Run a Marathon

I never thought it would turn out like this. All along, I was waiting for the turning point, and knowing that it would be when my hip started to heal and I could run again. At no point did I think that it was all going to turn to shit. And yet somehow, it has.

So I went for a run last night. Just a little one - once around the mulch track at China Creek park - but it didn't go as well as I had hoped. I had been feeling better and, planning this little test days in advance, I pictured myself falling right back into stride as if nothing had ever happened, going on to complete the 6 K at tempo that was on my running schedule for yesterday.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and a journey of 26.2 miles begins with having your hair in order. OK, maybe not really. That might be a little extreme, but it is no joke that I would become completely undone around mile # 24 if I had to keep dealing with hair flapping in my face.

I'm still not able to run, or put too much weight on my right leg, because of the possible stress fracture in my hip, but it also occurred to me that I don't necessarily have to be doing nothing either.

Not really knowing what was wrong with my hip, I was trying everything -acupuncture, physio, chiropractor, heat, ice, various anti-inflammatories, whatever, but today the physiotherapist repeated an idea that he had had at the last meeting - that it sounds like a stress fracture.

The Hip Update:  I am entering week 3 of this pain in the ass - I mean hip - and no running and even though I have now been to both the Acupuncturist and the Physiotherapist and they were encouraging, I am still kind of depressed to be losing this much ground on my training.

After hurting my hip during last Sunday's long run, I attempted and aborted a 6 K run, skipped a 10 K run, and moved the 8 K run to the treadmill and instead of going away, it is getting increasingly more painful. Where it used to only hurt well into a run, now it aches all the time and I have trouble with stairs and chairs and balancing on one foot.

Yesterday was a bad day for my body. I had a reasonably good day, but my body didn't really, and I am still aching today. I started off with my 16 K run yesterday AM, early.

Cat Lake is being targeted for development, to be turned into yet another ski resort and TWO golf courses!

OMG, DO NOT EVER DO BENCH PRESSES AND CHEST EXCERCISES AND THEN THE NEXT DAY GO FOR A RUN! DO NOT DO IT! NOT EVEN THE BEST SPORTS BRA IN THE WORLD WILL BE ABLE TO HELP YOU!!!!

ouchies.

Now that I've found my running schedule, I figured I may as well post it. Then I can have a good look at it every day and make sure I'm on track. Today is an "OFF" day (what glorious words) but because I'm in serious catch-up mode I went to the gym AND a yoga class. Running will resume tomorrow. Phew, that was close.

Along with my "lessons learned" in my last post, I've decided to include a few more things I've learned, over the course of my fundraising and training.

I've learned that my friends - and even some complete strangers! - are incredibly, incredibly generous, often the people you least expect are the most so.

When I was very Serious about snowboarding, the days that were pure powder and sunshine were blissful and meant for nothing short of maximizing joy. The not so good days, however, were designated learning days, so that there was always something to be gained. Ice and rain were perfect opportunities to practice riding goofy; fog was an excellent reason to play in the half-pipe.

The Joints in Motion Vancouver Pub Night Fundraiser (here's a link to the facebook event, if you like) will be hosted by Emily,

I wrote this on my other blog today and then it occurred to me that I should cross-post it over here, since it's really all about enabling the running. Don't mind the sales pitch, it's for charity. ;)

Last 2 Weeks to Buy Stuff on Etsy and Contribute to My Marathon!

Tom at  Runner's lounge posts today about finding motivation within yourself. In case it hasn't been obvious from the months of posts already accumulated, I need to cultivate this in a very bad way.

He says:

My sister is officially in charge of fundraising in front of liquor stores. That may sound like a small designation, but it's one that will make all dealings going forward exceptionally easier for me anyways.

Taking a SHORT break from the running right now. I have so far meant to go running 3 times and not made it because it was either too hot, I was too tired, or I just didn't feel like it.  I know that I am not in good enough shape to be taking a break, but I also know that when training starts on July 20th it's going to be a really hard slog and I'll be glad of the rest.

I have reached a very important milestone today - I am officially past the halfway mark of both my kilometre tally and my fundraising goal.

Yesterday was the Scotiabank Half-Marathon that was the last square on my training schedule (until the new Official Marathon Training begins on July 20th and it is replaced by a new chart).

My new official Joints in Motion shirt arrived in the mail this week! Isn't it cute?I love it.

