Hanging with my baby!

Today was my day of rest! My knees still aching a little from yesterday's run, so glad the calendar says give it a rest today.

Went to Orlando and hung out with my eldest son Jacob. Had lunch at Bahama Breeze and then went and saw the movie "Looper". I miss having him around more. Days like these are really nice.

Now, back home and need to finish laundry. Tomorrow it's back to training.

Beautiful Morning Run!

Leisha and I started out early this morning - 6:30 am. But even starting that early didn't save us from the humidity. It was sticky from the start, but when we started over the bridge seeing the big full moon setting was pretty nice. Glad we started when we did by the time we were finishing up our 7 miles, the sun had come up and was already beating down hard. Surprisingly, there wasn't hardly any ocean breeze coming our way.

We did stop at the Sunrise Diner though and had a great breakfast after the run. Leisha - kudos for picking a great course to run this morning.

Weird how photos from my phone don't upload properly. They always look right on my computer, but when I load to my pages, they come out like this - upside down. Hmmm?

Best laid plans - ha

Well, I've been so busy answering emails and checking up on things my plan to do crafting all day went out the window. I have got to find me some time to get some crafts made. I have the Cocoa Village Craft Fair coming up and if I don't get going, I'm not going to have anything to sell. And, since all proceeds go the Leukemia & Lymphoma Soc. I need to get busy.

Birds!

So while out running my miles today, I went into the park and there they were. Birds - all lined up along the fence next to the playground. Normally, I wouldn't have noticed, but having just seen Alfred Hitchcock's "Birds" on the big screen last week, it was a little eerie!

Even spookier is the fact that I can't figure out why this loaded the picture upside down. It does display that way when I open on the computer, but when I loaded it here, upside down. Very strange

And the rain came down!

So, we had our group training this morning. And, then before we could even finish with our warm up, the rain started coming down. It actually felt pretty good - except for the squishy, wet shoes. I hate running with wet shoes and socks. But, about three miles into the run, the rain let up and by the 4th mile it had pretty much gone away. The last 3 miles felt pretty good actually because the rain cooled the air down and the humidity didn't feel too bad.

Hope we don't have too many of these kinds of runs though, as I do not like being soaked the entire run, especially when we get into our longer miles. Today's mileage was only 7. If it had been the 20 miler, it would have really sucked.

So, now it's time to relax, maybe grab a Bud Light. Sunday will be my day of rest.

Keep running folks:

Remember my mantra: Run with Purpose, Walk with Passion, Race for a cure!

Bridge Run!

Leisha and I got our miles in this morning. Up and over the bridge we go. The humidity was about to kill me, but we made it.

Met an Osceola County fireman that was also training for the Disney Marathon weekend. It's a small world! Sorry, couldn't resist that one.

Team is doing great with our fundraising. If you'd like to see us reach our goals, visit my website and make a donation. Go Team!! http://pages.teamintraining.org/ncfl/wdw13/RunDisney

Go Endeavor!

Out getting my short run in today and as I looked up, I witnessed the Shuttle flying overhead, catching it's piggy-back ride to its new home. It's an amazing sight for anyone who has never seen the shuttle up-close. Hope a lot of other people stopped and took a minute to be still. I hoped they also thought about where Endeavor has been and will go no more. Sure praying that we will continue a space program and explore "where no man has gone before". Corny I know, but so true.

Back to my current mission. Training for my race for a cure! That's right, remember, all of my training is for a purpose. Sure, I get the benefit of being healthy, but I want to help others enjoy better lives because of what I'm doing with Team In Training. Raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Their mission is simple: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services. The key priorities are to help blood cancer patients live better and longer lived.

The LLS is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization as defined by the IRS and therefore your donation would be 100% tax deductible. Won't you please help by making a donation today? Visit my website at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ncfl/wdw13/RunDisney

Man - What is going on?

What the heck is going on? I am so tired. I try to get a good night's sleep, go to bed early, etc. but I'm dragging! Guess it's time to go back to the doctor and get the thyroid checked again. I'd been doing so well, plenty of energy and then BAM I'm exhausted and can't seem to get going. It's going to be hard to get out and do training today, but since I missed yesterday, I need to get it done.

More to come . . .

Fishlips Fun!

