15 Miler in Madtown!

Happy Belated St. Patty's Day! Last week's 9 miles went well. I decided to go solo on Sunday evening to take advantage of that extra daylight we got from springing ahead--and yes, also because I may have enjoyed a few green beers on Saturday. What can I say, I have to carbo-load, right?

This past weekend I headed up to my old stomping grounds, Madison, Wisconsin, to visit my good friend Lissa. Gara and I drove up there on Friday evening, giving me the opportunity to enjoy the healthiest pre-run meal possible: a shamrock shake and filet 'o fish sandwich. Dinner of champions? I think so.

Lissa, Gara, and I planned to get up somewhat early and run together, but when we woke up to 25 degrees and snow, it took us a little while to muster the motivation to get started. Thankfully it started to clear up and we headed out to the gorgeous Lake Monona path.



Despite an annoying amount of wind, we all met our running goals--Lissa ran 6, Gara ran 9, and I got in 15. It was a great chance for us to catch up, and for me to run around my old campus. After Gara and Lissa finished up, I ran towards campus, to Lake Mendota, and past my college dorm. That shamrock shake must have some magical powers, because the run felt fantastic and I managed to pull off a pace of around 9:30 again. Hopefully I can keep this up! Lissa, thank you so much for your comfy couch/bed, the scenic running route, the dancing, and the cheese :)

Here's a pic of my running buddies--one I think they'll appreciate more than a post-run photo.




This weekend I'm doing 9 miles again, so I'll get to recover a bit. Gara's parents will be town, so I'll get to meet them and learn all about the work they've been doing with the AHCF.

Thanks again to everyone who's been checking out the AHCF information. Gara will be passing up the 250 mile mark within the next week, so a big congrats to her for being a quarter way to her 100-mile goal!

A special thanks to:

Sara & Jeff Monnette
Kerry Krebs & Chris Onken
Minnie Lee
Mike Auda
Reena Jashnani
Kate Miller

Your support has brought me to $585, so I'm getting closer to my $2,000 goal. Thank you!

For my next long run--17 miles--I'll be heading to Milwaukee for Easter with my family. Enjoy the rest of March Madness everyone!

Great day for 13 miles!

Thank you, March, for breaking with tradition and coming in like a lamb!

When I signed up for this marathon, I knew my training would start in February, and that I had to stay in running shape over the winter. The treadmill and I don't like each other very much, so that meant I had to suck it up and run through the winter. I am very lucky that my roommate/running buddy, Denise, has been willing to do it with me. Almost every morning for the past 9 months, Denise and I have gotten up together at 6 a.m. to run before work. Over the winter, I've tried to stay positive, convincing myself that weather.com's temperature was off by five degrees, and saying things like "It's a fun workout when you have to run through the snow--it's like beach running" or "It sure feels warmer than 15 degrees!" But who are we kidding--winter running gets old fast.

So when I woke up on Saturday morning to sun and 35 degrees, I felt pretty darn lucky. For the first time in months I actually wore sunglasses and felt overdressed! The 13 miles went better than expected, I kept up a pace of a little slower than a 9 minute mile, which is right around my goal time. I haven't done a long run alone for a few years, so I was happy to run into some friends on the lakeshore path. Thanks Kerry, Chris, and Sparkle for breaking up the monotony! Next time I'm running up Sheridan I'm definitely picking you guys up.

I've been thrilled with the attention you guys have given this matter so far. I've already received $365 in donations, so I'm almost a quarter of the way to my goal! Thank you very much to everyone who's checked out the website and donated to the AHCF so far. A special thanks to:

Dan Poll
Brian Lohan
David Canales
Denise Woodside
Kate Miller
Erin, Mike, Sophie, Irene, and ??? Schumaker (thanks for the drawings too!)

For those of you keeping up with Gara's progress in her mission to run 1,000 miles for AHCF, she just decided to run the Green Bay Half Marathon. The half is the same day as the marathon so we'll get to run the first 11 miles of our races together. Now there'll be two ladies running for AHCF on May 16!

This coming weekend I'm scaling back the mileage to 9 miles. A few of my siblings are coming into town to celebrate St. Patty's Day Chicago-style. They don't know it yet, but part of the celebration will be getting up on Sunday to run with me...Lisa and Kelly, I'm talking to you!

Have a great week everyone!