$1000!

I have officially reached the $1000 mark in my fundraising .... yeah! I am so excited and thankful for such generous friends and family!

Training for me has been slow this season, I hate to admit. There have been so many days where I have come home from work and have been SO beyond exhausted that I just cannot make myself go out and run. I know I just need to suck it up and do it, but for some reason I've just had a hard time doing it. I am soooo good at making excuses, and I really hate that about myself, but at least I can admit it. I've really had to push myself to run outside and not on the treadmill, too. It's been a lot easier to take the comfort of the treadmill knowing that there are bathrooms nearby, but I do feel so much more accomplished when I actually run outside through my neighborhood.

Being a mentor with Team Challenge this season has been really awesome. I have a really wonderful group of mentees who have all really impressed me with their drive and motivation for finding a cure. It's so great to know that they have faith in my abilities as a mentor and come to me with questions, concerns, and praises! Way to go Lindsay, Catie, Amanda, Tiffany, and Ivette! I know you all can do it and I'm so glad to be a part of your Team Challenge experience!

I missed our group run last weekend at Stone Mountain because I was up in Virginia with Matt. Instead of running, I woke up early to tailgate and drink lots and lots for the UVA/VMI football game .... which can't really be considered football .... followed by lots of napping and drinking (and dancing ... HA). This weekend I'm so excited to be back with the group for a 6 mile run at the Chattahoochee River! I love this course (and love even more that Justin Bieber supposedly has a house right around there ... I'm such a good stalker!) and am excited to see my Team Challenge friends again!

My team is awesome!

Team Challenge Georgia has 54 participants this season .... which is SO awesome! Even more awesome is how much money we've raised so far as a team! Are you ready for it ..... remember that we are only in Week FOUR ..... we are working our boo-tays off training and fundraising!

Team Challenge Georgia has officially raised ........

$40,623!!!

That means that we are at 30% of our overall fundraising goal as a team! I am so impressed with my teammates and am proud to be a part of this team!

Just so you know how the money that we raise for the CCFA is spent, here's a little breakdown:

$30 provides a one year membership to the CCFA for a patient in need
$300 supports a Camp Oasis camper in need for one day
$500 covers six months of unlimited online chat support with a Patient Information Specialist
$2,500 sends a child with Crohn's or Colitis to Camp Oasis for one week

It's humbling to know how much we are helping the mission of the CCFA. Your money really does make a difference in the lives of patients!

Check out my fundraising page .... I need your help!
http://www.active.com/donate/lv10georgia/CADEL

Honoring ...

I have two good friends from college with sisters who have been diagnosed with Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis. I'm excited to be running in their honor this season, and will be so happy when there is a CURE for all of us!

Here's to you, Sara and Kristin .... we're running for a cure!

Starting from scratch

I'm a little embarassed to admit that I have been completely slack, lazy, unmotivated, UNINSPIRED to run or exercise over the past few months. After I completed the Las Vegas 1/2 marathon, I was so excited to keep running and train for another race. I took a month off of running, and then signed up for the Country Music 1/2 marathon in Nashville. I really thought I could just keep up with my training and do it on my own ..... wrong answer. The longest run I did before Nashville was 8 miles, and I felt totally unprepared going into that race. I finished the race (and actually 29 minutes faster than I did in Vegas), but did not feel good about my strength or endurance. I again took almost 2 months off of running, because it was starting to get hot and I had lots of things going on --- like graduation! I then ran the Peachtree Road Race 10K on the 4th of July after 2 weeks of training by myself .... once again, big mistake! And I decided that if I was truly going to run in Las Vegas again this year, I obviously NEEDED to do it with a group. I have proven to myself that when left on my own, I lack the inspiration and motivation to properly train and keep up with running.


Sooo .... here I am starting my second season with Team Challenge! I will be honest and say that I haven't run since about mid-July. I can feel it in the way my body feels, how my clothes fit, and the lack of energy I have. Our training officially starts this week, and I feel like I did exactly one year ago .... like I am starting completely from scratch! I'm a little nervous about getting back into shape, but with the support of my coaches and teammates (and the knowledge that I CAN successfully run 13.1 miles with proper training), I am excited about this season of Team Challenge and about starting my training again .... even if it is from scratch!