Jennifer's Half Marathon

Short update

2009-03-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone!

I only have a second to post this - I'm at work. I haven't updated in a while though.

First, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who has donated so generously! If anyone has additional fundraising ideas, please e-mail them to me!

I think I've figured out what's going on with my phone, and should be able to get pictures off of it now. You'll be regaled (is that a word?) later today with pictures of 11.5 miles, 11 miles, and a couple of ice baths. (Yep. Exactly what it sounds like.)

Talk to you soon!
Jen

Not just an Eminem song...

2009-02-10T21:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much to everyone who has donated to my fundraising effort and who has promised to donate per mile after I finish the race. I really appreciate it and the impact that you are making is HUGE!

This week was an awesome mileage increase. 8 miles! We started off with a clinic that was very interesting (and included tidbits such as "you can train your body to do a "two-zer" on command", and "body glide is your BFF"). We all had a blast. That meant that we started our walk later than usual, which is usual, which was fantastic. It was the first really warm day we've had for a while. I think it was somewhere in the high 50's or possibly even 60's during our walk. It was sunny, and there were TONS of people out!

We started at David Lipscomb, and headed on a route that I've done before. It was funny to see hills that I thought were big before, and are now nothing, but a little daunting to know that I was going to be going PAST Belmont, turning around, and walking back again! I passed Candice's apartment, the water stop, then we were really on our way.

Sadly, I didn't remember until about 3.5 miles in that I had my camera with me in my fanny pack. (That's right - my fanny pack. I have no shame and no pockets!) Luckily I remembered it in time to take a picture of the 3.5 mile marker... Bongo Java!

Right up the street is Belmont University, and much to my surprise, the debate signs were still up! I did a little dance and squealed for a while. It was so exciting!

Here we are walking along. I think this is right before the conversation we had about how we've both heard stories about bloody nipples from marathons, and debated on if it would be an issue since it hasn't so far.

I noticed a little bit of blistering on my toes after about 4 miles, but readjusting my socks and reapplying my glide seemed to help. I'll have to remember to bring it with me! I noticed when I took my socks off that despite the wicking fabric they were a little damp from sweat in the warm weather. Since I'm prone to blistering anyway, I'll have to also remember to have a couple of pairs of extra socks along the way on the big day. Blistering tends to lead to changes in my gait, which puts added strain on my joints that I don't need.

This week, I also tried two new gels. Since I won't be drinking the Cytomax that is offered at the stops, I'm looking for other options to get my electrolytes in. I've tried a strawberry banana PowerBar gel, and although I didn't love it, it was tolerable. It had a snot-like consistency though after being carried for only a half hour, so I'm afraid of what it would turn into after 12 miles in April. I tried an orange flavored Gu at two miles, and really liked it! It gave me plenty of energy, tasted good, and had an almost caramel-like texture. At 6 miles, I tried an organic raspberry Clif gel, and didn't love it as much. It tasted really good, but I didn't find that it gave me the energy boost of the Gu. I know that it was later in the walk, but I hardly noticed a difference at all.

Oh! I forgot the picture of my new favorite piece of pavement.

We finished in about two and a half hours, and made it back with strong posture, which made me very happy. I was pretty sore afterwards and for the remainder of the weekend - my ankles swelled up pretty badly in the joints. I had noticed a lot of stiffness during the week, probably due to the cold weather, and I think the sudden weather change then an added two miles, mixed with my not walking last week was a shock for them. I was back up and moving by Sunday though, and back to normal on Monday. However, if anyone has any tips on how to reduce swelling in joints after exercise, I'd love to hear them!

Thanks again for reading!

A long overdue update!

2009-01-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

Hi, strangers!

It has been a long time since I've posted anything. Apparently I was a little busier than I thought I would be over the holidays! However, that didn't stop me from training!

I've walked in the cold, walked in the rain, walked in the mall, pretty much everywhere it seems! I think that no matter what April 25th throws at me, I'll be ready!

Since my last update, thanks to everyone on my team, I've blown past where I thought I would be at this point. In fact, I've gone over 6 miles! (Not quite to 7 though... Next week...)

I'm now a card-carrying member of the YMCA, and my roommate and I have become quite the gym-rats. I'm not very good at walking on a treadmill yet! I keep walking into the emergency stop. The machines actually have televisions on them! TELEVISIONS! You can exercise and watch The Biggest Loser at the same time! (Bob and Jillian would be so proud.)

