Each day, I keep telling myself to just keep going. No matter what I do, just do something!
Since my last post, I haven't done a lot of training. I went out dancing on Friday night, so I'm thinking I could count that as a workout. After all, I was sweating like crazy! Then on Saturday, I went to my first kettlebell class in three weeks. I hadn't gone for last two weeks nor worked out at home, so I knew that if I didn't get myself back to class, I might be giving up on it soon. And I was already feeling bummed because I could tell my arm muscles were beginning to lose their definition. Ugh! I LOVE having muscles! So, I got myself to class. At the request of my teacher/sister, I was in an easy class again. She acknowledged I could do more, but since she asked me to attend that class time, I did. The class went ok, but it was not much of a challenge for me. Afterwards however, she asked me to stay for another 15 minutes with another student in order to get more of a workout in. So I did. Oh man, was that a workout! I ended up staying another half hour, which is another whole class. I had a heavier weight and could already feel that my lower back was going to be killing me very soon. The workout was great, but I was pretty much dead for the rest of the day!
Sunday I worked on my flyers for my planned "YOGA in the PARK" fundraising events, but did no training. Still recovering from my aching back, I decided to take it easy on the physical, but spend time emailing and promoting my fundraising. Just keep going, just do something!
Then on Monday, I re-committed to Team in Training. That was required for me to go on with them. This also means that if I do not raise all the money I have committed to by mid-April, I am on the line for the remaining amount not raised. I thought a lot about that this past weekend, and although a big part of me just wanted to quit, I ultimately decided to re-commit. It is a big, scary, crazy thing I've done. However, my intention is to become a better me this year. And if I get through this obstacle of raising this large amount of money, I believe it will personally pay off with other positive life consequences as well. This is why I decided to stick with my plan.
Tuesday, I knew I needed to get back to training. I hadn't done a walk/run for several days and I was feeling the mental effects of that--kind of like guilt! The kids were busy so I decided to go on my own. I headed out to Campbell Park for a walk/run by myself. The main trail loop there is about 2.25 miles. Although I could go on a longer trail route, since I was alone, I decided to just do the loop three times and that would be about 6.75 miles. But as I started, I could immediately tell I've been taking too many days off between training. I got very tired very fast. And so, when my friend called during my third mile, it was an easy decision to cut my training short and meet her for an informal St. Patricks Day celebration :) I did first, however, push myself through to get 4 miles in before I left. Oh well, 4 miles is better than none!
Today, Wednesday, I continue to feel the pressure of fundraising. But I'm determined to just keep going, just do something. I've been reaching out to people on a personal level and asking them to help. I still hate it for sure, and today found myself wishing I just had an extra $2,400 so I could donate it all myself and be done with it! As I said though, this is a bigger deal for me personally, maybe even more so than I know. So I keep myself inspired with that thought. Oh, and raised another $150 today!
Just keep going, Donna, just do something...
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Walking off the fundraising stress
I am going to be honest here... fundraising is not fun for me.
Whenever I take on a life project for myself, I am always amazed at how it brings up other areas of my life that I had no intention of working on. For instance, last year I decided to work on anything but my personal relationships. I started blogging (in my other blog) and was writing about all sorts of things that were making me happy, as way to express gratitude. But my relationships started going crazy and ultimately caused me to face some things I had not wanted to face prior to then. That was unexpected! Oh well, I moved on just fine.
So, this time I should have known better as I went into the New Year with a whole new set of priorities. First, it was my weight loss. Then it progressed into the training for a half marathon, which included becoming a member of Team in Training. That required fundraising, but I wasn't worried because I worked for a company in which I felt confident the owner would contribute in a significant way. If anything, I was more concerned with my ability to be able to run the 13.1 miles. It would not be until after the half marathon would I think about the other resolutions I had on my list.
Then I got laid off from my job. This is not a tragedy, by any means. But it is a distraction, big time! I am having to focus my time on deciding what to do. Should I go back to another similar job, or should I just completely concentrate on my coaching career? That will take much more work on my part, and I just didn't expect to be thinking about that right now. The other result of losing the job is that I no longer have a relationship with the owner of the company I worked for, which means I now need to raise all the money myself. And if I don't raise the money by the deadline, in about a month from now, I have to commit to paying the difference of the required $2,400 myself! Well, that would be as bad if I wasn't first trying to figure out where my main income will be coming from in the near future! Uhhhhhh.
So, this is my dilemma and it means that I will either need to drop out of Team in Training (not the marathon, because I can still run it by paying the fee of $55) or figure out how to raise the money in a month.
