10 Miles

I woke up early so finally got to get in a little longer run today.  I have to run on the treadmill while I am here in Deadhorse in the winter, so I ran my 10 miles indoors.  It really gets hot inside.  But that is probably better that outside where it is about 20 below zero and dark.  Although, that would be quite challenging.

Only three more nights here then I can do my running at home. I may do some at the sports center, but at least it is possible to run outdoors in some places even if there is snow on the ground. I will be in Florida soon enough getting in a good long run through Disney World.

I am getting almost no donations so I knew the chances of getting the 2350 that I still needed for my Team In Training minimum were pretty slim.  So I went ahead and donated $2000 last night.  I figure if I am going to have to donate it anyway, I may as well get the tax deduction this year.  I would much rather give it to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society than IRS anyway!  I would rather cure cancer than pay off the national debt!

I will probably sign up for the Anchorage Big Wild Life Marathon and the Nike Women's Marathon with Team In Training for the fall season. I always like to have one that I can point my race4cancer.org link to.

4 Mile Treadmill Run

I got in a rather short 4 mile run today on the treadmill.  At least I woke up in time to do something.  Yesterday I slept so late that I barely had time to grab a bite for dinner and jump in the shower.  Now that I only have 4 shifts left here this month, I have finally adapted to the night shift. When I get home New Year's Eve it will probably take me until February to get back into the routine of sleeping at night.  I will be flying off to Florida for the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 9th so that should further confuse my sleeping schedule.  When I head to Africa on February 2nd, that should completely finish me off, biorhythm wise anyway!

I may not get many long runs in before the Paris Marathon but at least I know I will get one good 26.2 mile one in on January 13th in Orlando.  With luck I hope to get in a few long runs while I am out traveling around the east coast for 2 weeks after that.

I don't seem to be getting any more donations so I think I will probably just pay the rest of my minimum for the Paris Marathon then hope that I get more in the next couple of months.  At least that way it will be a tax deduction for this year.



Help Fight Cancer Here!



Ran 6 Miles

I had a nice 6 mile run on the treadmill today.  First I made a bunch of Christmas phone calls.  Kind of a bummer having to miss out on all the festivities at home while I am up here in Deadhorse.  But I got to talk to my nieces and my nephew.  It sounded like everyone had a grand time.  I can look forward to celebrating Christmas at Epiphany like I always do since I started working up here. I probably won't have to wait all the way to January 6th, the actual day of Epiphany, but it will be closer than December 25th.  I will have my first celebration on New Year's Eve, then when my sister and her family catch up with me, I will have my second celebration.

But today, it was just phone calls, and a 6 mile treadmill run. 
 
I was hoping for a donation or two since I keep posting that I only want to end cancer as my Christmas gift.  But no one seems to want to help me get what I really want! So I keep plugging along and posting and asking and trying to sell my photography.

Christmas was white here, as it is about 10 months out of every year!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

 

My favorite Christmas video
Hallelujah Chorus - Quinhagak, Alaska

This Week's Photo

Each week I offer a different one of my favorite photos as an incentive for people to donate to my Team In Training Race for Cancer page. Since it is Christmas week I chose one of my favorite winter scenes. I will send an 8x10 print of this photo to anyone who makes a donation.

All I want for Christmas is an end to cancer!

Make a donation of any amount to my Race 4 Cancer fundraising page http://www.race4cancer.org/
and I will send you an 8x10 print of this week's photo of Matanuska Peak near Palmer, Alaska

Matanuska Peak - Palmer, Alaska
December 24 - 30, 2012

Phase 2 Weather Here

It's not a day for stepping outside for any reason today.  I hope I can make it to work.  I can't see a thing out the window of my hotel room.  The wind is around 50 miles an hour in blowing snow at 4 degrees. I ran 7 miles on the treadmill though.  I woke up a little earlier today thanks to the howling wind outside my window.  It kept waking me up so I finally gave up and got up.  I reached 3000 miles using the Nike+ app on my iPhone.  That's like running all the way across the United States!  It took me a few years though.  Hopefully I will run the next 3000 in a lot shorter time.

Two more days until Christmas and a week until I can go home.  It's been a long month, mostly from stress over the repairs that didn't get done in my house. But they will be done soon after I get there.

3 Miles

I managed to squeeze in a short 3 mile run this afternoon on the treadmill.  I woke up too late for anything more.  I had planned at least 5 miles but after 3 was starting to feel kind of sick.  I knew it was time to stop.  It was very hot in the room so that could have been the problem.