As far as the blisters go, I think that thanks to runner's glide, they might be under control! That is, if I remember to wear it... Today, I put it on under my sports bra to prevent chafing, but didn't put it on my feet! I realized that I was an idiot about 2 miles in, and you can't change anything then.

My new favorite place to walk is Percy Warner park. The hills are killer (I kept reminding myself that if I keep doing it, my ass will look great in jeans...), but it is a BEAUTIFUL walk! I can't wait until spring to see everything in bloom!

The only bad thing that I've learned is that Cytomax (the sports drink they're providing at the race) and I... shall we say... don't get along. So I'll have to stick with my beloved orange Gatoraide.

This girl needs a nap! Talk to you soon!

TNT on CNN!

2008-12-18T08:10:00.000-08:00

I'm sneaking in a quick post here at work, but I have to show you this!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/12/18/ep.children.bad.diagnosis/index.html

The mom in this article is from Team in Training! In fact, she spoke at the informational session I went to. The story is very moving, and yet another reminder of why TNT is doing what we're doing. When she trained for her first marathon, she had to do most of it at the hospital while her daughter was undergoing treatment. THAT'S dedication.

Back to work!

New shoes and gift wrapping

2008-12-17T20:59:00.000-08:00

Sorry that I haven't gotten a chance to post about Saturday until today! It has been a crazy week. I'm going to attempt to post some pictures this time, so you'll have to forgive my formatting if it doesn't work out.

For anyone reading not in Nashville, we got snow on Thursday night!

Friday, I was lucky enough to get an early Christmas present - a trip to Fleet Feet for some new kicks! I now have a pair of New Balance walking shoes that are fitted especially for me. My orthotics fit in them perfectly, they offer amazing support, and the shoelaces are all scalloped so they stay tied. Best shoes ever! Thanks, Santa! They're all decked out with my "Minnie Pearl" emergency contact shoe tag, and we're ready for some serious mileage.

After my shoe fitting on Friday, I went out for dinner and drinks with a friend. Even though I wasn't out late, 5:45 am came early on Saturday! To make it even harder, it was really really cold. In fact, I think it was somewhere around 25 degrees. Luckily, I was really excited to see my friends that I've been walking with, and knew that once I got moving, I wouldn't be feeling cold. Plus, I couldn't wait to see how my new shoes felt! (You can sing the Paolo Nutini song now if you want...)

I made sure to wear plenty of layers. Of course, after learning my lesson with the socks, NOTHING cotton at all touched my skin!

Luckily I had checked my directions the night before, because all that I saw was that we were going to the Stones River trailhead. My first thought, being a former 'Boro-dweller was that I was heading to Murfreesboro. It turns out that there is a Stones River trailhead in Hermitage! I would have been very sad, and very alone in the Kohl's parking lot in the wrong county!

I donned my fabulous skull cap (the rasta hat kept falling off), got in the car and watched the sun rise.

Then, at 6:45, I found myself standing in the parking lot, freezing my ass off, screaming, "I'm an endurance athlete!!!!" at the top of my lungs, believing every word of it, and not minding being cold or being awake.

After a short meeting, we started moving. I walked with the same group that I've been walking with for a couple of weeks now. There is one woman who I call "my mentor" who has been a huge help to me. We were chatting and in the middle of the conversation, she said, "when my husband was dying of cancer". I tried not to act floored, but it was yet another reminder of why Team in Training does what it does. Sooner or later, everyone is touched in some way.

We continued on, and had a fantastic walk! Some slick and icy patches slowed us up a bit, but we got in an easy 4 miles. The scenery was beautiful and the conversation was fantastic!

Tonight, one of the other walkers and I wrapped gifts at Borders for donations. We got fantastic support, and I loved getting to meet all the people that I met! I got the opportunity to meet a woman who was shopping for her grandchildren, but just lost her husband to cancer 2 weeks ago. She had such an amazingly positive attitude! Another woman left me a huge donation for wrapping just one gift - that is something that I'm so grateful for, and I hope that she sees this. I also got to meet a couple who is involved in TNT - in fact, the husband, who is a former runner and friend of one of the coaches is one of the top fundraisers! It was great to get to talk to them about the training and all it entails.

Now I just need to take the money to the bank so I can turn around and make the donation to myself instead of mailing in the cash.

I have been slacking on the fundraising because I've been too focused on getting used to everything else. Soon you'll be getting either an e-mail or a letter talking about the fundraising effort I'm undertaking as well as the physical effort undertaking. If you're feeling froggy, or unlike me haven't overdone your holiday budget, you can always check out http://pages.teamintraining.org/tn/cmc09/jlevins. (Of course, I feel the need to say that I appreciate your emotional support just as much, and none of this money comes to me!)

