marathon training doesn’t take a vacation

So way back in August, I spent a week at the beach. We always stay on Hatteras Island, part of North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

We usually try to stay in the town of Avon, since it is the largest town and has plenty of restaurants, but we like the Buxton/Frisco area, too. If I ever wait too long to rent a house, sometimes there are better choices if we’re willing to leave Avon, and that’s what happened this year.

We stayed at a great house in Frisco on the Pamlico Sound.

Ahhh… I love those water views.

Anyway, even though I was on vacation, I still had a marathon to train for! (And at that point, a triathlon, too!)

Our rental was from August 7-14 — meaning we were driving on Saturdays. My usual long-run days.

No worries!  I just shifted the first run to Sunday!

Only it was our first day of vacation, and I didn’t feel like setting an alarm. My training group had run 16 miles the day before, but I didn’t think I had that in me. I wanted to get at least 10.

I plotted a few route choices as I ate breakfast, and eventually hit the road. It was after 9:30 when I started, and it got hot fast!

I ran a few out-and-back streets and found a nice mile-long neighborhood loop that was partly shaded, but I was running out of water so I headed back to the house. Only six miles, so I refilled and went back out.

I headed the other way, looping through a series of cul-de-sacs in our neighborhood and back. It was hot, but I kept shuffling along. I called it quits just over 11 miles. I was OK with that!

I took a break on Monday, and ran 6.25 on Tuesday. On Wednesday it seemed like a good day to ride! Since it’s sandy, I brought my old hybrid bike instead of my road bike, and it was a good choice. There was also a lot of gravel and rocks on the road. I felt safer on wider tires!

My husband had already been out riding and warned me that it was windy. I decided to ride into the wind, so the way back would be easier. I rode out of our little neighborhood and headed towards Hatteras. I wasn’t sure how far I’d go — it did get tough as I got out of Frisco, but I kept pushing through. It was flat, so I wanted some distance.

I turned around after eight miles — 16 was far enough! Once home, I hopped off my bike and went for a 3.25-mile run. It felt good getting in a brick workout!

Thursday I took the same bike route again, only I didn’t think I’d go as far. Since Saturday was another travel day, I wanted to do another long run on Friday and I didn’t want to work my legs too hard.  I figured I’d do 10-12 miles … and when it started drizzling on me around mile five, I made the choice to turn around. It never really rained, but I didn’t mind the easier workout!

Friday, the last full day of vacation, is the only day I set an alarm. I needed to get out early!

I had a choice to make. I could do what I did on Sunday and do several loops through different streets … or I could do an out-and-back. I knew I’d need more water … but I lost a lot of momentum when stopping home and heading out again. And this time I wanted to run at least 16 miles. My training group would be running 18 the following day, which I wasn’t quite up to.

I really wanted to run to Avon.  It was probably going to be a  little too far, but I decided to go for it!

I wore my CamelBak since it holds a lot more than my handheld bottle, and I brought money to buy more if I needed it.

According to the McMillan Running Calculator, I should be between 10:24-11:24 for my long runs. I had been running on the faster end of the scale for my previous runs, but had also been having some hip tightness/soreness.  This time, I wanted to keep it slow.

My first mile was my slowest at 11:25, but then I settled into the 10:50-11:15 range. Through Frisco and Buxton, then hitting a long stretch of road where there’s nothing but the sound on one side and the ocean on the other.  I could see Avon in the distance. I knew it was going to be more than 16 miles round trip, but when I hit the eight mile mark, I was so close. I had to keep going!

8.75 miles to the halfway point. But it was worth it!

Shortly after I turned around I took advantage of a beach parking area that had a bathroom, and then headed on my way. It doesn’t really matter what the distance is, I always feel good to be past the halfway point!

Unfortunately around mile 12, my iPod died. I didn’t realize the battery was so low until I headed out that morning and was surprised it made it that far. Oh well!

About four miles from home, I knew my CamelBak was running low. I grabbed a Gatorade at a convenience store — it was nice to be in the air conditioning for a minute! I was pretty drenched with sweat at this point and tried to get out quickly. I wonder what people were thinking!

Back on the road. Four more miles …

I had to stop a few times to fix my shoe as my foot was bothering me a bit. These two long runs at the beach were the longest in my Newtons, and I’m hoping the foot issue was just due to too-tight laces! I’m not sure I’ve been able to fully adjust to midfoot strike like I should be, but I do really like how these shoes feel!