No new donations but I keep hoping and posting on Facebook and other places.  Perhaps when I get home I will find some donations from the letters that I sent along with my Christmas cards. 

I uploaded some more pictures to my Habataku photography website and to Red Bubble.

I made a poster from one of my favorite photos after reading an interesting quote from Rumi.  The quote is:  "Nothing Can Nourish The Soul But Light."~ Rumi♥

When I read that I thought of this picture I took while driving through the redwoods in Northern California back in 2006 with my mother.  It was such a beautiful scene.

 "Nothing Can Nourish The Soul But Light."~ Rumi♥

KILL CANCER ON KILIMANJARO!

Only a few more days left of 2012. 
Consider making a donation to help end suffering from cancer. 
What a wonderful Christmas gift that would be to the world - an end to cancer!

Support me as I climb the mountain and run two marathons to try to raise money to make this dream come true for the world.

KILL CANCER ON KILIMANJARO!

 

 

Malala

I only had time to do a short 3 mile run again today.  I was caught up in taking care of business concerning damage to my house nearly 1000 miles away.  I have been very stressed from dealing with inconsiderate and unreliable workers to the point where it has been difficult to even face them on the phone or through E-mail. 

But today I thought about Malala Yousafzai, who at only 14 years of age had the courage to stand up to the Taliban and even get shot and nearly killed for it.  If she is not afraid to face the Taliban just for the right to go to school, then I guess I don't need to be afraid of some construction contractor! So I spoke up and am hiring someone else.

Now maybe I won't have to waste so much of my precious workout time worrying about my house or any material things for that matter.  Tomorrow I hope to finally do a long run.  Fighting cancer is the most important thing to me right now.

It's time to fight the real enemy, cancer.

If you would like to help me in that fight click here!

 

 

Following Your Dreams

We hear people constantly saying how they wish they could "THIS" or they would love to do "THAT" but most of the time they only dream about it and talk about it. But they never do it.

Back in October 1982 I took a trip to Alaska with my mother.  As the plane circled to land in Anchorage, I looked out at those beautiful mountains, with tears in my eyes, turned to my mother and said "I'm going home, selling everything I own, moving into a VW van and moving here."  I crossed the Canada Alaska border in my VW bus on Easter morning, 1983 and never left.

When I started working in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in 2008, I kept thinking that it would be neat to ride my bicycle all the way home from work one day, all 830 miles from Prudhoe Bay to Palmer.  In July 2010, I arrived in Palmer on my bicycle after 19 days through mud and rain and mosquitoes.

For a couple of years now I have been feeling so much stress because of the house that I own in Palmer.  Constant repairs, constantly worrying what might happen when I am away for a month at work or even longer while traveling.  I can't even begin to count the hundreds of times I have said that I wish I didn't have a house.  I long for those simple days living in that tiny RV with only my Yorkshire Terrier.  Recent disasters from the high winds and heavy rains of September have caused me thousands of dollars in repairs and frustration beyond description from dealing with dishonest and inconsiderate construction companies.  Today I ask myself why I am doing this?

What if I were to buy a nice little lot on a little lake somewhere in my beautiful Alaska?  What if I were to buy myself another VW van like the reconditioned 4 wheel drive one I saw last summer?  What if I were to then sell my house, get rid of all my clutter, lock my beautiful Old Town canoe to a tree on my new lot, and go back to the simple life that I miss so much?  How many times do I have to ask myself that question before we see me drive off in my new van with my house fading in the rearview mirror?

It could happen.  I hope that it does.

Reading While Running!

Well that was an interesting experiment.  I read about the female runners from Kenya and how they have such perfect posture from balancing heavy weights on their heads. Thus when they run, they don't tend to bounce their bodies.  I also heard of a woman who was able to read while running quite fast on the treadmill. What better way than that to hold the upper body still and let only the lower body do the work.

I tried it while reading GOD: A STORY OF REVELATION by Deepak Chopra, and also listening to Christmas music by Mannheim Steamroller on my iPhone. I found that it almost seemed to use a different set of leg muscles to keep myself steady enough to actually read.  After one mile I went back to straight running and pushed my speed up to my desired race speed.  But I think it was a good exercise and I plan to work towards perfecting it. It made for an interesting workout anyway. It was a short one of only 3 miles because I am short on time today.