If I don't post again before Christmas, have a great one!

Off the injured list, and "you're crazy"

2008-12-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

After doing 4 miles last week during the group walk (and standing far too long afterwards), I was officially on the injured list! I was on the feet propped up, ice on the ankles, then in bed for a sunny Sunday list. (Although sleeping in was nice. Until the dog puked in the bed. But that's another story!)

So, this week, I decided that I needed to take an easy week, and not do any standing afterwards. No craft fairs. No baking. Taking it easy. We did our group walk on part of the marathon course for the first time, which was awesome! I did 3 miles through neighborhoods in Green Hills. It was fantastic! There were great houses to look at, I discovered that my friend Candice's apartment is right on the route, and we got to meet a very nice lab (who does not like cars!)

After walking, I was talking with some of the other people who have done the marathon before, and they were talking about the number of people who told them they were crazy and actually tried to get them to quit.

In the immortal words of Britney Spears... "You say I'm crazy? I GOT your crazy!!!"

Luckily, I've gotten nothing but support so far! Thank you, thank you! I promise to figure out how to post some pictures soon. I'll take one of me in my beautiful reflective vest.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/tn/cmc09/jlevins

Mileage breakthrough!

2008-11-29T07:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

As I'm writing this, I'm trying icing my ankles to reduce inflammation after today's long walk. So far, I just have very cold toes!

Getting out of bed this morning was a HUGE challenge! It was 5am, it was dark, it was supposed to be raining, I was exhausted, and driving to Goodlettsville was the last thing on my list of "things to do". Driving there, I listened to my music, and reminded myself that "I am a marathoner, and this is what we like to do", and miraculously managed to turn my attitude around. In fact, once I got there, I was excited and ready to go! The walk was fantastic, and I had a blast with the mentor I was walking with. She helped me with some stretches that felt great, the area that we were walking in was really pretty, and the weather wound up being beautiful. (Totally worth getting out of bed for!)

And, much to my surprise, when we got back, her pedometer read 4 miles!

4 miles!

That's my commute to work!

I walked it this morning, and was home by 9!

Thanks for reading!
http://pages.teamintraining.org/tn/cmc09/jlevins

Protein, socks, dogs, and assholes

2008-11-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

Today was a very eventful day, for only somewhere between a mile and a half and two miles! (I don't think my pedometer is set correctly, so my distance is primarily based on the fact that I know it is 3/4 of a mile from my house to Pie in the Sky. )

I actually came close to getting all of my protein in today, and with food only! I did find myself being less droopy in the afternoon, and having a lot more motivation, so I must have needed a lot more than I've been getting. (I don't doubt this at all!) Tomorrow is the company potluck, so I'm sure that it'll be a low-protein day. That's ok though.

The blisters/swelling have gone down almost entirely. (YAY!) I found fitness socks at Publix, so I got those to give them a try. They were fantastic! My feet stayed dry, and I didn't notice any more rubbing today.

One thing that I am wondering is this. Why don't people control their dogs when they are walking them? I was heading down the sidewalk - obviously a woman on a misison! I had my bright orange reflective vest on, my headphones in, and Hannah was booking it. All of a sudden, another walker crossed the street with her basset hound, and allowed it to come running up to us, terrifying both Hannah and me! Then, as I was trying to pick up Hannah (who was screaming like a woman at this point), flinging my iPod to the ground, and had completely lost my stride and my momentum, the other woman said, "Oh, it's ok - she doesn't mind." I thought that surely this is the most amazing thing that I'll see for a long time.

I was so mistaken.

Not long after that, while crossing the street, I kid you not, some asshole sped up, then slammed on his brakes right in front of me! Why? I'm sure that he saw me - let me mention again that I wear a bright orange reflective construction vest. The things some people do are absurd!

However, it was totally worth it when I had a great walk, made good time, and got to see Christmas lights along the way. Then, when I got home, I found that Sara (roommate) had put up Christmas lights outside of our house! It was so nice and cozy to come home to after being in the cold, damp wind!

First Group Training

2008-11-23T20:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first group training, and I was terrified! I was really excited to meet everyone and see what everything was about, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Could I really do this thing? Can I keep up with everyone? I don't care if I'm the last one to cross the finish line, as long as I do, but am I going to embarrass myself throughout the entire training?

