tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69205913121013881522024-03-21T02:34:25.003-07:0011, 12, 13 Challenge: 2011. 12 Races. 13 Miles.Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-60922972606399190392012-05-17T08:48:00.000-07:002013-02-04T15:58:20.011-08:00My first triathlon...and why my mom is awesome<br />
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I am a triathlete! OK, a sprint triathlete, but an accomplishment
anyway. This is a long post, so if you don't care about the details of a
triathlon, you might want to skip ahead a bit to "Overall thoughts".
If you're new to triathlons too, it might be useful to read all of it to
help you get a feel for how they work.<br />
<br />
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Saturday, Dad and I headed out for our first triathlon. We decided
we would finish it together no matter what. If you haven't noticed, he
and I like to take on adventures. Even though his 60th birthday has
come and gone, I'm convinced that every time he has a birthday he gets a
year younger. I do things with my dad that some of my friends can't
handle. It's pretty awesome, right?<br />
<br />
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Friday after work, Adam and I headed up to Annapolis for TriRock and
my parents came in from Virginia Beach. There was a lot of traffic, so
we got to packet pickup just before closing. When I registered, it
never said anything about wave starts by age group, and never having
done a triathlon I didn't know this might happen. So when I saw that my
dad and I were in different heats the week before, I called
TriRock/Competitor Group and asked if one of us could change into the
other person's heat. After waiting about 10 minutes on the phone, they
said no problem, just go to the Solutions deck the day before and they
will switch it. So after getting my tshirt and all the other stuff, I
headed over to Solutions.They told me this would be impossible to switch
waves, so I was beyond disappointed - I REALLY wanted to do this with
my dad. My dad showed up a few minutes later to the Expo, spoke to
someone else, who told him it was easy to switch his wave if he just
went back afterward. Silly Competitor Group - creating drama for no
reason.<br />
<br />
I spent the night trying to put a million numbers on myself, my
bike, my bags, everything. I had four "tri tats" (remember temporary
tattoos as a kid? It's like that, but huge numbers on your arm, etc),
tons of stickers, a running number bib, a swim cap, etc. I was
overwhelmed but amused. I didn't sleep well but got up at 4:30, ready
to go. Continuing to win "boyfriend of the year", Adam got up with me,
got me coffee, kept me calm, and was just generally his great self. We
met our friends Jeff and Amanda (Amanda did Princess half with me last
year) and all headed over to the start. <br />
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My bike and my stuff set up in the transition area. </div>
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<br /></div>
Everything was really smooth. I tried to get my stuff set up (which
mainly meant looking around at what everyone else was doing and trying
to copy it since I was clueless) and chatted with the girls around me.
Since I was in a heat with beginner 25-29 year old females, we were all
new to this and all nervous. They were awesome girls and the time flew
while we chatted it up and waited. We eventually headed to the start
(it took awhile, since I was heat 12 and there were 7 minutes between
heats). Your swim cap is a different color for each heat, so the
announcer starts making fun of my dad for joining all the ladies in
their heat. I quickly jumped in to defend him that he was my dad, not a
creeper, and suddenly the guy was announcing how cute it was to see a
father-daughter team out there!<br />
<br />
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In case you're wondering, wetsuits and swimcaps are NOT flattering. </div>
<br />
The water was cold, and the swim was tough. I've been training
about once a week in the pool for a month or so , and built up to a
mile, so I was feeling good that this was only 500M. But as soon as I
got in the water, I realized an open water swim was nothing like a pool
swim. Instead of doing a normal stroke, I basically kept my head up
most of the time (I know, not good, but I looked around and so were a
lot of other beginners).<br />
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Waiting to start</div>
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Then with about 100M to go, I got a cramp in
my calf. Thank goodness for a wetsuit, because I wasn't worried I'd
drown, but I didn't know what to do because the pain was SO intense. I
was able to make it to the end, and luckily it went away when I was able
to put weight on it.<br />
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There were definitely a few minutes I thought I'd
have to drop out. Lesson learned: wetsuits are awesome!<br />
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Then it was on to Transition 1, which took me way too long. I got
my wetsuit off (not an easy feat), dried off my feet, put on my shoes,
helmet, and sunglasses, and headed over to find dad. We eventually made
our way to the 12 mile bike section, which I expected to be my toughest leg.
It didn't disappoint.<br />
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Leaving transition and heading for the bike section!</div>
I decided to buy a bike for the race, since I
plan to do a longer tri at the end of the summer. I got a great road
bike - a Specialized Ruby Expert - that I bought used from someone who
had barely used it.<br />
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I got in one ride about two weeks before the race,
decided it needed a tuneup, took it to the shop, and unfortunately
didn't get to ride it since. Bad idea. Since I had tried out my dad's
road bike, I assumed mine shifted the same way. It didn't. So like an
idiot, I couldn't figure out how to shift the entire race, and it was a
hilly course. It was a disaster. Every time we had to cross the bridge
I wanted to cry, but dad stayed with me the whole time, despite the
fact that he can easily go on 40-60 mile bike rides, so this was a joke
for him. <br />
<br />
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Finishing up the bike section (thank goodness)</div>
Finally, we finished the bike, quickly changed out our helmet, put
on our number bib, and I didn't have to change shoes since I wore
running shoes for the biking section (a lot of people have bike shoes
that clip into the pedals, but I was way too scared for that).<br />
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Final chute!</div>
We were
off! Running was going to be the easiest part for me and tougher for my
dad, since he can't run a lot because of an old knee injury. We took
off, and took walk breaks whenever we wanted. We ended up finishing the
5k at 9:03 pace which was awesome, for a total time of about 1 hour and
37 minute. My goal was an hour and 45 minutes, so I was thrilled!<br />
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OVERALL THOUGHTS on the triathlon...<br />
<br />
I finished top ten for
beginner females in my
age group (much further back when you consider all females in my age
group), and my dad was first for beginners in his age group.
Awesome, right? Overall, there were a lot of glitches I need to work on
before I do another one, but the key word being "before", not "if." As
long as I can find an Olympic distance either around here before August
or in Chicago at the start of August, I'll go for it! This was such a
great experience, and I am so glad I did it. Sure, more training would
have been great. I had been swimming about once a week leading up to
it, I'd only biked once, and running has been minimal (though I've done
more elliptical lately). The race itself was run very well. I wish there had been chocolate milk at the finish because it's my favorite for refueling after my workouts (check out http://www.gotchocolatemilk.com/ if you want to learn more about how awesome it is), but other than that I can't complain.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhOSfaH8Lqy251hO44cl5Jyvzf12Xi2YV1_v1tqWCvJGN4sB-e7CfwJ7jeNO6aOTJ0z97ZCJUyEEMUMMbIlV2he1tJvMia2gcva0ENUCRYPQjZE2__9hsZkmDXOhyiNFta7NTOZddbKvJ/s1600/photo(6).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhOSfaH8Lqy251hO44cl5Jyvzf12Xi2YV1_v1tqWCvJGN4sB-e7CfwJ7jeNO6aOTJ0z97ZCJUyEEMUMMbIlV2he1tJvMia2gcva0ENUCRYPQjZE2__9hsZkmDXOhyiNFta7NTOZddbKvJ/s320/photo(6).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
OVERALL THOUGHTS on the weekend...<br />
After that, we headed back to
Arlington where Adam's parents joined
us so that our parents could meet for the first time. It was great fun
and I think everyone enjoyed the company. Then Sunday was Mother's Day,
so we went to brunch the next
day to celebrate our incredible moms, and overall it was one of those
weekends you just hope will never end. If you've read this blog, you
should know how much family means to me, and Adam's family is very
similar. We are both so incredibly lucky to have our parents as role
models, and getting to share time with them together and celebrate
(there are a lot of wonderful things going on in our lives right now)
was a
great experience. I'm not sure I've ever felt closer to my family than
I have lately, and I know the Challenge and all of your support has
been a huge part of it.<br />
<br />
I am so lucky to have a dad as physically healthy and adventures as
mine is, and I'm beyond blessed to have such a wonderful, supportive,
inspiring mom. My parents are very different, and yet I couldn't
imagine either one being more awesome. With your continued support, we
hope to keep raising awareness about psoriatic arthritis, and my mom
will keep fighting the disease. If we could make her better, we'd do
anything to make it happen. Until then, we're gonna keep doing the best
we can and hope for a better tomorrow (or decade from now or whatever
it takes)! <br />
<br />
My mom is incredibly strong. Before leaving her job
to raise my sister and me (and pursuing a different part-time career
to make that possible), my mom was an oncology nurse. This means she
helped cancer patients. That's not an easy job for sure. It's one I
can't imagine doing because of the sadness. But she always said she
loved it because she could make a difference. People were in such tough
situations and needed a nurse who could help them, emotionally and
physically. That was my mom. She was active in American Cancer Society
as well. When she left that job to become a mom, she was always
incredibly active in my life. Despite having neck surgery when my
sister was in first grade and her first back operation when I was in
first grade, she she still came to all my track meets (which involve a
LOT of boring downtime, as I'm sure you can imagine), she was often room
mom, and she was always incredible. She is the rock for our family
whenever we need her. And despite what she goes through, she is always
still there for me. She was having a bad day when I called panicked
about my concussion, and yet she was in the car within a half hour to
help me. She is the reason you're reading this blog, and the reason I
will work my best to stay healthy and to make the most of every chance I
get in life. Thanks Mom, for being you.Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-67542754403732269122012-04-24T19:40:00.001-07:002012-05-17T07:54:03.598-07:00USA Half Marathon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi666im1MI9F4cNxDDP51Jc4drXZ2R5utsfNOaDv0FYRuvUsQJh5zzxi5fWA4hN33cffo1hJUBxCZU5trqcORiNkQvRwdA17M3ug3edQN0dSe5qRFibPQgU0g85t8LuQtZMvNMYcM7ylELy/s1600/DSC06845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi666im1MI9F4cNxDDP51Jc4drXZ2R5utsfNOaDv0FYRuvUsQJh5zzxi5fWA4hN33cffo1hJUBxCZU5trqcORiNkQvRwdA17M3ug3edQN0dSe5qRFibPQgU0g85t8LuQtZMvNMYcM7ylELy/s320/DSC06845.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmGs6pT9bQVVvkVZxL2PtY4J7D3knR5fkq9mV4XRQ9fh0yYNVQFnQwltcRzdJDNcgvxX-lKK7eq0NO6EfisjtSbM50NPVeIRKJy_zEyL-NcVoWZ5TJYjkgTTMmbqthEi28dNAHKRpsHp-/s1600/DSC06894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6RpZrAjtxKf_uJJibT5l4yedkS78t5UlbZE-QDb6scTf54qR1ESOSy3dZ_5UFdDoV9JDr4u3XWcQTOgI6az6x3Cp69q9LHlYRUpjVxbLbIUSqEyDYeCePVXpHORHw6wMLGUt1D-XI9KdN/s1600/DSC06879.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>It seems like my new race plan is to do a race a month with absolutely
no training in between. Recently I ran the USA half marathon (formerly
National before Rock n Roll took it over this year). I think I have
run about five times since 2012 started - not something I'm proud of,
but healing has been slower than I hoped or dreamed. I registered for
this race probably around September of last year because it was a great
price and because I wanted to keep myself running in 2012 despite the
Challenge being over. I obviously didn't know I'd get a concussion back
then though, so as the race got closer, I didn't know what to do.
Their race registration was non-transferrable, so either I ran or I
threw the money away. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_FoiLelhuwWdWVZoUdTR73YR8pzjzJyZmnCjA-SXrNfZNcFcvFNZ-wPUBIlANV7kYf03bx1xqY1iOxgp1XSnc_YGQlTb9m62oC12o8t504jDZU3qN5_zsUU_mzQwbxY2K3-6yKDa6c-O/s1600/789.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_FoiLelhuwWdWVZoUdTR73YR8pzjzJyZmnCjA-SXrNfZNcFcvFNZ-wPUBIlANV7kYf03bx1xqY1iOxgp1XSnc_YGQlTb9m62oC12o8t504jDZU3qN5_zsUU_mzQwbxY2K3-6yKDa6c-O/s320/789.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6RpZrAjtxKf_uJJibT5l4yedkS78t5UlbZE-QDb6scTf54qR1ESOSy3dZ_5UFdDoV9JDr4u3XWcQTOgI6az6x3Cp69q9LHlYRUpjVxbLbIUSqEyDYeCePVXpHORHw6wMLGUt1D-XI9KdN/s1600/DSC06879.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>As it drew closer, Kristen thought about running but found it was
sold out. Then she found something online that you could enter to win
an entry into the race, so she entered and asked me to enter as well so
she had a better chance of winning. Well, what are the odds, I won (she
later won too as someone didn't want their prize - crazy!) So she
ended up with a registration to a sold out race and we were ready to go
slow and just get ourselves back out there. If you're not a runner you
may not get it, but there's something about the thrill of a race that
you just can't get any other way. And as someone who misses that,
there's nothing like "feeling normal" again by getting out and feeling
the craziness of 24,000 people around you and pumped to run.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPGtpz_Gi6QwNeZjhNpc29IvOJmP39-8DBT9yrvNMhhKduWS6Wkm3UPEIGmozXbdrCerXaNRz5mBnVczYwt5B58n1b0t0wlmMaMnk4LzgnE0vEDQMR3h8_AkWCCm95fboeQ6atkLLjm4g/s1600/795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPGtpz_Gi6QwNeZjhNpc29IvOJmP39-8DBT9yrvNMhhKduWS6Wkm3UPEIGmozXbdrCerXaNRz5mBnVczYwt5B58n1b0t0wlmMaMnk4LzgnE0vEDQMR3h8_AkWCCm95fboeQ6atkLLjm4g/s320/795.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
When will I learn to look normal while running???</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmGs6pT9bQVVvkVZxL2PtY4J7D3knR5fkq9mV4XRQ9fh0yYNVQFnQwltcRzdJDNcgvxX-lKK7eq0NO6EfisjtSbM50NPVeIRKJy_zEyL-NcVoWZ5TJYjkgTTMmbqthEi28dNAHKRpsHp-/s1600/DSC06894.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
The day was very smooth. Kristen stayed over at our apartment, and
Adam drove us over to the start. There was pretty much no traffic, we
parked easily, and then hung out in the Armory for a bit getting ready
to start. Porta potty lines were slow but everything was good, so we
headed to our corral. I think I read that there were 26 or 27 corrals -
it was a HUGE race! Somehow I managed to see my friend Kyle near the
start who was running the marathon, which is shocking given the huge
crowd. 8 AM rolled around, the national anthem was sung, and corral one
was off! We started in six I believe, which was a pretty good place
(though a little too fast given the pace we ran, but not enough that we
were in the way of others). <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBH00aBTzM_pYP1d16HGx3JrM_H50A9T-KM0P-gWWnTjgHZOaFGBvwLuJ4-Npd7PF5SroQIXv22nh5Qb-Q9jZfhdC4ShJkdObkvyyFoseVEi8tZsxuWnFZt3-2bz0uyw3w5VMNhcjvwOnj/s1600/798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBH00aBTzM_pYP1d16HGx3JrM_H50A9T-KM0P-gWWnTjgHZOaFGBvwLuJ4-Npd7PF5SroQIXv22nh5Qb-Q9jZfhdC4ShJkdObkvyyFoseVEi8tZsxuWnFZt3-2bz0uyw3w5VMNhcjvwOnj/s320/798.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
0.1 miles in I was wondering why I though this was a good idea. My
legs felt so stiff! I literally hadn't run once since VIFL 14k, which
was over a month earlier! Oh well, I was there and I was going to give
it a try. We made it about four miles before taking a quick walk break,
and though I really wasn't feeling great, I also wasn't racing, so
there wasn't pressure. The goal was to finish - walk or run - and I was
going to do that.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_FoiLelhuwWdWVZoUdTR73YR8pzjzJyZmnCjA-SXrNfZNcFcvFNZ-wPUBIlANV7kYf03bx1xqY1iOxgp1XSnc_YGQlTb9m62oC12o8t504jDZU3qN5_zsUU_mzQwbxY2K3-6yKDa6c-O/s1600/789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
We had a good time, and were able to talk and laugh some throughout
despite our exhaustion. The <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmGs6pT9bQVVvkVZxL2PtY4J7D3knR5fkq9mV4XRQ9fh0yYNVQFnQwltcRzdJDNcgvxX-lKK7eq0NO6EfisjtSbM50NPVeIRKJy_zEyL-NcVoWZ5TJYjkgTTMmbqthEi28dNAHKRpsHp-/s1600/DSC06894.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>rolling hills in this race never seem like a
lot on the course map but always feel worse when you're running.
The fans were awesome, and the signs were hilarious. My personal
favorites said something about "you're running faster than metro",
because DC residents have a very love/hate (more hate) relationship with
the metro. There was a sign with a proposal (I doubt it was real, but
who knows), lots of signs for puppies at the finish (my second favorite
sign), signs about green beer at the finish, etc. They gave me a boost
when I needed it! Luckily, this year there were mile markers, the
course was not overly
crowded, and overall I thought it was really fun. I know some people
don't love Rock n Roll races, but I've always loved them and find them
to be my best courses.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaZdHRuXKrXze9mC2W7KtKcEUcLl1JY1Hjfg7f5LUHP9axiAdxNuYNK3JUB1MxgtJTsVbrtsZGSNTYVxQ9KiedzcHdMco7TGBQsith7d8INB0oh_xTUH23zrbCEuX_-lINvaWrOoLbj_o/s1600/799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaZdHRuXKrXze9mC2W7KtKcEUcLl1JY1Hjfg7f5LUHP9axiAdxNuYNK3JUB1MxgtJTsVbrtsZGSNTYVxQ9KiedzcHdMco7TGBQsith7d8INB0oh_xTUH23zrbCEuX_-lINvaWrOoLbj_o/s320/799.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We finished in 2:07:50, over 22 minutes slower than my time last
year for this race. Was it disappointing? For a split second, I
thought yes. And then it dawned on me - I think I might be more proud
of this race than last year's race (despite it being a PR then).
Getting back from the concussion for me and starting to get running
after Kristen's knee surgery have both been tough battles. We've both
had our frustrations and ups and downs, and though our time is nothing
impressive, our determination to get back out there is what makes us
both proud. I think I feel ready to begin training for my half marathon
in June (another one I registered for before the concussion). And
through it all, Kristen and I had a great time together and then spent
the rest of the weekend enjoying the gorgeous weather, being incredible
sore, and seeing the gorgeous cherry blossoms. Life is good, right??<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6RpZrAjtxKf_uJJibT5l4yedkS78t5UlbZE-QDb6scTf54qR1ESOSy3dZ_5UFdDoV9JDr4u3XWcQTOgI6az6x3Cp69q9LHlYRUpjVxbLbIUSqEyDYeCePVXpHORHw6wMLGUt1D-XI9KdN/s1600/DSC06879.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6RpZrAjtxKf_uJJibT5l4yedkS78t5UlbZE-QDb6scTf54qR1ESOSy3dZ_5UFdDoV9JDr4u3XWcQTOgI6az6x3Cp69q9LHlYRUpjVxbLbIUSqEyDYeCePVXpHORHw6wMLGUt1D-XI9KdN/s320/DSC06879.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_QCPFqRhZxLR08eRt11uZ4v0UF8FnSNyKTSX18h5L4rUwKUBqgAxt36i3wt5Wf2d_qXZgwgxPOteI4rZEjkP_ggz7rlapfYPpXg02lhNgYTWdAXDav416EjEtgHOOhXd7Wl99ngH4Guv/s1600/DSC06919.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a> </div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-54185857573366783672012-03-26T20:15:00.001-07:002012-03-27T11:57:46.471-07:00Visiting Capitol Hill (again)I hope you weren't silly enough to think that I'd stop working with NPF
(or running, kinda) once the Challenge "ended", were you?! That was
just the beginning! As far as I'm concerned, my mom is still struggling
with this disease and it's still taking her freedom and causing a lot
of frustration, so why would my work be done? And the more involved I've
gotten with NPF, the more I've realized she's far from the only one. <br />
<br />
The answer, clearly, is I won't. Sure, I'll run less, but I'll
never stop fighting. I want to see my mom smiling and walking without a
cane. I know a cure is going to take awhile and I'm very realistic,
but I also know that we won't get there without funding the research and
the organizations that are needed so that we can get better medicines,
and then one day, maybe even a cure. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRfV6pcVLu7PKDxBW82FiEnXKg-BSt0hyE9WfwJOt22xxNR8wklU3zvQ1RD44ocE-DRDwEFQC793ZfOJ_4ebgbED-hHpXfe1pK1UbxtasePw1a60JtypA-1T5PcgmqD0dGFbmmexgdlHA/s1600/npf1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRfV6pcVLu7PKDxBW82FiEnXKg-BSt0hyE9WfwJOt22xxNR8wklU3zvQ1RD44ocE-DRDwEFQC793ZfOJ_4ebgbED-hHpXfe1pK1UbxtasePw1a60JtypA-1T5PcgmqD0dGFbmmexgdlHA/s320/npf1.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I was lucky enough to meet Congressman Moran. You may remember I wrote about him last year when he ran Dash4Dad!</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdGenEv4Q06jWCbvRk4byzVXchikLuEHWfiohX3usFNbaQSQYlquluRoBje6zIW-U5WaMO9lLBmdSscDxwSBe3EH5fimZm5P-N6ZnAk4H5ejs79TeKuRt0dAAOneTEJKznn96RX9j6-da/s1600/npf3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
So that is why I couldn't have been more excited when NPF asked me
if I wanted to be involved in another Capitol Hill event. I checked my
calendar, made sure I could get the time off from work, and then happily
said yes. It was a much different format than the larger Capitol Hill
Day I did back in June. This event was originally just for some of the
great scientists who are working to fight this disease. This year, they
decided to change it up a bit and bring one advocate from each region
of the country (with the exception of our region, which had 2). Though
the scientists weren't in every meeting, ours was a great group which
included someone from NPF, the organization which handles the political
involvement for NPF, two advocates, and a scientist. The other advocate
has a daughter who has psoriasis and stiff joints, and the effects of
the medicine (which will hopefully slow/prevent serious psoriatic
arthritis) have caused her to miss almost two full years of school.
It's horrible and serves to remind me why I'm out there.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdGenEv4Q06jWCbvRk4byzVXchikLuEHWfiohX3usFNbaQSQYlquluRoBje6zIW-U5WaMO9lLBmdSscDxwSBe3EH5fimZm5P-N6ZnAk4H5ejs79TeKuRt0dAAOneTEJKznn96RX9j6-da/s1600/npf3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdGenEv4Q06jWCbvRk4byzVXchikLuEHWfiohX3usFNbaQSQYlquluRoBje6zIW-U5WaMO9lLBmdSscDxwSBe3EH5fimZm5P-N6ZnAk4H5ejs79TeKuRt0dAAOneTEJKznn96RX9j6-da/s320/npf3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Congressman Doyle, our group, and the CEO of NPF</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
It was a busy few days! We had a working dinner the first night
where we all met each other and then went over what we would discuss and
would need to be prepared for the next day. Though some had never
advocated on Capitol Hill, a lot of us had been there before. The next
day we met with seven different congressional offices to share our
stories. <br />
It was SO successful! We had a lot of congressional aids who listened
to our stories, asked questions, and said they would pass along what
they had learned. We were also lucky enough to get to see Congressman
Moran, and we had two meetings where the congressman was in the entire
meeting to hear our stories and talk to us. Congressman Doyle, who
supports our bill, sat and talked with us, along with the CEO of NPF. <br />
<br />
We also met with Congressman Altmire, who said that he was so
touched by our stories that he agreed to sign the bill. Can you believe
that? That is truly what advocacy is all about. After we left, some
members of our group were teary eyed, realizing how important this was.
It took a lot of strength for my mom to let me share her story so
publicly. It's deeply personal, and involves a lot of frustration. But
this was the reward we needed, when we realized that by telling her
struggles we could hopefully change the future for others. That is why I
loved the event, and that is why I won't stop advocating. Once you
hear what my mom's been through, it's hard not to want to get involved.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0N_g5_uBQiY5cWl8ZpxvEYceYO-k2QJY08q6rPiiSR8QIsASKxbA9QgKinGdBU0v2z5o3F_-0ty-KLoPA9aFayg4p6p3uQoh4S_FOSveg9mTI3gpmNoqyIppSGE9Sp0NQTEOPjJ6QS_N/s1600/npf2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0N_g5_uBQiY5cWl8ZpxvEYceYO-k2QJY08q6rPiiSR8QIsASKxbA9QgKinGdBU0v2z5o3F_-0ty-KLoPA9aFayg4p6p3uQoh4S_FOSveg9mTI3gpmNoqyIppSGE9Sp0NQTEOPjJ6QS_N/s320/npf2.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Congressman Altmire, who was so touched by our stories he agreed to sign our bill!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Afterward everyone had a little downtime at the hotel, but since I
wasn't staying there I just hung out in the lobby. I saw one group who
was going to grab drinks nearby, so I joined them for a bit. Great to
spend time with such wonderful people! Then we went to a great dinner
where we socialized and heard more about the scientists and their work.
