Hills Are Friends, My New Badge of Honor, & Realizing I didn't die in the heat

I'm not very good at this whole updating thing I must admit. So here we go....

June 27- Mentor led run in Concord at the Hillcrest Park (Basically the beginning or end of Iron horse depending on how you look at it). I thought I was just gonna run 7 miles but I thought to myself..."what would leilani (running buddy that is currently in Mexico on the beach somewhere) run? ... 8 miles it was. Man was it grueling. 95 degrees on a boring trail. Since i didn't buy my water bottle belt pack thing yet, I took my camelback.  The thing leaked the whole entire time.  I think I would normally be annoyed, but since it was like 1000 degrees, I actually loved it.  The only problem was I ran out of water early and had to find a drinking fountain off course.  I met a minister that ran beside me. He said, you know you are a runner when 1. you take a shit in the bushes 2. Change your clothes in public and 3. You get a runner toe (black toe nail). Check Check and Check!!! And then he added, you run a Full Marathon....and that is what I am training for!

June 24- Became a 'Real Runner' ....got my first black toe nail...gross! Black toe nails seem inevitable for runners. My body is saying, “Hold on there buddy, I don’t think this running thing is working out.” And me the runner is saying, “How can I tape this, ice this, rest this, ignore this so I can keep on running?” With my toes banging the end of my runners with the weight of my body slamming repeatedly into the pavement, it’s no wonder they’re bruised. Some runners consider black toe nails an acceptable, almost admirable milestone in their quest to run ever longer distances. 

Pulled this from some runner's blog....
"Most of the pressure that results in this "toenail injury" is produced by the regular action of the foot coming forward, thousands of times every 5K. Each time your foot swings forward, a little extra blood is pushed into the toe region due to the force of the foot coming forward. If you increase your distance regularly and very gradually, your toes will adjust to each new maximum distance and only complain when you extend farther. In a marathon training program, almost everyone gets at least one black toenail. Running faster than you should be running, at any time during a long run, will increase the chance of this injury.

Hot weather also improves your odds of getting one. When it's warm, your feet swell more than they would on cold days. Because there is more pressure, and more fluid, there are more black nails generated during the summer months. " ....Oh great!

June 23- Coached workout @ Dublin High. Man I love circuit training!

June 20- Ran 6 miles at the Lafayette Reservoir. Hills are slowly becoming my friend!

June 18- Turns out, I'm not addicted to running the heat! Go figure! Today's run was harder than my workout tuesday when I did so much more. Dang heat! Time to suck it up!

TNT!

So I officially joined Team in Training!  This has probably been one of the best decisions I could have made for myself.  I haven't been this excited about something since school.  It's so cool to see the progress others and I are making.  I feel like everyone on the team was a cheerleader in their past life.  Ha.

Today's practice went well.  I am so excited about my running partner.  We have challenged ourselves and are training in the red group (more experienced/fast runners).  It is considered the hardest or most challenging group . . . I dunno, but I thought we worked out pretty hard today.  I am seriously addicted to running. 

Here is my support letter for TNT....

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Hi guys, 

As of this year, it has been my personal goal to run a complete marathon (many of you know how crazy I have become about running)!  On October 18th, it will be accomplished!  I will be running the full Nike Women’s Marathon in one of my favorite cities, San Francisco.  Nike Women’s Marathon is a race that draws world-class marathoners from many countries. It also draws tens of thousands of runners like me.

Ten months ago, the longest consecutive distance I had ever run was maybe 3 miles (please keep in mind that I HATED running at this point).  Its hard to believe that in a short time, I will be completing a FULL marathon.  A marathon can't be done casually.  Running 26.2 miles requires careful preparation and hard work.  So I've joined Team In Training, a program run by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).  Team In Training is a group of energetic people who are committed to improving their health, training for endurance events, supporting each other, and raising money for medical research to stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives.  I'm very glad to be part of this team and doing it in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers.  These people are the real heroes on our team.  I have made a commitment to train for five months to finish this marathon, and to raise $2500 for LLS.  I know I can do it with the help of my coach, teammates, family and friends.

You can be apart of something great too!  I invite you to join me in this effort by making a 100% tax-deductible contribution to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Over 75% of your contribution will directly support research as well as care for patients.  I know at this time it might be difficult to donate, but ANY amount would be appreciated.  Please consider contributing $1-5 for every mile I run.  The LLS team has conveniently provided me with my own personal website where you can securely make your donation online.  It is at http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/nikesf09/bperrydfdu.  I can also receive cash and check donations directly (please make checks out to “The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society”).  If you have any questions or need an address to send a donation to, please don’t hesitate to email me at bethayreina@gmail.com. 

On October 18th, you and I will prove to the world that average individuals, working together and dedicated to a cause, can help to change lives for the better.  My challenge and my race will end that day; but for some it will just be the beginning.  Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Bethany Perry