I'm up a bit early for a Sunday. Yesterday was pretty tiring and I went to bed early after some good couch time with the kitties, a movie or two, a trip to the library, and a nice little dinner out at Fritz.

Willow and I are headed to the JCC later this morning for some Sunday time on the elliiptical trainer and strength training. We have become great inspirations for each other, keeping each other motivated and positive in spite of our injuries and we're both feeling stronger than before. In fact, when I reviewed my running log this morning, I realized that I'd actually ran farther last week than any previous week since I began training. And I feel better than I have all season. My injury was a blessing in disguise.

I was nervous this morning. Usually when my alarm goes off at 6:45 on Saturday morning I moan and drag myself out of bed, sleepily putting on my running clothes, drinking tea, and snack on a freshly toasted, formerly frozen waffle. My thoughts – when they materialize – are focused more on sleep and why I do this rather than worries about whether I’ll be able to complete my run. This morning I actually got right up, grab a bag of peas from the freezer and headed back to bed to keep warm while icing my foot.

While I can see how bringing ice back to bed for your feet would probably make anyone nervous but that was one of the calming parts of my morning. I was nervous because I hadn’t run with my training group in three weeks while I’ve been healing a case of patellar tendonitis. Today we were scheduled to run 8 miles and I hadn’t run anything close to that in four weeks. My knees were screaming last time I ran hills and I’m still managing a foot injury from my first AIDS Marathon in 2002.

How did I do? I did GREAT. I had a fantastic run with NO knee pain. (I guess following the doctor’s recommendations these last three weeks really helped me heal my knee. Go figure.) I ran with a slower pace group to allow me some recovery time and to get back into the running groove. The Jack Fosters were wonderful and I’m so lucky because I met 5 great new AIDS Marathoners today and finished an 8-mile run pain free.

In the past three weeks, I’ve been working hard at healing my knee while finding mew ways to cross-train. Honestly, I’ve actually been cross-training regularly and feel stronger than I did before my injury.

During these weeks I’ve become closer friends with Willow, who I met on the first run. We’ve been going to water running on Tuesday mornings, going to the gym for an hour on the elliptical each Saturday morning to keep up our cardio (Willow unfortunately has also been recovering from a knee injury). We’ve kept each other positive and motivated and we both had a great run today. This is such an incredible program for so many reasons.

Now, time for the numbers. They’re looking Good: To date, we've raised $624,815

Thank you everyone who given their support to this cause and to us runners. If you haven't made a donation yet, but would still like to -- come on down, click this link. You can donate easily on line and help provide vital services for those fighting HIV/AIDS.

Thank you all for your continued support. It means the world to me.

You Freakin’ WOW Me!

AIDS Marathon total to date: $434,358.00

Every time I think I’ve been impressed by people, you do something that makes my jaw gape, my tongue hang out of my mouth, my heart open up and feel fulfilled. Thank you. You may not realize how much you’re doing for people fighting HIV/AIDS…You’re rocking their world!!!! Sathina and Anh, you rock! Thank you for your donations today.

Sometimes, in the midst of all of this, I need a good laugh. My favorite laugh track: Jimmy Fallon. Love him! Please have a good laugh today and if you haven't yet, make a very important donation to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and help many, many people you've never met!. We all need it!

Cheers,
Leigh

A quick update: We're nearly half way to our goal of $1 Million!!!

To date, we've raised, $410,287.00

Thank you to everyone who has contributed! I'd like to give special thanks to our most recent donors Tony M. $100, Jennifer O. $50, Las Vegas $25, John M. $25, and Sara C. $50.

You are all making such a difference. Thank you!

This week we'll be running 14 miles. That's more than a half marathon. Special thanks this week going out to my friend Anh, who will be working as a water volunteer supporting us during our run. Thanks, Anh!

If you would still like to make a donation, please click here.

Take Two: The Burning Yoke

Yesterday, while out running errands, I did a little reading on MUNI. My latest book is by a woman on women and running. I had reached the chapter on motivation. Well timed since I’d missed my maintenance run on Thursday. The author talked about how sometimes it takes two times to really get going: the first time you head out the door (or maybe don’t even get that far) and then turn back. Maybe returning home for some good couch time. And then she drops the bomb (the one we know because it runs through our head); how can you really enjoy that great couch time watching a movie while it’s raining outside when you’d planned to run, you’d made that commitment to yourself, and all the while you’re missing out on that great feeling, the satisfaction you get from running.

I took Friday off so I could work in my garden and plant some lovely purchases from the Home and Garden show, acquired a few weeks ago and clearly yearning for some soil and sun. Well, it rained all day, as it has nearly every day for over a month. We’ve broke a record, in case you hadn’t heard. I had held out hope that the forecast for sun would come though. So, instead of gardening, I spent a much deserved day on the couch watching movies. Around 5:30 pm I realized that I hadn’t completed my second maintenance run for the week and that since I really had the energy to do a little 30 minute jog I should.

I suited up in my running gear and committed to the minimum: my 30 min. I wanted to get back to my much deserved couch time. :) I set out for a run through Golden Gate Park and just as I was circling Spreckles Lake, checking my watch as it ticked toward 00:30:00, I decided that I’d catch the bus home. I’d put in my 30 minutes and I could now safely return to the couch.

When I exited the park onto Fulton I realized that I still needed to do my 5 minute cool down. I decided to walk toward the ocean for 5 minutes and enjoy the view; I could grab a ride at the next bus stop I cross after my cool down. In just a few blocks I noticed something amazing: the sun, this bright yellow/orange burning yoke, was descending from above and peaking through a break in the clouds just above the tops of the homes on Fulton. Just crossing 38th Avenue I realized that if I ran hard, I could reach the beach in time for the sunset.

I remembered what Hazel told me about running down hill (for more info on Hazel, my ChiRunning instructor, go to www.stridebystride.com), and I opened up my hips, leaned into the earth and let gravity propel me toward the beach. I can’t remember running so hard and it feeling so easy. It was as if the ocean was pulling me toward it, maybe it was the sun. I reached Ocean Beach just as the yoke broke through a split in the clouds, those low on the horizon the others just above the lines drawn by the homes.

It was so rewarding! The author was right: sometimes you get sometime different than you planned for, you see or experience sometime awesome, something you’d never expected. Standing at the beach, watching the sun sink into the clouds on the horizon, watching the sky light up a flaming rose, I felt like the entire reason I was meant to run yesterday was to see that. I would have missed all of it if I hadn’t headed out the door against my great couch desires. I’m so glad I didn’t.

For my route, click here and zoom out.

Oh, and how did we do today? We ran a cool 6 miles and had a great day. Thanks for asking. To check out our course, click here.