Once I hit 16 miles, I knew I could stop and walk it in, but I just wanted to finish so I kept chugging along. And finally, I was done. 17.5 miles. I averaged 11:06 (pausing at the bathroom and supermarket), 3:14:13.

After that I soaked in a cold tub for a bit, showered, ate, and hit the beach!

I wish I could recover from ALL long runs with this view!

weekend running and non-race report

I asked a lot of my feet and legs this weekend and they didn’t let me down!

I started the weekend with a 10-mile run on Saturday morning. Since I’m marathon training with a running club, and our club’s big 10-mile race was the next day, they scheduled a cutback week for people that were racing.

Well technically, I wasn’t racing. But I still ran the course!

Back to that in a minute … Saturday was a great day. Sunny and pretty comfortable for late August! Due to vacation and Iron Girl, I hadn’t run with the group in a while and it was nice to have company on my long run. I was able to find a few women running my pace and we stuck together for the first five miles out. We split up after that — those not racing the next day kept going for a longer run, but two of us turned back. We both seemed pretty comfortable with the pace and ended up averaging 10:26 for 10.4 miles.

After a post-run breakfast and a few errands, I had a couple hours of downtime at home. But I still had a lot more time on my feet that day! I was a volunteer at a music festival that pretty much ran all day. I took two four-hour shifts to help out my friends — one was in charge of the event and another was coordinating volunteers. I worked in a beer tent for a while, sold band merchandise, took tickets, manned the VIP tent and did some clean-up at the end of the night. I was beat!

I was in bed soon after I got home — I had another early morning wake-up scheduled!

The Annapolis 10 Mile Run is a very popular race held annually the last Sunday of August. I’ve only ever raced it once — I usually have scheduling issues. Sometimes it is the same day as Iron Girl (it likely will be again next year since there will be only four weeks in August), but when it’s not it falls between Iron Girl and the Virginia Beach Half Marathon (another  favorite race).

I don’t want to risk injury by racing three events in a row, but I still like to be a part of this race! Last year I joined a group of people on bike as we followed the last runners. The race directors request all runners to be able to maintain a 12-minute pace so the can re-open the roads. We are pretty lenient enforcing this, though, and will let people stay on the course as long as they move to the sidewalks later in the morning.

The last two runners last year averaged over 15-minute miles. That was tough on bike! I was happy to be on foot this year, it’s a lot easier to slow down!

We were doing run/walk intervals to keep our pace down. We started off running 12-minute miles and started passing people early on, and eventually slowed it down a little more, averaging just under 13:30 for 10 miles.  There were a few costume changes, too –  our group leader wore several hats, and I ended up with one too at the end.

We ended up passing quite a few people. One girl was scared and thought she had to stay ahead of us. No, even though we were course sweepers (they made  ‘Grim Sweeper’ signs), we weren’t kicking anybody off!

It was quite enjoyable taking my time on this course. It’s hilly, and August temperatures usually make it brutal. We were lucky for a nice day. The sun was warm, but there was a lot of shade on the course. And in one section of the course, the neighbors always put out sprinklers to run through. Refreshing!

The hills didn’t even seem too hard at our pace. Or maybe I was just distracted chatting with my sweeper crew.

It wasn’t until after mile eight that I started to feel all my mileage (and time on my feet!) from the previous day. I also added a little mileage that morning by running to the start line — only 1.8 miles from home. My legs weren’t  too bad, but my feet were getting sore!

Post race I still had to run that 1.8 miles back home, but I took a little break. I got some food, chatted with friends and enjoyed a beer (10am doesn’t feel too early for a drink when you get up at 5:30!). The run home surprisingly wasn’t  bad, but after all those slow miles I wasn’t moving much faster!

I was lucky to find Jess in the crowd — not once, but twice. She was pretty easy to spot with her gorilla feet! I’m glad I found her again post-race because I didn’t have time to chat pre-race as runners were lining up. Great to meet her — she seemed to have a good race!

Between Saturday and Sunday, I ended up running 24 miles. I was glad to have the double long runs! Next weekend I’ll be running the Virginia Beach Half Marathon while the rest of my training group is running their first 20-miler. If the weather cooperates, I’m going to try to run it fast. I doubt I’ll feel like going for seven more miles after I cross the finish line!

After this weekend, I feel a little better if I miss that run. I’m pretty sure my body can handle it!

cashless

When I was growing up, my parents kept a tall mug on top of my Dad’s dresser. Whenever he deposited their checks (this was way before direct deposit!), he would take out however much cash they thought they would need until the next pay cycle, and stash it in the mug.

