Just to bring you to up to speed (hah: if there’s one thing I’m not, it’s speedy):
Friday: 2.5 miles outside.
Saturday: 8 miles, done as 5 minute run, 1 minute walk intervals.
Monday: 1.5 [stomach troubles day]

I play mental games with myself to keep me going. Friday was 2.5 rather than 3 because I told myself if I ran all the hills on Friday straight through, that I’d give myself a break on distance. Hills are a key objective for me, since Marine Corps has a few, including a really steep and obnoxious one right at the finish line. (Something about storming Iwo Jima: can you imagine?! 🙂 )

Monday was 1.5 rather than more just because my stomach gave me tremendous grief. I had to stop running at about 1.5 miles and walk very carefully back home. I tried to short-circuit my morning routine to get out the door quickly. Runners have routines and rituals (eat only this, drink only that, BodyGlide in these specific areas, wear only this pair of socks….) that help them avoid discomfort. Cheating to get out the door quickly cost me what was shaping up to be a great run.

So, instead of Wednesday being a cross-training day, I’ll run on Wednesday. Tuesday evening I’ll do treadmill intervals, Wednesday I’ll do an easy run, Thursday probably some hillwork, Friday an easy run, and then Saturday will be my first 10 miler this season. Need to remember the BodyGlide!

On the fundraising side, I’ve been sending out emails in batches of 5. I’m keeping a spreadsheet of who I’ve tagged and when and how I tagged them. Each night I’ve been adding more names to the list to use in a later batch of emails. I don’t want to send out all at once because I keep tweaking the letter.

Also have set up a date for a Pampered Chef fundraiser party. Instead of me ending up with more Pampered Chef items in my kitchen, my consultant will contribute a percentage of the proceeds to Back On My Feet. It’s a win-win situation: my consultant is a friend of mine who’s getting laid off this week. This lets me help burgeoning Pampered Chef business support her between jobs, and helps my fund-racing, as well.

If you’re aware of other people / companies I should be talking with, please let me know! I’m not shy, and/or I can make myself get over it for the benefit of the BOMF fund-racing.

Jotting down some notes for myself. Some folks keep a true running log, keep track of pace, etc. My pace is slower than I’d like to admit, so will just concentrate on distance here and assume that speed will improve as I start adding intervals.
Basic running for this week:
– Monday: 2.5 [long loop near my house]
– Tuesday: 4 [treadmill at work]
– Wednesday: none – rest day
– Thursday: 3 [treadmill at home; wanted to run outside, but it’s storming]

Notes: MUCH prefer running outside to inside. Getting more sleep this week would have made all of these miles easier, I think: Thursday’s in particular were much slower than usual, but took it as an exercise in “stick-to-it-ness”.

Plan:
Friday: 2.5 – 3.5 (shorter if inside, longer if outside)
Saturday: 8 @ 5 minute run, 1 minute walk intervals

Need to get new shoes: mine are showing their wear.

I first read about Back On My Feet in Runners World earlier this year. The article talked about a group of folks who were inspired to set goals for themselves and to persevere to do something they had never considered doing before. I’m a goal-setter, so this all resonated with me: it’s why I run marathons, to run farther and faster than I ever thought I could. But while my biggest challenge is figuring out how to motivate myself and fit in my runs around a hectic schedule, these folks were fitting in their runs around the “challenges” of homelessness and addictions.

Back On My Feet is a program begun by a 27 year old (!) who recognized that everyone wants an opportunity to achieve something for themselves and with others. The Back On My Feet program works with homeless shelters in Philadelphia and Baltimore to set up running programs that provide structure, dignity, and an opportunity to accomplish.

I’m running for Back On My Feet as a fund-racer in the Marine Corps Marathon. My fundraising requirement is $2500 – I’m setting “bold and audacious goals” of doubling that because I believe that (1) this is a great program, (2) this resonates deeply with what I believe of supporting folks while helping them pull themselves up, and (3) I think that my network of friends and acquaintances should be introduced to this program in a big way.

If you’d like to support me in this challenge, my fundraising hub is available through Active.com