I metroed home, exhausted but unable to stop smiling. I called my mom
and told her the good news - we are making a difference. I felt hope,
and I felt ready to keep going.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpeahYHN9oqOX6Pm6WUcUuRZwDJdABudoGnclRel0TTUCoBqPgsZvQWkAZEB9f71rmKFz9mzG-jSaeO5e_ZmUWPFeYMwksgK_pBeFJk0aZ0d9jvcDhyphenhyphenXJFbEbA-eWv6MjqDgV4hgr4ZOg/s1600/npf4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpeahYHN9oqOX6Pm6WUcUuRZwDJdABudoGnclRel0TTUCoBqPgsZvQWkAZEB9f71rmKFz9mzG-jSaeO5e_ZmUWPFeYMwksgK_pBeFJk0aZ0d9jvcDhyphenhyphenXJFbEbA-eWv6MjqDgV4hgr4ZOg/s320/npf4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Senator Cardin, Mardia, and me</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The next day I was paired with a different team, and I had one
meeting with Senator Cardin's office. We saw him walking in as we were
waiting for our meeting, and he kindly took a picture with us and
welcomed us. Another great experience! After our meeting, I rushed
back to the bus to head to NIH, where we heard presentations from the
researchers, visited two labs, saw the lab that does genetic sequencing,
and discussed how they were working to fight the disease. Some
scientists are looking at the disease from the inside (focusing on the
genes) and others are focusing on the outside (the skin). Admittedly, I
understood very little of what they said since I'm not a science
person, but I still found this one of the best parts of the day. They
answered questions and patiently tried to explain complicated medical
info in understandable terms, talked about what they thought would lead
to the biggest breakthroughs, and overall just made us see how important
their research is. Sadly, the day came to a close and it was time to
head home, but this was an awesome event and one I won't forget anytime
soon. Thanks NPF for continuing to include me, and I look forward to
continuing to advocate in the future!<br />
<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-63057160475199052652012-03-14T18:40:00.000-07:002012-03-14T18:42:05.721-07:00Fear<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BjO1H6vm6eH3GAO3K32ch2-iHE1l0KB_ZwAiqITIA3ullYHSZqSX0wyded22uDQF16yJGDebLkLGMFyD_FXbw91u8nKQL-SxUENWdUs9AmbObeq3CQfrVCzEksjqGqfIAxXouqSUIqxs/s1600/DSC06824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Fear. Most people talk about it as if it's a bad thing. I don't quite
agree. Sure, being SO afraid of something that you don't do it is a
problem. But fear itself, I think, is a great thing. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNV3eQO0MGkJkd4tQjFXQTF5yhxa4ykVOl5wOTRZjn7aWHzKi3xfX00NJJr7JL188Wz6dWJBEWKChTvvs8So-8ah5XwHBrxnPxt1pMfBqEAVMEzjOnmd316DoapWZeQ8F6JZDtkcekdz0/s1600/IMG_1051.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNV3eQO0MGkJkd4tQjFXQTF5yhxa4ykVOl5wOTRZjn7aWHzKi3xfX00NJJr7JL188Wz6dWJBEWKChTvvs8So-8ah5XwHBrxnPxt1pMfBqEAVMEzjOnmd316DoapWZeQ8F6JZDtkcekdz0/s320/IMG_1051.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
A few
years ago, I was climbing and rappelling on a rock wall in West
Virginia. Before we started, the instructor looked around and asked who
was afraid. Then he asked who wasn't afraid. He said "you guys are
the ones I'm worried about. You should be scared." It basically summed
up my feelings. There is nothing wrong with being afraid, and in most
cases, it is healthy to be afraid. It means you're thinking through the
risks and the consequences. Fear is good. But only if you don't let
that fear win. <br />
<br />
If you compare a list of the most memorable, life changing, happy
moments in my life, almost all of them will also fall into the list of
the scariest times. Climbing Mt. Rainier? Terrifying. Committing to
run twelve half marathons when you haven't even run one? Oh yeah, I was
scared. Hitting 137 mph in a racecar? Scary leading up to it, awesome
during. Getting to the starting line of my first half marathon, and
then eventually my first full marathon just 8 or so months later? My
heart was racing even before I started running! <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNV3eQO0MGkJkd4tQjFXQTF5yhxa4ykVOl5wOTRZjn7aWHzKi3xfX00NJJr7JL188Wz6dWJBEWKChTvvs8So-8ah5XwHBrxnPxt1pMfBqEAVMEzjOnmd316DoapWZeQ8F6JZDtkcekdz0/s1600/IMG_1051.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BjO1H6vm6eH3GAO3K32ch2-iHE1l0KB_ZwAiqITIA3ullYHSZqSX0wyded22uDQF16yJGDebLkLGMFyD_FXbw91u8nKQL-SxUENWdUs9AmbObeq3CQfrVCzEksjqGqfIAxXouqSUIqxs/s1600/DSC06824.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BjO1H6vm6eH3GAO3K32ch2-iHE1l0KB_ZwAiqITIA3ullYHSZqSX0wyded22uDQF16yJGDebLkLGMFyD_FXbw91u8nKQL-SxUENWdUs9AmbObeq3CQfrVCzEksjqGqfIAxXouqSUIqxs/s320/DSC06824.JPG" width="320" /></a>But those events all have something huge in common. They shaped me
into the person I am today, and I don't regret a single one of them. In
fact, I know I'm much stronger and much happier because of all those
experiences. When I was really struggling cognitively after my
concussion, my fear was so great that it prevented me from healing.
That's the kind of fear I try to avoid, and I hope next time something
scary happens I learn to accept the fear without letting it take over
the situation. <br />
<br />
This fall, I will be heading off to business school to get my MBA. I
have been accepted into a few programs and am still trying to decide
what the best option for me is next year. Was I terrified when I
applied, and am I scared of all the changes that I will face in the next
few months? Absolutely. But there isn't a second where I think about
not going because I'm scared. Scary situations often change your life
for the better.Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-66183695168784862742012-02-26T19:50:00.000-08:002012-02-26T19:50:02.652-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooRQRnScVBxIzyO8h8b54IpHj0S_0_vNQNYVhqCqbBPO2MX55_NYGeOrr8mkujeU0b1o4jfPScd6nYxbj6k-P-xPNvZlmvJJt1kkVe0BHBcP1B4GouBrFrhMJ16tsfxPYJ2-eT-59c_GB/s1600/DSC06706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooRQRnScVBxIzyO8h8b54IpHj0S_0_vNQNYVhqCqbBPO2MX55_NYGeOrr8mkujeU0b1o4jfPScd6nYxbj6k-P-xPNvZlmvJJt1kkVe0BHBcP1B4GouBrFrhMJ16tsfxPYJ2-eT-59c_GB/s320/DSC06706.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />
How do you put a year of running into words? I don't think you can. So
this post is going to be a visual representation and a summary of the
fun adventures that filled the year. Hope you enjoy!<br /><br /><br />Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis (10K)<br />
November 20, 2010<br />49:46<br />
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<br />
<span id="goog_438913207"></span><span id="goog_438913208"></span><br />1) Walt Disney World Half Marathon<br />Sat, Jan 8, 2011<br />1:51:09<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
2) Disney's Princess Half Marathon<br />Feb 27, 2011<br />1:49:07<br />
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<br />3) National Half Marathon<br />March 26, 2011 <br />
1:45:28<br />
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<br />4) Dismal Swamp Stomp Half Marathon<br />
April 16, 2011<br />1:48:31<br /><span id="goog_438913240"></span><span id="goog_438913241"></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
(the shirt was massive, so I gave it to my dad)</div>
<br />
<br />5) Country Music Marathon & 1/2 Marathon<br />April 30, 2011<br />1:49:41<br />
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<br />
6) Frederick Running Festival <br />May 7, 2011 <br />1:44:53<br /><span id="goog_438913246"></span><span id="goog_438913247"></span><br />
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<br />
7) Alexandria Running Festival <br />May 29, 2011 <br />1:49:36 (I actually ran over 15 miles to finish, but stopped my watch around 13.1)<br />
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<br />
8) ZOOMA Annapolis Half Marathon (Kristen's first race!)<br />June 5, 2011 <br />1:49:55<br />
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<br />Dash4Dad 4 miler (Adam's first race!)<br />June 19, 2011<br />32:54 <br />
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<span id="goog_438913254"></span><span id="goog_438913255"></span><br />
9) Rock n Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon <br />Sept 4, 2011 <br />1:45:23 (Rock Encore medal for two Rock n Roll races)<br />
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<br />
10) Rock n Roll Philly Half Marathon (Adam's first half marathon!)<br />Sept 18, 2011<br />1:55:36 (Triple Crown medal for three Rock n Roll races)<br /><span id="goog_438913260"></span><span id="goog_438913261"></span><br />
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<br />Clarendon Day (5K downhill, jog back uphill, 10K run with Adam)<br />5K - 21:26<br />10K - 51:10 <br />
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11) Baltimore Running Festival<br />Oct 15, 2011 <br />1:44:19 (and Maryland Double medal for Frederick and Baltimore)<br />
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<br />
12) Marine Corps Marathon (full marathon) <br />Oct 30, 2011 <br />4:14:30<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I also became a member of Team Refuel which is so exciting! I love to drink chocolate milk after my long runs to recover, so I was honored to be part of the team.<br />
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<br />
2012 will bring advocating and running, though in smaller doses than 2011. Look for periodic updates - I'll be going to Capitol Hill and joining some of the top scientists involved in psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis research in March. Can't wait to tell you all about this experience!<br />
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<br />Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-24150312489450351452012-01-02T19:10:00.000-08:002012-01-02T19:10:35.287-08:00Happy New Year<style>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">They were all for you, Mom.</span></div>
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Happy New Year to all! What an incredible year it has
been. Admittedly, I have seen some of the best moments of my life and
some of the most challenging, all in one year. I am forever grateful for
the lessons I've learned, the great friends I've shared it with, and most of
all, the support and love of my family. Ending the year with a concussion
that has basically halted my life has been frustrating. I've cried and
complained and gotten upset more times than I care to admit. But I've got
a great doctor who is helping me to get through it, and hope to be back to a
normal life in the next few months (which I hope will include a return to
running, though at the moment walking a mile or two is a big enough
challenge). I look forward to 2012.<br />
<br />
But beyond that, this has been one of the best years of my life. I've
learned how lucky I am to have supportive friends and family. We raised
over $18,800 this year for NPF. I am just in awe and I don't even know
what to say. Never ever did I expect to raise that much. To
everyone who made it possible, THANK YOU. You gave me hope and inspired
me, but more importantly, you gave my mom hope, and you gave everyone suffering
with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis hope. That is a lot of money that
can make a tangible difference in research. <br />
<br />
To my friends who ran races with me or asked about them or donated, thank
you. This idea of running twelve half marathons in a year was a bit
crazy, and yet it worked. I learned that if you want others to care about
something, you have to show them how much you care first. All in all, our
dedicated team completed 26 half marathons, one marathon, and a variety of
other small races as a team (some 10k, 5ks, four milers, etc along the
way). Personally, I completed 11 half marathons and a full marathon. Though disappointing I missed the grand finale in Las Vegas, I still finished the Challenge (plus some!) and couldn't be happier about it. To the key players - Kristen, Adam, and Matt, I am so appreciative
for your dedication and tenacity. I could have never done it without you
guys and I hope you had half as much fun as I did this year. I also need to thank my dad for agreeing to match every donation that we received. His dedication to helping my mom through this and his desire to fight this disease is inspiring.<br />
<br />
I can tell you that I will never be the same after this year. Though I'm
not going to go into all the details on the blog, 2012 is going to bring some
big changes in my life (all in a great way), and some of them will be directly
shaped by what I learned and realized this year. Though I was leading a
good life before the Challenge, I didn't feel fulfilled. I now know that
helping others and working to make a difference is an essential part of my life
and something I want to spend more time doing in the future, whether it be
through my career, personal work, or some combination. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I have learned
that you only get stronger by pushing yourself mentally and physically.
This time a year ago, I didn't know if I could finish a half marathon.
Now, I can proudly say I am a marathoner and have never felt so honored as the
moment a marine congratulated me and told me I was strong, as if they aren't
the greatest heroes in our country. </div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">I've faced injuries and
sicknesses, but every one has made me realize how lucky I am for my health and
my strength, and helped me to empathize with the struggles that my mom faces on
a daily basis. The confidence I have gained from running these races will
translate into countless other aspects of my life because I now know that
limits are only there if you allow them to be there. And I've seen it in
others too; Kristen did incredible in her half marathon (though unfortunately
faced knee surgery shortly thereafter that halted her running), Adam went from
being challenged by a 4 miler in June to running a great half marathon in
September, and Matt went from running very little last year to running 12 half
marathons this year. Everyone has said how much stronger they feel and
what a great accomplishment it was and I am so happy for our team.<br />
<br />
In all of this, I have tried to adopt an attitude that everything happens for a
reason. My mom's sickness is one of the hardest things my family has
faced, but I was determined to make something good happen from it. Darius
Rucker has a song called "This" that I absolutely love. The
lyrics go:<br />
<br />
"I don't really know how I got here but I'm so glad that I did, <br />
And its crazy to think that one little thing can change all of it, <br />
Maybe it didn't turn out like I planned, <br />
Maybe that's why I'm such, such a lucky man,<br />
<br />
For every stoplight I didn't make, <br />
Every chance I did or I didn't take, <br />
All the nights I went too far, <br />
All the girls that broke my heart, <br />
All the doors that I had to close, <br />
All the things I know but I didn't know, <br />
Thank God for all I missed <br />
Because it led me here to this"<br />
<br />
That song is the epitome of how I feel. When things turn bad, you have to
believe it's for a reason and it's all to lead you to something better.
If you can really believe this (which admittedly can be hard sometimes), you
can get through anything. When I look back on some of the toughest
moments in my life, they often ended up leading me to the best because of the
strength I gained or the changes I made as a result. Though I sound like
I'm slightly digressing from the Challenge, I'm really not. I sat a
little over a year ago pondering how my mom was facing so many challenges and
saying "Why her?" I thought, I cried, I got angry, and then I decided to fight back and create the Challenge. Though I still wonder why she has to fight such a tough battle, I now know
that something good came out of it, and I hope to make even more happen in the
future. Face every day as a way to improve the future. <br />
<br />
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am so lucky. Here's to 2012!</span>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-82612316308837519452012-01-02T19:00:00.000-08:002012-01-02T19:00:00.568-08:00I'm a marathoner!<style>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Love the medal. I'm probably biased, but I think it might be my favorite.</span></div>
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Oh.my.goodness.<span>
</span>I am a marathoner! I've wanted to run a full marathon for SO long,
and as I said earlier, I got a Marine Corps registration back in February since
it sold out in 28 hours. But I had so much going on and life got in the
way, and 2 of my 3 longest training runs never happened. I don't regret
it - I chose to drop them - because I just couldn’t handle all of the half
marathons and my other commitments while making time for the training runs, and
that was the right choice for me. Yet, I still had put a lot of time into
training and I couldn't help but want to run MCM.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Parachuting to the start with an American flag. Really great way to start a race.</span></div>
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The flyover at the start<br />
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And I did it! I crossed running a full marathon off my bucket list!
It wasn't easy. In fact, it was one of the more painful experiences of
my life. The race started out great for me.<span> </span>It was a very cold day and waiting at the start made me
nervous.<span> </span>In fact, the day before
it had snowed a tiny bit, which is basically unheard of in DC in October.<span> </span>I ultimately decided to run in pants
and a long sleeve shirt, which I think was too much by the end of the race but it wasn't unbearable.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> It was SOOO cold. And I was SOOO nervous.</span></div>
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<span></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ufLFzvfOScg/TwJrtOnBCTI/AAAAAAAAAeU/OiTkC95oxO4/s1600/001.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span></span></div>
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As we got going, I started with the 4
hour group with the plan to drop back around the half way mark. I somehow got
ahead of the 4 hour pacegroup (the race was crowded and staying with them was
honestly taking more effort than it was helping me), and I'm not sure when they
passed me but at some point I fell behind them. I met some nice people,
held a few brief conversations, ran up a bridge covered in ice (eesh!), and was
feeing solid.<span> </span>Since I’m used to
running much faster for 13 miles, everything felt good and in control.<span> </span>I got to see Adam a few times, and he even
jumped into to run with me for a few seconds and made me feel great.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Near the start</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Here we go!</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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Then mile 20 happened. Probably not coincidentally, 20
miles was my longest training run to date, and that training run had ended with
me walking into my apartment and bursting into tears. Not a confidence
instilling event. </div>
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It didn't disappoint in this race either, as somewhere in that mile my Gatorade
and GU did not stay down. I'll keep details to a minimum, but things
started to go downhill after that. Then my calf muscles started to spasm
and I had to walk really frequently to be able to keep moving at all. I
would tell myself to just run 100 steps and then I could walk 20, but I don’t
think I ever even made it to 100 because my calves would spasm so bad.<span> </span>It was painful, and it was
difficult. But in a lot of ways, that's why I'm even prouder - because I
did not give up. Sure, there's no shame in dropping out, but I wanted and
in some ways I needed to do this. So I did.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jH6IQUILm5E/TwJt-De09rI/AAAAAAAAAgc/K8QmwEUPJCs/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jH6IQUILm5E/TwJt-De09rI/AAAAAAAAAgc/K8QmwEUPJCs/s400/029.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I'm so spoiled from being used to the DC views, but this reminds me how great the area is.</span></div>
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The day before the race I picked up my registration (since I'd paid I figured I'd get the tshirt anyway), and it wasn't until we were walking out, a full 15 hours before the race, that I officially decided to run it. I chose not to tell anyone other than my family or Adam that
it was definitely happening. It sounds silly, but I was afraid that
everyone knowing would put too much pressure on me to finish and I wouldn’t
drop out if I felt that it was the right choice. My ultimate goal was 4:20, and
despite slowing down a TON for the last six miles, I finished in 4:14:30.<span> </span>Nothing too great, but for me, a huge
victory.<span> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tzgNRz5fTIM/TwJuPMEZYMI/AAAAAAAAAgo/mBH1PQHkEQ8/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tzgNRz5fTIM/TwJuPMEZYMI/AAAAAAAAAgo/mBH1PQHkEQ8/s400/031.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I wasn't giving up! </span></div>
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The marines did a great job with this race, and I’d highly
recommend it for anyone looking for a first marathon.<span> </span>Plus, the crowd support was tremendous.<span> </span>The pride of having a marine place a
medal around my neck and congratulate me, when of course they are incredible
heroes, is a moment I will never forget.<span>
</span>Whenever I thought I couldn’t take another step, I thought about how
they defend our freedom daily and the struggles they go through that make a
marathon seem easy, and suddenly I felt the strength to go on.<span> </span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3gvoGMJGRFo/TwJufC-urSI/AAAAAAAAAg0/kJ2tU5H_4jI/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3gvoGMJGRFo/TwJufC-urSI/AAAAAAAAAg0/kJ2tU5H_4jI/s400/035.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Calling mom after the race. </span></div>
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I honestly thought I would cry at the
end of the race, but I was too tired to do even that.<span> </span>I am so proud to have been part of this race and to push my
limits.<span> </span>And of course, I’m now one
of those annoying people with the 26.2 sticker on their car!<span> </span>This was probably one of the greatest moments of my life and I will never ever forget it. I'm so glad I pushed through and so appreciative of all the support I received. As always, this one’s for you, Mom.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D2YkmX6-HX4/TwJusuWtOFI/AAAAAAAAAhA/ZwkxeU0ZzUY/s1600/037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D2YkmX6-HX4/TwJusuWtOFI/AAAAAAAAAhA/ZwkxeU0ZzUY/s400/037.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I wore a sign on my back for the race that said "This one's for you, Mom."</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kfMSAK_3Yfg/TwJut-fksmI/AAAAAAAAAhI/gnUJ1ASh3fg/s1600/038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kfMSAK_3Yfg/TwJut-fksmI/AAAAAAAAAhI/gnUJ1ASh3fg/s320/038.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Celebrating at the finish!</span></div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-74926410978109613052012-01-02T10:47:00.000-08:002012-01-02T10:47:29.290-08:00Baltimore Running Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y9IMZWxiA24/TwH5umssCaI/AAAAAAAAAb4/MJFBI7CGtBU/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y9IMZWxiA24/TwH5umssCaI/AAAAAAAAAb4/MJFBI7CGtBU/s400/003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<style>
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</style> <span style="font-size: x-small;">I was pretty close to the start</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">I need to take a page out Adam's raceplan book and ...well, actually
stick with my raceplan. Baltimore half marathon was supposed to be an
easy one. The course has a fair amount of hills, plus I hadn't decided if
I was doing Marine Corps Marathon which was only two weeks away or not
(basically, training didn't go as planned, but it didn't totally stop
either...so I was thinking of either running with my slightly abridged training
or waiting until I felt more prepared). For Baltimore, I was shooting for
1:50 or 1:52, but suspected I'd run a little bit faster than that.<br />
The race was in, you guessed it, Baltimore. I was planning to just drive
there the day of the race, so my friend Kyle was kind enough to get my packet
for me the day before. Adam and I left Arlington with plenty of time to
spare in case we hit traffic from the race or had trouble parking, which we
were told might be likely. Sure enough, we got near Baltimore and the
exits were at a stop. We noticed that our directions listed a different way
to go as well, so we took a chance and got off at a different exit, somehow
managing to avoid a really long line of traffic. We went to one of the
lots that was suggested but was farther away, and easily found a spot.
Things were looking good!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8jCkbUVUSKw/TwH6UI8ABwI/AAAAAAAAAdM/bDf_U8mpRP4/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8jCkbUVUSKw/TwH6UI8ABwI/AAAAAAAAAdM/bDf_U8mpRP4/s400/004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">He was there to cheer me on at the start. Isn't he great?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">
We met Kyle and his friends to pick up my number. The race start was
pretty spread out, since the start and the finish were different places and the
bag drop-off area was near the finish. Though we were there with a ton of
time, we had a lot of wandering to do to drop off my stuff, get to the start,
watch the marathoners cross the course, etc. I made it to the starting
area and I was in the first corral. A bit surprising, but I usually feel
that the closer you can be to the start, the better. I think a lot of
people intentionally list a faster starting time than they plan to run, so it
can be difficult to navigate around them.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wZdwFJFCUAU/TwH6kbWyAmI/AAAAAAAAAdY/KLA7Jr0RuCo/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wZdwFJFCUAU/TwH6kbWyAmI/AAAAAAAAAdY/KLA7Jr0RuCo/s400/008.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I'm ready!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">
The race start rolled around and I was ready to go! The weather was
really pretty mild and a pleasant temperature, but it was SO windy. The
start was shielded (or the wind picked up during the race, I'm not quite sure)
and the first few miles were fine. Even though the hills should have been
tough since I don't train on a lot of hills, I just wasn't struggling. We
ran around a lake area, and it was very scenic and pleasant, though the wind
was really bad on the return trip around the lake. The upside was that it
made running with the wind even faster! </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tc12wogh7-E/TwH7I73G8CI/AAAAAAAAAdw/XMpRZ9kW7Ws/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tc12wogh7-E/TwH7I73G8CI/AAAAAAAAAdw/XMpRZ9kW7Ws/s400/016.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
Overall, a very pleasant race. We merged with the marathoners, who were
about half done, near the start of the race. I'm sure it was difficult
for them to merge into a ton of fresh half marathoners, but it was a very easy
transition for me. We ran through some interesting parts of Baltimore
(and quite frankly some I wouldn't have minded skipping). The fans were
great though! Energetic and helped me to push through when I started to
drag.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6tk4qsy9ofU/TwH6ynizFXI/AAAAAAAAAdk/76du1Feyrb4/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6tk4qsy9ofU/TwH6ynizFXI/AAAAAAAAAdk/76du1Feyrb4/s400/009.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">It was a pretty big race<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">
It must be because I was used to running 15-20 mile long runs on the weekend,
but the race felt so easy and I just felt very solid. I didn't stop to
walk at all, and the hills never bothered me. I planned to start fast,
then slow down when I hit the hills and cruise to the finish. I did
follow this plan slightly, except that I started faster than planned, and
slowed down less than planned. I finished strong, loving the crowds of
spectators cheering us through the area right next to Camden Yards. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QPrPT6hVzQk/TwH7WuyEm2I/AAAAAAAAAd8/-OI2wA_KsFg/s1600/022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QPrPT6hVzQk/TwH7WuyEm2I/AAAAAAAAAd8/-OI2wA_KsFg/s400/022.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> I was SO close at this point</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">My
official time was 1:44:19, making this my PR race for the year despite the plan
for it to be an easy race. So great! I was a little worried it
would tire me out for Marine Corps if I chose to run it in two weeks, but I had
felt so good during the race I decided to just go for it. Those are the
kind of races you love as a runner, where you feel like your training has
prepared you well and all of the stars align for a good day. I got to
celebrate at the end with Adam, where we also picked up my second medal since I
had run Frederick, part of the Baltimore series, which qualified me for a
"Maryland double" medal. I didn't get to hang around Baltimore
too long after the race, but this was one for the books!</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y6hgROgoSEs/TwH7mwEnP_I/AAAAAAAAAeI/HiDf9XJmCsI/s1600/024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y6hgROgoSEs/TwH7mwEnP_I/AAAAAAAAAeI/HiDf9XJmCsI/s400/024.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> Race medal and Maryland Double medal</span></span></div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-9689639480341103152011-11-27T17:58:00.001-08:002011-11-27T17:58:36.546-08:00Why I'm Thankful<style>
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I spent this Thanksgiving realizing what I’m truly thankful
for in life.<span> </span>Life has thrown a lot
of curveballs lately.<span> </span>Though this
blog is, and always will be, about running and raising money for National
Psoriasis Foundation, there are a few life updates you need to understand at
the moment.<span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The short story is that life has gotten crazier every time I
expected it to calm down.<span> </span>Some
were personal choices, some were unexpected traveling, and then – well, the
rest.<span> </span>Renovations at my current
apartment building caused them to try to kick us out in less than a month
(which, by the way, is illegal), and after many difficult conversations led to
us moving out in about two weeks with some concessions.<span> </span>If you’ve ever dealt with the Arlington
rental market, you know it’s not the easiest.<span> </span>I’m glad to say that despite the stress and tears, we now
have a beautiful apartment – much nicer than our old one – and are happily
settled.<span> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just as we got settled, I was enjoying our beautiful new
kitchen and tripped into the cabinet.<span>
</span>It wasn’t the hardest fall, but apparently enough to cause a
concussion.<span> </span>However, since it
wasn’t that bad, it went undiagnosed in the beginning.<span> </span>Being totally confused and unable to
think clearly is a terrifying feeling and I must admit I was pretty scared,
which just made it worse.<span> </span>As
things continued to get bad, I ended up going home early for Thanksgiving to be
with my parents where I felt safe that they could care for me and get me to the
best doctors.<span> </span>My mom, even though
she felt terrible herself, was in the car within thirty minutes ready to head
to Arlington to bring me home.<span> </span>She
and my dad took turns taking care of me, driving me to doctors appointments,
getting a CAT scan, etc.<span> </span>Though
you can’t officially diagnose a concussion, my symptoms all make sense and the
tests have ruled out anything worse.<span>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m slowly getting better – I’m confused less often, less
dizzy, and the “fog” in my head is going away for more hours of each day.<span> </span>Even though it was a scary experience,
it made me realize how thankful I am for a wonderful family.<span> </span>My parents dropped everything and made
sure I was OK.<span> </span>Adam was and still
is being absolutely supportive and kind as I recover.<span> </span>Yes, it took me a few tries writing this because I can’t
stare at a computer screen.<span> </span>Yes,
it means I will miss my final, awesome race in Las Vegas next week.<span> </span>But at the same time, it made me
realize how lucky I am.<span> </span>As a 25
year-old, you start to get this crazy feeling that you can do it on your
own.<span> </span>You’re paying your own bills,
living your own life, ready for anything.<span>
</span>But the second you’re terrified, there is nothing you want more than a
hug from your parents to remind you that you’re safe and everything will be
fine.<span> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Thank you all for understanding why our “grand finale” race
won’t happen next week.<span> </span>We’re
still deciding if the rest of the family will go (someone would stay on the
east coast to be near me – just in case).<span>
</span>That said, even though this blog is slightly behind, the Challenge will
be a success!<span> </span>I always had a weird
feeling that something might happen (I thought injury, not concussion), so I
planned 13 races for the year.<span>
</span>That means that I have now finished 11 half marathons and one full
marathon, actually exceeding the goal for the year!<span> </span>What a wonderful experience this has been and how lucky I
feel to have been part of it.<span> </span>More
updates and thoughts to follow as I feel better, but thank you to everyone!</div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-5306503630315573852011-10-17T20:08:00.000-07:002011-10-18T06:49:23.112-07:00DC Walk to Cure Psoriasis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVPyjIGFWNmGT_McdHfhGLqPsh9Dx1M2F8aZMUipxvwYdeVfsvLqWRToYgk13D2dNUqnBhBQ1lkqtAOujVEipmGIhaOaNrHCPfv-U4lmeaLbcf6nb1V8h9CXsjyYcXPjYDw9INkDd3nKQy/s1600/DSC06597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVPyjIGFWNmGT_McdHfhGLqPsh9Dx1M2F8aZMUipxvwYdeVfsvLqWRToYgk13D2dNUqnBhBQ1lkqtAOujVEipmGIhaOaNrHCPfv-U4lmeaLbcf6nb1V8h9CXsjyYcXPjYDw9INkDd3nKQy/s320/DSC06597.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>My parents came into town for the event! </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was finally here.