Whenever their wallets were running low, they would grab a few bills from the mug. Since there weren’t ATMs either, this was the easiest way to get money!

Nowadays, I carry very little cash. I use credit cards for everything, but it’s not a bad thing. I’m a responsible credit card user. I don’t spend more than I can afford, and I pay off my balance in full each statement.

Since I’ve been constantly training lately — meeting friends for a run, heading to the pool, going for a ride — I got into the habit of putting my  most-used items in a small change purse that attached to my keys. No need to bring my wallet and/or purse, I had everything I needed. License, credit card, pool pass and maybe even a little cash sometimes.

When I went on vacation a few weeks ago, I didn’t even bring my wallet, I just stuffed a few more things into my change purse.  I continued using this as a downsized wallet for a week after vacation, too.

Then last Friday as I was heading out the door for work, I pulled my keys out of my purse and it was gone. My little change purse wasn’t in my bag or attached to the keys. But there was an empty ring still attached where it used to be.

I tried not to panic as I dug through my purse and searched my car, carefully scanning the pathway between my porch and driveway.

I was pretty sure I knew what happened.  The night before, I had to pick up a few things at the supermarket. As I was leaving, I dropped my keys in the parking lot.  And after I picked them up, I held them in the same hand as my grocery bag, heavy with jars of pasta sauce.

If the drop didn’t break it off, it could have given way as I crossed the parking lot, keys in hand.

Rather than heading off to work that morning, I went back to the store. I retraced my footsteps in the parking lot and searched the lost-and-found, but it was gone.

At this point, I had been using my mini-wallet for a while and it was pretty stuffed. I knew exactly what was in there …

I immediately called my credit card companies (I was carrying both Visa and Discover cards) to issue new numbers.  (Totally quick and easy, by the way. Unfortunately this must happen a lot!)

Also lost: my FSA debit card (Can you believe charge $5 for a new card?), pool pass with four more swims left, a $5 bill, my ATM card, and a Visa gift card that still had about $85 on it. Yikes!

Once all the cards were taken care of, I headed over to the MVA (Maryland’s version of the DMV) to replace my license. Twenty dollars and 30 minutes later, I had a new license and headed off to work very late.

I had no money with me.  I did have a Panera gift card in my actual wallet (still safe and sound!) just in case, but one of my co-workers covered me for pizza.  My boss lent me $20 for gas to make sure I could make it home … it was going to be close! Of course I could have also gone to the bank and filled out a withdrawal form, but the branch of my bank nearest my office isn’t all that convenient. And the area is a little questionable. And there are usually long lines with people cashing their checks on Fridays …

At least my husband’s ATM still worked so we could get some cash for the weekend, but we had no credit cards since we use joint accounts. D’oh!

And then on Sunday, the supermarket called. Somebody had turned in my change purse.

Everything was still inside. Sure all the credit cards were canceled. But the $5 was still there. And even better, the Visa Gift Card! Untouched, still wrapped in a receipt as I left it. I’m thankful that it was turned in! Too bad it was found after I canceled all my cards, but I had to do it. Better to be safe!

We have survived all week without our credit cards. I can’t believed how unsettling it’s been. Not that I usually buy a lot during the week, but I like to know I can!

Thankfully, the new Visa and ATM cards arrived today. The others will be here soon.

Ahh. I feel better now.

race report: iron girl triathlon

Yesterday was the Iron Girl sprint triathlon in Columbia, MD. It was my third time racing in this event, and once again I loved it!

I got to bed early on Saturday night and managed to get a good amount of sleep before my 3:30 a.m. wake-up call. I was pretty well organized with everything I needed packed and ready to go, but I still needed the hour I gave myself before our departure time to wake up and prepare myself for the day!

A friend and I were on the road by 4:30, giving ourselves plenty of time to get through the pre-race traffic. The main road into the park tends to back up. We think we arrived earlier than last year since traffic wasn’t too bad. We were parked and headed to the transition area around 5:30 a.m.

And it started drizzling a little bit.  Uh oh!

It wasn’t too bad at the time, but I was glad my choice of transition bucket had a lid! Last year I used a kitty litter bucket (like this one) and it worked out great, so I did the same this year. Big enough to hold everything I needed, easy-to-carry handle, and doesn’t take up too much space.