I received a $25 donation today and was delighted to send off an 8x10 print of my photo of the week.  I like the idea of sending a thank you gift to show my appreciation for donations to this special cause. How wonderful it will be if we can at least remove cancer from the enormous list of problems that exist in this world.

Peace on Earth!

Moon Joggers: Three ways to participate

This is so cool in a crazy sort of way.  Gotta do it!

Moon Joggers: Three ways to participate: There are three ways you can participate in Moon Joggers 2013: 1. As an individual: commit to walk,jog and run 1,000 miles in 2013. You ...

I will walk 500 miles just by doing the Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage in April and May!

Photo of the Week

Every week I offer one of my favorite photos as a fundraising incentive to encourage donations to my Team In Training website. This week's photo is of a beautiful iceberg I encounter while sailing with a friend in Prince William Sound near the Columbia Glacier.

Iceberg - Prince William Sound, Alaska
Week of  December 17 - 23, 2012

Make a donation of any amount to my Race 4 Cancer fundraising page http://www.race4cancer.org/ and I will send you an 8x10 print of this week's photo of an Iceberg in Prince William Sound, Alaska.

Thank You!

 

Back on the Treadmill

The exercise room has been closed for two days but they finally opened it again.  With the weather in the -30's I am very dependent on that treadmill.  It's been hard to concentrate on my training after the tragic news of the last few days.  It's been hard to pull my thoughts away from the loss of so many innocent children, and the adults who tried to save them but were also killed.  So many problems in this world need to be addressed.

I can't do that much in the large scheme of things, but I try to do as much as I can.  I wish I had the resources to cure all diseases, mental illness, crime, war, and sorrow.  But of course one person can't do it all.  For now I will concentrate on my desire to help find a cure for cancer.

I am so delighted that I found such a wonderful program as Team In Training that helps me to improve my own health while I help to end such a terrible disease.
Please support me in my efforts with Team In Training by making a donation here:

http://www.race4cancer.org/

Day of Sorrow

It was hard to think of anything today except the tragic shooting of all those dear little children in the elementary school in Connecticut. Things like that should never happen. People as cruel as that man who ruthlessly murdered 20 little kids and his own mother are just as evil and horrible as any form of cancer.  I wish there was a way to eliminate criminal activity like that.  I would run to the ends of the earth to find a cure for such evil.

I didn't get a chance to run at all today because the exercise room was closed. They are remodeling right now. I honestly didn't much feel like it anyway. It was a day to simply reflect on the tragedy of today and mourn with the families who have lost their little ones.

Kind of Pokey Today!

I was really dragging my feet on the treadmill today.  Not sure why either because I didn't run yesterday.  Lots of stress going on lately so I think it was my brain that was dragging more than my body.  I did get in another 5 miles though.  I have been having trouble sleeping so end up waking up too late for a long run.  I would love to get in a good 15 mile long run but there just isn't enough time in the day.  That is one problem when you work 7 days a week. Or in my case, 7 nights a week.  It's nice to have a day with enough free hours to just run and enjoy! 

I booked my flight to Paris for the Paris Marathon on April 7th.  It was a marathon of phone calls because it seems to fall at a bad time for people who want frequent flyer seats using Alaska Airlines miles.  I finally found one flight through British Airways that has an additional fuel charge of over $400. My 'free flight' ended up costing about $650.  But it was better than paying full price which was about $1000 more.  I will end up donating that $1000 savings to my fundraising page, based on how many donations I have been getting.  But what could be better than Paris in the springtime!

After the marathon I plan to hop the train, visit Lourdes, France, then head to St Jean Pied de Port, France and walk the 500 mile Camino de Santiago pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. I will be home again in time to return to Deadhorse for the month of June. That's one way to miss out on spring breakup in Alaska!

This is why I run on the treadmill and not outdoors right now:

KILL CANCER ON KILIMANJARO!

KILL CANCER ON KILIMANJARO!

 

 

Still Treadmilling

Another 5 miles.  I'm still waking up too late to have time for much longer than 5 miles.  Too much stress keeping me from getting to sleep on time.  Early to bed, early to rise is best but not if it takes 3 hours to get to sleep like it did for me today.  Maybe I should try running before I go to sleep but I think I might fall asleep on the treadmill and fall off! At least I did get on and do something.  It was a good workout. Maybe it's time for some yoga now. Or maybe that would be good right before bed time tomorrow morning.

