Team Fox

It's official: I am now a registered athlete with Team Fox. Better yet, Project 13.1 is a registered event. Please visit my personal page if you're interested in donating money. My goal is to raise at least $5,000 for Parkinson's Disease research by the end of the year. It will be absolutely fantastic if I can surpass that goal.

Why Parkinson's Disease, you might ask?
This past year I have had the opportunity to become acquainted with one of the most interesting and generous men I've had the pleasure of meeting, Brian. At the end of last year, I learned that he is also a dedicated marathon runner who has run the 26.2 mile race on every continent in the world. He also happens to be battling Parkinson's Disease and is an active member of Team Fox.

I have always considered myself a runner. When I was 10 year old, I had to run the mile for my first time. It was some elementary school fitness test. I was the fastest girl in my grade. I remember my dad (who was already a marathon runner) being so excited for me. He encouraged me to join the track team the next year. I ran track all through junior high. I ran three years of varsity track in high school, and four years of varsity cross country. I ran my first marathon when I was 19; and my second when I was 21. And then the summer I turned 22, I had knee surgery. Since my surgery almost three and a half years ago (yikes!), it's been difficult for me to fully dedicate myself to running again. There always seems to be a reason not to jump back in, whether it's the lack of time or some new injury (gravity and I have had several altercations over the years). Brian inspired me to start running again. Now that I'm back, I am starting to remember why I love to run. It seems only appropriate that I run for a cause that is important to him.

My next race is this Sunday in Houston, TX. The start time is 7:30am at Sam Houston Park. The course is a loop that goes down Allen Parkway. Half marathoners will run the loop three times. I'd love it if anyone could come downtown and show me some support. I invite anyone interested to attend the post race party with me afterwards and then go out for brunch. If you can't come watch, that's ok: just be sure to make a donation to Team Fox :).

Thanks for your support. 

The Texas Half

Something about the Dallas skyline makes me giddy. Every time I drive up I-45, I get excited as the lights come into view. I have such fond memories of taking weekend road trips this past spring and summer with my good friends.

My trip to Dallas was short and sweet. Once I was settled, I met up with my friend, Nick, to catch up and have a beer. I was so pumped up for the race as I drove into town that it was nice to relax and have some company. Although it would have been nice to spend more time enjoying the city, I turned in at about 11:30 to rest up for the big event.

I arrived at White Rock Lake at 7am to pick up my bib number and racing chip. I tend to be a bit of a baby when it comes to temperatures below 65 degrees, but Saturday morning was COLD. Thankfully, I had a Mizzou sweatshirt in my trunk.

The race started at 8am. I decided to start slow and make sure my muscles had ample opportunity to get warm. Now I have a confession to make: I have not run 13 miles since 2008. My longest run in my "training" for this event was only 8 miles. 8-ish. Needless to say, I didn't want to over exert myself and end up with an injury. I didn't have a very specific goal for my race time. I was hoping to finish in about two hours and twenty-three minutes, averaging and 11-minute mile. Right after I crossed the 6-mile marker, my mother sent me a text message. When the message flashed on my phone, I saw the time for the first time since I started running: it was 9 o'clock. At this point I realized I was on pace for a two hour and ten minute race. And I felt amazing. I picked up the pace for a few miles. However, I hit a wall at mile 12. The final stretch of the race was also the steepest part. Finishing was tough but I managed to end with an official time of 2 hours, 12 minutes, and 25 seconds. I was super excited about the time. Although it is relatively slow, I think it serves as good benchmark. It's not embarrassing, but there is plenty of room for improvement.

When I finished the race, I was so parched and all I could think about was finding something to drink. Interestingly enough, the first beverage I encountered was beer. And that's the first thing I drank after my race. It was delurcious. I have no idea of what kind of beer it was, but I was able to chug sip my tasty drink while I searched for the elusive water bottles. (I found them.)

A few things made this race particularly difficult. Although the course was relatively flat, there was zero crowd support. It was also the first race that I ran completely by myself. I didn't begin the race with any other running buddies and didn't know anyone else participating in the event. These circumstances made the race more challenging, psychologically. Fortunately, I had a good playlist and zoned out to some good tunes. The best part of the night before and morning of the race was all the phone calls, text messages, and emails from my friends and family. I was so excited that so many people wished me good luck and offered their congratulations to me. It meant more to me than I can even begin to express. I would like to especially thank my friend, Jacqueline, for giving me a place to stay while I was in town. Her hospitality made it easy for me to get in and out of town without any trouble.

My next race is right around the corner. I'll be running the Rhythm and Blues Half Marathon in Houston on February 19, 2012. I'm currently looking into running for Team Fox to help raise money for Parkinson's Disease research. I'll post more on running for the cause this upcoming week when I have more information. I have also stepped up my training for the next race. I'd like to invite anyone who is interested to join me for a training run or even participate in the upcoming race with me.

Thanks for all the support and I'll be updating soon!