The DC Walk to Cure Psoriasis.
Technically, the event we have been fundraising for all year (though in
reality, the event has stretched way beyond that, which is great!) This was the time I would get to see
the people I had met earlier at National Volunteer Leadership Conference, and
remember why I’m running these races.
It was awesome!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwi6Z2AFwTlX-E9nzWliaGjKGl-rXDs4clk3MvYh2lR-Th1XeCI9XU5zT0rfZFVw_MxZB3zihJDLNgChZJABRZBPxAJKt22djtjFLD8C7rHZwnwcg_qh-4D1vIoSLybodXf3FDmDcD5TR/s1600/DSC06629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwi6Z2AFwTlX-E9nzWliaGjKGl-rXDs4clk3MvYh2lR-Th1XeCI9XU5zT0rfZFVw_MxZB3zihJDLNgChZJABRZBPxAJKt22djtjFLD8C7rHZwnwcg_qh-4D1vIoSLybodXf3FDmDcD5TR/s320/DSC06629.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The event was on a Sunday, and I’d done a complicated series
of races the day before (I ran a
5K at 8:20 AM, then ran 1.4 miles uphill, and then ran a 10K at 9 AM). But I made sure I wasn’t too tired on
Sunday because I would be running a 5k to kick off the ceremony for the
walk. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUaua8M_OiBQJEb77sqYcTzLAMx1orIQTS18akUYonGPE3PyW7VcWi2tt8uTeWexZ3hgPPmTZJHsDORxj86t8Dcw3WwOLC__ehja_C1YTA9BTUmRKU2WsD1eVUkZiVyiWM5LfTKdKzHKN/s1600/DSC06593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUaua8M_OiBQJEb77sqYcTzLAMx1orIQTS18akUYonGPE3PyW7VcWi2tt8uTeWexZ3hgPPmTZJHsDORxj86t8Dcw3WwOLC__ehja_C1YTA9BTUmRKU2WsD1eVUkZiVyiWM5LfTKdKzHKN/s320/DSC06593.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i> Dad came by after our races the day before</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was lucky to be joined by
my dad and sister for the run so it was even better! Though we may not have done exactly the 5k route because of some
navigating issues (seriously, don’t ever listen to my directions), we did a
similar route and headed back to cheers and posters from the crowd. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8CG6555xfuJEh2L6r9U1dqu0ZY8ELtrmqM1h_hTTjmAhNOQytsCoByPczLIzNNSUkgVZb25RnX_RXF8NzefTVhgmAG2wcZuTatg_Z7IEMXtaL6P1NzhHCA7rfPMX5xUSlIVGbbdULQPI/s1600/WDC+Walk+2011+-+Markhams+running+in+to+start+DC+Stage+Presentation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8CG6555xfuJEh2L6r9U1dqu0ZY8ELtrmqM1h_hTTjmAhNOQytsCoByPczLIzNNSUkgVZb25RnX_RXF8NzefTVhgmAG2wcZuTatg_Z7IEMXtaL6P1NzhHCA7rfPMX5xUSlIVGbbdULQPI/s320/WDC+Walk+2011+-+Markhams+running+in+to+start+DC+Stage+Presentation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Running in to kick off the stage presentation </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I need to mention one group in particular here – the Alpha
Phi Omega chapter. When I arrived
(before registration had even opened), they were smiling and working hard to
set up the event. When I got back
from my run, they had these signs they had made to cheer me on! Their energy was contagious, and I
can’t thank them enough for what they did.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ks6Wd9hA85m7HXlItAsjkDb0NhtCNWQxK3j6HvXnkYmCRYHFV4AOuRYggphFnS0xCyrrXjvGLv7glxZSkjWiWGUMbIh2ovnI2gIPYK9VgNQrJUnH0ral9arfDJhPfndS_Z9-22ZVaZKL/s1600/WDC+Walk+2011+-+Run+Kathryn+Run+Sign+for+Texting+Promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ks6Wd9hA85m7HXlItAsjkDb0NhtCNWQxK3j6HvXnkYmCRYHFV4AOuRYggphFnS0xCyrrXjvGLv7glxZSkjWiWGUMbIh2ovnI2gIPYK9VgNQrJUnH0ral9arfDJhPfndS_Z9-22ZVaZKL/s320/WDC+Walk+2011+-+Run+Kathryn+Run+Sign+for+Texting+Promo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The signs and the Alpha Phi Omega team. Thank you so much for your support!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then we got to the stage presentation. Linda, who you’ve read about before
quite a few times, was there leading the event. As always, she did a wonderful job. She is enthusiastic and it’s obvious
how much she cares about helping people (as does everyone at NPF). The organization realizes what a
personal journey this is and goes above and beyond to take care of the
emotional AND physical needs associated with psoriatic arthritis and
psoriasis. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Nt_263vAlF0jJHibFdnxWCpHJYBoH8JH7pw992ulOtGi1tzyUq7XgYu2YrzkpK7xS9NCmMt_u11s6QjP7hkazx5UcoFn5fsX-IXwEcwe3BHmkaGQCqEqqCIpI22a8ubnfrh6J8H5VRrV/s1600/DSC06606.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Nt_263vAlF0jJHibFdnxWCpHJYBoH8JH7pw992ulOtGi1tzyUq7XgYu2YrzkpK7xS9NCmMt_u11s6QjP7hkazx5UcoFn5fsX-IXwEcwe3BHmkaGQCqEqqCIpI22a8ubnfrh6J8H5VRrV/s320/DSC06606.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Dan Farrington, the Chair of the NPF Board of Trustees even came to the event. Great to see him again!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Julie Donaldson from SportsNet was the emcee, and it was great to have her out there with us. We heard speeches from people who live with the disease
daily. Amy and Diane did a great
job conveying the challenges but also sharing hope. I think this was a great way for my mom to meet some other
people who faced the same challenges she does regularly, and I highly encourage
others who may be faced with psoriasis (or any disease really) to meet some people in
their community who may be having a similar experience. It’s very reassuring and helpful to
know you’re not in it alone.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pgFj0B6W0tC2D11kU5pUP6d0w3jPd6l2Z54Jzq1-UqBphJl_VnCsb8XVPkh9ACbwptbuehGHOxfEW4sPU_EqtqkkEB4Q_UmUkDRrkLdZZIEO-SCompoQzGO3BRryfsKGO8MwKoRx_3la/s1600/DSC06619.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pgFj0B6W0tC2D11kU5pUP6d0w3jPd6l2Z54Jzq1-UqBphJl_VnCsb8XVPkh9ACbwptbuehGHOxfEW4sPU_EqtqkkEB4Q_UmUkDRrkLdZZIEO-SCompoQzGO3BRryfsKGO8MwKoRx_3la/s320/DSC06619.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Julie Donaldson from SportsNet with Amy and Diane</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We heard from Caitlyn and Amanda, the two youth ambassadors
from the walk, and from others. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UeFf2tk5e-nEgZ6sIwrcvF5NnO1FfbIUsbEmjyPXVjkE_vfEFU2wf0fnix8yywm8UtwJZgIejYx8NezqvGzQ6oT-5NkgJXwpTUH7lnVJsjqtjnmtDL3x2lrY_8Vw_5r8zIMfRiMztwhl/s1600/DSC06616.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UeFf2tk5e-nEgZ6sIwrcvF5NnO1FfbIUsbEmjyPXVjkE_vfEFU2wf0fnix8yywm8UtwJZgIejYx8NezqvGzQ6oT-5NkgJXwpTUH7lnVJsjqtjnmtDL3x2lrY_8Vw_5r8zIMfRiMztwhl/s320/DSC06616.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Caitlyn and Amanda, the youth ambassadors </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were awards for teams with the most people there (congrats to the American
soccer team that won this), and I was presented with a generous gift card. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgb7DdOdW2tdmwOlbbd_HVN5AOoN6QGc3oO4AbV8rkrB6FMXijlUe13ZH6WTYIaf_5cVYORcIvSqC66SichVG00zqkoPyqnIKfOiT9QD4xBD1fuP1aS8kGEP98-FNcxrVBI4oX1Y7zx-_/s1600/DSC06622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgb7DdOdW2tdmwOlbbd_HVN5AOoN6QGc3oO4AbV8rkrB6FMXijlUe13ZH6WTYIaf_5cVYORcIvSqC66SichVG00zqkoPyqnIKfOiT9QD4xBD1fuP1aS8kGEP98-FNcxrVBI4oX1Y7zx-_/s320/DSC06622.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i> The American women's soccer team. Look how many showed up!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can’t wait to try Vespucci restaurant
and am so appreciative of the generous gift card and your kind words. Eventually, it was time to kick off the
walk!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgGnG74zVrHx-OucJI23fss4kBlIvqeouVatUXHglFgujhT1dX023x8cMqonjaetfhNj_salL9t1D8yaqfQ2_GmwvqaFpmVa8VWCjYlRRCrysPYPp1JEr2atareYmsYdz4-J8dc3IPNbN/s1600/DSC06638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgGnG74zVrHx-OucJI23fss4kBlIvqeouVatUXHglFgujhT1dX023x8cMqonjaetfhNj_salL9t1D8yaqfQ2_GmwvqaFpmVa8VWCjYlRRCrysPYPp1JEr2atareYmsYdz4-J8dc3IPNbN/s320/DSC06638.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">Thank you for my gift card to Vespucci. Can't wait to try it!</span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Though we kicked off the walk, my family stayed back since
my mom can’t walk that far. We
were able to see the teams returning and talk to them before heading out. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3elk9qd2EIyGZe0wkBvkltw3GbRiK5YOEFLFsIpAVEn8EuvzXiQ5G8QYwl61VDU0VrgPPtVxTe_5Rkpeew1DPotxuiTpxuWdiEQmrCahmyfnO_zCNL1vrmb-LzoTwa6mOnp5tOopza66/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3elk9qd2EIyGZe0wkBvkltw3GbRiK5YOEFLFsIpAVEn8EuvzXiQ5G8QYwl61VDU0VrgPPtVxTe_5Rkpeew1DPotxuiTpxuWdiEQmrCahmyfnO_zCNL1vrmb-LzoTwa6mOnp5tOopza66/s320/013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i> And the walk begins!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thank you to everyone who made this event possible,
especially Linda. Her hard work
for months leading up to this was pretty evident. Awesome way to celebrate the year! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3elk9qd2EIyGZe0wkBvkltw3GbRiK5YOEFLFsIpAVEn8EuvzXiQ5G8QYwl61VDU0VrgPPtVxTe_5Rkpeew1DPotxuiTpxuWdiEQmrCahmyfnO_zCNL1vrmb-LzoTwa6mOnp5tOopza66/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJUVaVTvJRAIuFTJKYqlVJJNiMkOvXDxapOCFP6Lt-OKEcZuSwUjdbVGeAK3vxIqnc2Zo-EY4iHQd584_hMf3zBwgZuP7mKPmCCSKi_OoTOlGAgf6HiuOuFo1QjtbRxOL2edQ09HieXXV/s1600/DSC06635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJUVaVTvJRAIuFTJKYqlVJJNiMkOvXDxapOCFP6Lt-OKEcZuSwUjdbVGeAK3vxIqnc2Zo-EY4iHQd584_hMf3zBwgZuP7mKPmCCSKi_OoTOlGAgf6HiuOuFo1QjtbRxOL2edQ09HieXXV/s320/DSC06635.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMuNlx30X8hk2xQGt20CzlDUzbY7yxd8Kaz0TB26Rvrm4St7w76DYnG2Rdb-3r3P-lKD1-vLenubLqCPygm-X5F8yjPnuCUjTE8aqnq1kVgOJKTnyU1mHRth8gtS4LIog3NLIoCxtAsyb/s1600/DSC06625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-61741249039447400662011-09-29T20:35:00.000-07:002011-09-29T20:35:15.594-07:00Rock n Roll Philly<div class="MsoNormal">I literally found myself smiling randomly in the middle of this race.<span> </span>I had been planning to run this race for a long time – Rock n Roll races are fun, it was flat, and I have wanted to go to Philly.<span> </span>But with a few weeks to go, Adam made the leap and registered as well.<span> </span>When I started the Challenge, he was barely running at all.<span> </span>In June, he ran the Dash4Dad four miler which was a really long race for him.<span> </span>And now, just a few months later, he was tackling a half marathon!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1jEP-sOhyphenhyphenRmu99IXpMg5JiXgs5GVYfDcUXeaPgXFAdEm69Nuri6K8RJ6xNnrRxy68dRv3UIs_6uo2NRceKb6iUs9X9YoHuUvWwCA1xCcbl_HxxcKZ7_A0Boou1cHshPl-UebTzqK4rKt/s1600/300563_2244134036321_1637245615_2309687_1465790624_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1jEP-sOhyphenhyphenRmu99IXpMg5JiXgs5GVYfDcUXeaPgXFAdEm69Nuri6K8RJ6xNnrRxy68dRv3UIs_6uo2NRceKb6iUs9X9YoHuUvWwCA1xCcbl_HxxcKZ7_A0Boou1cHshPl-UebTzqK4rKt/s320/300563_2244134036321_1637245615_2309687_1465790624_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i> Carb loading the night before</i></div><div class="MsoNormal">The weekend started out great.<span> </span>We headed to Philly Saturday morning (though slightly later than planned – my fault) and checked into our hotel (thank you Marriott points and Adam’s regular work trips for that one!)<span> </span>The view from our room was gorgeous. His parents and sister were already there, so we headed out and had lunch in this crazy market full of restaurants.<span> </span>Afterward, we went to meet up with one of his friends from college who is now at UPenn.<span> </span>Adam’s dad went there for graduate school, so we got to see his old townhouse and hear stories from his parents when they were there.</div><div class="MsoNormal">We tried to go to dinner at a local Italian place but the wait was almost an hour and a half, so we had to pass on that.<span> </span>Eat pasta, get all the race gear ready, early bedtime, go!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3bVubCA5Wow6tDUJ-yBIE2tqjOjOkZOXDuaOQSDp5mUe98-rWrw28jY8Lb9wm3lC1K9eMCOphy6PAvUmxsmIO1M7FwTZY1a_42v-1JmPsB8-sd1lhR9K8rveSTiHFDtBh6FSNIcq5AL5/s1600/292090_2244129396205_1637245615_2309671_332962934_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3bVubCA5Wow6tDUJ-yBIE2tqjOjOkZOXDuaOQSDp5mUe98-rWrw28jY8Lb9wm3lC1K9eMCOphy6PAvUmxsmIO1M7FwTZY1a_42v-1JmPsB8-sd1lhR9K8rveSTiHFDtBh6FSNIcq5AL5/s320/292090_2244129396205_1637245615_2309671_332962934_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Race morning was here! <span> </span>Relatively speaking, it was a late day (wakeup at 5:30 AM) because 1) it was only a mile walk from our hotel to the start, which prevented the need to account for traffic and 2) the race wasn’t until 8.<span> </span>Woohoo!</div><div class="MsoNormal">Adam and I headed to the start with plans to see his parents and Rachel around mile 2 and 3 since the hotel was on the course.<span> </span>It was actually pretty chilly (around 54 at the start i think) but made for great racing weather once you got moving.<span> </span>The morning was very smooth and well run and we were off!</div><div class="MsoNormal">I had agreed to pace Adam for the race.<span> </span>This is scary to me because we all know I’ve messed up my own pace pretty bad a few times, and it was even worse because my Garmin did not work at ALL the first two miles (unless we really did run 4:30 min/mile!)<span> </span>I heard others had the same problem which might be from the tall buildings in the city.<span> </span>Luckily, we were able to hit within about 10 seconds of our target (8:45 min/mile) anyway for all miles.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKyHvO-jyKM3XsBECIFCjuOGxBoXSZXz0J2R5PIjyu-X3I-XleSbJTvOkR8xusVjDb9l9n9fooROEp8KqLAfA2PMS3D9YZZAZr0H7yugZf_80lhbT-kL7PyMiDe6lVgcYo9xzRmCwXfjj/s1600/005+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKyHvO-jyKM3XsBECIFCjuOGxBoXSZXz0J2R5PIjyu-X3I-XleSbJTvOkR8xusVjDb9l9n9fooROEp8KqLAfA2PMS3D9YZZAZr0H7yugZf_80lhbT-kL7PyMiDe6lVgcYo9xzRmCwXfjj/s320/005+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i> It's hard to see, but that guy is juggling! I saw him in Virginia Beach too, quite impressive!</i></div><div class="MsoNormal">Adam’s race plan was simple: start at 8:45 pace, take walk breaks at the water stops around miles 4 and 8, and slow down as needed.<span> </span>The goal was to break 2 hours.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, we got going, and he never slowed down!<span> </span>His leg was hurting but he did SO well!<span> </span>There is nothing more exciting to me than sharing someone’s first half marathon.<span> </span>If you’re thinking of running one but don’t want to do it alone, let me know!!!<span> </span>Crossing that finish is truly incredible.<span> </span>You suddenly realize you did something very difficult and you rocked! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_hI8oU4wCFZuAKsjEvSs6RAhD4wIsK-F7VyqT7YaDI8Zyv4WtjIJSmr7jf-kvoU8RVD31lNhnLfEiUC6sDJd-Hr7GB0xshIBVAyaN_glvvVmyeqySc-z8TpMhHX0fTMfd1TamPU3BEbD/s1600/301436_2244126956144_1637245615_2309661_24208812_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_hI8oU4wCFZuAKsjEvSs6RAhD4wIsK-F7VyqT7YaDI8Zyv4WtjIJSmr7jf-kvoU8RVD31lNhnLfEiUC6sDJd-Hr7GB0xshIBVAyaN_glvvVmyeqySc-z8TpMhHX0fTMfd1TamPU3BEbD/s320/301436_2244126956144_1637245615_2309661_24208812_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>We did it! </i></div><div class="MsoNormal">The first few miles were in the city and had lots of spectators, which I love.<span> </span>Then it moved into a park setting which was very beautiful and scenic but lacked fans.<span> </span>Overall, a pleasant course, though the water stops were a little chaotic.<span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwv2gNFC7qcAhhuHpJt4JyV-tf4EUZkecNIkhGQ9Y0Bieoj4zpUVnpGz5ExFmRn12eqj2abPtJcC0TpqNwI56UmWRiweMk1asEqQleu1IE9K8L-VKQ0JPr0i6fZBH37W0GjD6Mzc0vSja/s1600/011+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwv2gNFC7qcAhhuHpJt4JyV-tf4EUZkecNIkhGQ9Y0Bieoj4zpUVnpGz5ExFmRn12eqj2abPtJcC0TpqNwI56UmWRiweMk1asEqQleu1IE9K8L-VKQ0JPr0i6fZBH37W0GjD6Mzc0vSja/s320/011+%25282%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Before I knew it, we were done!<span> </span>Though I never pushed him to run (OK, maybe to run one race, but a short one) I saw his mileage increasing and I knew he was capable of running a half.<span> This race was especially significant because Adam's whole family came to Philly to cheer us on. They were awesome spectators, and I know it meant a lot to both Adam and me to have them there to share the weekend and his first race. We are so lucky to have such great friends and family!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wJMByLdHiuS20RzDQb7XGfBuLzJddUD1ohTZAZAvRdIHvHciKGHxHkY5jeafX1aM2UBixUj_ANVtdx_cSKFObaDDlhxbetFFHwOjrn6PwcyJH4eKg7XuWWxIDhTqf4UDHePdDHpAVa3V/s1600/317857_2244139356454_1637245615_2309707_992197774_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wJMByLdHiuS20RzDQb7XGfBuLzJddUD1ohTZAZAvRdIHvHciKGHxHkY5jeafX1aM2UBixUj_ANVtdx_cSKFObaDDlhxbetFFHwOjrn6PwcyJH4eKg7XuWWxIDhTqf4UDHePdDHpAVa3V/s320/317857_2244139356454_1637245615_2309707_992197774_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span> <i>Thanks for cheering us on, Udasins!</i></span></div>I’m thrilled to say that race #10 is successfully in the books.<span> </span>One step closer to the finish line!<br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"></span>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-18966648391380946792011-09-08T19:02:00.000-07:002011-09-09T20:42:28.759-07:00Rock n Roll Virginia Beach and a big announcement!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1Bj4sBvmGHLaQWlZ3vqmZ2XFwzHVvlNcrgDheaFgvAXhmi9EglNnU5NODRgXtxDbZSI5crSPzQYOMoL39PNyNOPq3spkPRCqfDCO_8rPxpu3frcHvQuGdz8SZHns3ETbcp579EncKOKC/s1600/IMGP0336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1Bj4sBvmGHLaQWlZ3vqmZ2XFwzHVvlNcrgDheaFgvAXhmi9EglNnU5NODRgXtxDbZSI5crSPzQYOMoL39PNyNOPq3spkPRCqfDCO_8rPxpu3frcHvQuGdz8SZHns3ETbcp579EncKOKC/s400/IMGP0336.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The whole crew! So much fun...</i></div>Have you ever had a moment where you watch something, and you half dream of doing it one day, but it seems so far from achievable that you shake the idea? As I said earlier, that's how Rock n Roll Virginia Beach was for me. Watching my dad run it eight years ago and handing water to the elite athletes - it was so thrilling. I was a runner, and a pretty solid runner at that, but a half marathon? Even in my longest workouts, I only ran 40 or 50 minutes back then.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcVc2cXIcNJhhMtguc_fIPR6NtBq_9Ms6JiUhS5Yz6oPqXbVjy4MJhiB2zW9aF2c0xKAzM7tCPamulUohxeZXPSoXwfvU7ykDuh7EW8SdJy_3ZJdAxF8bd_plt-azO9CdvSCp3yFB_PnY/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcVc2cXIcNJhhMtguc_fIPR6NtBq_9Ms6JiUhS5Yz6oPqXbVjy4MJhiB2zW9aF2c0xKAzM7tCPamulUohxeZXPSoXwfvU7ykDuh7EW8SdJy_3ZJdAxF8bd_plt-azO9CdvSCp3yFB_PnY/s400/002.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>New shorts: easy to find in a crowd and unique</i> </div>So heading into Virginia Beach was like picking up a lifelong dream. In some ways, running ANY half marathon filled that, but it felt so special to be a part of this race. Even better, it meant heading home for the weekend and sharing the experience with my family. Adam and I went home Friday night after work, so it was pretty late by the time we arrived. Saturday we went to the expo to get my number, enjoyed the gorgeous Virginia Beach weather, and basically took it easy with my parents. Kristen and her husband got home late on Saturday (OK, relatively speaking it was early, but it seemed late since bedtime was before 9).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuySPcIKB37vKhVTkTChdNvFsI9uqg5_wuhlrOCv47Fk2dOfjVyehHcE6E33Wb1OmMCgcpYZzZNt49JsUGCOCALwHDFygyfAClERZy0qHNIIr6QeKSC9XXeOMNOaobvCU_8ExKwxaxcLIg/s1600/IMGP0297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuySPcIKB37vKhVTkTChdNvFsI9uqg5_wuhlrOCv47Fk2dOfjVyehHcE6E33Wb1OmMCgcpYZzZNt49JsUGCOCALwHDFygyfAClERZy0qHNIIr6QeKSC9XXeOMNOaobvCU_8ExKwxaxcLIg/s400/IMGP0297.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>They woke up very early to join me at the start. Thanks! </i></div>We woke up at 4:30, and Adam and my dad went over to the start of the race with me. The plan was for Curtis, Kristen, and my mom to join us for the end of the race. The starting line was busy but great! My dad commented that I didn't seem nervous at all, and I really wasn't. It was a little surprising to me since I hadn't raced in so long but being back out on the half marathon course felt so natural that I was just glad to be there, no matter what happened. As per usual, I was in Corral 4.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiaBQ6mCDg8c5HxwUCGwIMpZ1wei1jRFbFIAobQ2aWlg5rGNj5luA2Awljq_-cZpZyv2lkPNGQG64W0bVdS_CgpukzrI5vAXphfCXk-PT1cZVcYBgx3rmGO0muXKM6HPY3tYni9r3XU4_/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiaBQ6mCDg8c5HxwUCGwIMpZ1wei1jRFbFIAobQ2aWlg5rGNj5luA2Awljq_-cZpZyv2lkPNGQG64W0bVdS_CgpukzrI5vAXphfCXk-PT1cZVcYBgx3rmGO0muXKM6HPY3tYni9r3XU4_/s400/004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>How is it that I end up in Corral 4 about half the time?!</i> </div>The gun went off and I felt great. About a mile in I was pretty absorbed in my music, but I still somehow managed to hear my name! Kristen, Curtis and my mom had made it in time to cheer me on, and only one mile in! I was ecstatic. Not that running isn't fun without others but it's such a great boost to hear people cheering for you. I saw them again around mile 2, and then a few blocks later saw Adam and my dad. As if I wasn't excited enough for this race, I was just loving it at this point.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2074k9BErkSOrVJCK9V5HTqwjXVmMbI1Yeo-PXtCqwawZpQF4qr3sJ3d5YhLwGNOZcAIRmr0jZtV-5z3CNVLq3iJMy36D7d9LXscoVtBw99v-KBP6z1C32wBwmmdH42evorqr4qLgCimE/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2074k9BErkSOrVJCK9V5HTqwjXVmMbI1Yeo-PXtCqwawZpQF4qr3sJ3d5YhLwGNOZcAIRmr0jZtV-5z3CNVLq3iJMy36D7d9LXscoVtBw99v-KBP6z1C32wBwmmdH42evorqr4qLgCimE/s400/006.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>All the really good runners</i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Not too much else to say other than it was a lot of fun. A very flat course other than going over a bridge twice, but even that wasn't too bad. There were lots of entertaining cheerleaders and bands and fans out cheering the runners along, so the miles went by easily (and a little kid was handing out lei's with about two miles to go, so of course I grabbed one). Somewhere around 10.5, I started to struggle a littlle bit, but then at 12 I decided to go for it. According to my watch, I actually did mile 12-13 at 7:30 per mile pace, which is great! Near the end, you reach the boardwalk and naturally start to speed up as you see the finish line and hear fans cheering like crazy. But I looked at my watch and realized that I was still deceptively far from the finish. That might have been the toughest part - so close you can see it but still having almost a mile to go. I heard my cheer squad near the end (over an already loud crowd - they were that good!) and pushed it to the finish, with an official time of 1:45:23. Second best time to date and more importantly a solid, confidence building race.<i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizL4lwq75QACWayLXHpnOCkqqJ594oFgvm7xB3HSGGmdPqk42weZMJdOZ0tuhySeO8VMufGzfIidGVTWtUgLPBD9v-KubCjgIUIuTCqKsI1LrAJ88Zh7CqcBbBbylUI0WdNczVHw6gPb3i/s1600/IMGP0334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizL4lwq75QACWayLXHpnOCkqqJ594oFgvm7xB3HSGGmdPqk42weZMJdOZ0tuhySeO8VMufGzfIidGVTWtUgLPBD9v-KubCjgIUIuTCqKsI1LrAJ88Zh7CqcBbBbylUI0WdNczVHw6gPb3i/s400/IMGP0334.