Saturday was a busy day! Up at 4 AM to head down to Melbourne for training run with TNT, followed by a M.E.L.T. session. Then home to clean up and straight to Fishlips for our Football Season Kick-Off Party and Silent Auction. Had a great turn out and a lot of fun. The team did an awesome job getting items together for the silent auction. The 50/50 Raffle went well too! The winner walked away with $277 and so did The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Leisha and I arrived to set up around 11:30 am and got home about 9:00 pm. Whew - it was a tiring day, but well worth it.

Below are some photos from event.

Training - Hmmm

So didn't make my training run on Monday, kids home. Tuesday I did go out and manage to get a few miles in and then today I had to skip because one of the kids is running a temp and had to keep her home. Tonight we'll be continuing to help with the State's project and trying to come up with an idea for the stupid mandatory science fair project. Can't say that I like this time of year much. Oh well, things could be a lot worse.

Don't forget why I'm running and sweating and training. I'm doing the Walt Disney World Marathon in January for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Donate today please:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ncfl/wdw13/RunDisney

Look at the time, gotta go and pick up my son! Later . . .

Today - Day of Rest, well sort of . . .

Yesterday - training with the team. Six miles down, Whew! But it was a great morning. Afterwards, Leisha, Erin, me and the coaches went for a yummy breakfast. The rest of the day just rolled by with the usual weekend chores. Managed to get a good night's sleep too - thank you Ambien.

Ahhh, Today. I love Sundays. They are usually my day of rest for the week. My day to be lazy and do whatever I want. Today, I did do a little cleaning of the house - it sure needed it - and now, time to get creative. Think I'll make some cards. Need to start stocking up for the October Craft Fair and Gift Wrapping Stations we'll be hosting in December. Also have a Croptoberfest I need to get cracking on gathering donations for.

Enjoy your day!

Cancer SUCKS!!

CANCER SUCKS!!! I'm often asked why I continue to run season after season with Team In Training. Keep reading - the answer should be clear.

Checked my Facebook page yesterday and sad news all around. You may have heard of a little girl from Minnesota named Jane Fiemeyer. She had made a wish to meet the band Big Time Rush. Within a couple of days, she had been contacted by BTR and they had set up a video chat for her that was to happen yesterday afternoon. The guys from this band are amazing, they had rearranged their tour dates and were going to let Jane know during their video chat that she could expect a visit from them on Monday. Sadly, Jane passed away just a couple of hours before their video chat was to take place. Jane was only 8 years old. She had leukemia and her life ended way to soon because of this killer.

Another sad bit of news came last night as well. One of my Central Florida teammates is suffering right now. Her husband, Josh, had traveled to Tampa to the Moffitt Cancer Institute to be a bone marrow transplant donor. He was giving a little girl a chance at life. During the procedure they hit an artery and Josh is now listed in critical condition and is on life support. It's hard to understand why such an unselfish act turns out like this. Please say prayers for him and his family.

So, this is WHY!!! This is why I continue to be part of Team In Training and why I continue to ask for your support and donations. Please help The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by making a donation. Do it for Jane, for Josh and for the many other victims of cancer. Visit my website at:
 

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ncfl/wdw13/RunDisney

4 miles down - how many to go?

4 miles down and how many to go until marathon day? Well, according to my training schedule 659. Hmmm, I wondered if I had added that up right, so double checked my figures - yep, I was right. WOW! I'm impressed - are you? Considering that when I joined Team in Training for my first half marathon 6 years ago, and thought I was going to die after a mile, that's kind of cool! Hard to believe. That's why you don't just look at the total mileage you'll have to do to prepare for an event. You take it one day at a time, or one week at a time, building your mileage slowly.

So, why am I doing this? Because I'm raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society so they can fund research to find a cure for blood cancers like Leukemia, Lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease. The monies raised also fund educational programs and patient and family services. You get the idea. This is important and life changing stuff.

Please support me in my Team In Training campaign to raise $1600 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  I'm almost there, $300 to go! To donate, visit my website at:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ncfl/wdw13/RunDisney

Nice Weekend Get-away

So, a nice weekend away. Much needed family time. We are camping with friends. Enjoying good company, a few beers and some great games of Scrabble. Back to training on Monday! Enjoy the long weekend everyone!