Christy

The first thing I want to do this week is thank my generous friends and family for their donations!

• Karena, thank you so much for your donation. It meant the world to me! I am so happy to have met  your through the Sisterhood, and I can’t wait to meet you next January in Florida! I’ll be there!
• My fantastic inlaws, Joyce and Mark, also gave me a generous donation this week!
• My friend Angie, who lost her 18 year old son Wesley to leukemia donated as well. I met Angie years ago when I was part of a nation-wide Light the Night team for LLS. I spent time with them when they were in Houston staying at the Ronald McDonald House while Wesley received treatments at MD Anderson. Lisa and I even helped organize a prom for Wesley since he missed his high school prom due to being in Houston on treatment. It’s definitely a night I will NEVER forget. Music, food, dancing, tuxedos, prom dresses, decorations, friends and family – he had it all. Angie is such a beautiful and amazing woman, and while her son Wesley is no longer with us, his light continues to shine.

Week 3 of my Virtual Team in Training is done with a total of 13 miles logged! The weather was much improved over last week, although is was a bit cold and windy. No rain, though! Molly was back in the saddle and joined me for a couple of my runs, but was still limping afterwards. The medicine the vet prescribed is definitely helping, and I hope the running will help strengthen her hip and knees. It breaks my heart when I have to leave her at home, because she stands at the door and whines to go with me.

On Monday I did the planned 30 minute run, and since Brian was home, I was able to go it alone. Despite the freezing temps, it was an awesome run. Logged 3.15 miles with an average pace of 9:31.

Tuesday was a rest day, and much needed. I spent the day getting my fundraising email and letters together.

Wednesday I hit the gym for the second time armed with my weights training program from Coach Joe. I started out with a mile on the Precor eliptical, and I’m sure I looked hilarious since I’d never been on one before! Felt like I was going to fly off it for the first few minutes, and then finally got my bearings, and cranked out a mile. I moved on to the weights and since I’m not familiar with any of the gym equipment, a trainer took pity on me and took me on a tour of all the machines I needed to use. She made sure I knew how to use all of them before I got started, and also recommended I only do 3 sets of 10 reps as opposed to the 20 reps Coach Joe prescribed (boy was I glad, because I could hardly move the next day!). Finished off my time at the gym with a quick mile on the treadmill.

Thursday was my tempo run, and as usual, the hardest. The purpose of the tempo run is to help build up your endurance as well as improve on your pace, so you alternate with sprints and easy timed intervals for 3.5 miles. The winds were sustained at over 20MPH and the gusts were over 30MPH. Pushing the jogging stroller into the wind made it feel like I was actually moving backwards, but I pushed through (pun intended) and made it in 37 minutes.

Friday I joined in the Shrinking Jeans Olympics and hammered out a quick mile (not part of my training) as part of the team 4-mile relay event. I really wanted to push and see if I could sprint for an entire mile, so I ran hard and fast. I really surprised myself and finished in 8:00. WOW! After the run, I packed up the kiddos and we headed to Austin to hang out with Lisa for some scrapbooking and more running!

Saturday was the scheduled day for our 4-mile long run, but we rested instead. On Sunday Lisa did her run early, and then watched all the kiddos so Amanda and I could do the 4-miler together at a nearby trail. It was fantastic to run with someone who’s on our Virtual Team in Training! We took it easy and talked the entire time, which made the 42:00 minutes seem to fly. Makes me wish I lived closer to some of my team mates so we could get together every weekend for our long runs.

I am so excited about running. When I signed up for VTNT, I was nervous about the mileage we’d have to run each week, but the program is truly amazing. Having a schedule with prescribed runs takes all the guesswork out and is truly comforting. Coach Joe does an amazing job communicating with us, and answering numerous email questions. The conference calls we have really bring us together as a team, since we are all spread out across the nation, and our emails and group message board really help us bond. I cannot even begin to describe how excited I am to meet each and every one of my 18 team mates in San Diego on June 6th. It’s going to be a huge Team Shrinking Jeans hug.

One thing that surprised me this week was how I felt as I received notifications of donations to my online account. My heart would literally skip as I opened the page to see who had donated, and my reaction was different each time. It truly warms my heart to know that I have the support of my family and friends in this endeavor. Not just the support for my training, but the support for my fundraising, which will do so much for so many people affected by blood cancers. Thank you again, Karena, Joyce & Mark, and Angie. I truly appreciate your support.

If you would like to make a donation, click here. Anything you can give is so appreciated.

I have week 1 of my Virtual Team in Training under my belt! WOOT!

Miles run: 8.01

We started out with our team conference call on the 30th, where we heard from Coach Joe, Julie (from the LLS), and Shannon (our fundraising mentor). It was an awesome call! I was actually shopping at Walmart with my daughter when I took the call, and there were several times I had to pull my cart over so I could laugh, and I even shed a few tears. I wanted to shout out about how excited I was to be part of something so amazing, but I think people already thought I was a little nuts.