I wrote on Facebook last night that I was off to yoga class and then a 16 K run and then a nap, but what actually happened was that I went to yoga class, realized that I had forgotten my yoga pants and then went home and had a nap. That's usually the way I like to do things - skip right to the good stuff.

Yesterday I had to run 8 K and I had to do it on the treadmill because my body was in too much agony from Sunday's run to put foot to pavement. The only trouble is that the treadmills at my work calculate distance in miles and not kilometres. So I ran 4 miles because it was easier to run a little extra than do the math. I think this is also progress.

I mentioned that to help with my downward slump of running progress, I got the iPod ready and ate some Sports Beans (which I love, by the way, but I've never even tried the Gu, so I don't know how it compares).

Last week I was despairing over my running progress so it was with absolute trepidation that I sat down to map out my Sunday 14.5 K run. When I was finished and I saw that the red lines went all the way from my house to Gastown, through part of Stanley Park, then over to Kits before coming home, I felt sick.

I have to say that I am a little disappointed at  how slowly the training is coming along. The last 2 runs have been awful and it's taken everything in me to not just quit and go home.

Hey everyone, I haven't posted an update on the fundraising progress in a bit, so I wanted to tell you how stoked I am to be at 38%!

Just when I was thinking how wonderful the running community is, I came across this link that Boing Boing has posted, to a particularly disgusting project for runners - a ceremonial toe-nail necklace!

I recently found out that a family friend has, Shirley Charlton, has been diagnosed with a particularly nasty strain of arthritis - Polymyalgia rheumatica.

So we - my sister and I - did our first fundraising event for our run this weekend. We did a 50-50 draw at Pat's Pub on Hastings Street and while it was good practice and a good first run at things, we need to do a lot better at the next events. (Here's where, if you have a really good fundraising idea, you write it in the comments!)

One of the things I love best about running all over this city, is that you get to check out neighbourhoods and pathways that you would have never noticed normally. I love the seawall, but I try to mix it up a bit, because I also love running down streets I've never been on before.

Seen one of these cards? (or the alternate-version with the runners on it)?

I'm running a marathon in Athens in November to raise money for the Arthritis Society. My target goal is to raise $6000.00!

Keep reading this blog for past updates and the whole story, or go here for short version of the story and a secure donation site. www.arthritis.ca/joints/bc/DeganBeley

Running in my little part of the Vancouver Marathon last weekend reminded me some things I seem to wonder whenever I go in a running event:

-how girls can run in a spindly little non-sports bra. I saw so many of these on Sunday and my only response is "ow". Or maybe "OW".

-how anyone can run with keys in their pocket. It makes me absolutely crazy to run even anywhere near all that jangling.

Getting ready to go to Halifax on vacation, my focus switched from running to beer so I completely forgot to mention that this blog won 3rd place in the Change Everything 'Viva la Resolution' contest!

So stoked about that! I won $50, so that will be going right into the donation pot to go towards my run. Yay! Good work little bloggie.

OK, I'm back from Halifax and ready to get going on running and fundraising now. My sister and I got together this weekend and hammered out some ideas for fundraising events that we're going to do together. The first being a couple of 50-50 draws at the Patricia pub (Hastings Street) on May 26th. If you're around, come say hello!

And if you want to donate to my sister, you can click here to see her donation page. she needs to catch up to the first deadline ($1425 by the end of May), so hopefully the events we have planned will pan out!  I'm so stoked that she's coming too. yay!

So I ran one-fifth of the Vancouver Marathon yesterday, my part being a relatively flat 10 K. I went as part of a relay team, the very awesome "Ligers" and it was super fun and I think I did OK considering I haven't run anywhere for about the last month or so.

Howevah, it was also a supremely huge wake-up call for how much longer I have to go on this marathon! I did my bit, went to BC place to get my jacket, went home, showered, had breakfast and coffee, played with the dog, and THEN went back to the stadium to meet up with the team. And somewhere along the way it occurred to me that come November that will be all me, all running that entire time. And it suddenly seemed very hard and very long and I had a little mini freak-out.

This certainly seems to be the year of running. Clearly, when you are training to run a marathon, you need to get a lot of running in, but now I've also signed up to run on a relay team in the Vancouver Marathon - in 3 weeks, yikes! I'm running the first leg, a 10K segment that will go past my house, so that's kind of exciting and I'm really looking forward to running with my new friends. The only problem is that I'm on vacation until 2 days before the race which means the only training I'll be doing is sitting in a pub in Halifax. That and maybe lifting lobster from my plate to my mouth. Neither of which is going to help the running, but anyways...it'll be OK.