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> On the boardwalk and SO close</i></div></div>Why do I need confidence, you ask? Here's the big news: I'm training for a marathon. I currently have a Marine Corps Marathon registration for October 30. Though I've had it since February, MCM has a flexible transfer policy so my goal was to see how I felt and decide if I'd run later in the year. So far, I've built my training runs up to 18 miles and logged 94 miles last month, my best month to date. Not to jinx it, but I'm feeling good! I've chosen to keep this quiet because I don't want any pressure to complete the marathon if I'm not up for it - though I'm definitely sticking with the Challenge! If there's one thing I've learned from my mom's psoriatic arthritis, it's to take care of yourself, and I'm not going to run the race if I'm not feeling totally ready for it. I'm a little nervous how I will get in my weekend long runs with two half marathons between now and then but I'm still hoping to be able to walk to the starting line on Oct 30. Crazy, huh??? I guess 12 half marathons just wasn't enough!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbS2bikzSQ2jEhRtUgfgI70hrzTsWklWgodDAFpe3ht2ie2I1U8cE8WeWI010kpNoSqnFJYs-qBpbSnYojOyIZeKjPdqf6IpoXjIZCXMoKQ1THPfqqrgnYeEgVJlxrNbadnu89du4wjR7/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbS2bikzSQ2jEhRtUgfgI70hrzTsWklWgodDAFpe3ht2ie2I1U8cE8WeWI010kpNoSqnFJYs-qBpbSnYojOyIZeKjPdqf6IpoXjIZCXMoKQ1THPfqqrgnYeEgVJlxrNbadnu89du4wjR7/s400/009.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I think I was in the middle of waving in this picture. Or my form is just terrible.</i></div>Now that I've announced that, back to the race. I spent some time with my cheer squad but mom wasn't feeling great, so we headed out relatively quickly. I could have stayed and spent the whole day just being with the people I loved and knowing that we were making a difference for NPF. I went home and biked along with Adam as he did his long run of over 11.5 miles, his longest run to date. Why? Because he registered for his first half marathon in two weeks in Philly, which will be even better because his family will be out there to cheer us on. Does it get any better?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEAhiFajS8JqrP5467NlO5p5FD9CFFK_7sGL4xUpUWgghcdI4W7OGlTjpZoN-nyYSALFdNqAdiayZoLRB9rr7oQmCAgayphsgDnijO6nvFJAx0ihabzm2FmLI7u92jAROe-XIRdfKVMDo/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEAhiFajS8JqrP5467NlO5p5FD9CFFK_7sGL4xUpUWgghcdI4W7OGlTjpZoN-nyYSALFdNqAdiayZoLRB9rr7oQmCAgayphsgDnijO6nvFJAx0ihabzm2FmLI7u92jAROe-XIRdfKVMDo/s400/010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Feeling great</i> </div>I am happy. I'm happy to be back to running but more importantly I'm happy to share this with my family. Though I hate that I only see my parents every month or two, it makes the time much more precious. Now on to getting ready for Philly. Let's go!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KaCNs2Y2fIPc0rsEuQRlf-5PuDMh4ml-nQhkiY9uVZ0vTO3uVAEzcIh6yFb7tMaYTGXVYKT_z06GMU4exZGg5Rv-ZUrRKtklCQb596fpoSjiSxqXlT04Oeg3vHmFQ69klmZf5aprTazF/s1600/IMGP0337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KaCNs2Y2fIPc0rsEuQRlf-5PuDMh4ml-nQhkiY9uVZ0vTO3uVAEzcIh6yFb7tMaYTGXVYKT_z06GMU4exZGg5Rv-ZUrRKtklCQb596fpoSjiSxqXlT04Oeg3vHmFQ69klmZf5aprTazF/s320/IMGP0337.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>As always, this one's for you, Mom.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8E90zq8Y_iwfJjso5UYvKYnZpPwxNM6J1xjr1tfqBav76mUOJjNG99ZQdhouPueSmO0fjL0vCprTi_PEpPxTLDW9TwsHie7gH6HBZ6CktEADAWBOMoXToXqrIRmZ68cfO-kXR7dhDA7Ip/s1600/photo-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8E90zq8Y_iwfJjso5UYvKYnZpPwxNM6J1xjr1tfqBav76mUOJjNG99ZQdhouPueSmO0fjL0vCprTi_PEpPxTLDW9TwsHie7gH6HBZ6CktEADAWBOMoXToXqrIRmZ68cfO-kXR7dhDA7Ip/s400/photo-3.jpg" width="298" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Very fun medal to go with a very fun race</i> </div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-31849713067144203222011-08-17T20:16:00.000-07:002011-08-17T20:16:56.830-07:00Ready to race!I miss racing. SO much. A year ago, I couldn't have dreamed of completing a half marathon and now I feel empty after just a few months off. The great news is that I'm less than three weeks away from my next half in Virginia Beach! I've been looking forward to this race for a long time. My dad ran it while I was in high school (before he had knee surgery that stopped him from running long distances) and I had the chance to volunteer at the finish line. Handing out bottles of water to these great athletes was so inspiring, but I couldn't imagine being able to run a half marathon then (even though I was running cross country!) Now I'm racing and feeling better than I've felt in years, if not ever. <br />
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I have had a lot of exciting news lately, but let me start with this: we have raised over $14,500!! I just can't even begin to tell you how happy this makes me. I have the best team and friends that anyone could ask for. And it's not just the donations. The number of people who have shared the blog link, or voted for me in various competitions, or just asked about the Challenge all the time have made this such a great experience. I'm truly at a loss for words to describe how appreciative I am for everyone who has donated and supported us. <br />
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This year has been a tough time for my mom and she has tackled it like a champ. I couldn't be more proud of her or have a better role model. I pass along all comments, all donations, all good news to her and I know how much it lifts her spirits. The battle is much less difficult when you have a team of people supporting you the whole way. So thank you to everyone who has made this possible and here's to the next few months of finishing strong!!!Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-34714089398909883032011-07-10T18:12:00.000-07:002011-07-10T18:12:59.230-07:00Summer adventuresSince I'm taking a break from racing for awhile, I thought I'd write an update on running and what has been going on with the Challenge lately. First off, I just got back from a great five day vacation in Outer Banks with my family and Adam. We had a wonderful time and relaxed at the beach, ate way too much great food, and just spent time together. Mom is still not feeling her best but was a great sport despite how she felt. <br />
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Sure, there were beers on the beach and more food than I should admit to, but there were some healthy aspects to the trip as well. For one, I ate much more fruit than usual because it was always cut and ready in the fridge, so I'll try to have fruit available more often at home. It was interesting to me that an almost daily part of my relaxing lifestyle was working out. Adam and I went on a 15 mile bike ride, I got in a few runs despite the heat, and I even spent some time swimming laps in the pool (first time in years!). I realize that I actually enjoy working out and living an active lifestyle - when I have time. Because life gets busy, working out is often one of the first things to suffer. With the Challenge, I've thought of running as a second job of sorts, and it's been great to give it a higher priority on a regular basis. I'll try to keep this mentality even when the Challenge is done.<br />
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Overall though, my runs haven't been great lately. I was planning to take some time off after my 8th race but ended up running sooner than I planned. The runs I have done have been very difficult for me. I think that because of the heat, I just haven't been able to run nearly as far as I'd like. <br />
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So today I pulled out my gym membership and spent some time bonding with the treadmill. I got in a 14 mile run (longest ever, excluding the Alexandria half marathon mishap - but I walked most of the end of that). It was great to know that I could still do it! Looking forward to running more and maybe even adventuring into some other workout forms. Swimming was pleasant and a friend just told me there's a pool at the high school less than half a mile from my apartment which you can pay to use, so I may try that. I've also toyed with biking to work for awhile (about 7-8 miles each way) and may see if that works out as well. Just loving all the new adventures!Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-11774143226606945212011-06-26T19:21:00.000-07:002011-06-26T19:23:24.040-07:00Dash4Dad 4 Miler<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">No, I haven’t made it the 11, 12, 4 Challenge, but last weekend I took on the Dash4Dad 4miler. There were a few reasons for doing this race. The primary reason is that someone I care a lot about was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, and I wanted to show him how much I care. Secondly, I miss racing. I thought I’d enjoy having the summer off, but now I dread this much time without a half. Lastly, Adam has decided to tackle a 10K as his Challenge for this year, and his training is going very well. The 4 miler seemed like the perfect chance to do a practice race before his 10K, so I was lucky enough to convince him to join in. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJnhazbdWfzSbKu2IQcdORVgP3fbWW3zyQURenNgxR85Q8PQUYW2iCDqZw4LQFS0Unw7BcCUfXNRd6iMassRUxy1VNkdJZHA0-IxfYRexFWmp7VLv35PPaDQOi26wd-V60T5v3VM5YdP9/s1600/DSC06551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJnhazbdWfzSbKu2IQcdORVgP3fbWW3zyQURenNgxR85Q8PQUYW2iCDqZw4LQFS0Unw7BcCUfXNRd6iMassRUxy1VNkdJZHA0-IxfYRexFWmp7VLv35PPaDQOi26wd-V60T5v3VM5YdP9/s400/DSC06551.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Adam getting pumped up before the race</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Since it was Father’s Day, Adam’s parents and sister came to visit and cheered us on for the race. It was a really touching experience. Congressman Jim Moran, whose office I met with during Capitol Hill Day, gave a speech about how widespread prostate cancer is, but he also said how easy it is to treat if found early. Approx 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their life – but as I said, most will go on to live long happy lives if we can catch it early. Such hopeful and promising news.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSKpdYegw2Sru0TuzplCWNhdMUIN3QhzDXOkBJ0RzHNoDmTVrVjeEKRQdHdt_dDaWMcp3rRY_u6eDB3TDzkgshH1JwB7ABhsAfBGeyRUGJG94mWmB0TOTCaxT8qFrWKDbinv-0-a3bnBR/s1600/DSC06564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSKpdYegw2Sru0TuzplCWNhdMUIN3QhzDXOkBJ0RzHNoDmTVrVjeEKRQdHdt_dDaWMcp3rRY_u6eDB3TDzkgshH1JwB7ABhsAfBGeyRUGJG94mWmB0TOTCaxT8qFrWKDbinv-0-a3bnBR/s400/DSC06564.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Congressman Moran crossing the finish. Way to go!</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal">The race was great. About 1,400 people registered (I think 900 something completed it). The course started on a pretty steep uphill, but on the good side, it ended on a pretty enjoyable downhill. At mile 1, you could tie a tie and then wear it for the rest of the race, and if you did this you got a coffee mug. Of course, I’m up for any chance to make races fun, so I loved this idea. And the coffee mugs are great! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfTMWUVObhO9d2OwnXGTtF-uV-XaX_W6Ts2FX_f10PI_vqBQHxyimW_89dVi6YOFlQEjE-puMRq-FWj5Hop6Kr_Jn77TjPwj5sl9l6uQkaU3pDR2NWEiTfCzic2ycV1zV8EwuxSbX1XM0/s1600/DSC06571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfTMWUVObhO9d2OwnXGTtF-uV-XaX_W6Ts2FX_f10PI_vqBQHxyimW_89dVi6YOFlQEjE-puMRq-FWj5Hop6Kr_Jn77TjPwj5sl9l6uQkaU3pDR2NWEiTfCzic2ycV1zV8EwuxSbX1XM0/s400/DSC06571.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhyphenhyphenpWQ36J5n0wnUcI-NgVbopobNBoBVLG48Ro3gMi4Oe_QyO8yfzJLNmh2v2ykH1LKCO9embUP0KdOol1aWntv60iaOeYXPukPmtBboiLVBqKTtBwjg_zVuJJ_TYprxpdQXj543mjGVJs/s1600/DSC06572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhyphenhyphenpWQ36J5n0wnUcI-NgVbopobNBoBVLG48Ro3gMi4Oe_QyO8yfzJLNmh2v2ykH1LKCO9embUP0KdOol1aWntv60iaOeYXPukPmtBboiLVBqKTtBwjg_zVuJJ_TYprxpdQXj543mjGVJs/s400/DSC06572.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> I love these mugs. I gave my dad the "Go ask your mother mug" this weekend and he loved it! So funny.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Adam and I decided to run together no matter what, but once again, my running buddy wowed me. He ended up finishing the race in 8:14 per mile (they subtracted out the tie-tying time) which is unbelievable. He’s been joining in for the first few miles of a lot of my runs, and I was so proud of him for his effort in this race. For someone who claims he isn’t a runner (even for someone who says they are a runner), that’s quite an accomplishment! Go Adam!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTGg0pGdVLpKfACwtcNbyOTy86Ybi3hthXdvVPdF0cVP74GCr9oMwZHWJgqunqf9f6KQcUw-HBk0D4IXTgAdM5fjRGK31DdoZBC3Jpoi0N05m2qW15CVsGKQ9d_z8hEXKFFKQ6Liy0DpO/s1600/DSC06558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTGg0pGdVLpKfACwtcNbyOTy86Ybi3hthXdvVPdF0cVP74GCr9oMwZHWJgqunqf9f6KQcUw-HBk0D4IXTgAdM5fjRGK31DdoZBC3Jpoi0N05m2qW15CVsGKQ9d_z8hEXKFFKQ6Liy0DpO/s400/DSC06558.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">I think he was on a runner’s high, because I found him searching the internet for 10Ks just a few hours later. I’m telling you, if you want to run, register for your first race. That will be all you need to get yourself training, and once you’ve done one, its addicting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRT6Tdu4JEvy2Fx6yzpGDrbQbpzO2oTXYITOW3OLqqunAHlgK5TPiJXPyC2duyY3aM_UzAK0DEYNn6K0J-U35Ffmxv8XqdQv4Nu-fGMO4lB6aGln2rQXwHTNU3uuGRVLOt7DvOnIrx19H/s1600/DSC06560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRT6Tdu4JEvy2Fx6yzpGDrbQbpzO2oTXYITOW3OLqqunAHlgK5TPiJXPyC2duyY3aM_UzAK0DEYNn6K0J-U35Ffmxv8XqdQv4Nu-fGMO4lB6aGln2rQXwHTNU3uuGRVLOt7DvOnIrx19H/s400/DSC06560.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Thanks Udasins for cheering us on! And Adam, great job!</i> </div><div class="MsoNormal">We spent the rest of the weekend enjoying the time with Adam’s family and eating lots of great food. Though of course I missed my own dad on father’s day, I knew I would see him the next weekend when I went home to celebrate my mom and my sister’s birthday, so it wasn’t too tough. And the time I got to spend with Adam’s family was so relaxing and enjoyable. Thanks for making it such a fun weekend!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRxk366l5LSA5iV66L1xbAIkJfJROLg-hVPOsL_Wdcez_gPwLXM9o_sWdwsAngcYi9Ximj37rSO0OmanFecmemkiwca-7Bwpl-TN9xwSGAJldaqPWENqIFy4DXqxEb_2nATZYiY_BtTT9/s1600/DSC06568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRxk366l5LSA5iV66L1xbAIkJfJROLg-hVPOsL_Wdcez_gPwLXM9o_sWdwsAngcYi9Ximj37rSO0OmanFecmemkiwca-7Bwpl-TN9xwSGAJldaqPWENqIFy4DXqxEb_2nATZYiY_BtTT9/s400/DSC06568.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Ever</span><i>y runner got a post race drink. We picked Mimosas. Yum!</i></div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-59565328223772132422011-06-23T06:24:00.000-07:002011-06-23T06:24:58.433-07:00Happy Birthday Kristen!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Today is Kristen's birthday. So first off, happy birthday Kristen! Second, I want to take a second to thank her for all that she does to keep this Challenge going. Though this blog is really my pet project (at least so far - who knows when I'll start bringing in some guest blog posts), a lot of other aspects of the Challenge are thanks to Kristen. She keeps the Facebook page up and running and she often tweets about what's going on. She designs big cards and business cards and gets them all ready to go for my events. She helps keep me on top of things when I start to get overwhelmed by the races and well...life. <br />
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Since many of you hear all of my thoughts on the blog, I thought this would be a good time to say just how much she does to make this Challenge a success. When I started this Challenge, I had it all wrong. I thought running 12 half marathons would be a huge challenge. Nope, that's the easy part. Keeping up with all the emails and conversations, getting materials ready so that we can spread the word, planning races, acknowledging and thanking our wonderful donors, trying to find new donors and sponsors - that stuff is really challenging. And Kristen has gone above and beyond to help with all of that. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world, but I don't know how much I could have accomplished without such great support. Kristen has been integral to the success of this project, and I think our donation page proves how much we have accomplished in such a short time. <br />
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I simply couldn't do it without you Kristen. Happy birthday!Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-6327232282384463062011-06-19T13:27:00.000-07:002011-06-20T07:00:04.218-07:00Climb the Hill for a Cure - Capitol Hill Day 2011<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: orange;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://walk.psoriasis.org/site/TR/2011Walks/WalktoCurePsoriasis?team_id=16761&pg=team&fr_id=1800" style="background-color: orange;">11, 12, 13 Challenge Donation page - click here!</a> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Tuesday rolled around, and I was ready for Capitol Hill Day. The day started early since the buses were leaving at 7:45 to head to the Hill. Team Virginia was off to our first meeting right away. Basically the plan was for each person to have three meetings – both of your state Senators and then your local Congressman. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-wkXQS4GOFWPH1TafP9OXPUgZYeUd6eW66Wk6NXoYbxLOjMOygdc6o32jHtYfE06lOgT7p0GvcjUBRDnpRCiflxRQhUdSuRUCqTWoT_rftBmKpI2nMmOkLGp6Y08R8toN2N0LW-I20Iv/s1600/DSC06541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-wkXQS4GOFWPH1TafP9OXPUgZYeUd6eW66Wk6NXoYbxLOjMOygdc6o32jHtYfE06lOgT7p0GvcjUBRDnpRCiflxRQhUdSuRUCqTWoT_rftBmKpI2nMmOkLGp6Y08R8toN2N0LW-I20Iv/s400/DSC06541.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>I know, typical tourist picture. Even though I live here.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">We started by meeting with Senator Webb’s counsel who was very nice and listened to what we had to say. Since there were 8 people from Virginia, there were plenty of people to talk and share our story – if anything, the hard part was all feeling as though we’d said what we wanted. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCOI9yd7wcc2hGgo42EBtndycDg1_4afnUj9bpOc2vwjuceGyAbyVgx2RmJAyU4rZmEmlmS3v5rFhkn0bFH1jpvcxi5_ZG4UUbLvImLl2YpNfgHcv-Xzg_U-gM4z_Nc1Xko6GpbuXoPnb9/s1600/IMG_0226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCOI9yd7wcc2hGgo42EBtndycDg1_4afnUj9bpOc2vwjuceGyAbyVgx2RmJAyU4rZmEmlmS3v5rFhkn0bFH1jpvcxi5_ZG4UUbLvImLl2YpNfgHcv-Xzg_U-gM4z_Nc1Xko6GpbuXoPnb9/s400/IMG_0226.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal">All of these assistants hear about health related issues all of the time. Our goal was to tell what we go through on a daily basis or how it impacts our life and why it is a serious disease, not just itchy skin. We shared stories of people who weren’t allowed into pools by lifeguards because the lifeguard couldn’t understand that the disease wasn’t contagious. We heard stories of bullying, of tough decisions about choosing to have children. I honestly had no idea what so many people went through, especially those who were diagnosed at a young age. Ignorance is not bliss, and people who choose not to hear what others are going through and empathize can be cruel. The good news is many people have found treatments that work, but often at high costs (both in dollars and side effects). With continued research, let’s hope for better options. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xsLHqUS5Zh5lKRYyuLAUj_mOhOX8S-kiNhK-347tWF838bs_9NjTqIgYRBWJRtRrtN0LhZgtQHT-2dZk6hq4sAaFdmrULKfiFm5FpXquxzHkZGPMFIvCQhKUCNxy9C8xY35bLuOS1B1P/s1600/DSC06538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xsLHqUS5Zh5lKRYyuLAUj_mOhOX8S-kiNhK-347tWF838bs_9NjTqIgYRBWJRtRrtN0LhZgtQHT-2dZk6hq4sAaFdmrULKfiFm5FpXquxzHkZGPMFIvCQhKUCNxy9C8xY35bLuOS1B1P/s400/DSC06538.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Virginia group! They were such great people and made it a fun day. Hope to see them all the walk in September!</i></span><style>