I got a donation yesterday and I was so happy to be able to send him an 8x10 of my photo of the week.  I always loved this one of the 3 eagles.  On the computer it almost looks 3D.  It's encouraging when I get a donation.  I still need $2400 to reach my minimum.  But I will donate it myself if I can't raise it any other way.

5 Miles Again

I seem to be sleeping a little too long the last few days so have not had time for a run longer than 5 miles.  I hope I can wake up earlier tomorrow.  When you work 7 nights a week, it can be hard to have time to run for several hours.  Here it is an even bigger problem because I have to work around the couple of hours available where dinner is served. It cuts right into the middle of my non-working time. 

I'm sticking with the treadmill.  -33 outside with a -60 wind chill.  That's enough to keep most folks inside, then add the dark and no place to run but the ice road with the trucks.  No thanks.  I have become very fond of the treadmill.  I am slowing picking up my running speed.  I guess I will see if it has paid off next month when I run the Walt Disney World Marathon for Team In Training.

Still no luck getting any donations.  I keep trying to come up with some more incentives because curing cancer just doesn't seem to be enough. But I can't give up.  If you want to beat cancer, you just don't give up.

More Miles on the Treadmill

I ran another 5 miles today on the treadmill.  17 below zero outside, so definitely indoor running time! I felt pretty good and did try to do half of it at my faster speed goal.  I think I am gradually getting to the pace I want.  I can tell it was a good workout because I could go longer at the 10 minute mile pace.  I'm hoping for a long run tomorrow.

Still no luck at all with donations.  I may just donate up to my minimum before the end of the month.  May as well get the tax write-off right?  There is my minimum requirement for Team In Training but my actual goal is whatever it takes to bring about a true lasting and final end to cancer.  How amazing that would be!

 

Donate Here!

5 on the Treadmill

Another 5 miles logged on the Prudhoe Bay Hotel's treadmill.  I like to hold the bar loosely and close my eyes and pretend I am running on the beach in Maui.  Ahh, wishful thinking.  It's really snowing and zero degrees with perpetual darkness here. Thank goodness we do have a treadmill here. I'd go crazy trying to figure out how to train for marathons without it.

I sure need some donations to my Team In Training fundraising page.  I'm hoping that in time my Red Bubble photos might sell.  It's all to fight cancer. 

I just love their little promotion slide show.

6 More Miles

I had a nice rest day yesterday but back to the treadmill today. I pushed myself up to my desired pace for 3 out of the 6 miles that I ran.  I want to get back to a consistent 10 minute mile.  The treadmill is good because I can set it for my desired pace and I have to run harder to keep up with it.

I'm not doing very well in my fundraising though.  Seems that my pleas for donations or for sales of my photos go unnoticed.  But I won't give up.  I will run faster and I will raise the money and I will live to see the day when there is no more cancer.  No one can tell me I'm not an optimist!

Please have a look at my photos on Red Bubble
or on my Habataku website
or simply make a donation to my Team In Training page.

Gotta get rid of cancer!

Fight Cancer - Photos for Sale!

I really want to sell my photography to raise money for this important cause.  Have a look at my Red Bubble photos.  Lots of different products.  I will donate whatever you pay for your order, directly to my Team In Training Page.

Another Day Another Treadmill Run

They have been remodeling the exercise room here at the Prudhoe Bay Hotel so sometimes I can't get in there when I want to.  But so far I have made it two days in a row.  I had to wait around for a while today though.  I just ran 5 miles at a fairly relaxed pace.  Night shift is catching up with me.  I usually take about a week to really adjust again.  It's -8 with a wind chill of -28 and of course it is also continual night with no place to run out there.  So I will be spending lots of quality time with the treadmill this month.  But that's OK.  I am very thankful to have it. 

I posted lots and lots of pictures on Red Bubble last night.  I don't think my photos are particularly unusual so it won't surprise me if none of them ever sell.  But it does give me another way to promote my Team In Training events.  I think it also gives me incentive to try to come up with either photography or some other form of art that really is unusual.  Then maybe it will sell.  I went to sleep thinking of what new ideas I could come up with. 

Meanwhile I just run, and post to Twitter and Facebook and hope for the best.

Back in Deadhorse

I'm back up at work now and since it is dark and cold and there is absolutely no safe place to run outdoors, I am also back to the treadmill.  I just did a nice 5 mile run.  At least on the treadmill I can set speed goals and force myself to run faster.  Picking up speed is my goal for this month.  I really want to get back to my old 10 minute mile instead of continually slipping into 12 minute or more per mile.  I need to have more reasonable marathon times in the future.