Last night my sister and I attended the Joints in Motion information session for Athens, and I have to say that even though I am so crashed this week, it was pretty awesome. We watched a video on arthritis and heard from a woman who walked a marathon in 2004, got the details on fundraising and training and saw a slideshow of Athens travel pics. I didn't ever go to an information session before I signed up, so lots of it was new for me too and of course meeting the team is always great.

Check out fellow JIMmers Kim and Ralph Van Bruggen in the Oak Bay News (Victoria)! What an inspiring story! I've copied it to my flickr because the OBN doesn't archive their stories online, so follow the link to read it. I'll be running with them in Greece.

I've learned so much about arthritis since I signed up for the Joints in Motion run and it really is incredible that so many people think it is just a minor affliction that affects old people. That's a small part of it, but there are debilitating strains that attack children and adults and cause tremendous pain. Here are some facts you may not have known:

How common is arthritis?

A Health Canada study published in 2003 indicated that 1 in 6 Canadians has some type of arthritis (most commonly osteoarthritis), and 60% of them are under the age of 65.

Debbie Travis, home decorator extraordinaire, is joining the Joints in Motion team for the trek to Machu Picchu. How great is that? The Arthritis Society will get lots of good press from it and the trekkers can get decorating tips! Okay, maybe it doesn't work that way, but if I was on a 4 day hike with her, you know I'd bring photos of my whole house with me - just in case.

I found some other Joints in Motion photos on flickr, so I went ahead and created a Joints in Motion flickr group. So far it's just my photos in there, but I've invited the other people and added a link to it on JIM Central forums. I think it would be great if lots of people joined it from all the different locations, but I'm not sure how technical everyone is, so I don't know if that's setting the bar too high. We'll see.

Seen one of these cards? (or the alterna-version with me and my dog)

Keep reading this blog for past updates and the whole story, or go here for the summarized story and a secure donation site.

Any questions? Leave a comment or all my contact info's on the card. I'd love to hear from you. 

www.arthritis.ca/joints/bc/DeganBeley

I was having coffee with my friend last week and she suggested that I have a Greek themed party. Demonstrating my innate ability to not absorb anything, I was just like "Sure!" and then "Why?" But after patiently explaining to me that I asked for fundraising ideas and that I am going to GREECE to run this marathon, a Greek party would be very appropriate. Duh. I'm so glad that I have smart friends. Once the light bulb came on above my head, it was very bright.

So I'm thinking as soon as it stops raining this much, I am going to have a party with a Greek theme (and you are all invited, by the way!). I'm not too sure of the details yet, but there will be food and drinks and I *may* even belly dance at it. We'll see. Given that I haven't danced in public in oh, 7 or so years (and I am a lot fatter now than I was then!), it is yet to be determined if this is something people would actually want to see. I'm thinking maybe I'll get someone else to dance at it.

This past weekend I didn't do any actual running, but I had an opportunity to hang out at the Arthritis Society's tent at Ladysport's Diva on the Run 8K race at Jericho Beach.

People have been asking how the fundraising has been going and now that I'm officially a month into it, I figured I'd better post an update. I'm 14% almost 15% if the way there! I'm so stoked at the response and thanks so much to everyone who has donated so far (and those who have indicated they will donate)!

Unfortunately I have to have $5700 (minimum) by August, so I'm going to have to have to up the progress a bit, but most of the ideas I've had so far (BBQ, Greek dinner party, Pub night, seawall advertising) seem like they would work better in the summer, so I may be in planning mode for a bit more. I'm also thinking of making some things to sell on Etsy, and that is a decidedly wintry thing, so maybe I'll start there.

Any other great fundraising ideas, please let me know.

More info on the whole thing here: www.arthritis.ca/joints/bc/DeganBeley

Whoa! That title looks like a cross between some seriously complex algebra and a word problem. I was never very good at math, but for some reason I could always do the word problems. ANYWAYS, this post is not about math. It's about the fact that I went in an 8K run this weekend and I didn't die. This is not really that much of a surprise, because I ran 8K on Friday too, but progress is progress, people.

Last week I FINALLY got some new running shoes but I couldn't try them out yet because I was sick. But this weekend, whoo-boy! I took them out for a spin and they are sure awesome.