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</style></div><div class="MsoNormal">We then headed over to meet with Senator Warner’s Legislative Assistant (LA). </div><div class="MsoNormal">At this point, you are probably asking – what were you requesting? </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Co-sponsor H.R. 2033/S. 1107, the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Cure and Care Act (PPARCCA) which was recently introduced. This bill authorizes psoriasis data collection at the CDC and voices Congressional support for public-private sector efforts to advance psoriasis research and find a cure.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Enlist the support of a request for $1.5 million to allow CDC to implement the second phase of its psoriasis data collection efforts, initially funded and begun in FY 2010.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Not too much to ask, right? Basically, when you hear statistics on many diseases, they are often quoted by the CDC. Right now, the CDC doesn’t track psoriasis so it is harder to keep meaningful records which hinders research. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSI_VImUseVphyphenhyphen0n8QM976ohygNI5bJxlk4uiTT-SzETBbbWDRNU59LAtAAb0QaMZ3u8BCuuaW7TvZ3pFlyK5KjKrn8pKmlmi9fqJlf2OjNSd82EjSx5uCTBfVWoULqtGb6cdMnBEUFhSu/s1600/DSC06540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSI_VImUseVphyphenhyphen0n8QM976ohygNI5bJxlk4uiTT-SzETBbbWDRNU59LAtAAb0QaMZ3u8BCuuaW7TvZ3pFlyK5KjKrn8pKmlmi9fqJlf2OjNSd82EjSx5uCTBfVWoULqtGb6cdMnBEUFhSu/s400/DSC06540.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Most of the Virginia group after our meeting with Senator Warner</i></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal">After our second meeting, we went to grab snacks in the cafeteria in Russell Senate building and talk about our plan from there. One of our group members was really not feeling well – her psoriatic arthritis was acting up and just walking around for the morning was making her feel terrible. We told her there were plenty of people to cover the meetings and she should go home and feel better. She was disappointed to leave, but realized we would make sure her story was heard. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1ehyphenhyphenUTV0YKeA8GZOrPgNcokbSJPYm-dUfUEVgYL-VmUfs2kbO8agTwv8_J8rNRwDv5EVpA5URzystPnMzg0U0qwhuZYgUXez2x6oy8SkgApb0HVzTK5ISRi9kPkjQywyiXbDxZIJEIAh/s1600/DSC06537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1ehyphenhyphenUTV0YKeA8GZOrPgNcokbSJPYm-dUfUEVgYL-VmUfs2kbO8agTwv8_J8rNRwDv5EVpA5URzystPnMzg0U0qwhuZYgUXez2x6oy8SkgApb0HVzTK5ISRi9kPkjQywyiXbDxZIJEIAh/s400/DSC06537.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal">As a result, I jumped in for an extra meeting, and Robert and I headed off to lunch before meeting Representative Connolly’s LA to talk about how serious the disease was. We pointed out that we were a team member short because of it’s impact – further proof to anyone who thought it just might be itchy skin. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_D5RLSFlq63ANljNDBkCkHzFzsRyktrKtxMsbb8mJKCTX5INsVOBMRKu9pxAeN_xk0pysCf8o4OAXdtgolhV7aoLkzEFONChay18n2MlLF8PJ0X9jBh8e-HZ2K7l6WIb6BB9jUPz9E8fI/s1600/DSC06542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_D5RLSFlq63ANljNDBkCkHzFzsRyktrKtxMsbb8mJKCTX5INsVOBMRKu9pxAeN_xk0pysCf8o4OAXdtgolhV7aoLkzEFONChay18n2MlLF8PJ0X9jBh8e-HZ2K7l6WIb6BB9jUPz9E8fI/s400/DSC06542.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal">After that, Robert was going to Congressman Kent (in Pennsylvania) along with a wonderful mom, her two kids (Carly and Katelyn), and her sister in law. These little girls have both had psoriasis since they were young (it was caused by strep throat and misdiagnosed at first). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBih1saucGbIZRyB4GlIq7Z1cFpb8nJ708N7znMKjxnOfGXc0f3XuS1-hosDbR-nKc6ujuirIglVfEjJ9UUVilRT6qXrqTvq2e7LZrqz4CxeQTboD1JvZcf4x_1c7p2p7hsvmhf4CWqd4H/s1600/DSC06545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBih1saucGbIZRyB4GlIq7Z1cFpb8nJ708N7znMKjxnOfGXc0f3XuS1-hosDbR-nKc6ujuirIglVfEjJ9UUVilRT6qXrqTvq2e7LZrqz4CxeQTboD1JvZcf4x_1c7p2p7hsvmhf4CWqd4H/s400/DSC06545.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>They got to get a picture at the Congressman's desk. I was kinda jealous...</i> </span> </div><div class="MsoNormal">After signs of psoriatic arthritis started, one had to go on treatments that caused her hair to fall out, and asked her mom “When will I be a princess again?” Can you imagine the pain that must cause a child, not just physically but emotionally? Sure, there are treatments, but the long-term effects are often unknown, and the short-term effects are so rough. The good news is that the treatments are working very well and both are cleared now! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptcnW5J_3Lgf8z_9wGC22My7vLmsabvIBx5OMtVJPDBZcDJZ9o7spAstSu2tQHvPm49vkVv3gk9l0ng66IzwouuyzOmqbOJJElJZD0lC7nKoqJIdAOXAPPNr-BQqAK7fc7PWz5z3EOFzP/s1600/DSC06547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptcnW5J_3Lgf8z_9wGC22My7vLmsabvIBx5OMtVJPDBZcDJZ9o7spAstSu2tQHvPm49vkVv3gk9l0ng66IzwouuyzOmqbOJJElJZD0lC7nKoqJIdAOXAPPNr-BQqAK7fc7PWz5z3EOFzP/s400/DSC06547.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Carly and Katelyn were awesome. These girls are stronger than most adults - and are lucky to have such great family that support them.</span> </span><style>
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</style></div><div class="MsoNormal">I then met up with my local team so that we could meet with Congressman Moran’s LA for our last meeting of the day. Overall, I think we shared a lot about the disease and what it can really mean, which was the largest goal. Please, consider sending a note to your Congressman telling why they need to help find a cure for psoriasis by going here. </div> <br />
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal">We then took the buses back to the hotel and had a wrap-up session where we shared the best and worst stories of the day. I must say – as a 25 year old, it’s tough to agree to take two days off of work to sit in conferences and long days. Not exactly your ideal vacation. But these last few days were SO WORTH IT, which should tell you just how much it meant to me. Great conference, NPF! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_E8Y_QC2vcctiL8dUcJMFyP-ljNzrPf2tbD64gu4vICQnItUYVKZVEoQxSjK9C8BuestgalZsGOOVSMNnJ2geprMbGzLWH5cds6yBC1DsIRfiHzHFC-khXuWolVtL55vCdo6IMg2EKm5/s1600/IMG_0229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_E8Y_QC2vcctiL8dUcJMFyP-ljNzrPf2tbD64gu4vICQnItUYVKZVEoQxSjK9C8BuestgalZsGOOVSMNnJ2geprMbGzLWH5cds6yBC1DsIRfiHzHFC-khXuWolVtL55vCdo6IMg2EKm5/s400/IMG_0229.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Time to tell about our day and the adventures while visiting the Hill</i></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal">It was finally time to say goodbye, and it was weird to leave people that I’d only known for a few days but felt I knew so well. I hope some of you have now decided to start reading the blog, and please know I will continue to share your stories and hope that together, we can make a difference. </div><span style="font-size: large;"></span>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-52499080434984928022011-06-14T20:44:00.000-07:002011-06-14T20:48:30.885-07:00National Volunteer Leadership Conference<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: orange;"><a href="http://walk.psoriasis.org/site/TR/2011Walks/WalktoCurePsoriasis?team_id=16761&pg=team&fr_id=1800">11, 12, 13 Challenge Donation page - click here!</a> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">Writing this blog post has taken a lot of work – simply because I have so much to say. The only way I could finally comfort myself about all the things I have to leave out is to say that I will return to some of these stories and people later. There were just too many of you, but thank you to everyone who spoke to me and courageously shared their story, or offered to help. This Challenge has been one of the most rewarding but exhausting experiences of my life, and meeting all of you made me wish I had more hours in the day to devote to the cause.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhclMJMeWg83OBh75LfOcb7qvlj6HgFYL-Am0oXs4jop_TLCgXD5IJHL8IcGc4DIPeoIiMlH3eCjCmDzsrjrugaL6cEI1HfkM8Yf9SeGPDzQBunmvMhp3Gg8OLjYyZKVuzM62Lf2nFleN/s1600/IMG_0222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhclMJMeWg83OBh75LfOcb7qvlj6HgFYL-Am0oXs4jop_TLCgXD5IJHL8IcGc4DIPeoIiMlH3eCjCmDzsrjrugaL6cEI1HfkM8Yf9SeGPDzQBunmvMhp3Gg8OLjYyZKVuzM62Lf2nFleN/s400/IMG_0222.JPG" width="297" /></a><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">So, back to the story. After the race, I went home and got ready for day one of National Psoriasis Foundation’s National Volunteer Leadership Conference. This conference covers a range of topics and helps to engage many of the most active volunteers from around the country. Then on Tuesday, it concludes with Capitol Hill Day, where we speak to congressional representatives and advocate for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. When I first arrived, I was greeted by Linda’s familiar face and some other NPF people who knew about what I was doing, even if I didn’t know them yet They were all wonderful and welcoming, which helped me feel at ease. Something that did seem weird to me was that everyone around me seemed as though they already knew each other, even though we’d just arrived. Only later on would I realize that many of these people have been attending the conference for years as a way to share their experiences about living with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis with people who get it. And more importantly, it would only take me a few hours before I too felt like I was around some of my closest friends. </span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">The first workshop that I went to was called “Getting your point across”. It taught us how to better communicate through hyper-local media (your local newspaper) and social media. It was interesting that part of the course was led by someone that I have been following on Twitter for awhile but had never met in person. The beauty of social media right there! @NessieHasPSA did a great job teaching us about how to best contact local papers and how to use Twitter and blogging to reach people. You should check out her blog, <a href="http://cupsquietlybeingfilled.wordpress.com/">“lipstick, perfume and too many pills”</a>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJq6UUeU9qhydqqOeyCZzZh8h-MK7n0wrcElsHcEeMsNGxz4cRU43lJrUvSIwB6RGfUZ0Q0aVjhIDaBTEVt8pSmy1oytoUZ4_nqOTmlTsIRfYGQVdUI5rJZDztXJZMf3GKG9rehFUDiU9/s1600/IMG_0192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">There was a reception to meet different sponsors/companies and I got some great samples to take home to Mom (as well as some great Neutrogena sunscreen, which is my favorite for races!). There was a reception and a documentary premiere which I heard was great, but I’d been awake since 3:45 AM so I decided to head out early.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">Day two started around 8:30 AM. Traffic in DC can be unpredictable, so even though I live very close to the hotel I left early. While waiting for the first event of the day, I happened to run into EZ Goen, who is currently riding his Harley across all the states in the Continental US and talking about life with psoriatic arthritis. I’ll write more about him in a later post because it’s a great story of strength and overcoming the disease, but for now, <a href="http://www.psoriasis.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1794">read his story here.</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJq6UUeU9qhydqqOeyCZzZh8h-MK7n0wrcElsHcEeMsNGxz4cRU43lJrUvSIwB6RGfUZ0Q0aVjhIDaBTEVt8pSmy1oytoUZ4_nqOTmlTsIRfYGQVdUI5rJZDztXJZMf3GKG9rehFUDiU9/s1600/IMG_0192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJq6UUeU9qhydqqOeyCZzZh8h-MK7n0wrcElsHcEeMsNGxz4cRU43lJrUvSIwB6RGfUZ0Q0aVjhIDaBTEVt8pSmy1oytoUZ4_nqOTmlTsIRfYGQVdUI5rJZDztXJZMf3GKG9rehFUDiU9/s400/IMG_0192.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"> <i>NIAMS Presentation</i><span id="goog_81591956"></span><span id="goog_81591957"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">I then went to an opening session on the research done with NIAMS, the NIH division that deals with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and heard a lot of updates about NPF from Rick Seiden (Immediate Past-Chair) and Randy Beranek (President & CEO). One thing they mentioned was that the walk revenue went from $400,000 in 2007 to $1.3MM (projected) for 2011. Talk about growth! Let’s hope 11, 12, 13 Challenge can make a big contribution to that figure soon. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kkvGii09e7PTkTtZLeJYwjm_Uk-tQdtUrRcl5yzedw4N4CNcdQb-U8zsX9TGmsyxtS8g00rdHEjIP6qLq_wf7S0inChT43CPLv-mYLpENW0FQbujsFAbV_CMVC71eobcVfu8Lfys2sV3/s1600/IMG_0199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kkvGii09e7PTkTtZLeJYwjm_Uk-tQdtUrRcl5yzedw4N4CNcdQb-U8zsX9TGmsyxtS8g00rdHEjIP6qLq_wf7S0inChT43CPLv-mYLpENW0FQbujsFAbV_CMVC71eobcVfu8Lfys2sV3/s400/IMG_0199.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"> <i>The video that Alyssa made. She used clips from the first day and made it overnight. Wow.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"> We also heard about some wonderful volunteers and heard from Alyssa Krafsur, a fourteen year old girl who stayed up until 3:30 AM the night before creating a video about day 1. Alyssa is a true fighter as she’s battled intense psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis and is now the namesake behind Alyssa’s Fund. You can read about her <a href="http://www.psoriasis.org/netcommunity/giving_alyssa">here</a>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLLhIuqPiP4IGTT8hMSWm7aHDiaSXfO9agzgS_OFJwtmMWYtvvEaX8Z6ByTkIQLkAs81NkG9WKKfiTbVTM7dX_6QobV2L9UeLThQ-dzf1CvzSn-3983f9p9A7UivX-SAV2XQbNR9aEev-/s1600/IMG_0196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLLhIuqPiP4IGTT8hMSWm7aHDiaSXfO9agzgS_OFJwtmMWYtvvEaX8Z6ByTkIQLkAs81NkG9WKKfiTbVTM7dX_6QobV2L9UeLThQ-dzf1CvzSn-3983f9p9A7UivX-SAV2XQbNR9aEev-/s400/IMG_0196.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.psoriasis.org/netcommunity/giving_alyssa"></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">He gave a great speech and presented a Build-a-Bear to NIAMS as a thank you for their help because dealing with psoriasis "can be a real bear"</span></div><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">At this point, we went for our first morning workshop. Mine was on the Advocacy Caucus and helped prepare us to become better advocates. We were seated in round tables, and I think the highlight of this was the people I met. One woman was there with her husband (but they went to different sessions to get the most info from the conference) for her son. Despite the battles her family has faced, she is constantly smiling and was great to talk to. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9ObHzUK3J2LGfBAGRKjqECsab8DbhOdPR5lUknDlCiObiEBEBnJ4GjNOStfpSw_B-kZxFyNgiNzNqbOPlISjbZV98L41XJL4jq3Uz2b3JPQZhrzBF05cmT98pbW74O_e74yoenV1ufeD/s1600/IMG_0207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9ObHzUK3J2LGfBAGRKjqECsab8DbhOdPR5lUknDlCiObiEBEBnJ4GjNOStfpSw_B-kZxFyNgiNzNqbOPlISjbZV98L41XJL4jq3Uz2b3JPQZhrzBF05cmT98pbW74O_e74yoenV1ufeD/s400/IMG_0207.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"> <i>This was the first (of many!) steps to prepare us for Capitol Hill Day</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">I also had the chance to talk a fellow runner who told me about his psoriasis story (which ends in a victory, so awesome!). I’m hoping he still means it, but he actually offered to give me one of his plane tickets from frequent flyer miles so that I can go to a race later this year. Can you believe how generous that is? I told you these were some of the nicest people I have ever met. Not even exaggerating. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvp4BDGjOoQ6tQxxH2b0PFOgFd8KDOTV7NMoCmBlDX11rJWGrYvZ7c1w1j59vORGYlD6QbCKQFmLkUcTg9qTyo4DNvps-H6na0_oKeZT1n1fppQk224F9imm3oPNgQuK7xo0MNO3FILVl/s1600/IMG_0208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvp4BDGjOoQ6tQxxH2b0PFOgFd8KDOTV7NMoCmBlDX11rJWGrYvZ7c1w1j59vORGYlD6QbCKQFmLkUcTg9qTyo4DNvps-H6na0_oKeZT1n1fppQk224F9imm3oPNgQuK7xo0MNO3FILVl/s400/IMG_0208.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"> <i>He's right - advocacy works! Help us spread the word.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">We had a lunch where they announced various awards for the top volunteers, and I had some great conversations with the people around me. I was introduced to many impressive people at NPF and got to share my story with so many people. I hope some of them are reading this now! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJ5Po1Ehha9ERlPfCi12HlOZJ8qB2UkFJBboREQFMnx3Xik5HIfE_-nnPPThrJKUwIf1VH0V1dp46aYyCEi5JhIDGxiEP8x9q4kzvXgsxt7RP9NGm6ggFdb-dGxOYvJq_g_FkqUh6jzCp/s1600/IMG_0212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJ5Po1Ehha9ERlPfCi12HlOZJ8qB2UkFJBboREQFMnx3Xik5HIfE_-nnPPThrJKUwIf1VH0V1dp46aYyCEi5JhIDGxiEP8x9q4kzvXgsxt7RP9NGm6ggFdb-dGxOYvJq_g_FkqUh6jzCp/s400/IMG_0212.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmT9lpMBZ_xZ025SrmPCi9tgHnfcxcEZYjapnt-QEklILHQviI3-Hau4IcHpaW6HNcVFJBR8A0rGKAm2HGofdU2khF0PyM3ZJJ1U9-a6M4Pwuz5xemPnt131O5DxG1g5YC40iHqSE9XDs/s1600/IMG_0213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmT9lpMBZ_xZ025SrmPCi9tgHnfcxcEZYjapnt-QEklILHQviI3-Hau4IcHpaW6HNcVFJBR8A0rGKAm2HGofdU2khF0PyM3ZJJ1U9-a6M4Pwuz5xemPnt131O5DxG1g5YC40iHqSE9XDs/s400/IMG_0213.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"> <i>Volunteer of the year nominees. Their dedication was inspiring.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">I spent the afternoon learning about research advances and some “in the works” treatment options, led by Bruce Bebo, the Director of Research & Medical Programs. It was a really exciting and interesting presentation that was way too short at an hour and a half. I’m pretty sure everyone in that room would have stayed twice as long – they actually asked us to leave so we could make it to our next session on time!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwFs7rnyfTLbteq7nUykZkxmzOYvSaRonbLRpFmeJqbWqZR_Xie3alJcZ2pb-ZHoDVzguWuCrOaJHZL52EOfjsRwniKUlYPP_yNPKR6Oi4Cfw8WxdwNo_HR0gTluGNBkpZ-5lnxk33Xq6/s1600/IMG_0215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwFs7rnyfTLbteq7nUykZkxmzOYvSaRonbLRpFmeJqbWqZR_Xie3alJcZ2pb-ZHoDVzguWuCrOaJHZL52EOfjsRwniKUlYPP_yNPKR6Oi4Cfw8WxdwNo_HR0gTluGNBkpZ-5lnxk33Xq6/s400/IMG_0215.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><style>
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</style> <span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><i>Learning more about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. I could have spent all day on this alone!</i> </span></div><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">After that, we went to training for Capitol Hill Day, where we sat with other residents from our state. We learned what to say, what we were advocating for, worked with our team to prepare our presentation, and work out the logistical details. In part because the conference was in Virginia (and in part because it’s such a great state), we had a lot of people! This gave me a chance to meet even MORE wonderful people, some of whom I hope to keep in touch with long after the conference. </span> <br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Panel to prepare for Capitol Hill Day</span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">The day concluded with a dinner for the Northeast volunteers (organized by Linda) where we all had a chance to meet and talk. Many of them have been working to raise money and help NPF for years and years. Great food and great conversation – perfect ending to a long but wonderful day. I headed home to get ready for Capitol Hill Day in the morning!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCZv4N47YhvGzpKT2cpk8q-18cjzuDuHMrk7Tzy8L2TsAq2G6lIBQT60TJeye3HB8x5ejA1JaPH5c2Wvi0EBAjcJlKQfJBciaRvFgjUXIJtxz8-vHvMCQyeijtug7NznImgHSnZ9rwh9Q/s1600/DSC06534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCZv4N47YhvGzpKT2cpk8q-18cjzuDuHMrk7Tzy8L2TsAq2G6lIBQT60TJeye3HB8x5ejA1JaPH5c2Wvi0EBAjcJlKQfJBciaRvFgjUXIJtxz8-vHvMCQyeijtug7NznImgHSnZ9rwh9Q/s400/DSC06534.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Love it!</span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">The hope and the inspiration in that room were real. It brought tears to my eyes more than once as I realized how many people were fighting and winning. To anyone who thinks psoriasis is simply an itchy skin condition, you are wrong. It changes people’s lives and attitudes. As NPF says, it’s “more than skin deep.” It is an autoimmune disease, so it opens them up to increased risks for many other diseases. It can develop at any point into psoriatic arthritis, which you already know from my mom’s story can be a terrible disease. One girl said that lifeguards wouldn’t allow her in the pool as a child because they didn’t believe it wasn’t contagious (it is NOT contagious). They talked about the staring, and the difficulty finding jobs. They talked about the fear of having children because they don’t want to pass along the disease. But all of this aside, they shared one thing with me:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0CCBGq4nrWn3vOA2oeZD7Lzb4CQgR6U5gxBlD4VekFV0kp0YzIoOd5o6nzFMsf2z4yO3pxvXfrn-stHzoYEXykvDJaqGWU14oIFJMErckMRE8ntsBFWBAdirSNPeHMgfKDKjS6QAMoac/s1600/IMG_0224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0CCBGq4nrWn3vOA2oeZD7Lzb4CQgR6U5gxBlD4VekFV0kp0YzIoOd5o6nzFMsf2z4yO3pxvXfrn-stHzoYEXykvDJaqGWU14oIFJMErckMRE8ntsBFWBAdirSNPeHMgfKDKjS6QAMoac/s400/IMG_0224.JPG" width="297" /></a></div><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Everytime I open my iPhone, this image shows up. It's what I hope to do every day and why I won't give up.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">HOPE. Many have gotten treatments to make it go away. Many have learned to love themselves and won’t let the disease rule their life. And sure, it can be a tough battle. But we can make a difference, and the amount of hope you could feel at any given time in that conference was truly inspiring. And now, I too hope – I hope that we can raise both awareness and money during this year, because it’s a truly worthwhile cause. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><span id="goog_81591981"></span><span id="goog_81591982"></span></span></div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-65373561089608151532011-06-09T21:16:00.000-07:002011-06-09T21:19:44.981-07:00ZOOMA Annapolis and Kristen's Half Marathon Debut<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: orange;"><a href="http://walk.psoriasis.org/site/TR/2011Walks/WalktoCurePsoriasis?team_id=16761&pg=team&fr_id=1800">11, 12, 13 Challenge Donation page - click here!</a> </span></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal">This race was different…in a great way. Kristen was running her first half marathon! About a week and a half before ZOOMA, Kristen went on her long run, and did a great job running over 13 miles! She sent me the link to the training data and told me about it, so I suggested she join me for ZOOMA. Though she’s planning to run Rock n Roll Virginia Beach with me in September, that’s a long time to wait if you’re already trained and ready for a half. She said she’d think it over.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9VlZbmsQgwyLPNzTyZLiXT-qLLLJHkc-P5uh7HYjYxNNPohms90GDjWYlhaTe9HWp3wpeEBvPVGQEu4y3aFL7vcDn0zLoZuGuloTSidUXff7ldpiXoOui_unDkFTLwg0YrfNt7mBk3tB/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9VlZbmsQgwyLPNzTyZLiXT-qLLLJHkc-P5uh7HYjYxNNPohms90GDjWYlhaTe9HWp3wpeEBvPVGQEu4y3aFL7vcDn0zLoZuGuloTSidUXff7ldpiXoOui_unDkFTLwg0YrfNt7mBk3tB/s400/001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woohoo!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal">A few days before the race, she told me she was going to join me. I was so excited! We decided we would run together no matter what. For one, it’s just a fun experience and great to share with her. And two, I made a lot of rookie mistakes in my first few races, so I thought by now I knew enough that I might be able to help with them (like when to eat GU packets or drink water), or to motivate her. Little did I know she’d give me a run for my money (no pun intended).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJUMDCOZhjQ0Y0g0kxRVJFKrJ6-DsmDj6jQKM910bgHF7BpwScZV3cfxobTMbVvk2begGot-ZgSke5089bqyBUSfFaHNlxwYWQrBdZKKoSqJN_zseJYhX1sMtfFbXpMcQvgPxDri5qFgN/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJUMDCOZhjQ0Y0g0kxRVJFKrJ6-DsmDj6jQKM910bgHF7BpwScZV3cfxobTMbVvk2begGot-ZgSke5089bqyBUSfFaHNlxwYWQrBdZKKoSqJN_zseJYhX1sMtfFbXpMcQvgPxDri5qFgN/s400/004.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Race day came and 3:45 AM was here! We had to be up early to make it there from Arlington. Everything was very smooth for me at the start of the race. However, I did see that a bunch of people didn’t have safety pins, and they were trying to tape the numbers onto their shirt. Big error on the race director’s part. With sweat and 13 tough miles, tape would never stick. I’m an overplanner and always have extras, so I was able to get my bag out of bag check and find a few extras to share.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIrupH0Rzmv2cNVr1bcr0UlT8_Y4rH-1ewcKcaQq4mCJWE7P2cNF_D14QVS94Vj6WvBhQbfuQTm1VqRHiaTof0uq8un664hqebdoRUHVcvpqNo2ObpUBzLPN60TlL6lKWMFfcZsdOSHlL/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIrupH0Rzmv2cNVr1bcr0UlT8_Y4rH-1ewcKcaQq4mCJWE7P2cNF_D14QVS94Vj6WvBhQbfuQTm1VqRHiaTof0uq8un664hqebdoRUHVcvpqNo2ObpUBzLPN60TlL6lKWMFfcZsdOSHlL/s320/013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Despite that, it was a very smooth start. We were off! We got to see Adam early in the race, but then it was an out-and-back course so there wasn’t anywhere to see him in the middle. The race had a fair amount of hills, including a big bridge that you had to cross around mile 3 and then cross again on the way back. It was not easy, but there were lots of people cheering and some hilarious signs!