It was a spectacular flight past Denali yesterday as I got a glimpse of the last rays of sun I will see until next year when I go home New Year's Eve.

Denali Sunset From The Plane

I've been gradually adding my photos to the Red Bubble site to try to sell them to make money for my Team In Training fundraising.  I like that a person can order all kinds of items from the pictures on that site. I'm not having much luck raising money so far.  Mostly I have been raising it out of my own bank account! But that's ok too.  I would like to be able to raise a whole lot more than the minimum requirement though, and that will take help from others.

Ice Skating Cross Training

I did my 6 miles today on the ice at Westchester Lagoon, on my ice skates.  What a beautiful day for it too.  Just the right temperature with bright sunshine and not too many people.  The first few laps went pretty slow but after a while I got my 'skate legs' back and was able to move pretty quickly.  It was nice to go to Anchorage and get away from the high winds out here in the valley the last few days too. I only fell once when Sombra the German Shepherd who likes to knock people down decided that it was my turn. That dog needs a spanking!

5 Miles With The Team

I went into Anchorage today and ran with the Alaska Team In Training team.  I got lost looking for the place where we were supposed to meet.  So spent a little time driving up and down the road to Pt Woronzof while talking to my mentor on the cell phone.  I finally found her. We ran about 5 miles over the snow on the Coastal Trail. It was really cold!  Lots of little hills too, so it was challenging and a really good workout.  I like running with the team because it is a lot more fun to be with other people. I think I run faster with them too because most of them are faster than me, so I push myself more to keep up with them.

I'm posting a different photo on my Facebook page each week as an incentive for people to make donations to my fundraising page.  $25 donation or more and I will send an 8x10 print of the photo of the week.  This week I am offering my Snowy Egret photo.  It is one of my favorites. Click on the picture to make a donation to help end cancer.

Indoor Run 5 miles

I ran 5 miles at the Sports Center track today.  Way too much wind and icy cold 10 degree temperatures to consider running outdoors.  I always get a really good run when I use the indoor track. I felt pretty good and actually ran a bit faster today.  My goal is to increase my pace so I can finish a lot faster at my next marathon.

I am not having any luck with donations to my Team In Training fundraising page. I still need to raise $3625 to reach my minimum.  Please consider making a donation to help me fight deadly blood cancers. http://www.race4cancer.org/

Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio

Aother marathon completed. I sure didn't break any speed records though.  It was so hot that at times I really wondered if I was going to make it. I felt on the verge of heat exhaustion the entire time even though I drank water and Gatorade at every stop.  So my slow time, over 6 hours was quite a disappointment, but certainly not a surprise considering how often we have weather in the 80's in Alaska.  At least we were blessed with a cool breeze at times.
 
Friends took this photo of me right after I crossed the finish line.  I look like I just did a triathlon and didn't dry off after the swimming portion!

10 Miles

I ran a nice 10 miles at the indoor track at the Sports Center today.  It felt great.  A nice way to get in a good run without dealing with the 15 degree weather outside. Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon on Sunday so I want to get in some good runs this week.  It's about 70 degrees warmer in San Antonio than here today.  So that might be kind of challenging.  But I think I am kind of looking forward to actually being warm for a change!

It's been really beautiful around here though. I went for a drive up to Denali Park yesterday and was blessed with this view of Denali.

Denali View

 

Arctic Valley Road

Wonderful workout today with the Alaska Team In Training Team.  It was dark and cold and the road was snow-covered, but it was a great hill run.  We all ran about 2 hours and my Nike+ GPS said I ran 8.6 miles.  I ended up walking parts of the uphill, but ran non-stop back downhill.  I wasn't very motivated when the alarm went off this morning but I knew I would be really mad at myself if I just rolled over and went back to sleep.  It was well worth getting up for!  We had a breakfast get-together over at Ruth's house afterwards and I finally got to meet most of the team that will be also running the Walt Disney World Marathon with me.



Please Help Fight Cancer With A Donation Here!

6 Miles at the Sports Center

It snowed about 4 inches last night and the current wind is about 50 miles per hour.  I decided to pass on even trying to run outdoors in that mess.  I went to the Menard Sports Center and ran 6 miles on the indoor track.  That is really a wonderful place to run because it has the perfect temperature, small hills, a smooth surface, and you don't have to fight the elements or traffic or exhaust fumes.  I also beats running on a treadmill because you don't stay in one place.  I am so fortunate to have a place like that to workout.  It is well worth the drive.