I also ordered some MOO cards to help with the fundraising campaign and they turned out super cute. I ordered half with me on them and the other half with the Joints in Motion promo picture in case I feel like being stealth.

When I ordered them, my donation site URL was too long to fit on the cards, so I "redirected" it though here, but now that it's been shortened (www.arthritis.ca/joints/bc/DeganBeley) I may get some more made up. I'll see how fast this batch goes.

OK, I have some good news - my Joints in Motion donation page is all finished and ready to go! I agonized over it a bit, then realized I just needed to get it done, so here it is!   The URL is: www.arthritis.ca/joints/bc/DeganBeley Extra thanks to Jennifer at the Arthritis Society to make it so my name shows in it - way easier to remember this way!  You can read my story there and see how far along on my fundraising I am with the handy money thermometer. Right now I am 2% along, because I donated $100 myself. Setting a good example, you know...;)

So I've been learning that I tend to do things backwards. I've been running around getting all my stuff in order to write my fundraising letter and send it out to people, but only today did I download the Fundraising Hangbook. Duh. And let me tell you that it's a lot better than the book I got out of the library - "How to Write Irrestible Fundraising Letters", from 1965. So I will hold off another few days on writing my plea for money.

Speaking of money, for the marathon, the total amount I'm required to raise is $5700.00. I would love to raise more than that, but I'll deal with first things first, as this is my first go at it all. I'm a bit worried, as I really don't like asking people for money, but I will go about raising that much money in the same way as I am going about running 42.2 K - slowly and surely.

This run is just getting easier and easier. Well, not that I've even been running that much lately, but I keep finding new sources of inspiration that I'm sure are going to make the miles just fly by.

At the Joints in Motion meetup party last week, I met all the very inspiring people who ran this past year, as well as several people who will be running again this year. That was exciting. It's very interesting to see how people sign up to run year after year and the marathons or the fundraising don't seem to consume them. I think all the passion and motivation in the room has a lot to do with that and it is for sure contagious. Next year, they're going to do the Great Wall Marathon and I'm already scheming ways to fit that in before our South America trip! But anyways...

In reality, not so much "training" as trying to find a good photo for my donation page.

think I like this one best, even tho it doesn't look like I'm running very fast...what do you think?

I just signed up for the Harry's Spring Run-Off 8K run (March 11th) and the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon (June 24th) because I got suckered into the combo pack ending this month! Oh well, it'll be good training. This will be the second time in the half-marathon for me, and hopefully I can get a better time! And I think the 8K is a new race this year.

A couple of days ago I had the first fundraising conference call for the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island Joints in Motion participants and wow! are they ever an inspiration. The first lady to talk was thinking about running for the 7th year in a row and - get this - she's 70 years old! Not finishing is not an option for me, but that just brings it home a little harder. All of these women (yes, strangely they were all women, I wonder if that is normally the case with the Joints in Motion runs? I'll have to check) were so excited and so passionate about running and hiking (some are going on a trek to Macchu Pichu instead of running a marathon) that I left the call wanting truly inspired and wanting to do anything I could to get involved. Of course I am already involved, so that means I need to get into action!

I trained pretty consistently for the Vancouver Half-Marathon last year, and I felt I was ready to run it, albeit at a pretty slow pace. Then a series of business trips interfered with my training schedule and I was away the day of the run. Inexplicably, I decided I would run in the Scotiabank Half-Marathon, but didn't get back into my training routine at all. It's a self-sabotage thing I have, I think, where I purposely don't really try to do something, so that when I don't do well, I have an excuse. It's easier to recognize in hindsight, however - last spring I thought it was perfectly normal that I was hardly doing any running! In the end I decided to do the run anyways, if only to spite myself.

They say that the number of new registrants to fitness clubs is double the number in January than it is in any other month, but that by February that enthusiasm has waned and the regulars have the gym to themselves again. I don't have a gym membership, but I did start up running and going to my work gym last week (just under the wire to say I started in December!) but there will be no early tapering off for me! There's no room for it.

This year I signed up to run the Joints in Motion marathon in Athens, Greece. It's a charity fundraiser that's put on by The Arthritis Society of Canada, where my mother worked before she died a few years ago. Her death has been hard for me to get over and one of the ways that I found really clears my head and gets me focused is through running, so I've been training at it intermittently and last year I ran the Scotiabank Half-Marathon. I didn't do very well in terms of time, but it was a milestone for me, an indication that I can accomplish what I set out to do in a mental or physical (or both) challenge.