On Sunday (1/31), I began my training with my first official run of 3 miles. Lisa was here visiting, so we took turns watching the kids so we could run alone. That 1st run, without a doubt, was my best run ever. Not just from a physical standpoint, but from a mental standpoint as well. All I could think about was how amazing this journey would be. I thought about Allie, I though about my Paw Paw, who was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia 2 years ago. I thought about everyone diagnosed with blood cancers, and cancer in general, who have to fight and endure chemotherapy, radiation, and the terrible side effects that come with treatment. I thought about Team Shrinking Jeans, all 18 of us, and what we’re doing. It’s HUGE. I thought about all the amazing support we’re receiving from the Sisterhood, and before I knew it, my 3 miles were done, and I wanted to keep running so I could think some more.

Although the weather was bad this past week, with lots of rain, and some flooding, amazingly enough, the sun was shining on the days of my runs. Perfect. The tempo run was the hardest, because you alternate between running at an easy pace, with running all out for 2 minutes at a time. You have to run at a pace you can maintain for the full 2 minutes, and that day I was running with the jogging stroller and Mia, so it was a little tricky, but I did it and felt a huge sense of accomplishment afterwards. I was also very sweaty and gross!

This week I will continue to follow my training schedule, and will even stop by the gym in Kerrville (which is 70 miles away!) to look into buying a pass so I can visit once a week for some weight training. I also plan to finish up my fundraising letter and get it in the mail, because in addition to training, I have to raise $2900 and as a team, we will be raising $51,800 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

New iTunes downloads this week:

• Save the Last Dance – Michael Buble
• Empire State of Mind – Jay Z with Alicia Keys
• Lean on Me – Bill Withers

Songs that gave me what I needed this week:

• Lose Yourself – Eminem <–have you ever listened to the words? It’s a really, really powerful song and the beat keeps my feet moving.

January 29, 2001

Dear Christy,

Grab a cup of coffee before you read this letter, because right now, as you write this letter, it’s cold and rainy and you’re enjoying a cup of coffee. Mia’s napping and the house is quiet…..

Congratulations on an awesome year. Two thousand and ten was really your year, and I’m so proud of everything you accomplished!

The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans has become an amazing place. The support you’ve given and received, and the connections you’ve made over the past year are something you should really be proud of. You’ve touched so many people and changed the way people look at weight-loss and fitness, and the site continues to grow and touch more people than you can imagine!

I’m proud to say that you FINALLY reached your weight-loss goal, too. Yes, you finally did it! WOOHOOO! I know you struggled to get here, but just wait until you see your rock hard abs, girl. You’ll be really impressed with your HOT self, and realize that all the hard work was SO worth it. You are lean and mean now, hooker. Okay, not really mean, but you know what I’m saying.

About that first 1/2 marathon, you ROCKED it girl. I know you had your doubts and you were nervous about being able to keep up with training because of the whole ‘training with a jogging stroller’ issue, but you did it! Not only did you kick ass with the training, but you kicked ass with the fundraising. Your personal fundraising exceeded your goals, and the corporate sponsorships were more than you could hope for! Team Shrinking Jeans really made a huge difference in the lives of so many people touched by blood cancers.

When you arrived in San Diego in early June, you were met by all of your Sisters and it was such an emotional time. The whole weekend was, really. You had all done this together and were about to complete your goal. Running 13.1 miles. As you ran, you looked back on how far you had come, and you looked ahead to where you wanted to go next. As you crossed the finish line, you were a hot mess, but YOU DID IT, and you did way better than you thought you would. I’m so proud of you for not giving up and for following through with your goal.

Also, you had an amazing time with your hookers that weekend. Just wait and see! You cemented the friendships with all these wonderful ladies, and the friendships will last a lifetime.

After the 1/2, you didn’t stop there! Remember that other goal that’s in the back of you mind right now? The goal of running a 5K with BJ? Well, you’re going to do that to. You’ll train with BJ over the summer, and the 2 of you will run a 5K together, and when you cross the finish line, it’s the best day of your life. Well, close the best day. You will be so proud of how BJ does. He’s amazing, that boy of ours. And that 5k? It will be a turning point in his life as well. It will only be the start for him. He’s working on developing a lifetime love of running, and it’s all because of you!

What about Mia, you might be asking? Well, she’s 3 now. HOLY COW. I know you’re asking, ‘when did that happen!?’ Well, she’s growing into a fine little girl. A little girl who loves to workout and oh how badly she wants to run. She’s ready to bust out of that jogging stroller and hit the ground running! She’s learning so much from you. You are totally achieving your goals of instilling a love for healthy living in your kids. ROCK ON!

I know you’re sitting there right now, pondering whether or not to register for that Disney 1/2 marathon….Well, you just finished FINISHED it, girl. WOOOOHOOOOO! You rocked it, too. You totally blew you first 1/2 marathon time out of the water, and having your friends AND family there when you crossed the finish line was just the icing on the cake. You’re going big places, girl. BIG!

There are so many other wonderful things that are going to happen this year. So many victories. You will have the most amazing year. I do want to tell you one thing though. Slow down. Enjoy each of those victories. Soak them in, and OWN them, because you worked hard for them. You need to acknowledge each setback, too, because there will be a couple. You’ll get past them though, trust me, and as you get past them you’ll grow so much.

So right now, finish up that coffee, fill up your water bottle and get moving. Two thousand and eleven is looking to be an even busier year! Lots of races to run and people to inspire. There’s no stopping you.

Love,
Christy

p.s. Go fill up your water bottle now!