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we go!</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Kristen’s goal was under 2 hours but she said she’d be happy under 2:10. I let her set pace, and she was going waaaay faster. I pointed this out to her, and she said she felt good so we went with it. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJDC4LBWGhFeqYhBCB4O4GrRUQFKS1ivEJQRCjAnbQHtRWj10KjKpqaDVVXF_qM-Yr8tveeCXLuiuWN7mW086PQQ_1LxL_EhD12-at0zGu5kIfprKpVcdORbOChP8aYZQYiRK-3atdrMD/s1600/IMG_0171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJDC4LBWGhFeqYhBCB4O4GrRUQFKS1ivEJQRCjAnbQHtRWj10KjKpqaDVVXF_qM-Yr8tveeCXLuiuWN7mW086PQQ_1LxL_EhD12-at0zGu5kIfprKpVcdORbOChP8aYZQYiRK-3atdrMD/s400/IMG_0171.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kristen mid race</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">It was supposed to be a really hot day, but we got lucky and it was overcast the whole time. It started pouring for about 30 seconds or a minute early on, but then it was fine and stayed clear. Very lucky.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-fgjrnDj8Ksl2tB9oEjl83eXU5xUdQt81JTkDE54Osvnd_RBP3gC5kUtn5vkqUkahYfJ80l-tr48gOJqlUsGV33s97LlIbqTGyKpNEkrSkJeF2kOXGlZnDgneJTVpnTPQlqaJWDamNNV/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-fgjrnDj8Ksl2tB9oEjl83eXU5xUdQt81JTkDE54Osvnd_RBP3gC5kUtn5vkqUkahYfJ80l-tr48gOJqlUsGV33s97LlIbqTGyKpNEkrSkJeF2kOXGlZnDgneJTVpnTPQlqaJWDamNNV/s400/023.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That was nothing compared to some others...but notice the hills</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZzGtWRmA4GiojsevU6F1kK8zP2xByeQpzRfUO_58E_KcO8VjVoz8q-tlbusQCnJhTpZ2Y_Z71YmgOk07GUrZlRcdJ6AHinCtpmY4Wvklh2jUq1xs2yl5yxx1fCnQJ4ObVIuFiGnMrTBn/s1600/IMG_0173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZzGtWRmA4GiojsevU6F1kK8zP2xByeQpzRfUO_58E_KcO8VjVoz8q-tlbusQCnJhTpZ2Y_Z71YmgOk07GUrZlRcdJ6AHinCtpmY4Wvklh2jUq1xs2yl5yxx1fCnQJ4ObVIuFiGnMrTBn/s400/IMG_0173.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another picture I tried to take while running</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I decided to try to take a video telling what we were doing with the 11, 12, 13 Challenge, but it came out looking more like the Blair Witch Project than a useful video. Oh well. Around mile 7, the 1:50 (8:24/mile) pace group passed us, and Kristen told me she wanted to try to stick with them. I knew this was not going to be an easy race and I was pumped.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPIOQ_sVarPXkTa_j7PAKTB82qq38nI2Uq4N3x4ujEh7RmPDX-GQ4id676KFKTvOkMzB5FFWHaRVu4wb1vPu0x2SrjsDhTGFjhtLL2vPOvmglhcSX2oFw-l2ZIseabQCRzm3Xn5YDo_j8/s1600/IMG_0179_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPIOQ_sVarPXkTa_j7PAKTB82qq38nI2Uq4N3x4ujEh7RmPDX-GQ4id676KFKTvOkMzB5FFWHaRVu4wb1vPu0x2SrjsDhTGFjhtLL2vPOvmglhcSX2oFw-l2ZIseabQCRzm3Xn5YDo_j8/s400/IMG_0179_2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dreaded bridge. Quite an incline!</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Somewhere during mile 12, we saw a woman walking who had been staying around us the whole time. I couldn’t help but think of the encouragement I received during National, and Kristen and I started cheering and told her how close she was to the finish and to keep going. We saw her smile, and then she started running again and joined us to the finish. After the race, she actually came over to say thanks for the encouragement and getting her back in it. That, to me, is exactly what this is about. Being teammates with people even if you’ve never met them before. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSvskGvft6_6pnI7bc36i_EYCTzTn0V6OXnzm5gq76mrBuHpBSVMRtaVJYuuZ_SvV1Owv1-Ub8XGEJ1lpX5SA-csjva31C6EP4JlPdcP-qCG2gyvYe2eo94owz4Uv1TgJHEFNYQJ-dcIK/s1600/039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSvskGvft6_6pnI7bc36i_EYCTzTn0V6OXnzm5gq76mrBuHpBSVMRtaVJYuuZ_SvV1Owv1-Ub8XGEJ1lpX5SA-csjva31C6EP4JlPdcP-qCG2gyvYe2eo94owz4Uv1TgJHEFNYQJ-dcIK/s400/039.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So close!</td></tr>
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</style> <span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">After the race, we got our stuff, drank some terrible tasting sports drink lemonade, got our bag of food, and headed over to sit down. ZOOMA doesn’t do medals - they do a necklace. Personally, I have no desire to wear a “Z” necklace regularly and would have preferred a nice medal, but that’s just me. You should know by now that I love the “bling”, but it was a good idea for a women’s race. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1E700UEqqTNySY4jS9pY3OiayPiBYeLi7FdkkDnD9CLc5TgcGRQtL39vl_36Dd6xJaCHXuRDHjP5J0u_sFpSocsE19nkKDKLybljfpgf4tHXv3JfQhPZ3i-3fQSvPlvgkvuHjIMGoJpiL/s1600/040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1E700UEqqTNySY4jS9pY3OiayPiBYeLi7FdkkDnD9CLc5TgcGRQtL39vl_36Dd6xJaCHXuRDHjP5J0u_sFpSocsE19nkKDKLybljfpgf4tHXv3JfQhPZ3i-3fQSvPlvgkvuHjIMGoJpiL/s400/040.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just seconds from the finish line</td></tr>
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</style><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">They also had wine at the end which was a good touch for a women’s race. I got my bright pink compression socks on to help with recovery, and took a picture because Adam thinks they are the funniest/greatest things ever. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0rD6qwXhsa7N4Od3e1w1onR1vlS9xgmujDsepY3XIX1pFjZ9i59PbZvXmR1XUtbCBxAsYUQ8UKCY9u2GYo9X7OQ1j-0zB5TsqDoB8q-uuF6EzgAPPnmRpRlSAmfAEGbjonk4mJhEdgmL/s1600/048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0rD6qwXhsa7N4Od3e1w1onR1vlS9xgmujDsepY3XIX1pFjZ9i59PbZvXmR1XUtbCBxAsYUQ8UKCY9u2GYo9X7OQ1j-0zB5TsqDoB8q-uuF6EzgAPPnmRpRlSAmfAEGbjonk4mJhEdgmL/s400/048.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When I bought the socks, I asked Adam if I should get white or bright pink. There was no question in his mind.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">Kristen, congratulations. That was a huge accomplishment and I’m so glad I got to share it with you. I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to keep up you were doing so well! After the race, we hung out for awhile and then headed home. I had to be at the National Volunteer Leadership Conference (NVLC) starting at 3:30 PM later the day, so I was excited for adventure #2 of the day! More details to follow soon…</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_FI7UCDnp23LBStA45uJPtU4_600PK7dTTZke9-1vItXPGu6KODD9XPbpEtyhZFFpnOI4cxWcFkauS_d8XqynO6cyQ97loZ409w-ozIggIJZ8YAFVtYkgxIyTybV2Y9Oncx2vo-8b-tV/s1600/053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_FI7UCDnp23LBStA45uJPtU4_600PK7dTTZke9-1vItXPGu6KODD9XPbpEtyhZFFpnOI4cxWcFkauS_d8XqynO6cyQ97loZ409w-ozIggIJZ8YAFVtYkgxIyTybV2Y9Oncx2vo-8b-tV/s400/053.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half marathoners!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-9534369122113176082011-06-06T20:45:00.000-07:002011-06-08T12:38:02.778-07:00Race #8 and Conference Update<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: orange;"><a href="http://walk.psoriasis.org/site/TR/2011Walks/WalktoCurePsoriasis?team_id=16761&pg=team&fr_id=1800">11, 12, 13 Challenge Donation page - click here!</a> </span></span> </div>This is just a very quick update to let you know that the last two days have been a total whirlwind and absolutely amazing. My day yesterday started at 3:45 AM so that I could go run half marathon #8 for the Challenge and be there with my sister as she crossed the finish for her first ever half marathon. What a huge victory and success!<br />
<br />
After that, I had a few hours to eat and get ready for the National Volunteer Leadership Conference (NVLC) for NPF. I went to a few events as part of the conference last night, and was there from 8:30 AM to about 9:30 PM today meeting people, learning to be a better advocate, hearing about research progress, enjoying dinner with Northeast Region friends, and so much more. I can't wait to share more details about this with you guys, but right now, it's getting close to midnight and I have to be up bright and early tomorrow.<br />
<br />
Why is tomorrow an early day? We will be heading to Capitol Hill for Capitol Hill Day, where we meet with congressional staffers to share our psoriasis story and push for a few key initiatives. The people I met today were beyond inspirational and showed me why I'm working so hard to raise money for NPF. I am so glad I was able to take part in all of this, and to everyone I met today thank you for welcoming me. I hope some of you are now reading the blog, and hope you'll decide to follow this journey along with me. We're not only fighting for my mom, but for all of you who touched me so deeply. For now, I'm focusing on my trip to Capitol Hill tomorrow and will then try to get blog updates for all of these great event. Get excited, lots of great things to read about soon!Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-81183112014933925392011-06-01T18:12:00.000-07:002011-06-01T18:12:45.059-07:0011, 12, 15 Challenge?Do you ever have those nightmares where crazy things happen? Like you're back in school and you're at the end of the semester but never went to class so you're totally unprepared for your exam? Or you go to give a speech and can't remember a single word? Or you run a race and you get lost?<br />
<br />
<br />
Oh wait, that last one wasn't a dream/nightmare. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64G-REoXjS2jEGEOvZlx-XmprrilwJViSCH32nhR9tQsLpNH7zSCKkQTw_gOFY3GGQwdlNm2rUQJ1TDNf-zf8ilRaqnYgOy4qdfSA2ULK82evLSjjHuLdN7_E8mibutwXRk4hO2wlYwBs/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64G-REoXjS2jEGEOvZlx-XmprrilwJViSCH32nhR9tQsLpNH7zSCKkQTw_gOFY3GGQwdlNm2rUQJ1TDNf-zf8ilRaqnYgOy4qdfSA2ULK82evLSjjHuLdN7_E8mibutwXRk4hO2wlYwBs/s400/001.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>So this weekend was Memorial Day and the Alexandria Running Festival. Not exactly a huge event, but it's less than 30 minutes from my apartment and I wanted to take a weekend without traveling. The race was on Sunday, and our apartment complex was hosting a party for Memorial Day/pool opening for the season on Saturday, so we went to Alexandria to get my packet and then came back to the pool party. I skipped the beer since I was racing the next day, but still enjoyed some burgers and s'mores.<br />
<br />
4:30 AM rolled around on Sunday and it was wakeup time. Parking was very easy, but you never can count on that so we had built in plenty of time. The start of the race was pretty uneventful, but I did get this awesome picture. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrVXNINFdJsv29cyJoJl4_aJ8a8-aUf3WhdQHzuxcHSp2SJi6vZbc-MLKJdW-VbVyhMGHxmt4q4GDKGhtCjSidAQsHze-mlFicmmuwRJTNpZirqWNC0UMwU2ofL3HMSEEoA5QeKVIIQM_/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrVXNINFdJsv29cyJoJl4_aJ8a8-aUf3WhdQHzuxcHSp2SJi6vZbc-MLKJdW-VbVyhMGHxmt4q4GDKGhtCjSidAQsHze-mlFicmmuwRJTNpZirqWNC0UMwU2ofL3HMSEEoA5QeKVIIQM_/s400/006.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arrrrr!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The race was scheduled to start at 7:15, but then around 7:10 they announced it would be 7:30. A little annoying since it was supposed to get very hot and every minute helps, but oh well. Everyone ran to go do some last minute things. Then they decided they were ready, and started around 7:25 AM so people were suddenly not ready. I honestly didn't hear any announcement other than "ready, set, go" and felt everyone start pushing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkG0TqZ2J5GKi5LeQLCNBUH2RJ6uxUx1fTmSOXgBgy8NkYdisughDQVpvkU1NfQ3xuHIygeWMuUDRUgJC03mxa07szCkA59jlwhE5qbo6RLSiamJDkdmcLxg-AtpKzjhJYKFeX-gSDj3H/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkG0TqZ2J5GKi5LeQLCNBUH2RJ6uxUx1fTmSOXgBgy8NkYdisughDQVpvkU1NfQ3xuHIygeWMuUDRUgJC03mxa07szCkA59jlwhE5qbo6RLSiamJDkdmcLxg-AtpKzjhJYKFeX-gSDj3H/s400/007.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They probably said "ready set go" two seconds after this was taken and confused us all. Just kidding.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The race was fine, though not too much to see on the course. But in order to understand this story, you need to see the course map. Essentially, you run about three miles out, then do three loops of about 2 or 2.5 miles, and then do about 3 more miles back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcXye847Mqmcd8Qd_a9we5mTEmkg8tBWkkRyfrtystDwWBrAutdU-wzBNcIOtSbzbjihf1p_0AgI-Hc9NR_LDa-5XEgzK-ydk0sTe4jtNphWzyEiaRMtDuyi3oJ5tiFufJqxIdW6G5A5k/s1600/course_map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcXye847Mqmcd8Qd_a9we5mTEmkg8tBWkkRyfrtystDwWBrAutdU-wzBNcIOtSbzbjihf1p_0AgI-Hc9NR_LDa-5XEgzK-ydk0sTe4jtNphWzyEiaRMtDuyi3oJ5tiFufJqxIdW6G5A5k/s400/course_map.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About 3 miles out, do a 2 to 2.5 mile loop THREE times, then about 3 miles back. That was the plan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The director had said at the start it would be clearly marked, so I wasn't too worried. It's a little boring to run the same loop three times, but oh well. So we were off, and I definitely went out too fast - I really need to learn to keep my pace in check for those first few miles. I think I wore myself out a bit too much, so I slowed down and started to recover. They didn't have any GU/gels available on the course, but I had put one in my shorts pocket and had to consume it (I'm not sure if you eat or drink a gel) way earlier than anticipated because I just wasn't feeling my best and wanted to beat "the wall". I alternated Gatorade and water at the water stops and pushed through. It definitely wasn't going to be my best race, but I wasn't worried about anything terrible either.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYB_8QSvfet5U4h2omWfArX5HhBZ-2GIBEd_BwhAAWGbxUaBapjX7ulgGHeYd3GvKD0esSaNyIjltblfkWFTWm1v7Skl9fWi-3lCgBSuZ-HernRiJnxXPuD1O-xvT-KzpvUXP_BHah1bd/s1600/IMGP4497+%2528536x800%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYB_8QSvfet5U4h2omWfArX5HhBZ-2GIBEd_BwhAAWGbxUaBapjX7ulgGHeYd3GvKD0esSaNyIjltblfkWFTWm1v7Skl9fWi-3lCgBSuZ-HernRiJnxXPuD1O-xvT-KzpvUXP_BHah1bd/s400/IMGP4497+%2528536x800%2529.jpg" width="267" /></a></div> But here's the problem with three loops:<br />
1) It is boring. Really boring. And the way the course was, you passed some places six times. Ick. Though it was a park, there wasn't a lot to see. And since the loop was about three miles from the start, not many of the spectators were on the course because they wanted to be there at the start and the finish. Unless you were witty, like my group of spectators, but I'll go back to that later.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKrpi7RR1rJIEbujsKcZWyhTBiUHLt2o-YbLYd1HNd4xqGY2YEldQZyhqCZplNHO_mvAWUXPmoAGPWdp2duaqltHZ3qg3bR7R9YTdpQ4-AKgndTnXMfGz1X7XgGSm3OHWIfY41CQjJzeG/s1600/IMGP4503+%2528536x800%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKrpi7RR1rJIEbujsKcZWyhTBiUHLt2o-YbLYd1HNd4xqGY2YEldQZyhqCZplNHO_mvAWUXPmoAGPWdp2duaqltHZ3qg3bR7R9YTdpQ4-AKgndTnXMfGz1X7XgGSm3OHWIfY41CQjJzeG/s400/IMGP4503+%2528536x800%2529.jpg" width="267" /></a></div> 2) The water stations were chaotic. In general, water stations are tough - some people like to walk when they get their water (have you ever tried drinking out of a small plastic cup while running? It's an art form) and others keep running. Now to make that even more interesting: the water stops were in very narrow areas of the course, and often had people running two or three VERY different paces depending on what loop they were on. I got in a few collisions that caused me to be soaked in gatorade, and a few times I couldn't get anything because there wasn't a way to get in/no volunteer ready to hand it out.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IIvmFME13fYVX3T-A0kfvhZ3hqIYMdP5r7Q8eEpJGWgeu2S4yfo-ISu0MamyoDhTsXjgyKY3nLDIqK_LGHzRdF8Nk2js_3J4BtuBTHiQbNRpIm5DWABIzw2E432cIsEDu0wlrMlmdrBN/s1600/IMGP4510+%2528536x800%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IIvmFME13fYVX3T-A0kfvhZ3hqIYMdP5r7Q8eEpJGWgeu2S4yfo-ISu0MamyoDhTsXjgyKY3nLDIqK_LGHzRdF8Nk2js_3J4BtuBTHiQbNRpIm5DWABIzw2E432cIsEDu0wlrMlmdrBN/s400/IMGP4510+%2528536x800%2529.jpg" width="267" /></a></div> 3) In the narrow parts of the course, just trying to run an 8 or 8:20 minute mile next to someone who is running about 10-12 minute mile and occasionally getting passed by someone going at 6 or 7 minutes mile pace makes for a very confusing group and involves lots of traffic jams. Also, in a race, you normally kind of settle into a pace similar to the people around you, but here I often found myself moving to a much slower pace because there were a lot more people running in an earlier loop than me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0-VuYVOy-Liu39rwsKYspvTJugHGQ5qihyphenhyphenCa_TUshLzEMI_ftmQFuBBsnF0mu_BAM9lqc60XORow1xYSmp29MWTdwftZamXEybqfO9ShVxwO67uUP7ZkxM-GeyjNhHsoHQP-WbisvH60/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0-VuYVOy-Liu39rwsKYspvTJugHGQ5qihyphenhyphenCa_TUshLzEMI_ftmQFuBBsnF0mu_BAM9lqc60XORow1xYSmp29MWTdwftZamXEybqfO9ShVxwO67uUP7ZkxM-GeyjNhHsoHQP-WbisvH60/s400/011.JPG" width="300" /></a></div> 4) Now comes the best part. When you are running a loop, the turnoff for the people exiting the loop needs to be REALLY clear. In this race, it was not. Now, I will take partial blame here. The race said not to wear headphones but I did anyway. In case you aren't a runner, almost all races say not to wear them or "strongly discourage" you from wearing them, but most people still do. Two hours is pretty boring without music and it's a good distraction. Usually, it doesn't matter at all. However, on this course, apparently there was just one volunteer saying to go one way if it was your last loop and a different way if it was your first or second loop. As far as I could see when I actually left the loop section, there were no signs or anything - just that one guy saying it. And I'm guessing at the point where I was supposed to leave the loop section, nobody else was running my pace and so I just followed everyone else going to the left. So, I got sucked into a fourth loop.<br />
<br />
Oh yes, I turned a half marathon into a 15+ mile course. What does one do once they realize this? I hadn't studied the course map (remember, that's Adam's job) so I didn't know where to look for the split, plus you're pretty out of it by mile 10 anyway. So I just ran right on by. Somewhere in the 10 mile section, my small concern that I had missed it turned into a serious "uh oh" moment. I gotta say, it was disheartening. Though not my worst race, it wasn't my best, and an extra 2.2 or so miles when you haven't paced for it is tough mentally, and of course physically. So I spent the last loop trying to ask every volunteer where the turnoff was (most just yelled "good job! keep running!" and didn't hear my question). To keep myself reasonable at this point, I decided I would run to 13.1 and from there I'd just walk or jog the rest of the course until I got to the finish. Not exactly ideal, but seemed the best solution to me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZ3YENDTMhTLZWf4M2cd8bCb6RlchpQeEUbqtoaepaU1mUMV6x-OtkdJRimPs5Zw2Jt9hXeX6qo1i_VtbrDSk3JuGTLoXWa8F9SnoDcXfqBViemMIJZh1y9OnI6tAImNC-FKnCtzqsLf5/s1600/IMG_0178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZ3YENDTMhTLZWf4M2cd8bCb6RlchpQeEUbqtoaepaU1mUMV6x-OtkdJRimPs5Zw2Jt9hXeX6qo1i_VtbrDSk3JuGTLoXWa8F9SnoDcXfqBViemMIJZh1y9OnI6tAImNC-FKnCtzqsLf5/s400/IMG_0178.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is actually from after the race, but I had to get a picture of him with his sign!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Here's the only problem though: I had a great set of people there cheering for me. Kristen, Curtis, and Adam stayed with me at the start of the race, then hopped in their car over to the park, saw me for the first two loops (saw me four times because of the course design), and then skipped seeing me in the third loop so that they could meet me at the finish. I was looking fine and right around my usual pace when they left, so they had no reason to worry. Unfortunately, they had no clue I decided to stay for a fourth loop because I was having so much fun, and I was concerned that they would worry I had gotten hurt when I didn't show up around my expected finish time. Luckily, there was a wonderful police officer who was monitoring the road closure section of the course, and once I'd finished the 13.1 miles and was walking, I saw her and asked if I could use her phone to call them. Adam answered his phone when I called and I explained the situation and told him not to worry. He claims he just wanted clarification to make sure I was ok, but I'm pretty sure I could hear him laughing as he said "wait, you mean you did an extra loop?!"<br />
<br />
Now here's the good part of the race:<br />