Since it was raining, I didn’t lay that much out like I normally would. Instead, I reorganized my bucket, layering everything in the order I’d need it. I may have lost a little time in transition doing that, but I’d rather have dry shoes!

I got body-marked, pumped my tires, ate my peanut butter sandwich, and headed towards the swim start to hit the port-o-pots a little after six. No line that early! We didn’t have all that much time to kill. The transition area closed at 6:30, and the elite athletes were in the water at 6:40. Once waves started going I decided I needed one more restroom stop. There was a line this time, but not so bad. My wave was at 7:01 and I had plenty of time.

I was happy to have an early start time. It’s hard to have to wait around watching wave after wave of women start. But this year, it was time for me to get into the water before I knew it!

I know I’m not great with open water swimming, but I think I’m getting a little better. Not faster, it seems … but I felt fairly comfortable the entire swim. Usually I feel a bit panicked and have to breast-stroke a lot to regulate my breathing. Sure I still did a good amount of breast stroke, but this time it was more to sight or when it got too crowded to swim comfortably.

Halfway through the swim it started raining. While it doesn’t matter when you’re in the water, I would be on the bike soon. Riding in the rain isn’t fun. And I’m afraid enough of the fast downhills without wet roads!

I hoped for the best as I finished my swim…

Swim (1K / .62 mile): 30:09
2009: unknown (since they lost all my split times (grr), but I’m guessing it was in the 30:40s based on photos of other girls in my wave.)
2008: 29:57

I happily got out of the water and took my time getting to my bike. I probably should have run, but I wasn’t that concerned about transition times. I also like to rinse and dry off my feet. If I wasn’t such a princess, I’m sure I could transition quicker!

T1: 5:55
2008: 6:33 (But I lost my helmet!)

It was still raining. I’m actually glad my husband and I got caught in the rain on a ride last week, otherwise I wouldn’t have known I preferred wearing rain-soaked sunglasses to getting raindrops in my eyes!

We had to climb a short, steep (and wet!) hill to get out of transition. A little tricky in bike shoes! But I was quickly up and on the road.

I was familiar with the hilly course from the past two years so nothing came as a surprise. I tried to let go on the hills despite the wet roads, and actually it wasn’t too bad. I took the turns very cautiously, but I think I did pretty well on the hills!

I was definitely not enjoying the rain, but thankfully it let up a bit towards the second half of the ride. Usually you dry off during the bike ride, but  not this time!

Bike (17.5 miles): 1:13:27
2009: 1:14:43 (Garmin time, actual time would probably be a little bit slower.)
2008:1:24:16 (on a slower bike)

I changed into dry socks at transition — my feet were soaked and I was happy to have packed an extra pair. They wouldn’t stay dry for long with the on-and-off rain, but at least I was comfortable at the start of the run!

T2: 3:57
2008: 3:31

Some triathletes dread the run. Not me! I took off at a decent pace, but it’s a hilly run and my calves were screaming at me. I gave in and walked a couple hills, but I still managed to beat both of my previous times by a lot. I think marathon training helped me out here. I was able to move quicker on my tired legs!

Run (3.4 miles): 30:50
2009: 34:16 (Garmin – should be pretty accurate)
2008: 34:44

Overall: 2:24:16
2009: 2:28:14
2008: 2:39:01

I’m really happy to beat last year’s time, even in the rain! But I was a little disappointed when I saw the official results online. They posted incorrect results at the event and for a few hours, I thought I really killed last year’s time with 2:19:16 instead!

I had a blast. Registration opens for 2011 on November 1!

weekly winners: my happy place

August 8-14, 2010

Hi! I just got back from a great week at the beach. Every summer my husband and I drive down to one of our favorite places — the Outer Banks, NC.

We’ve been staying on Hatteras Island every summer since 1998. We used to go with a group of friends, which shifted to a different group, which eventually ended up being just the two of us. It started getting too hard to work with everybody’s schedules. That’s fine with us!

We had a relaxing week reading on the beach, eating great food, and enjoying the sunset from our soundfront rental home. We had great weather, too. While quite a few nasty thunderstorms rolled through, none kept us indoors all day. I also fit in a lot of running and a couple bike rides (more on that later).

For now, just enjoy some of my favorite photos!

75* + 100% humidity = foggy camera lens

This is not a black and white photo!

I love the sunsets. See a few more over here.

Visit Lotus to see more Weekly Winners!

fourteen miles

My long run on Saturday was 14 miles. Last week’s long run was the same distance along the same route. It just felt a lot harder the second time!