Well, this is the deal, and the reason I said that when I take on a life project, other stuff comes up for me... I HATE asking people for help! I am a giver, not a receiver. Yeah, that's a problem when I have to ask people to give me money (even a donation for a good cause). It's an issue that goes way back for me, and this post would be too long if I explained where all that came from. Doesn't matter. Basically, the bottom line is that it is just not a fun thing for me to try and overcome.
But I must--not so much for the Leukemia & Society Team in Training or even for Dana and David, who I feel I would be letting down too--but for me!
I don't stress over many things in life, but this is one thing much on my mind at the moment--even more so than the job situation.
As a result, I really haven't felt like training this week. I also wasn't able to attend the TNT training tonight because I didn't send in my re-commitment paperwork. And so, my stress was compounded by also feeling bad. But, I did force myself out of the house and onto the treadmill at the gym, for the first time since Saturday's run. I really needed that. However, because of my mood I was only able to run about 2 miles, but stayed on that treadmill for a total of 6 miles. It was boring as hell, because it took a very long time (1hr and 45min) to get all those miles in at the pace I was walking . But I knew I had to keep going. As I neared the end of the miles, I no longer felt any stress. Much better!
Now, the plan is to spend the next few days finding that within which will help me feel better about this whole fundraising thing. Weeeee will see!
Whenever I take on a life project for myself, I am always amazed at how it brings up other areas of my life that I had no intention of working on. For instance, last year I decided to work on anything but my personal relationships. I started blogging (in my other blog) and was writing about all sorts of things that were making me happy, as way to express gratitude. But my relationships started going crazy and ultimately caused me to face some things I had not wanted to face prior to then. That was unexpected! Oh well, I moved on just fine.
So, this time I should have known better as I went into the New Year with a whole new set of priorities. First, it was my weight loss. Then it progressed into the training for a half marathon, which included becoming a member of Team in Training. That required fundraising, but I wasn't worried because I worked for a company in which I felt confident the owner would contribute in a significant way. If anything, I was more concerned with my ability to be able to run the 13.1 miles. It would not be until after the half marathon would I think about the other resolutions I had on my list.
Then I got laid off from my job. This is not a tragedy, by any means. But it is a distraction, big time! I am having to focus my time on deciding what to do. Should I go back to another similar job, or should I just completely concentrate on my coaching career? That will take much more work on my part, and I just didn't expect to be thinking about that right now. The other result of losing the job is that I no longer have a relationship with the owner of the company I worked for, which means I now need to raise all the money myself. And if I don't raise the money by the deadline, in about a month from now, I have to commit to paying the difference of the required $2,400 myself! Well, that would be as bad if I wasn't first trying to figure out where my main income will be coming from in the near future! Uhhhhhh.
So, this is my dilemma and it means that I will either need to drop out of Team in Training (not the marathon, because I can still run it by paying the fee of $55) or figure out how to raise the money in a month.
Well, this is the deal, and the reason I said that when I take on a life project, other stuff comes up for me... I HATE asking people for help! I am a giver, not a receiver. Yeah, that's a problem when I have to ask people to give me money (even a donation for a good cause). It's an issue that goes way back for me, and this post would be too long if I explained where all that came from. Doesn't matter. Basically, the bottom line is that it is just not a fun thing for me to try and overcome.
But I must--not so much for the Leukemia & Society Team in Training or even for Dana and David, who I feel I would be letting down too--but for me!
I don't stress over many things in life, but this is one thing much on my mind at the moment--even more so than the job situation.
As a result, I really haven't felt like training this week. I also wasn't able to attend the TNT training tonight because I didn't send in my re-commitment paperwork. And so, my stress was compounded by also feeling bad. But, I did force myself out of the house and onto the treadmill at the gym, for the first time since Saturday's run. I really needed that. However, because of my mood I was only able to run about 2 miles, but stayed on that treadmill for a total of 6 miles. It was boring as hell, because it took a very long time (1hr and 45min) to get all those miles in at the pace I was walking . But I knew I had to keep going. As I neared the end of the miles, I no longer felt any stress. Much better!
Now, the plan is to spend the next few days finding that within which will help me feel better about this whole fundraising thing. Weeeee will see!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Finally, 6 miles!
Although I have no idea whether or not anyone even reads this blog (it's mostly for me to keep on track anyway), I was starting to get embarrassed about making so many excuses for not getting to my next goal of a consistent 6 mile training. Only once have I only gotten that far, but that was a few weeks ago. Now, I'm half way through my training (2 of 4 months) and feel I should be nearly half way through being able to run a the 13.1 miles needed for the half marathon.