My three spectators were awesome! They were making lots of noises, cheering, and really just helped me out. Adam made this awesome sign, which gave me a big boost and made me smile. And then, once they knew I was going to be delayed getting to the finish, Kristen started heading my way on the course and walked/jogged in with me to the end. Normally you get to sit and drink lots of water and eat bananas after the 13.1, so it was nice to have her help me as I fought through those last few miles. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Ud8R9dUsHFZ531q_zdjR7CfmrC8THVNfJ-kS2ozPmunR1p9IaFZo586Bxy8XyyXcww_1MCdvMZVkOdBUNWOEM-21X34i4QhnJe10cpOyjeIQb7JjWdJRzHovRFAI64Tj8G5-TI_OP7Tp/s1600/247336_768563380674_1311404_38615317_5327596_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Ud8R9dUsHFZ531q_zdjR7CfmrC8THVNfJ-kS2ozPmunR1p9IaFZo586Bxy8XyyXcww_1MCdvMZVkOdBUNWOEM-21X34i4QhnJe10cpOyjeIQb7JjWdJRzHovRFAI64Tj8G5-TI_OP7Tp/s400/247336_768563380674_1311404_38615317_5327596_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what I would have liked to be doing at mile 13, but it was still great a few miles later!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>OK, you can laugh now. I was at first upset about doing another loop, but before I made it to the finish, I was able to see just how funny the situation was. I really have no sense of direction and Adam and I have joked many times that I should always run with my iphone so he can track me, or that I should put a sign on my shirt that says "If found please return to..." in case I get lost on the trails. When I go on my long training runs, I often want to explore more, but get worried that I won't be able to find my way back. Never though did I expect to get lost during a race! Though I still don't think this really had anything to do with my sense of direction (I expected the race to mark the course and therefore didn't study the map), it's still a really funny story. And it's not like it was my first or my last race, or I was hoping the time would qualify me for anything, so the official time doesn't matter. I can just laugh at my official 2:18 finish time. According to my watch, I was in the 1:49 area when I finished the 13.1, which is pretty much within my normal finish time. If anyone else ran this race, I'd love to hear if this caused you any confusion/what you remember seeing to mark the turnoff, because I'm wondering if this was just me being totally oblivious and tired or if anyone else had doubts about where the course split.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSvZVCvltIViFqZPUlUD8N7lg-HoUWTg7wEvlt29WGqGj92WOREuGyhcHdrrdGBE67aeFUWX1taWOe_t_CCvWq-Jro0p1wMUvJhFwyeplf3u1ui0CaN2Zz1Q9wBt4jMrq6njVeeGCr4Wx/s1600/IMG_0171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSvZVCvltIViFqZPUlUD8N7lg-HoUWTg7wEvlt29WGqGj92WOREuGyhcHdrrdGBE67aeFUWX1taWOe_t_CCvWq-Jro0p1wMUvJhFwyeplf3u1ui0CaN2Zz1Q9wBt4jMrq6njVeeGCr4Wx/s400/IMG_0171.JPG" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I compared it to the field day medal from when I was a kid....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3U1ATwiXV4EoXP-JOW55bjyV-2kublw6rfyDsll0VpzoV6YzDEuHom8jga5YTLbcUYbK8W2nOi3oBckFIfFyGBDjOxTnxrHIIQLqj5ODh71geygt3Bn5TIyJlsQaSiWUhtkiZ7FlK2zH/s1600/IMGP5212+%2528800x536%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3U1ATwiXV4EoXP-JOW55bjyV-2kublw6rfyDsll0VpzoV6YzDEuHom8jga5YTLbcUYbK8W2nOi3oBckFIfFyGBDjOxTnxrHIIQLqj5ODh71geygt3Bn5TIyJlsQaSiWUhtkiZ7FlK2zH/s400/IMGP5212+%2528800x536%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All smiles! We're making a difference for NPF and that's what matters.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span id="goog_1636521197"></span><span id="goog_1636521198"></span><span id="goog_1636521199"></span><span id="goog_1636521200"></span>So I'm taking votes - should I rename this the 11, 12, 15 Challenge and go for a few extra miles every time? Just kidding!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVIlE_CtDP_D-rD08JdUkO1yNtwjXJbb-BfXV9nKMEkNRTwN9vc8so1SlkKSbVLSRom-nSmmhoSORQ6YYDej0PKnSuCZsVOxtJe9GFa7cvD2mhvKl4xr_nNMCAZxp6_ZP5lXC8HYVdLfb/s1600/249299_768561788864_1311404_38615233_3601381_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVIlE_CtDP_D-rD08JdUkO1yNtwjXJbb-BfXV9nKMEkNRTwN9vc8so1SlkKSbVLSRom-nSmmhoSORQ6YYDej0PKnSuCZsVOxtJe9GFa7cvD2mhvKl4xr_nNMCAZxp6_ZP5lXC8HYVdLfb/s400/249299_768561788864_1311404_38615233_3601381_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This puppy was at the race. If you know me, you know I want a puppy, and this one was SO cute!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The rest of the weekend was a lot of fun. We went up to Maryland for a big outdoor wine festival on Sunday, and then went to Curtis' parents for a cookout/crab eating party on Monday. It was really hot, and it was just great to see friends and take it easy. <span id="goog_1636521208"></span><span id="goog_1636521209"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8849wByLPe7daHapsMU0WYz1o8OpoRNx50qAgZ7mcMZH5lb6Ii9PtiIihN1tjYRnzvBCiM60JwFle-x61waWuDGuNdEEtfozout3x_nDTc5JBrug7dSd4Uav9YCHP5LDii7KAVjC5wN8/s1600/wine_festival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8849wByLPe7daHapsMU0WYz1o8OpoRNx50qAgZ7mcMZH5lb6Ii9PtiIihN1tjYRnzvBCiM60JwFle-x61waWuDGuNdEEtfozout3x_nDTc5JBrug7dSd4Uav9YCHP5LDii7KAVjC5wN8/s400/wine_festival.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many people at what I thought was a small wine festival. Great time!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9FYr_nXNnN5EwOcw4GUth0DWBluocsouwRBO2lAWVp0bDMvT5GtUEaMUDo7Wbhtjvno2C0lgqXCvrq8W-7FqDdsvvjud2i6eSH7uwg20e2zm7jKtCxlGhIDx2S8K8VDLAsRj_-4vbbVg/s1600/IMG_0170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9FYr_nXNnN5EwOcw4GUth0DWBluocsouwRBO2lAWVp0bDMvT5GtUEaMUDo7Wbhtjvno2C0lgqXCvrq8W-7FqDdsvvjud2i6eSH7uwg20e2zm7jKtCxlGhIDx2S8K8VDLAsRj_-4vbbVg/s400/IMG_0170.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Since it's Memorial Day, I also want to take a minute to say thanks to all of the people who help protect our freedom and keep us safe. Coming from a Navy town, I have seen what it means to be deployed and spend six months away from your family to help protect our country. You guys are all heroes, and I hope this weekend everyone took some time to really think about the meaning of this holiday.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_itDxrBmW4kob_GlSO6yk_Tf0GlIHbU2QG0cCogMEzyBTpUEcD-mhArgo7gwiHPKF69on3rupfUEI50Jm74IF_isnBmbqTTST0qlM0N_rlZUijS9PoKVHXuvZx_wK0S5HLcBUBVBSIcU/s1600/memorial_day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_itDxrBmW4kob_GlSO6yk_Tf0GlIHbU2QG0cCogMEzyBTpUEcD-mhArgo7gwiHPKF69on3rupfUEI50Jm74IF_isnBmbqTTST0qlM0N_rlZUijS9PoKVHXuvZx_wK0S5HLcBUBVBSIcU/s400/memorial_day.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yum!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Next weekend is pretty exciting, so get ready! I have changed my race schedule a bit and now will run the Zooma Annapolis half marathon next Sunday. Pretty much right after I finish, I'll head home to Arlington, get cleaned up, and then head over to the first afternoon of the National Volunteer Leadership Conference for NPF, where I'll spend a day and a half learning how to be a better volunteer and preparing for day three, where we head to Congress. So excited!Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-10443673881230502842011-05-15T20:09:00.000-07:002011-05-17T20:23:52.407-07:00Frederick Running Festival<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: orange;"><a href="http://walk.psoriasis.org/site/TR/2011Walks/WalktoCurePsoriasis?team_id=16761&pg=team&fr_id=1800">11, 12, 13 Challenge Donation page - click here!</a> </span></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Spoiler alert: This race was awesome!<br />
<br />
OK, now that I got that out of my system, my latest race was the Frederick Running Festival in Frederick, MD. Big things happened for me personally and with the Challenge in this race, so you should definitely read on.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgpDYiwFjaxsOapv1upufHLO5Hhe55p_byrdmMi2Dq4i_OqovIDssAS_0QF7tPDUc3atkP1An8WhC8NVue4-cfPKgVmtwXdfig88wOlmd_azHE0DQxOKhB-8QkWRoPeboJronTHQNhg4j/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgpDYiwFjaxsOapv1upufHLO5Hhe55p_byrdmMi2Dq4i_OqovIDssAS_0QF7tPDUc3atkP1An8WhC8NVue4-cfPKgVmtwXdfig88wOlmd_azHE0DQxOKhB-8QkWRoPeboJronTHQNhg4j/s400/002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>To be entirely honest, I wasn't sure what to expect from this race for a lot of reasons (I had run a hilly race the week before, it was my third half marathon in less than a month, I'd been injured, all that). All in all though, I was feeling well rested and good going into the race, but still - it was a wildcard.<br />
<br />
Frederick did something really great: they allowed us to pick up our numbers at multiple locations in the DC metro area in the week leading up to the race. Saved almost two hours of driving - what a great idea! The one near me was while I was still in Nashville (a sign you are running too many races), but Adam was the hero as usual and grabbed it for me during lunch.<br />
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</a></div> The race started at 7:30 AM, and we decided to just spend the night at our apartment and head over in the morning, even allowing time for construction traffic if we hit it (which we didn't). We were at the Fairgrounds, and there wasn't a lot to see but it was a well set up start with easy bag drop off and convenient amenities. Good start. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfxwAKdrsmVW4fcTvgG7MtbAxlsAfKnTFfLCGBrYhrbkPj0Wvva4547z0NGJd8hRbvrVnPGzGmGQItBR962IX7FT_qGgaDHWnhYWLqf0x9bFAWy1SmMkdXMWMpJzjzhyphenhyphenW9lEHhKsy1hAo/s1600/DSC06487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfxwAKdrsmVW4fcTvgG7MtbAxlsAfKnTFfLCGBrYhrbkPj0Wvva4547z0NGJd8hRbvrVnPGzGmGQItBR962IX7FT_qGgaDHWnhYWLqf0x9bFAWy1SmMkdXMWMpJzjzhyphenhyphenW9lEHhKsy1hAo/s400/DSC06487.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Sunrise on the drive over was very pretty. Though if you know me, you know I'd always prefer to sleep through sunrise...</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">I got myself safely placed between the 1:45 and 1:50 pace groups, thinking I could start at that pace and gauge how I felt from there. I somehow crossed the first mile at 7:57, so I was a little ahead of target pace (I was hoping to be between 8 and 9 mins/mile). I slowed it down a bit and the next mile was 8:06, and from there my splits continued to be consistently between 7:50 and 8:03 for the next few miles. Faster than I expected, but I just felt great.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pKS_m-IwJF-IJrkipibz-AUrFwaiz3kIaof0TDDsRfdERxFQ5Lo7Yg6Mhr5ij7uhJBiNNL6sFkRoft_EVyOMqKPS184__e0kmvmoo7LPU3zTm-jJOaWTuQnwLBSE3kFZRweFSifPl3Ai/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pKS_m-IwJF-IJrkipibz-AUrFwaiz3kIaof0TDDsRfdERxFQ5Lo7Yg6Mhr5ij7uhJBiNNL6sFkRoft_EVyOMqKPS184__e0kmvmoo7LPU3zTm-jJOaWTuQnwLBSE3kFZRweFSifPl3Ai/s400/008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The rest of the race I just felt better and better, and quickly realized I was on track to get close to my PR. Here are my theories on why I felt great: </div>- Adam is a super spectator. I'm not even kidding. He literally studies my course map for longer than I do before a race and plans out a way to maximize the times he can see me. I'm not sure if you've ever watched a half marathon, but it's pretty boring. As a spectator, you wake up absurdly early, deal with an anxious runner, and then spend 2 hours waiting for them to run by and see them 20-30 seconds if you're lucky. But being the amazing guy that he is, he comes to every race he can and genuinely seems sad when I go to one without him. One of the many reasons I love him. And also why I now always run in pink shorts (in case you were wondering) - so he can pick me out more easily. In this course, he figured out he could see me three times, which is more than any other race. So at 1.5, 2.5, and 6.5 miles, I got to hear words of encouragement and see his smiling face. Made me super happy.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljz0wSEFWSFKrnSeyrbcSdOJcJ6LNbZTqSgZl9uP8HD1lIuQgGY6K-8yRXSXOA0xCV3t1oexEfobsZs0d4xzS1_J39XcOp9wHNkaiMYkrHXsICefpDaeH12VxittoXwT3Loivjt_o-wDS/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljz0wSEFWSFKrnSeyrbcSdOJcJ6LNbZTqSgZl9uP8HD1lIuQgGY6K-8yRXSXOA0xCV3t1oexEfobsZs0d4xzS1_J39XcOp9wHNkaiMYkrHXsICefpDaeH12VxittoXwT3Loivjt_o-wDS/s400/012.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> Loving it!</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i>- I once again tried drinking small amounts of Gatorade and even had part of a GU packet. Wasn't really in love with the "espresso lovers" flavor, but it's what I happened to grab from the very friendly volunteer, so I went with it. Really seems to help me during a race.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_z4NNeAcVzfbZmdAW-1VswFeYKNdhmVzlUq7KybcMJTdQOmom_K6FASA_suBQHxhy9062Dao4kqhEbjKGOMi8aMLG2q5IzqwTYsFgRJfkUfnMhITb6Qd-Tpn1_1TjozeYJi6_AgvqXydt/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_z4NNeAcVzfbZmdAW-1VswFeYKNdhmVzlUq7KybcMJTdQOmom_K6FASA_suBQHxhy9062Dao4kqhEbjKGOMi8aMLG2q5IzqwTYsFgRJfkUfnMhITb6Qd-Tpn1_1TjozeYJi6_AgvqXydt/s400/013.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> - The course was wonderful. Nice and flat (except for a pretty rough hill right in the last mile, but that's ok)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuDF1ArtD4gGudDQckpgBLSCD_x7YOxb6FyAv4g7eIl0LeyrAResbyEZsGHwwvxIUGLWyYKzL2hxOR9AmGvQzIw3HrIJJlgkIgO2fMKj8-i4pjhxsXyHaoNLnED-HRvu0Ws9eyWKsog8L/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuDF1ArtD4gGudDQckpgBLSCD_x7YOxb6FyAv4g7eIl0LeyrAResbyEZsGHwwvxIUGLWyYKzL2hxOR9AmGvQzIw3HrIJJlgkIgO2fMKj8-i4pjhxsXyHaoNLnED-HRvu0Ws9eyWKsog8L/s400/015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Adam took this picture while going around to try to see me. Downtown Frederick is very cute.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">- The spectators and volunteers made everything so pleasant. It wasn't as big as some other races, but people came out to cheer us on and there were some funny signs along the way. And all the water stops were well run and the volunteers were just so nice. Sometimes, you feel like they're practically throwing the medal at you. But not here. Some really polite boy handed it to me and made sure to congratulate me. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGFkgoXsO2aKXRDfmfhO0c9q1sTuJIO1RupDHmy9_y8GQ3i2Ajn8RW9XwyGAEwCD2FryvePvcz_l50XFyW6oFrVKcGeemszVdNDBN7y-aP7GG9r-VOkele2h7DEa9lQm64HzV6c-p0foXG/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGFkgoXsO2aKXRDfmfhO0c9q1sTuJIO1RupDHmy9_y8GQ3i2Ajn8RW9XwyGAEwCD2FryvePvcz_l50XFyW6oFrVKcGeemszVdNDBN7y-aP7GG9r-VOkele2h7DEa9lQm64HzV6c-p0foXG/s400/014.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">- I knew that at the finish, The Challenge would be halfway done! I have raced 6 half marathons in just under four months from my first race. This will allow me a recovery time over the summer (and save me from having to fly to the west coast for a summer race, which is just a cost prohibitive issue at this point. Races and travel aren't cheap). I'm actually almost sad to say it's half over, but then I realize that I can keep running as much as I want so I stop being sad. I love this!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihczyrMVLO-XYil0rt0-mycP-Y0LE4kdnSGT5_ATpgsqIH8-W0DqsFDVmpU08dXkHDn7xD_ALrh-Oj7lMMS33CwMiRU2NnCBmcn1MN6cQdICy53RO9nW2Fjzb8rqzLNHasgR13C5y8qaEa/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihczyrMVLO-XYil0rt0-mycP-Y0LE4kdnSGT5_ATpgsqIH8-W0DqsFDVmpU08dXkHDn7xD_ALrh-Oj7lMMS33CwMiRU2NnCBmcn1MN6cQdICy53RO9nW2Fjzb8rqzLNHasgR13C5y8qaEa/s400/017.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Almost there!</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">-<b>Now the best part</b>. Linda, our contact at NPF, had come all the way from New York to cheer me on at the finish for this race! Though we've emailed and called each other many times, I'd never actually met her. And she took the time to come to Frederick MD to come cheer me on, despite the race being the day of her son's SATs. The thrill of seeing her bright orange "Walk for Psoriasis" tshirt and hearing her cheer for me as I got to the finish line made it even more exciting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-OOZ5MwTGob7zkuQChlQsf2espfc2Uep9yGkIQ6etLsjjhJFKxYEf57HPj3aHT-6q2mHoaH8NboCqLivXB3YFbasur6r-LPgnRCISHp_GJJL3r3pXqIBGhtL9-0KcL3TjZ4sRJxsW_76/s1600/022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-OOZ5MwTGob7zkuQChlQsf2espfc2Uep9yGkIQ6etLsjjhJFKxYEf57HPj3aHT-6q2mHoaH8NboCqLivXB3YFbasur6r-LPgnRCISHp_GJJL3r3pXqIBGhtL9-0KcL3TjZ4sRJxsW_76/s400/022.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Doesn't that tell you something about NPF and how dedicated they are? She took Adam and I out for a delicious IHOP breakfast afterward and we had plenty of time to get to know each other, talk about our plans for the Challenge, all of the many things she does for NPF, and how we can best help support them. NPF does so much to make sure they understand the people who have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, instead of just looking at it as a disease. They want to hear how it affects you, and they use that to make a difference. It's really inspiring.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEdqQx8c43my25Ihg1a5PlEp9cNnl9a1MuZiuV-bjww_N5_rPBSRKc-bZ0dpE1BLiSfeEF7J2vyK7PzdieNXnmOpMlJGXXMXjDi15ajSFGbmYedCu6XUkwDhr59XlTBQX5YsrUkXbHikT/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEdqQx8c43my25Ihg1a5PlEp9cNnl9a1MuZiuV-bjww_N5_rPBSRKc-bZ0dpE1BLiSfeEF7J2vyK7PzdieNXnmOpMlJGXXMXjDi15ajSFGbmYedCu6XUkwDhr59XlTBQX5YsrUkXbHikT/s400/018.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>From a running perspective, this was also a huge milestone for me because I PR'ed. If you remember, I got my PR at National even though the race overall was tough for me, but it was a good three minutes faster than any other race I've run. As a result, I'm not going to say breaking 1:45 was ever a goal, but maybe a dream. I just thought I was still so far away from ever hitting my PR again, no less beating it. So when I realized I was close, and realized I still felt good, it was on. I was a little slower in miles 11-12, but ran 12-13 in 7:42 and kicked it to the finish. I made it! My final chip time was 1:44:53 (8 min/mile pace exactly). I did it, and there's no caveats to this PR - it was a great race! And I even managed to go for a 4.75 mile walk (yes, we took the Garmin) the next day with Adam on a gorgeous DC day.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuStwZZyXou8xpqgDg4OeTwzWQKd883-GJpiZQXUc6cTYq1f7aM1IyfgRO44cvpA-NyvUhRDYB-ZYV-NYjhaKTaQVie6VrV42ILz3webFACXyj29BGuB4qOpSvBaPec4i1I350OWJZSrde/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuStwZZyXou8xpqgDg4OeTwzWQKd883-GJpiZQXUc6cTYq1f7aM1IyfgRO44cvpA-NyvUhRDYB-ZYV-NYjhaKTaQVie6VrV42ILz3webFACXyj29BGuB4qOpSvBaPec4i1I350OWJZSrde/s400/019.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Thank you to Frederick for putting on such a great race, to everyone who has supported me to get here, and to my mom for inspiring me to do this. Everyone asks how I do it, but this is really easy compared to the battle she is fighting, and I couldn't be more proud to support her and help others. I'm also happy to report that we are just under $2,000 in donations now, which means almost $4,000 once matched. This is SO great! I'll post more about that later, but THANK YOU! I actually might be losing sleep because of the Challenge lately - I get so excited thinking of all the things I want to do that I can't help but want to get out of bed and start doing something else. And meeting Linda from NPF proved why I am so happy to work with them and how great their team is.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEij6LaTEq0QuB7RjH3lgGPrMzvcogw-qy-etMDtR0Wv0Ei05iXCdq4QvWLiTRw-Uli83tzFucgOLcIXHDKdZZf_ncZ_CGagFZa1HU1K2xKh73TMB3EI1YF7VIeckmPR04YGsjdS0Qf4IZ/s1600/DSC06489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEij6LaTEq0QuB7RjH3lgGPrMzvcogw-qy-etMDtR0Wv0Ei05iXCdq4QvWLiTRw-Uli83tzFucgOLcIXHDKdZZf_ncZ_CGagFZa1HU1K2xKh73TMB3EI1YF7VIeckmPR04YGsjdS0Qf4IZ/s400/DSC06489.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> The race shirt and medal are very distinctive from any others so far. I know the shirts ran small, but mine fits great and I love it. Good job Frederick Running Festival!</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6DMOBEwrzFUiOY4_lINsVdDm8HsdOkcLC8EhOj6rvAyynJT5qFF_N37MvfzHOEcXZ98rpfzA4ZrhckKyjdeLViUMNzJ0vitOrlnDSzcYoXoa8YGCrbfH1sjvaO2wuO0uFDMSs6nifKdf/s1600/DSC06496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6DMOBEwrzFUiOY4_lINsVdDm8HsdOkcLC8EhOj6rvAyynJT5qFF_N37MvfzHOEcXZ98rpfzA4ZrhckKyjdeLViUMNzJ0vitOrlnDSzcYoXoa8YGCrbfH1sjvaO2wuO0uFDMSs6nifKdf/s400/DSC06496.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>I can't pick my favorite - the Disney, Frederick, and Country Music medals are all so fun!</i></div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-21356492563706192882011-05-08T21:12:00.000-07:002011-05-17T20:25:40.344-07:00She's gone country - a weekend in Nashville<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: orange;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://walk.psoriasis.org/site/TR/2011Walks/WalktoCurePsoriasis?team_id=16761&pg=team&fr_id=1800">11, 12, 13 Challenge Donation page - click here!</a> </span></div><br />
"And if all you ever really do is the best you can,<br />
Well, you did it man"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwRciGCViavZjK-7WmhuopjrgPo211ZAdErCaGb_YVoacCnd4Zm9xC1qvq7_7YX81ISyD3Mg2Gw2rKSCk396RKY2uoU1Nhbtvexa40RGwFIRNQ3PaBaxVp2n6fZvfyEnb_xPPrIHJ4QNO/s1600/DSC06405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwRciGCViavZjK-7WmhuopjrgPo211ZAdErCaGb_YVoacCnd4Zm9xC1qvq7_7YX81ISyD3Mg2Gw2rKSCk396RKY2uoU1Nhbtvexa40RGwFIRNQ3PaBaxVp2n6fZvfyEnb_xPPrIHJ4QNO/s400/DSC06405.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Those are lines from Montgomery Gentry's "Something to be Proud of" which they played at the post race concert, and I couldn't help getting chills (not just because the arena was freezing). I think everyone who was there celebrating a finish to the half or full marathon had given their best, and we all had something to proud of. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTp7QCPHu-xXbfED26QHcSwFKb8vKYnSafzCLUuRsjc1Qv3DiySdchyphenhyphenzRpM299QdUf_jSjPO04agTjpAH-_nwWCRVd1_ZSkzS6GaBTvKifd08qw7hamJuW5U5uBowLLHKBRniMRV4fJy_1/s1600/DSC06449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHnL1dEMyHFn9TU9SEv-5XxJAfFfNxLHG1d6sMAzFKgfPn_ykKIf3FXuM9yeNb6ey52K0N-8E0Pdw4gRv5VOmlM1LAQMAO9dvyVVgR6LZLQwTAp63dLwYddVWqPWxL8XRojT4W83ujgqA/s400/DSC06393.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div>I'm a big country music fan, so I decided to head to Nashville for the Rock n Roll Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon. I had considered this race back in January and then decided against it, but while I was waiting in line at the Disney Princess expo for my number, someone told me this was one of her favorites so I decided to register. I was planning to meet Mom and Dad there, but Mom hadn't been feeling great lately so she made the smart choice and stayed home for the weekend. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTp7QCPHu-xXbfED26QHcSwFKb8vKYnSafzCLUuRsjc1Qv3DiySdchyphenhyphenzRpM299QdUf_jSjPO04agTjpAH-_nwWCRVd1_ZSkzS6GaBTvKifd08qw7hamJuW5U5uBowLLHKBRniMRV4fJy_1/s1600/DSC06449.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTp7QCPHu-xXbfED26QHcSwFKb8vKYnSafzCLUuRsjc1Qv3DiySdchyphenhyphenzRpM299QdUf_jSjPO04agTjpAH-_nwWCRVd1_ZSkzS6GaBTvKifd08qw7hamJuW5U5uBowLLHKBRniMRV4fJy_1/s400/DSC06449.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Pretending to sing at the Ryman (the original Grand Ole Opry)</i></span></div>Nashville was an awesome race. The course was pretty hilly and challenging (I heard quite a few unhappy people after the race), but I have never run in a race with so much crowd support! I was reading signs that were literally making me laugh while running, high fiveing little kids, seeing whole neighborhoods gather to cheer us on, getting offered oranges and water...it was awesome. Apparently some people were even offering beer on the course but I missed that (and wouldn't have gone for it anyway), but still pretty hilarious. The city and all its residents were just so welcoming, and they made the hills and miles fly by. <br />
<br />
The race got off to a shaky start. We had some hotel drama the night before we were leaving, but got last minute reservations to the Gaylord Opryland hotel. I'm not really sure you can call it a hotel. It's over 2,000 rooms, with waterfalls, boats, fountains, fountain shows, restaurants, etc INSIDE the hotel. It was just gorgeous! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRDtf53ddRjHqrm0wK61CWdsF1NritUNzsYOozFnUFnInpjJMYlRI06CkSnj8A-IbzaxUYS6cgq6Vw4GG11HPIIf9OIoXGkKqjWACpVzciSUiDDvhh8mHL5WY9wNocEgEU8iqn6V5e0BP/s1600/DSC06363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRDtf53ddRjHqrm0wK61CWdsF1NritUNzsYOozFnUFnInpjJMYlRI06CkSnj8A-IbzaxUYS6cgq6Vw4GG11HPIIf9OIoXGkKqjWACpVzciSUiDDvhh8mHL5WY9wNocEgEU8iqn6V5e0BP/s400/DSC06363.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>That is <b>inside</b> the hotel</i></span></div>Once we checked in, we headed to the Expo to get my packet. It was really well run and pretty enjoyable (though my size small tshirt feels like a medium or large, but that's ok). We went back to our hotel, had Olive Garden for dinner, got to bed early and got ready for Saturday.<br />
