Donations already!

Our fundraising page is only 24 hours old, and we have already recieved support from two people!

Many thanks, o.b. and Jenny!! Because of you, we're already 5% of the way to our goal.

My next run is dedicated to you both!

Go time!

We have 12 weeks until the marathon! Rawbroccoli, StarPilgrim, and I have been working on several things the past few days, in light of it suddenly feeling like this race is just around the corner. (Although, it's very hard to imagine frigid October, running by the seaside... especially when it's still humid summer here in the mountains!).

Besides still dragging ourselves to the gym or hitting the road for long runs, we've been working on this blog, our Facebook page, and our fundraising page. Here's the run-down (yes, pun intended):

What's new here on the blog:

the fundraising widgit! What's a widgit?! Fancy name for 'button you can click on'. This doo-dad is located over in the upper-right corner of the blog. Not only does it show you our current progress, but you can click on it to make your own contribution right now! Wow, technology.

What's new on Facebook:

Our running page! If you're a Facebook user and we haven't had the chance to 'invite' you to join this group, just go to Facebook.com and log in. Then search for "running for gould farm". Join up, leave comments, see who else is supporting this worthy cause!

What's new on the fundraising page:

Rawbroccoli has created a fundraising page through the organization FirstGiving. This page ensures (and here is the important word) that you can make a SECURE online donation. We are using this organization because others like us have had great success with their format. On this page, you can read more about Gould Farm and also monitor our progress.


That's all for now! The ball is really starting to roll now, so please come back often!

The Slump.

As Dr. Seuss wrote, "Unslumping yourself is not easily done"

I have been in a sad little running slump for 2 weeks now and can't take it any more. I love running. What am I doing?? I love the way it makes me feel, I love to sweat, and I love pushing myself. Where is my motivation?

I think my motivation dried up just when I finished my summer chemistry course. That course ate the last of my motivation for breakfast.

Tomorrow we're holding a meeting about this very run and I am hoping to be inspired to lace up again by the weekend!

Listening to my body

I ran 9 miles last weekend and felt great -- great route, great pace, only stopped three times, had energy to do a bit of striding out at the end. Today, the same 9 mile run was terrible, horrible, no good, very bad... The difference? I think it was that for my most substantial meal yesterday I ate Six Flags food, I drank more soda than water yesterday, and then I drank a bit of alcohol in the evening. It's amazing to me how much things like that affect energy -- in ways I don't always notice. Running has a very valuable way of forcing that kind of listening to my body. I'm learning so much more how food, drink, sleep, mood affects my energy and my body's physical ability. I hope to carry that lesson beyond the marathon training, and I look forward to continuing to learn what exactly my body needs to work best.

Thank goodness for books on tape!

I've started listening to books on tape during my long runs. I don't let myself listen to anything on runs that are 5-6 miles or shorter, but longer than that and I find that my mind has a tendency to turn on me. I wish I were more comfortable with just being alone with my thoughts, but I count it a success that I can at least do 45 to 60 minutes without outside distraction... it's the beginning of a good discipline.

So the top 5 reasons I love listening to books on tape when I run:

1. It keeps me distracted enough to not be noticing every ache and pain in my body. But at the same time I can turn them off if I find my mind wandering and turn them back on when I'm ready for another distraction.

2. I value any excuse to enrich my mind and get lost in books. And it's free for me -- I borrow them from the library and put them on my iPod.

3. I find that on my long runs (9 miles so far), even music doesn't keep me distracted enough at times.

4. As running consumes more and more of my time (it's seriously becoming a part time job), I lament the fact that I don't have time for doing some of the other things I love -- reading being on the top of that list. Now I can "read" at the same time. If only I could find a way to "play piano" while I run... ;)

5. I only let myself "read" the books on tape when I'm running -- so it becomes its own incentive to run... (You want to know what happens next in the book? Well, starpilgrim, you're just going to have to put on some running shoes and run more than 5 measly miles...)

I just finished The Constant Gardener today (a very good book, by the way), and I'm on to The Hobbit next. I'm so glad I thought of this!!