Well, on Thursday I had another excuse for not going to TNT training. Dana didn't want to go if it was raining. I don't blame her because it's bad enough that we sometimes run in the cold--usually Saturday mornings. Rain on top of being cold is just miserable. And why should we do that when we have a nice gym to work out at instead? :) Really, it was an excuse not to go out to the track on Thursday because it didn't even rain and David went without us and had a great time! Dana and I did go to the gym though. I would really have been mad at myself if I didn't do that at least.
Weekday's at the gym around 6-7pm is not really ideal, however. I have my favorite type of treadmill, the one with the built in fan! At that time of the evening however, I get what I get. And I didn't get the one with the fan. So, I ran/walked my 4 miles and was done. I was too hot and didn't really have enough motivation to do more than that. Oh well.
Friday was a pretty busy day for me, so no training then :(
Saturday though, was our early morning TNT training run. Although I was dead tired and didn't want to wake up to go, it was nice that Dana and David offered to pick me up this time and take me with them. We went to the Coyote Creek Trail (another new place for me). This time I was determined to get my 6 miles in. Our choices were 6-10 miles anyway, so if we didn't do the 6 miles, I feel we'd really be feeling behind now. Also, Dana got a cool new watch to time our intervals. She set it for 4:30 minute run/2 minute walks. I felt good that that would keep us on track. (Superstar David would do the whole 10 mile run.)
Dana and I did pretty well. We walked more than we had planned on the last two miles. But I was very happy that when we were done, we again had the attitude that we could have done more. Although I know that is how it works when one practices/trains, it still amazes me at what I am able to do these days!
Well, my goal is to continue doing 6 mile runs this week. My preference has finally changed from training on the treadmill to running on the trails, but it's harder during the week to get out to the trails. We'll see.
In the meantime, I really need to do more fundraising. I have a lot of pressure right now as most people have already raised half of the funds needed. Basically, I only have a month to do almost all my fundraising. I admit, this is not at all my favorite part. I struggle a lot when it comes to asking people for money. Even when people offer their help, I don't always take them up on it. Uhhhh. The pressure is on and I really need to get on it. Maybe my posts over then next week or so need to be dedicated to my progress on fundraising. Who knew that running would be easier than asking people for help???? Ok, well I'm taking today (Sunday) off from training, but promise myself to do some fundraising. Wish me luck!
Well, on Thursday I had another excuse for not going to TNT training. Dana didn't want to go if it was raining. I don't blame her because it's bad enough that we sometimes run in the cold--usually Saturday mornings. Rain on top of being cold is just miserable. And why should we do that when we have a nice gym to work out at instead? :) Really, it was an excuse not to go out to the track on Thursday because it didn't even rain and David went without us and had a great time! Dana and I did go to the gym though. I would really have been mad at myself if I didn't do that at least.
Weekday's at the gym around 6-7pm is not really ideal, however. I have my favorite type of treadmill, the one with the built in fan! At that time of the evening however, I get what I get. And I didn't get the one with the fan. So, I ran/walked my 4 miles and was done. I was too hot and didn't really have enough motivation to do more than that. Oh well.
Friday was a pretty busy day for me, so no training then :(
Saturday though, was our early morning TNT training run. Although I was dead tired and didn't want to wake up to go, it was nice that Dana and David offered to pick me up this time and take me with them. We went to the Coyote Creek Trail (another new place for me). This time I was determined to get my 6 miles in. Our choices were 6-10 miles anyway, so if we didn't do the 6 miles, I feel we'd really be feeling behind now. Also, Dana got a cool new watch to time our intervals. She set it for 4:30 minute run/2 minute walks. I felt good that that would keep us on track. (Superstar David would do the whole 10 mile run.)
Dana and I did pretty well. We walked more than we had planned on the last two miles. But I was very happy that when we were done, we again had the attitude that we could have done more. Although I know that is how it works when one practices/trains, it still amazes me at what I am able to do these days!
Well, my goal is to continue doing 6 mile runs this week. My preference has finally changed from training on the treadmill to running on the trails, but it's harder during the week to get out to the trails. We'll see.
In the meantime, I really need to do more fundraising. I have a lot of pressure right now as most people have already raised half of the funds needed. Basically, I only have a month to do almost all my fundraising. I admit, this is not at all my favorite part. I struggle a lot when it comes to asking people for money. Even when people offer their help, I don't always take them up on it. Uhhhh. The pressure is on and I really need to get on it. Maybe my posts over then next week or so need to be dedicated to my progress on fundraising. Who knew that running would be easier than asking people for help???? Ok, well I'm taking today (Sunday) off from training, but promise myself to do some fundraising. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Inclines and moving forward
Let's see... the last I wrote, I was off to Vacaville with the kids to visit our uncle. We got there late Friday evening and didn't really discuss our running plan for the morning. So I think we all had different expectations as to what we would end up doing in the morning.