<span id="goog_304392875"></span><span id="goog_304392876"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisomCWPFpG6MuX5RZytK0fCYgqBrPrHnwtpa34a7WMlhcNa8CBFBEvOe_B3xi5zJy65fZaHWJ2UgFQlxo2crTQlnI2wPja-AIkmY2nhlK0ggTiiUdO_-6q4adrC5_wCgq4ChhOxkJsjdc_/s1600/DSC06372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisomCWPFpG6MuX5RZytK0fCYgqBrPrHnwtpa34a7WMlhcNa8CBFBEvOe_B3xi5zJy65fZaHWJ2UgFQlxo2crTQlnI2wPja-AIkmY2nhlK0ggTiiUdO_-6q4adrC5_wCgq4ChhOxkJsjdc_/s400/DSC06372.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkEkBSDEgTgE7Wv0NjQahIvVZmUQIr8438F0958IPW37TelnG1M7IhRiFmHqhsmUTtElhiFvp0b0tSU8DFqp5hyphenhyphenFwofOmLLkqdICUgHsKocIih7I4VndJf9N8x2Le_WYO7b5JTMHFm6mx/s1600/DSC06373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkEkBSDEgTgE7Wv0NjQahIvVZmUQIr8438F0958IPW37TelnG1M7IhRiFmHqhsmUTtElhiFvp0b0tSU8DFqp5hyphenhyphenFwofOmLLkqdICUgHsKocIih7I4VndJf9N8x2Le_WYO7b5JTMHFm6mx/s400/DSC06373.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The sponsor, Brooks, apparently had a sense of humor. Love it.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Though our hotel was a little bit outside of downtown Nashville, they had a shuttle you could pay for that would take you straight to the race. Except the day of, they said they were only selling tickets to runners (not spectators) and my dad couldn't join. Luckily I was not the only one upset and they decided to allow ticket sales for everyone. Crisis averted.<br />
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Dad and I got over to Centennial Park where the race was starting, and the porta-potty lines were insane. It took over 30 minutes, which I think made people practically miss the race. But we had a nice chat with the people around us and actually found out the woman behind was from Virginia Beach. What a small world! So the time flew by and we headed over to my corral.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2JEU267sR-4yHIYVPCtrR9twFyQCHoWYXD_swrDn0DNqQSFf9FXypfUfSBZ37LWwYGwHA1kBy3BbYGgyWzRlZFNQyypfHvt-5bJ5bQjAOWSGly5hVOthb5niyz0spCohDE_pgDBQtd5zZ/s1600/nnashville+rock%252Cnroll+041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2JEU267sR-4yHIYVPCtrR9twFyQCHoWYXD_swrDn0DNqQSFf9FXypfUfSBZ37LWwYGwHA1kBy3BbYGgyWzRlZFNQyypfHvt-5bJ5bQjAOWSGly5hVOthb5niyz0spCohDE_pgDBQtd5zZ/s400/nnashville+rock%252Cnroll+041.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> That may just look like a crowd, but that's a small portion of the porta-potty line. It was crazy!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">I seem to have a way of ending up in Corral 4 every time! There were about 35 corrals, so I was happy to be decently close to the front and avoid terrible crowds. The corrals were still packed, but I think the start of the course was wider than the corrals so I never felt like I couldn't run at my own pace. But let me say, people around me were fast! I went out pretty conservatively since I'd only done one brief 3 mile run since Dismal Swamp Stomp and the foot adventures. Once I started running though, I was feeling good! My foot wasn't perfect, and around mile 3 I started to get some painful twinges that had me nervous. But they seemed to fade away and it really only hurt when I was pivoting around corners. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggo7X1ymBBsY_H7gJOh36SWWUHxnAtUtEiut_xybLai20hZYeYtdLTqaaw-lWVEaLxO5KCETumqFZqhw0n83M1sj2C84p4uOxo4sBoJ7G7t3yWst_B21_-pkzAPUd9Ng3mA8jzjjTZQHEB/s1600/nnashville+rock%252Cnroll+049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggo7X1ymBBsY_H7gJOh36SWWUHxnAtUtEiut_xybLai20hZYeYtdLTqaaw-lWVEaLxO5KCETumqFZqhw0n83M1sj2C84p4uOxo4sBoJ7G7t3yWst_B21_-pkzAPUd9Ng3mA8jzjjTZQHEB/s400/nnashville+rock%252Cnroll+049.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> It's like a game of "Where's Waldo", except with me instead of Waldo. Hint: I'm behind the guy in the striped shirt.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was a gorgeous day but a little bit hot, and around mile 7 or so I started to get worried that I was going to hit my infamous "wall" that had appeared in the last two races. On race day, you should never do anything you haven't done in training - never wear a new outfit, never use anything new, and never eat anything you haven't eaten in training. Well, I had never tried a sports drink during a run. I calculated the risks - having an upset stomach from the sports drink, or getting too exhausted from the heat, and decided to give the Cytomax (like Gatorade) a try at the water spot. Guess what? I did fine! I had barely any since I still haven't mastered the running-while-drinking-out-of-a-small-paper-cup routine, but it must have been enough because I was rockin' now. And I decided to try some GU gel and had no problems again. It was a risk, but so worth it. And though I felt like the race never stopped being hilly, they were rolling hills, and I seemed to handle them well. The constant crowds and cheering got my spirits high and kept my feet going.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNE_pHIM8E5wDO9BS11MxFh88_GU4AQh7jnheSJAdFDS4uRUeC8gpx9v3uUajMyAfmLUrbErZEwve1UErtza1UbpUk1nRItmu4uR-8qSlGaBuqmGY_krcJZ69Aa6MD4J-JYOX6cV9bBt4Q/s1600/nnashville+rock%252Cnroll+067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNE_pHIM8E5wDO9BS11MxFh88_GU4AQh7jnheSJAdFDS4uRUeC8gpx9v3uUajMyAfmLUrbErZEwve1UErtza1UbpUk1nRItmu4uR-8qSlGaBuqmGY_krcJZ69Aa6MD4J-JYOX6cV9bBt4Q/s400/nnashville+rock%252Cnroll+067.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>This race included about 30,000 of my closest friends</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">I cruised to the finish feeling great. Certainly not my best time (1:49:41), but given the difficulty of the course and my foot problems going in, I couldn't be happier. I saw my dad almost immediately at the finish, and he stayed parallel to me (outside of the runner gated area) as I got my medal, got ice on my foot, and got the plentiful amounts of food and water and Cytomax <span style="background-color: white;"></span>at the finish. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIuQr4lLpu645-xF8RIYuscv3CV7Z1yAESDtwKGa6S7xu0y1WDM_SwOOYt_HVtloPd6jxRrLc8bM-ubt2U_wtxYMYIGWhqO-jTmilAIOlGr6BVsGa57DzdSwd1sED-bC24INQ0xRV7ziG/s1600/nnashville+rock%252Cnroll+088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIuQr4lLpu645-xF8RIYuscv3CV7Z1yAESDtwKGa6S7xu0y1WDM_SwOOYt_HVtloPd6jxRrLc8bM-ubt2U_wtxYMYIGWhqO-jTmilAIOlGr6BVsGa57DzdSwd1sED-bC24INQ0xRV7ziG/s400/nnashville+rock%252Cnroll+088.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span id="goog_304392898"></span>Then we went over and they had ice baths for your feet. Can I just say that this is the greatest idea ever? Made my feet feel so good! And we saw Matt, who I hadn't seen until that point in the race. <span id="goog_304392899"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsC6JGcdROLIasgxMAY2qWFAQbwcB1DSGHx0a3BBWSQz-yB71C3SMpMZGUZX9-jK6xcF1_xQsgFcZ8_uslqylL5eiVPrDuIYS7wk8gZu9JesIwLT1usNGsbE6jzxw3DWfsg7Zz7wm6tAU/s1600/nnashville+rock%252Cnroll+095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsC6JGcdROLIasgxMAY2qWFAQbwcB1DSGHx0a3BBWSQz-yB71C3SMpMZGUZX9-jK6xcF1_xQsgFcZ8_uslqylL5eiVPrDuIYS7wk8gZu9JesIwLT1usNGsbE6jzxw3DWfsg7Zz7wm6tAU/s400/nnashville+rock%252Cnroll+095.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The most wonderful ice bath ever, and my traditional call to Mom to tell her that we're one step closer to kicking psoriatic arthritis' butt.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Then we went over to the celebration area and enjoyed our complimentary finisher's beers and music for awhile. Overall, just a really fun finish to a race.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIANSrNyWhm7LKfFDf5ufYFi9xPPs2mUo6yg_Wzua0W2xWtyXhLqqa7W4ncvgNJjv3FnTvUoF8QBxjRxAaIbQ_9ft48E_EfYXL1gCaAgxtkCLkYTJpbpdnspjwm5uuJ8jn0ztY2ISae6oV/s1600/DSC06392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIANSrNyWhm7LKfFDf5ufYFi9xPPs2mUo6yg_Wzua0W2xWtyXhLqqa7W4ncvgNJjv3FnTvUoF8QBxjRxAaIbQ_9ft48E_EfYXL1gCaAgxtkCLkYTJpbpdnspjwm5uuJ8jn0ztY2ISae6oV/s400/DSC06392.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjym6r1i-UNCFqZVecBMBLydU53u2QTyhe-V7bTVY3EpxcE15uZUviGOaa9mLcne6biA56CO3b7Ak4YfWDk5rVV2eTqqkaS97FAamB3bbh_Q6NeDVObLXz19GX0dqlVL_bo6YlotrkqQ7Ok/s1600/DSC06386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjym6r1i-UNCFqZVecBMBLydU53u2QTyhe-V7bTVY3EpxcE15uZUviGOaa9mLcne6biA56CO3b7Ak4YfWDk5rVV2eTqqkaS97FAamB3bbh_Q6NeDVObLXz19GX0dqlVL_bo6YlotrkqQ7Ok/s400/DSC06386.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">And the medal? Fantastic!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-q_BUOdZLCbgQIeYZ9YDRoGepgqS2PADVgcCKh9RAO2Ng3jloG6cKLWFYeD4rl7hnwrituYfejQ8VG-OssDZY2FNhOkcITpEW-nw5MYAhamwJyjFhl0lMBOlgLLMYiHqB9GbxhJBH3bY/s1600/IMG_0130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-q_BUOdZLCbgQIeYZ9YDRoGepgqS2PADVgcCKh9RAO2Ng3jloG6cKLWFYeD4rl7hnwrituYfejQ8VG-OssDZY2FNhOkcITpEW-nw5MYAhamwJyjFhl0lMBOlgLLMYiHqB9GbxhJBH3bY/s400/IMG_0130.JPG" width="297" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">We spent the rest of Saturday to Monday enjoying Nashville. Saw Montgomery Gentry (free concert for finishers), saw lots of great live musicians, walked around the Vanderbilt campus, saw the parks, enjoyed the view by the waterfront, relaxed, and talked.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauV2iFC8M_Vb6621LhG-9mw1mqEEs4MY9buusA_2Pbu6IdrZRZ4ZNKUOHu14qIKyAlNRxbD92Ylz9d4x1MhBSxV7NdSUDEazY9M6RvX8MvN8lBmIR31UFR3ruNbtRFoSX7iWqIiAPgN66/s1600/IMG_0132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauV2iFC8M_Vb6621LhG-9mw1mqEEs4MY9buusA_2Pbu6IdrZRZ4ZNKUOHu14qIKyAlNRxbD92Ylz9d4x1MhBSxV7NdSUDEazY9M6RvX8MvN8lBmIR31UFR3ruNbtRFoSX7iWqIiAPgN66/s400/IMG_0132.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRfnc7YNCqjbCd_uvKjTTu3N0Qge59Y5zsmy4MAN-djDzoFiZdMmEP6L6Jg39hjaFwVi5LPHw866gFgznOGrLCvSDwEk2-k2UNgkiFeTwM6aSiHTg0gzfATpsF3FQMs3lXiHeg_r_ZR26/s1600/DSC06438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRfnc7YNCqjbCd_uvKjTTu3N0Qge59Y5zsmy4MAN-djDzoFiZdMmEP6L6Jg39hjaFwVi5LPHw866gFgznOGrLCvSDwEk2-k2UNgkiFeTwM6aSiHTg0gzfATpsF3FQMs3lXiHeg_r_ZR26/s400/DSC06438.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">I wish Mom had been feeling well enough to come to Nashville, but I enjoyed spending some time with Dad. If you haven't picked up on it by now, both of my parents are just amazing people and I'm so lucky to have them in my life. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86pifcV-ppHXhEz1EAI1dWdMJygnYM2rWNLDDIROsIZAPjhNAlmxOv9vVa5BAq9G7ajYgrYlWTxjIjTtwJeBXOZWpUvPtNF1SykWeLVugJn2tK3eskLSGcz3Tf1lbfVjczxbbX6fjbeR9/s1600/DSC06479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86pifcV-ppHXhEz1EAI1dWdMJygnYM2rWNLDDIROsIZAPjhNAlmxOv9vVa5BAq9G7ajYgrYlWTxjIjTtwJeBXOZWpUvPtNF1SykWeLVugJn2tK3eskLSGcz3Tf1lbfVjczxbbX6fjbeR9/s400/DSC06479.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><i>When you're in Nashville, you have to take stupid tourist pictures like this, right?!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">As for the foot? Well, it's not 100%, but I'd say 95%. The night before the race, Doctor Dad checked it out and still got me to practically kick him from the pain. Yet somehow after the race, it was much less painful. I guess I'm just meant to run!<br />
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So far, the races I have expected to be the toughest have been the best and vice versa. Go figure. Yay for race #5!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNQg3ajC7P5Ng8T14JdBGkV86THn6uBPGXOUCcIY9BpKlMPFIcxkG-3uBs4YQS48z0IIox0AuahMnprqlnDKAgb2DjPnavupnTE71lP3hIIq585xGaP2ZX_Pm-RGiWOjdeHrmjrItTf1m/s1600/DSC06473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNQg3ajC7P5Ng8T14JdBGkV86THn6uBPGXOUCcIY9BpKlMPFIcxkG-3uBs4YQS48z0IIox0AuahMnprqlnDKAgb2DjPnavupnTE71lP3hIIq585xGaP2ZX_Pm-RGiWOjdeHrmjrItTf1m/s400/DSC06473.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Don't you think Adam would have looked great if I'd bought this for him? </span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-79096151524841977982011-04-26T18:09:00.000-07:002011-04-27T05:25:18.672-07:00Pre-race Update<div style="background-color: orange; text-align: center;"><a href="http://walk.psoriasis.org/site/TR/2011Walks/WalktoCurePsoriasis?team_id=16761&pg=team&fr_id=1800"><span style="font-size: large;">11, 12, 13 Challenge Official Donation Page - click here!</span></a> </div>I gotta say, I'm mad at my foot. I coddled it. I tried really ugly shoe things and braces and taping it in ways that made it hard to walk. I didn't run for awhile. Yet still, the foot isn't quite where I was hoping by now. It's not bad at all, but I'm still limping a bit. I did a very short run for the first time yesterday, and it seemed to be okay for awhile before I started to get some really sharp pain, so I stopped. Doctor Dad checked it out when I went home last weekend, and thinks I pulled a ligament in my foot (which he found when I practically kicked him because it hurt!). The great news is it should recover fine and it's not at all serious. But in the short term, I gotta go easy on it.<br />
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So here's the plan. I'll still be heading to Nashville on Friday no matter what for Rock N Roll Country Music (Half) Marathon. I've got a great trip planned - why would I want to miss that? I'm planning to complete the half marathon - maybe jogging, maybe walking, who knows. I checked it out, and the course time limit is four hours, so unless it REALLY starts hurting I should be able to at least limp my way to the finish. And if somehow I can't finish, so be it. There's plenty more months to complete my twelve races. I will be there excited that the Challenge has encouraged me to see a city I've always wanted to visit. And if we're lucky, we'll get to share the story of what we're doing and spread some hope to a few people who just might need it.<br />
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I've also realized maybe I should take some of my races easier. I have twelve races, right? So maybe some are jogs, while some are still races. My body needs time to heal and recover. The whole point of this is to be doing good things for my mom, not hurt myself. It will not be easy to not give it anything less than 100%, but I will learn. It's just another (awesome!) challenge.Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6920591312101388152.post-83890411998548124572011-04-21T19:16:00.000-07:002011-05-17T20:26:43.680-07:00Stomping through the Dismal Swamp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2pKXIkI3mM8GO-WHh331jyym-O5cv4qUKpiWNGhZbNIZgjAm99qwb0qxcuajLkP0aIPIOTzRArjuRMWSJLA73wHS4064qGL1aC4l9dyu0AW4xqv5JQ8Pv6mqsX2Rk9gN-E5BCLWrlTia/s1600/IMGP0095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: orange; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://walk.psoriasis.org/site/TR?team_id=16761&fr_id=1800&pg=team" style="background-color: orange;">11, 12, 13 Challenge Official Donation Page - click here!</a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2pKXIkI3mM8GO-WHh331jyym-O5cv4qUKpiWNGhZbNIZgjAm99qwb0qxcuajLkP0aIPIOTzRArjuRMWSJLA73wHS4064qGL1aC4l9dyu0AW4xqv5JQ8Pv6mqsX2Rk9gN-E5BCLWrlTia/s1600/IMGP0095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2pKXIkI3mM8GO-WHh331jyym-O5cv4qUKpiWNGhZbNIZgjAm99qwb0qxcuajLkP0aIPIOTzRArjuRMWSJLA73wHS4064qGL1aC4l9dyu0AW4xqv5JQ8Pv6mqsX2Rk9gN-E5BCLWrlTia/s400/IMGP0095.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkALsuHS1hPVHRONYJUqaOwoaype_ap2IQGH1vFapVfAV9nnP7hOnY6lroiwf1w83NkeF3QAeiezsrrdAUqPX7FVBToMxDpGXDfIeJlcjWiNHkQVt7Q5A3LFBwpUB0As-PdSOOb5TTZj8/s1600/IMGP0096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkALsuHS1hPVHRONYJUqaOwoaype_ap2IQGH1vFapVfAV9nnP7hOnY6lroiwf1w83NkeF3QAeiezsrrdAUqPX7FVBToMxDpGXDfIeJlcjWiNHkQVt7Q5A3LFBwpUB0As-PdSOOb5TTZj8/s400/IMGP0096.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> It was a gutsy move. But as they say, no guts no glory - and for me, no regrets. After my finish time at National, I was so curious to see if I could repeat it. So as I found a place to start at the Dismal Swamp Stomp, I noticed a guy holding a 1:45:00 pace group sign. This essentially means he would plan to run the race at exactly 8 min/miles and help guide runners to a 1:45 finish. This was a pretty optimistic goal, but I decided to start with that group and see what happened.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUUjBDI7qw4moMsVjxbnTYND7SH2UtsAfvKlTno0AEzjdYoyz17Osq7hKu0OP7PDmQKa6VvpeQNjy-tCer3c_foXCIexONgQF1Sxj6ABpwxAl8usLkVhz90YWaGOyMCO6qIn5bhc8Lnbh/s1600/DSC06344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUUjBDI7qw4moMsVjxbnTYND7SH2UtsAfvKlTno0AEzjdYoyz17Osq7hKu0OP7PDmQKa6VvpeQNjy-tCer3c_foXCIexONgQF1Sxj6ABpwxAl8usLkVhz90YWaGOyMCO6qIn5bhc8Lnbh/s400/DSC06344.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIXRhW9dfVdvAewpbeqVhOvb0votPZZhwQPwpWf_PB5xQC_-iWjgnjimG_U0oluMYmDo862K8Nk82Fb36ICO_h535vpgylf2G20y9vaWHcLvCbPAf0RJkKq0Ntpe0dd2klkVDlhAvyvHD/s1600/DSC06345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIXRhW9dfVdvAewpbeqVhOvb0votPZZhwQPwpWf_PB5xQC_-iWjgnjimG_U0oluMYmDo862K8Nk82Fb36ICO_h535vpgylf2G20y9vaWHcLvCbPAf0RJkKq0Ntpe0dd2klkVDlhAvyvHD/s400/DSC06345.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Me near the start (I'm in the pink shorts)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span> </div>I was doing great in the beginning! I even got a little bit ahead of them for awhile. I'm not quite sure how that happened, but by the time I noticed I had lost them I was already far enough ahead to just stay where I was. But then I just hit a wall, something that I think most runners will say has happened to them at least once in a race. I'm not sure exactly what caused it, but it was getting a bit windy, it was warmer than any other race I've run so far (which isn't saying a lot), and very humid. Those horrible storms with tornadoes were starting to roll in, and even though we beat them, it was still a little bit intimidating for fear the rain would start.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEH230RnoHS01ENCIczAhuZrtx9m-J9-2rPy2n0y-uZph9km8gBn90knjVGVmzL_LlX8KFliyVpRci8WfuEXxq7DcrG6VIUdec0kruZHkO-zcxtevw9YfFvgkPi8h2ZYLit1mbOg1Bun_7/s1600/IMGP0124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEH230RnoHS01ENCIczAhuZrtx9m-J9-2rPy2n0y-uZph9km8gBn90knjVGVmzL_LlX8KFliyVpRci8WfuEXxq7DcrG6VIUdec0kruZHkO-zcxtevw9YfFvgkPi8h2ZYLit1mbOg1Bun_7/s400/IMGP0124.JPG" width="300" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">That's the clock time. My official time was 1:48:31, which is very exciting! </span></div>By the time I made it to the finish, I was pretty rough - to the extent that I attracted the attention of the medical team and struggled to stand. Ouch. I told them I was fine and eventually got a little laugh out of them when I was asked how I felt and responded with "like I just ran a half marathon." And my parents were there to greet me at the end! I had these tshirts made and the three of us all wore them (though i raced in an Under Armour wicking shirt). It's so cool to get to see my mom enjoying the challenge and seeing how much we care about her. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIV7r-R_sq3QbvbmTllr09XO_zNxTGBKWsB7r59wtbCID06LNsGEmhAj2ZSbiojllM7c6AXABYtmHz1QGfrjmX0cTCpwXOJiWdLI8oYsm_LNFitbADLhgqk0-uS_INTQltOp4hz4_8Pku0/s1600/IMGP0097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIV7r-R_sq3QbvbmTllr09XO_zNxTGBKWsB7r59wtbCID06LNsGEmhAj2ZSbiojllM7c6AXABYtmHz1QGfrjmX0cTCpwXOJiWdLI8oYsm_LNFitbADLhgqk0-uS_INTQltOp4hz4_8Pku0/s400/IMGP0097.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Some of you are probably saying that this challenge isn't about time, and you're right. Because for you, it's not. I'd hope the people reading this blog will be just as excited to help cure psoriatic arthritis if I run a 6 minute mile or a 12 minute mile. But for me, it's a way to prove that I'm trying and all these efforts are worth it. As the April to June race schedule gets crazy, I'll probably decide to take them easier. But this was very fun to push myself. Don't you all know by now that I like a good challenge?<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOqSv2KX77PE072xJ0RWhD5RmdvZxqG4gnXv4xae3PJSGalpsGEoY4Rm9WLcc_WVAMXNqo_FLvl-jNYg3CdX9qt4ei_N0tYdOI6__ZGup4lu_sgmYGQLAm1eCW7jtvqZ2lrs17dSoFFYa/s1600/IMG_0110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOqSv2KX77PE072xJ0RWhD5RmdvZxqG4gnXv4xae3PJSGalpsGEoY4Rm9WLcc_WVAMXNqo_FLvl-jNYg3CdX9qt4ei_N0tYdOI6__ZGup4lu_sgmYGQLAm1eCW7jtvqZ2lrs17dSoFFYa/s400/IMG_0110.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The only slightly bad news: about an hour after the race, I went to put weight on my right foot and felt horrible pain. After hobbling around for a few days, I decided to be safe and went to an urgent care center to get an X-ray. The good news is my foot looks perfectly fine and I should be good to run Nashville on April 30. They did give me this lovely shoe to help keep my foot flat and let it recover. I'm taking some time off from running right now, but I usually do that anyway after a race so it's not a big deal. Then I'll be back better than ever!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2V1Luc94u_Bzf6NzA8e6JLG6cQtQX_k0tyKIToTZaIrj_K_BZUQUmglsva2eqD_LaiP_uBZ4wpuNL3t0-aL56mABRiSkNABn7_71MktVPhAZ9BzkHl3KENHcI_784ixb_IizgPyIhHj3/s1600/DSC06357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2V1Luc94u_Bzf6NzA8e6JLG6cQtQX_k0tyKIToTZaIrj_K_BZUQUmglsva2eqD_LaiP_uBZ4wpuNL3t0-aL56mABRiSkNABn7_71MktVPhAZ9BzkHl3KENHcI_784ixb_IizgPyIhHj3/s400/DSC06357.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>I hadn't been home since December, so it was great to spend a weekend in Virginia Beach. My parents and I had so much fun, and I ate all my favorite foods, which I'm ashamed to admit includes Bojangles. Really though, how can you not love it? I love DC, but I'll always have a huge love for my hometown and cherish the weekends I get to visit.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5aerFiT3xnD3CpSrVn7yfu68zunZmBcmLGSpLimM0-mIUT58FksJ2fmWML1oGhOoZK1aKfY7YMnhq4UGo6mw2VY2zlM5C7yXLKZOjEw9m_115nzK-MSZlcHvcQ9ueov0EKXr1jBTiW5V/s1600/IMG_0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5aerFiT3xnD3CpSrVn7yfu68zunZmBcmLGSpLimM0-mIUT58FksJ2fmWML1oGhOoZK1aKfY7YMnhq4UGo6mw2VY2zlM5C7yXLKZOjEw9m_115nzK-MSZlcHvcQ9ueov0EKXr1jBTiW5V/s400/IMG_0109.JPG" width="297" /></a></div>There will be more posts to follow specifically about this, but wow. My friends are great. We have raised almost a thousand dollars already, which will match to two thousand dollars! Please keep spreading the word and following us on Twitter and Facebook. My next race is April 30 in Nashville, so if you happen to be running it or have advice let me know.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5X7uBqnDzi0tHccWIvLinWH2KPy_ZctU_2QB8UiGwZzGYnfAZCelNXTKPNfgK2a5Quo8kWTN0praFJS53yagg67zED7TJGiqezJlzdL1jE4neGcEHZIaicZGUQXDqwrgzMGBF8GqceGtU/s1600/DSC06360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5X7uBqnDzi0tHccWIvLinWH2KPy_ZctU_2QB8UiGwZzGYnfAZCelNXTKPNfgK2a5Quo8kWTN0praFJS53yagg67zED7TJGiqezJlzdL1jE4neGcEHZIaicZGUQXDqwrgzMGBF8GqceGtU/s400/DSC06360.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072339684711084645noreply@blogger.com1