I have been posting a different photo each week on Facebook to encourage donations of $25 or more for a thank you gift of an 8 x 10 print of the photo.  So far, I have gotten no donations at all. This week's photo is of a bald eagle from Homer.

Bald Eagle - Homer, Alaska

I'm hoping to find more ways to encourage donations.  I love to run, but the most important part of my running is to find a cure for cancer. 

Please consider making a donation to my

Team In Training Fundraising Page.

Rainbow Trail

Another beautiful day for a nice uphill hike.  First I had to take the Ski Patrol CPR Refresher but then hiked the Rainbow Trail along Turnagain Arm with Diane and her dog Sombra who likes to run with very big sticks and smack me in the legs as he passes. What a goofy dog!

It was 10 degrees this morning but had warmed up to the high 20's by the time we went for our hike. It was wonderful hiking weather with not a cloud in the sky.

Turnagain Arm

Twin Peaks Trail

I am trying to concentrate on uphill right now, while the steeper trails are still snow-free.  Today I hiked and ran up and down the Twin Peaks Trail.  There was a little snow on the upper portion of the trail, and near the top there was some serious overflow with a lot of ice.  I decided to turn around rather than try to negotiate that ice flow.  But it was a gorgeous but cold day.  No wind though.  There seemed to be no one else on the trail too.  At the midway viewpoint I got the usual spectacular view of Eklutna Lake and Bold Peak.  Breathtaking as usual.  It was nice to get in some serious uphill, keeping Mt. Kilimanjaro in mind.

From the Twin Peaks Trail viewpoint

Hatcher Pass

Beautiful hike/run up to Gold Cord Mine at Hatcher Pass today.  It was a beautiful day, cold as can be but at least it wasn't windy.  There is about 2 inches of snow on the road and trail.  I mostly walked up the mountain then ran down.  There is almost enough snow to ski but on the trail portion it was too rocky.  I will wait until we get a few more snowfalls before taking my skis up there.



Not much snow at Hatcher Pass yet.

Hills Hills Hills

I ran the Wolverine Road hills again today. Boy I need to work on hills.  Seemed really tired today.  It was really cold today too, in the 20's.  But once I got enough layers on, I felt warm enough.  It was very cold on the big curve though with a north wind howling.  I could have done without that!

I called REI today and was a little worried when they told me that although they had already confirmed that the Kilimanjaro climb is going to go, several people have dropped out and we are back down to only me and one other person.  She will be my roommate, but we have to pay an extra $300 which is the small group rate. That's ok with me, and hopefully it will also be ok with her.  I don't want to book my airline flight until I know for sure the trip is going to take place.  it is still over 3 months away but I would hope the people who are planning to go would have already decided. REI will call me in a couple of days with more information.

Just a couple more weeks until the San Antonio Marathon.  I do hope it is not still in the 80's on November 11th.  That might feel better than the 20's though.

Home Again

I am back from California and running again.  Not quite as warm as the 85 degrees I left on Friday.  It is about 23 now but with enough layers, I had a good 5 mile run on the Wolverine Road hills.  Felt a little sluggish today though.  I think I got as much exercise walking the shopping mall in San Jose as I did running the Nike Marathon.  It takes a little extra push to get myself out there in the icy cold, but at least the wind wasn't blowing today.  I have about 3 weeks before the San Antonio Marathon.  Hope to speed up a bit by then.  Today it was 88 in San Antonio so I do hope it is a bit cooler on November 11th.

NIke

I did it!  I made it through another Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco.

 

It was awesome and a lot of work.  My feet are so tired.  I am so tired!  I love this run, even in today's fog, San Francisco was beautiful as always.  The fog was really helpful because I think it would have been too hot otherwise.

 

The Tiffany necklace is another beauty.

 

 

I was still slower than I want to be this time.  I didn't feel well for the first half.  Not so sure why.  I felt kind of sick to my stomach.  But about halfway I seemed to get a second wind and ran the second half a lot faster. I will be concentrating on increasing my speed from now on. 

 

 

NWM San Francisco

Tomorrow is the day.  My 5th Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco.  20,000+ runners will race through the streets of San Francisco to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  I went to the expo yesterday and today and also spent some time and money wandering around NikeTown.  Gotta have that 2012 commemorative shirt!  It's always a festive event. For me it is also yet another long training run for the next few marathons and the climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It looks like good weather for tomorrow. 