It ended up being a lazy morning. We didn't get up too early, but since it was cool, it was still good running weather. So we had some coffee our uncle had made and headed out for a run. Mistake #1... we ate nothing before we left!
We did our usual stretching and took off down the trail near my uncle's house. Since we had no way of knowing how far we would be running, I suggested that as long as we went out for a half hour and turned around for another half hour back, we would likely get in at least 4 miles. I had hoped to be up to 6 miles by now, but since we hadn't eaten, I was ok with just doing 4.
However, in addition to not having the energy because we hadn't eaten, we had also not really planned for what the trail would be like. I know the area where my uncle lives is somewhat hilly (is that a word?), but since I usually drive the area, not walk or run it, I didn't realize the difficulty on our attempt to run the 4 miles. (We've pretty much been running on flat surfaces.) While the incline of the hills was not really that extreme, after a mile or so, it was definitely noticeable. Dana and I became tired much faster than usual. (David can pretty much do anything :)) So, because we hadn't eaten either, Dana and I decided to walk the distance instead of pushing ourselves to run it. However, even from walking, my calves ended up feeling very tight for the rest of the day. I realized that my training going forward will need to include inclines. After all, the real half marathon will definitely have hills. Uh oh!
Anyway, when we got back, we all took our showers and our uncle took us out for a big breakfast! Yeah!
Since Saturday, I hadn't done any running until this evening (Wednesday). I have been quite distracted with other areas of my life. I'm looking for a new job, my sleeping hours are completely crazy, and raising the money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is starting to become a high priority. I'm ok because I have a very optimistic outlook, but I must admit this is a fairly distracting time for me.
Running definitely helps keep me in a positive mood though, so when I'm not feeling so good, training is actually the answer!
Tonight, my schedule ended up being a little tight, but since it had been many days since I last ran, I made sure to get to the gym to get in 4 miles. I'm still not at 6 miles, but I am still holding onto that goal for the very near future. After all, I'm half way through my training, with only 2 months to go!!
Tomorrow is the TNT Thursday training. I haven't been to those trainings in a couple of weeks, so I am looking forward to getting back to the coaching. Later...
It ended up being a lazy morning. We didn't get up too early, but since it was cool, it was still good running weather. So we had some coffee our uncle had made and headed out for a run. Mistake #1... we ate nothing before we left!
We did our usual stretching and took off down the trail near my uncle's house. Since we had no way of knowing how far we would be running, I suggested that as long as we went out for a half hour and turned around for another half hour back, we would likely get in at least 4 miles. I had hoped to be up to 6 miles by now, but since we hadn't eaten, I was ok with just doing 4.
However, in addition to not having the energy because we hadn't eaten, we had also not really planned for what the trail would be like. I know the area where my uncle lives is somewhat hilly (is that a word?), but since I usually drive the area, not walk or run it, I didn't realize the difficulty on our attempt to run the 4 miles. (We've pretty much been running on flat surfaces.) While the incline of the hills was not really that extreme, after a mile or so, it was definitely noticeable. Dana and I became tired much faster than usual. (David can pretty much do anything :)) So, because we hadn't eaten either, Dana and I decided to walk the distance instead of pushing ourselves to run it. However, even from walking, my calves ended up feeling very tight for the rest of the day. I realized that my training going forward will need to include inclines. After all, the real half marathon will definitely have hills. Uh oh!
Anyway, when we got back, we all took our showers and our uncle took us out for a big breakfast! Yeah!
Since Saturday, I hadn't done any running until this evening (Wednesday). I have been quite distracted with other areas of my life. I'm looking for a new job, my sleeping hours are completely crazy, and raising the money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is starting to become a high priority. I'm ok because I have a very optimistic outlook, but I must admit this is a fairly distracting time for me.
Running definitely helps keep me in a positive mood though, so when I'm not feeling so good, training is actually the answer!
Tonight, my schedule ended up being a little tight, but since it had been many days since I last ran, I made sure to get to the gym to get in 4 miles. I'm still not at 6 miles, but I am still holding onto that goal for the very near future. After all, I'm half way through my training, with only 2 months to go!!
Tomorrow is the TNT Thursday training. I haven't been to those trainings in a couple of weeks, so I am looking forward to getting back to the coaching. Later...
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