So, of course, I started waking up at 2 in the morning, afraid that I had overslept.

It was finally morning, and I got ready. I had gotten an e-mail that we shouldn't wear anything cotton next to our skin (to prevent chafing - everyone keeps talking about chafing - I'm nervous) and should dress in layers, so I had that all ready to go. I layered up and was out the door. After getting lost (despite having GPS - I can get lost anywhere!) I found where I was supposed to be. We had breakfast and got some time to mingle before our workshops started. Everyone was extremely nice, and I calmed down faster than I usually do. Some of the coaches gave classes on injury prevention, nutrition, safety, and stretching.

Then, it was time for the group run/walk. It started with a talk from someone who was training with us whose father had died from cancer last year, so he was uniquely touched by the team and the cause. It really put things in perspective and helped to fire everyone up. The beginner walk was 2 miles, and the intermediate walk was 3. My plan was to see how I was doing after 1 mile, then decide where to go from there. If I was getting tired, I could turn around with the 2 milers, or if I was feeling good, keep going with the intermediate group. I started off strong, and was going in the middle of the group! That was a huge boost for my confidence. There was a huge hill about a half mile into the walk, and I managed to do that without dying. My coach was able to assess my posture and make a few suggestions on things to change to help my joints, which made a huge difference.

At the one mile mark, I was feeling great, so I decided to go ahead and walk the 3 miles. Most people had turned around, but there was a small group that decided to go ahead with me. We kept going, and suddenly realized that we were the only ones. Luckily there was a coach with us who knew the way, so we kept going. Around 2 1/2 miles it started to get frustrating. I had gotten hot, and by this point, we were seeing a lot of people who had finished driving past us. It was inspiring to have them all honking and waving, and I just kept reminding myself that I was doing the intermediate walk! That gave me the energy that I needed to finish strong.

When I was done, I felt great! My ankles were sore, but not terrible, and the rest of me felt great. By the time I had gotten home, the blisters set in. Apparently when I was thinking about "no cotton next to your skin" and "chafing", I didn't think about my socks. That is a mistake that I will NEVER make again!

Sara and I stopped by Walgreens before going to the craft fair, and I wrapped the balls of my feet and toes in gauze. That helped a lot, and I was able to stand and walk through the entire fair. I guess I was putting too much weight on my heels though, because this morning I've been horribly stuff.

So, lessons learned:
No cotton socks
I'm supposed to eat 74g of protein a day

Does anyone have any protein suggestions?
Or any good songs to listen to? I've got a lot of walking to do this week...

Why I'm walking 13.1 miles (all at once)

2008-11-23T19:19:00.000-08:00

7 1/2 years ago now, I fell asleep while driving. I drove off the road and hit a concrete culvert going somewhere around 50 mph. (In fact, if you're ever in Murfreesboro, check out the culvert in front of that mirrored body shop on Broad near Bumpus and Sloan's - the crack in the concrete is thanks to me.) The next thing I knew (although I had been conscious prior to this), I was in a bed at Vanderbilt trying to figure out why I had been sleeping with my shoes on.

The engine of the car had dropped on impact, landing on the lower half of my legs, taking my feet and ankles with it as it twisted while the car flipped. After finally being cut from the car, I was taken to MTMC, where my parents were told that my situation was too severe to be helped there. They stabilized me, gave me the antibiotics that probably made all the difference in my recovery, and sent me to Vandy. There, they thought that both of my feet would have to be amputated, but managed to somehow put my ankles back together again. They said that I would never walk again.

To make a very long story a little bit shorter, thanks to my family, friends, doctors, and physical therapists, I did walk again. I will never walk the same again - I'll always have a limp, and I'll always have arthritis. I'll always have good days and bad days, but I can walk, and that's what matters!

This year, I've decided to walk a half marathon.

Yes. 13.1 miles. All at once. On the same day.

Because I can walk.

I signed on with Team in Training (http://www.teamintraining.org/) - a national endurance sports training group with fantastic resources! I have coaching and workshops and more support available to me than I ever would have thought! Of course, all that comes with a price, and I have to do fundraising as well. But, the fundraising is for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - a cause I can easily back. Sooner or later cancer will affect all of us, and the research that is going on right now is amazing! If you happen to have a few extra bucks, check out my fundraising website - http://pages.teamintraining.org/tn/cmc09/jlevins.

I'll be blogging throughout the entire training for the marathon - from now, where I am nowhere close to ready, to race day when I cross the finish line!