8/21 Week 3: I got Goofy!

I had a great run along the Scott Pierson Trail in Tacoma.  I ran for 60 minutes - my longest run so far.  But they will be getting longer every week.  Bring it on!  I'm noticing that the longer runs really feel great.  It gives me a chance to just focus on the run and not on cares and troubles; the thoughts flow. 

And I got to take home Goofy - our team mascot.  Each week someone gets to bring him home; add a little something to his outfit; and bring him back to pass on to someone who, in their opinion, has team spirit. I'm not sure what I'll do.  Two of our coaches, Jason and Anna, announced that they are expecting their first baby.  Congratulations to them!!  I'm thinking Goofy may need a pacifier or something.....

Update:  I think I might be on to something.  Henry Thoreau was pretty smart and he said "Methinks that the moment my legs began to move, my thoughts began to flow." I like that.

8/14 Week 3: Oops!

Oops! I got home late from my St Helens adventure.  I didn't set my alarm clock and overslept.  I did make it to the end of practice so I could attend the fundraising clinic. Coach wasn't worried about the missed practice though- my legs got enough of a workout on the Friday climb.  My teammates had run a route at Point Defiance Park that included a hill. They were all, "You missed the hill climb."  I just smiled. St Helens gains 1200 ft/mile for three miles. 

What can I say...I had need of the sky

"I am sick of four walls and a ceiling.  I have need of the sky; I have business with the grass." - Richard Hovey, American writer/poet.

When I flipped my office calendar to the month of May I found this wonderful thought.  It struck a chord with me because I very often feel that way.  So, I decided it was time to take my business to Mt. St Helens.  I had never been there.  Friday the 13th seemed like the perfect day to climb an active volcano.  Turns out is was perfect - clear and warm, with a slight breeze.  Well, there was a stronge wind at the top but that is typical of the crater rim.  The views were amazing. Thought I would share a couple pictures here.  Training with a view...doesn't get much better thant this. :-)

Another look at trail to summit on the way down. Yeah... I did that! :-)

Mt Adams and the crater rim. I love the colors in this shot. It was an awesome view.

Me & Mt Adams

View across the crater with Spirit Lake and Mt Rainier. The brown strip in the lake is part of the log jam created by trees downed in the eruption.

8/10 - Off and running...with the fundraising.

I did it! Jo and I got set up at Top Foods with our Papa Muphy's pizza coupons and a donation jar. To be honest, I wasn't expecting too much from 3 hours on a Tuesday afternoon. I'm happy to admit I was mistaken. I was also surprised at how many people have been touched by cancer. Jo and I met two awesome ladies who are breast cancer survivors, a woman who lost her husband to leukemia, a sister whose brother was just diagnosed, a man with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and there were more. The lives of half of the folks we talked to had been touched in some way by some form of cancer. They all had something in common too - an appreciation for the gift of life. Life may not be perfect...but it's LIFE. And that is a reason to smile. :-)

8/7 Week 2 - "It matters to this one."

Our second practice was along the waterfront at Ruston Way. At the beginning of practice there is a Mission Moment where someone shares a thought or experience related to the mission of TNT. Jason and Anna shared their experience with a man they honored as they participated in their first event with TNT. I don't know, maybe it was being by the water but I thought of the Starfish Story. You've probably heard it - a young boy is trying to save starfish by throwing them back into the ocean. A man walking along the beach tells him "There are too many, it doesn't matter" The boy picks up another starfish and tosses it into the surf, "It matters to this one." That's what I'm trying to do. I can't possibly touch the life of everyone affected by cancer. But I CAN make a difference. You can too. Life is good.
If you haven't heard the Starfish Story here is a link to youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GunVwl6K4M

And...drumroll please. Our schedule this week was 25 minutes or to the turnaround point out and back.  Well, I was feeling pretty good when I made the turnaround point in just over 20 minutes.  I did 4 miles in 44 minutes.  Whooo hooo!

7/31 Week 1: Off and running!

 7/31 - I went to my first practice this morning. I was beginning to wonder what I had done - "I've never done anything like this before. I don't know anyone there." - you know the drill. I am soooo glad I went. Everyone I met was friendly and helpful. I now have coaches, a mentor, a running partner in Puyallup, new friends and confidence that I can do this. All because I just showed up. I've never been a big Woody Allen fan but I have to admit he was on to something when he said "Eighty percent of success is showing up."