Run, Run Rudolph

I was able to stick to my running schedule up until last week when the holiday craziness finally caught up to me. I had a wonderful time visiting family and friends, but the Christmas parties really kept me busy around the clock. I'm happy to report, however, that my life is back to normal!

I'm so thankful to everyone who gave me running clothes for Christmas! I absolutely love all of my gifts, but I was in dire need of workout gear! I used to have to do a load of laundry after exercising because I would dirty almost all of my running clothes during a single run. I've already made great use of my new base layers, hats, socks, gloves, zip-up jackets, and lime green fleeces! I also tried out my new pedometer during my 15,744 step run this afternoon. Check out the new additions to my running library below as well! I would also like to use this post to thank both of my sisters for sponsoring my run! It was so nice finding a check made payable to DFMC and a dollar shaped "I owe you" under the tree on Christmas morning!

Now that the Christmas craziness is behind us for a few months, I am back on track with my running. I finally caught up on my sleep, and I feel like Katy again! On Saturday, I spent most of the day unpacking and organizing my life. I developed my running plan for the remainder of the week (including my last two workouts in 2007). I really tried to redeem myself for last week with an eleven mile run this afternoon. I'm going to try to fit in another eight mile run tomorrow morning before work as well.

My run this afternoon started off terrific despite my being a little bit nervous about the fact that this was my first run in over a week! I took the subway to the Woodland stop with my roommate and ran along our usual route. It turns out that Maureen saw us running while she was visiting Katherine and Pete at their home. We ran to Kenmore Square and followed Brookline Avenue to Dana-Farber to finish only 10.5 miles of running. Keep in mind that my goal was to complete eleven miles without fail!

Towards the end of my run, I simply ran out of steam. This was a totally new experience to me! I had heard that it's difficult to run for two hours straight without needing additional fuel, but I didn't realize the extent of these words until I became somewhat light-headed and shaky. I didn't feel entirely bad, but I just HAD to EAT! It probably didn't help that I was running past Dunkin' Donuts, pizza shops, and chocolatiers. The usual bowl of Special-K that I had for breakfast just didn't cut it, so I ended my run after 10.5 miles. When I got home, I didn't bother to change my clothes. I went straight to the refrigerator. I grabbed a clementine and wolfed down another bowl of cereal in record time. While it was tempting to hit the shower, I just couldn't do it! My goal was to run eleven miles, and nothing was going to stop me! I ran back out the door and around the block to complete my original mission!

My motivation this afternoon was a result of a) a recent phone call to my patient partner's mother, b) all of my sponsors, and c) my new running gear. It's a wonderful feeling knowing that I have the support of my family and friends!

I was a little bit nervous to make the intial phone call to my patient partner. She was unavailable at the time, so I left a message. I really hope to hear back soon, but I understand that it might be a difficult time to talk on the phone.

I'm so grateful to everyone who has already sponsored me! I'm particularly motivated by my two sponsors who agreed to give Dana-Farber $1.00 per every mile that I run in training (payable in monthly installments)! December is coming to a close, so I'm trying to squeeze in a few extra miles today and tomorrow. I'm also currently drafting letters to new, potential sponsors. Please let me know if you are interested in sponsoring my run, and I would be happy to send you more information!