It wasn’t the weather. It was a perfect day on my second 14-miler — sunny, not too hot, not too humid. Last week was much warmer and should have been miserable, but it actually didn’t feel too bad once we got going.

I’m blaming the tough run this weekend on a lack of sleep. I was out a bit too late the night before, and didn’t get to bed until 12:30 a.m. My group meets at 6:30 a.m. Oops!

For my first 14-miler, I probably started out a bit too quick for a long run. I couldn’t keep up the pace! I was also having some trouble. My hip flexors, particularly the left, started bothering me. I’d stop and stretch at each water stop and tried to keep moving, but ultimately slowed down a lot. I also had some numbness in my left foot — I loosened my laces around mile 11 and it got better, but perhaps the Brooks Ravenna weren’t as good a fit as I thought. This was the longest I’d taken them, and it wasn’t as hot during my other long runs in them.

For my second 14-miler, I started out slower. I’m sure my lack of sleep had something to do with it, but actually it’s probably a better training pace for me.  I went back to the Nikes for this run and didn’t have any foot trouble, but the left hip was acting up again. I made it through, but it felt like I was dragging.

But actually, both runs were pretty similar at the end:

It’s interesting to compare splits. I seem to really like mile six. During the faster mile eight on the second run, I was chatting with some girls from our group. It helps to be distracted! We weren’t all maintaining the same pace, though, so I was often alone on the trail.

In the 14th mile, there’s a crosswalk across a busy road, so that explains the slow-down both times!

Overall, not bad. I’m happy with the paces, and I’d be thrilled to do either during the marathon. I just wish I wasn’t finishing in pain. (At least my knees are barely bothering me anymore. Hooray foam roller!)

It might be the shoes (oh, please be the shoes!)  … both my Brooks and Nike shoes are getting old. They should have some life left, but I tend to be hard on my shoes and retire them early, less than 250 miles. Both pairs are now over 200. I’ll continue adjusting to my Newtons and have a fresh pair of Nikes ready to go.  Hoping for the best!

new shoe review: newton motion

I’ve been reading about Newton Running for a little while now, and I’ve been curious. I’ve always had a tough time finding running shoes that I love, and I know there are definite problems with my form.

These shoes promote a midfoot strike, and that really appealed to me. I do tend to land on my heels, and it’s not good. Could these shoes help me learn to change that?

The technology also intrigued me. Check it out! Little lugs on the sole add both cushioning and shock absorption. I often have sore feet after long runs, and I seem to whine about it more than my friends who have covered the same distance. I wonder if my feet are more sensitive. Maybe this is the answer?

The timing was right to give them a shot. I like to rotate my shoes, but only have one pair right now due to recent shoe retirement. I also decided the Nike Structure Triax that I had been using weren’t really right for me. The Brooks Ravenna that I bought more recently are a much better fit, but even they are starting to get old.

In the spring, I won a gift certificate for a free pair of shoes (no price restriction!), and a couple weeks ago I went in for a fitting. While I had my eye on the pricey Newtons*, I still went through the process and tried on all the salesman’s recommendations. Ultimately I didn’t care about the price tag — these really felt the best!

Sorry for the bad lighting. They're actually brighter than they appear!

These shoes are super lightweight and fit great around my heel — even with my orthotics. That is often a problem. The fit around my foot is really good, too. I have kind of thin (but not narrow) feet, and it’s hard to find a running shoe that holds my feet steady enough without having to pull the laces as tight as they’ll go.

I’m following the recommendations and gradually increasing my mileage. Only one mile the first day, two miles the next. Currently my longest run in them is only four miles.  So far, so good! My first couple of runs were pretty slow, but I was able to maintain a better pace for my four-miler.

I still feel like it’s too soon to take them out for my 14-miler tomorrow — I’d like one more week of short runs before really putting them to the test. I’ll be sure to come back with an update once I start racking up the miles!

* This particular model retails for $175 – a lot more than I usually pay for running shoes. I’m willing to pay more if it makes a difference . It was definitely a plus to be able to try them out for free!

Disclosure: These shoes were free from a gift certificate that I won at a race. It could have been used to purchase any brand of running shoe. I have no affiliation with Newton Running and was not compensated in any way for this post.

running update

I’m now in my fourth week of marathon training, and it’s going really well. I’m training with my running club’s marathon group when I can, but otherwise I’ve combined a few training plans to best fit my schedule.