 

Cold Cold Cold Run

It was really chilly outside and there is some snow on the ground in many places.  I just ran a short 3 miles today because I was FREEZING!  This will be my last run in Deadhorse because I have to pack up my running shoes and do my final laundry and put away the running clothes until I return in December.  So I will have a couple of rest days, from running anyway. I'll be driving the 830 miles home then running in my old familiar places. 

I did see a little snow today

Snow near Franklin Bluffs

 

Found a couple of little friends too:

Ground Squirrel

 

Red Fox

There are definitely some signs of winter out there now.  The road itself was very muddy.  I wonder how much snow I will find on the drive home on Sunday.

 

Indoors Today

It was snowing this morning and pouring rain this afternoon when I woke up.  Rain is one thing, but thick mud and standing water everywhere on the gravel road makes running impossible.  So I ran 5 miles on the treadmill.  It was a really good workout.  I followed it with 45 minutes of the Ballet Beautiful workout.  I think I worked off my dinner of a really really really BIG salad!

I am trying a new fundraising idea.  I am offering a photo of the week as an incentive for people to make a donation of $25 or more to my Team In Training fundraising page.  I will send any donors an 8x10 print of the photo of the week.  This week's photo is my Snowy Owl. Since it was almost the end of the week when I decided on this, I will make that one available until the end of the next week.  Then on October 7th I will offer a different photo for that week.  

So far I have no takers but it seems like an interesting idea.  Here is my photo for this week.

Make a donation of $25 or more and I will send an 8x10 print of the Snowy Owl

Donate here and be sure to include your mailing address when you make the online donation.

Thanks for your support!

Short Run

Today was great.  Just a short 3 mile run but by far the fastest time in a long time.  It was very cold and very windy, so maybe that just made me run faster, who knows? I have lost a few pounds so maybe I can run faster without carrying an extra 5 pounds along with me! I was glad to see that I could finally pick up the speed while running outdoors.

It has been a frustrating day though because my E-mail account was attacked and I spent much more time fighting with that than I had wanted.  I hope the problem is solved now. I think I will be gradually switching over to my other E-mail address since that is not the first time it has happened.

I am not doing great with promoting my new Facebook Race 4 Cancer page.  So many charities and worthy causes out there.  But I do feel passionate about helping to find a cure for cancer.  I think prevention is something that has been overlooked too much also.  So many Americans are overweight or downright obese. It has to be a contributing factor.  I am leaning towards a vegan diet or at least cutting down severely on fatty foods, junk food, sweets, and animal products.  I am somewhat inspired after reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book EAT TO LIVE. He feels strongly that the typical American diet is a huge factor in the increasing incidence of cancer.  He encourages a diet mostly of fruits and green vegetables while limiting animal and oil products substantially.  Following his advice for a week I lost 3 pounds. Between that and the Ballet Beautiful exercises I have been doing, I'm feeling a lot more fit!

I want to see a cure for cancer and a bigger focus on prevention.  That is likely the key.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, always stands true.

The nightly fog was rolling in today.

Let's Fight Cancer!

Fabulous Run

It was a positively gorgeous day and I drove down the Dalton Highway 20 miles and went for a very nice 5 mile run.  It was just perfect, in the low 40's with just a light breeze.  Towards the end it must have been getting warmer because mud was starting to build up on my shoes and they were getting mighty heavy. I was pretty worried yesterday because when I started to run on the treadmill I had to stop immediately because I suddenly had a severe sharp pain in the arch of my foot.  For a while I not only couldn't run, it was nearly too painful to walk.  But after I slept, it was fine when I woke up and I didn't feel it at all during today's run.  

This really was a lovely day!

10 Miles

I had a pretty nice run today, from the hotel and on down the Haul Road and back for 10 miles.  For some reason my right foot kept cramping up but otherwise it was really nice.  It was a little windy at first but then it calmed down and was wonderful. Bright sunshine for a change.  I need a few more long runs like that - in fact much longer would be nice! But I do have time constraints because I have to go to work every night.  Today was a good run though.  My knee that had been bothering me is no longer giving me problems, which is a very good thing!

I took a couple of pictures with my phone because I was so delighted with the clear blue sky today.

A beautiful day in Prudhoe Bay

Blue Sky!