge for foot traffic ... even though we had to climb down the bank and pick our way through some briers we decided to try our luck at staying dry as we crossed the log. Brian was the first to go, and I have to say he took an odd approach at crossing that log, as he chose to sit down with his legs straddling the log and propelled himself across the log by swinging his legs and pushing off with hands. I sure wish we had a camera, but alas, no one was running with their phone that chilly morning (I definitely need to make a conscious effort to bring a camera more often, if for no other reason than adding some color to this blog!). Rose was the next to go, and she followed Brian's lead, but not before exclaiming she was afraid she was going to tear her pants! I was also wearing my favorite Under Armor running pants, which my loving husband bought me as a "no reason gift" and I sure didn't want to chance ripping
my pants, so I attempted my luck at crossing the log by walking tight-rope style...and, I stayed completely dry with all clothes intact, so it was a success! Matt then followed my strategy for crossing the log, also successfully. After we scrambled back up the bank to resume our run, Matt made a comment to the affect of "four Team in Training members get caught for Trespassing", as it may have been argued that we were on the property of the Cornwall Furnace at that point.
Here is my Garmin detail of that run, and although my time is certainly not where I'd like it to be, I do get a kick out of the "blip" along Rexmont Road which is where we participated in that morning's "agility training"! (plus it shows the elevation of two of the hills we ran)
This past Saturday we had our first outdoor bike ride. When I woke up that morning, I asked my husband, Bryan, what the weather was like, and he said it was nice, and after sticking my head out the window, I decided that it was fit for shorts and a long-sleeved shirt to bike and run in. As I walked to my car, I revelled in what awesome biking/running weather it was going to be! We met at Cedar Crest High School to start out becoming familiar with our bikes in the parking lot. As soon as I got out of my car, one of the Bucher brothers said "You are going to need more clothes than that!" simultaneously with a huge gust of wind! I have no idea where that wind came from, but it sure made things chilly. I quickly called Bryan and was able to catch him before he left the house to work on a
tree (owning your business requires evening and weekend work - ha!) to have him bring me more clothes. As I was explaining to him which clothing I wanted and where it could be found in my drawers, I described a long-sleeved compression shirt I wear as a base layer as "pink"...and he said "Do you mean the fuchsia one?". I had no idea that word existed in a male's vocabulary to describe a color!
Brian and the rest of the team headed out around the parking lot while Matt waited behind with me, and once I was better prepared for the weather, we all practiced for a bit more in the parking lot. That practice included how to avoid a drafting situation during a triathlon in which we would be penalized (of which Matt has personal experience), hand signals for turns and stops, going up and down gears, drinking while riding, etc. We then embarked on an almost-5 mile bike ride along South Lincoln Ave/419/State Drive. Surprisingly, I felt more comfortable on the road than I thought I would, but for the most part we had wide shoulders to ride on. At one point coming up State Drive, I could have made my father-in-law's life interesting, as a
Jubilee Ministries truck passed us - he is the Executive Director of Jubilee, and I just chuckled at the irony it would have been if I would have tried to take a sip of water and accidentally steered off course and to the left at that moment (for the record, I am very unstable when I have only one hand on the handlebars, so signaling for turns, drinking, etc. is very nerve-racking for me). All told, I probably biked about 8 miles that morning. Once we returned to the parking lot, we "transitioned" before starting out on an approximately 1.8 mile run - and boy, your legs really do feel like bricks which is definitely going to take some getting used to! I've heard, however, that your legs eventually get used to it after you push through a mile or two...well, on May 19th my legs will have 6.2 miles to "feel better" after a 24 mile bike ride!
Another thing I really need to practice is switching my gears without looking down at them. On Sunday, it was really nice out, and later in the evening while working on the business books, I needed a break and decided to head out on the bike on my own for a bit. This time, the roads I was on near our house didn't have nice, wide shoulders, and so I was a bit anxious. Every time I looked down at my gears, I could clearly hear Brian say "Julie, you've got to stop looking down!", as I heard that from him (more than once) the day prior in the parking lot at Cedar Crest - I think I will forever hear his voice telling me that for the rest of my life every time I look down while on a bike. I do need to get used to doing things while on the bike such as drinking, signaling, changing gears, etc....and the only way to do that is to put miles in on the bike while practicing. After my 10.5 mile bike, I again practiced the run transition and ran for a mile (probably should have run more, as I don't think my legs got to the "feeling better" point).
Although we had a BEAUTIFUL weekend, today is pretty dreary and overcast. HOWEVER, I have a GREAT way to brighten your day, as today is The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Day at
Sweet Frog Mechanicsburg! I am so excited! After work, Bryan is able to join me in my "old stopping grounds" (since it is rainy and yucky out he isn't working on trees, and is instead doing office work), and also some friends from work are going to go as well. We may even get some Mexican food at my favorite Mexican place in Mechanicsburg, although I am all for having Sweet Frog for dinner and dessert (besides, the more yogurt I eat, the more is donated to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society). If you go, make sure you mention The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at checkout between 5pm and 9pm. There will also be a donation box at the checkout for additional donations. I hope to see some friends from "home" there tonight!!!
I have received some additional donations from my letter-writing campaign, however those thank yous deserve their own post, so stay tuned to see who else has joined with me in the fight against blood cancers! As always, you can follow my fundraising progress at my
fundraising page, as well as donate securely on-line. I do have to submit another batch of checks, so if you are one of those who donated more recently by check, don't panic, yours will be included on my web-site soon. As you can see, I am not quite yet at 50% of my fundraising goal. Don't forget about the Hearts Design fundraiser I mentioned previously (so far no one has asked for a copy of the card, so I hope to get that into a form I can post here on my blog so you can print it out on your own - I think it is an awesome opportunity and would love if someone would take advantage of getting some really neat things at their store while also supporting The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society). I have a few more fundraising ideas running around in my head that keep me up at night, so, as always, put my blog on your reading list so you don't miss anything!