The club’s mileage is pretty aggressive, and a little too high for where I am right now. I’ve made it work by shortening the mid-week runs. I’m also looking at Hal Higdon’s Novice 2 plan for an “easier” schedule, as well as the Runners’ World Smart Coach-generated plan.

I’ve got trips to plan around, and I’m thinking I probably don’t want to run 18 miles the day before my Iron Girl triathlon … I like having options!

Of course, I’ve already made some modifications to my plan. Two weekends ago, on Saturday July 10, the group was scheduled to run 12 miles. I had a 5K on my plate and instead planned on running the two miles to the race start and making up the rest with a friend after the race.

Race morning, it started pouring just as I was getting ready to leave. I don’t mind running in the rain (as long as it’s not cold out!), but I decided I’d rather have my car near the race start so I didn’t have to carry too much stuff with me. It worked out well, since I changed into a dry shirt and socks after the race. Not that they stayed dry for long!

I was really happy with that race. I didn’t start too fast so I could better maintain my pace.

Mile 1: 8:42
Mile 2: 8:25
Mile 3: 8:29

I finished off the last .09 (Garmin-measured) at a  6:54 pace. Finish strong!

And I got a PR in that 5K — 26.11. The rain actually felt better than the heat/humidity we’ve been having lately, and I felt great during the race!

Post race, a friend joined me to run the course two more times. That only got me a little over nine miles, but we were soaked and had enough. I changed into dry clothes at home and finished out my 12 on the treadmill.

The following day, I had another 5K. I knew I shouldn’t race it but I kind of tried. Well, I took the first mile a little slow and expected to pick it up, but never did until the very end. My legs were tired!

Mile 1: 8:44
Mile 2: 8:52
Mile 3: 8:49

I finished the last  .09 (Garmin-measured) at a 7:16 pace. It was still a really good race for me at 27:01 (chip — odd for a smallish 5K, but they were testing new equipment on us!).

This Saturday I got a little creative with my mileage as well! The group was scheduled to run 14 miles, but I really wanted to run my club’s one-mile track race. Well, I didn’t really want to race one mile, (I don’t practice fast miles often and kind of dread it!), but it’s part of the club’s championship series and I’m trying to do all of the races!

Anyway, I started with the class but turned back early, picking up 5.5 miles. I drove to the race and jogged the track to hit six. The race made it seven miles (7:43 — slower than my 7:37 last year, but last year I didn’t run six miles first! Also HOT and HUMID!), and I picked up another three in the neighborhood to make it 10. That was good enough for me!

I made it back to the track in time to see the fastest group run. (I ran in the second-slowest group.) The winner finished his mile in 4:35. Wow! I can only hit that speed on my bike!

weekly winners: fourth of july

July 4-10, 2010

We had a busy fourth of July!  Bike ride, brunch, art and music street fair by day,  BBQ and fireworks by night. Like last year, we were invited to a friend-of-a-friend’s in-laws’ waterfront home to watch the show!

Of course, I didn’t bring a tripod so most of my photos looked like this:

But I kept trying!

Even though I was using a point-and-shoot, I managed to do this on purpose:

The finale:

The fireworks show was a bit odd this year. There was a finale. And then they kept shooting off more. And then there was another somewhat smaller finale. And a few more random bursts …

And then it was over. But the neighbors kept it going. They put on a pretty good show, too!

Visit Lotus to see more Weekly Winners!

running for others

My third marathon will be the Marine Corps Marathon on Halloween. I decided I wanted to do this race months ago, and registered as soon as it opened.

I didn’t need a charity spot.  But it was something I had been thinking about for a while.

Years ago, I lost an aunt to lung cancer (after she survived breast cancer) and an uncle to leukemia. They were both my dad’s siblings.

Last year, my father-in-law lost a chunk of his intestine when a cancerous growth was found. They got it all, no chemo — thank goodness.  But his sister, my husband’s aunt, is still fighting.

Her cancer had been in remission, but we recently learned it was back. And had spread.

That solidified my decision. I needed  to raise money for a cancer charity.

There are so many out there. I thoroughly reviewed the marathon’s charity partners page. And I found the right one for me – the Rally Foundation for childhood cancer research.

I like that they are a smaller charity — my contribution will make a bigger impact!  I’ve committed to raise $1,500.  And I’ll be running in honor of a five-year-old boy who beat cancer as an infant.

Can you  spare a few dollars to support childhood cancer research?

Please donate if you can!