SHORT UPDATE

So, in the midst of writing my last post. The ceiling began to leak in our room - really leak! (It was the outline of the bathroom above us.) Needless to say we are now in a new room - bigger with quite the view of Seattle (Space Needle, buildings downtown and the water)! Off to get ready to meet our friend Tina!

WE'RE HERE

WE ARE IN SEATTLE!!! We arrived yesterday at 11 am local time. There are 28 of us from Wisconsin - runners, family, friends, coaches, mentors and support staff. After being herded through the airport to collect baggage, boarding the shuttle and checking in at the hotel (Crowne Plaza on 6th & Seneca), we were finally able to run into Subway and get some food! Then we once again herded together to board the shuttle to the Expo to pick up our race packets. (I keep referring to our group's traveling as herding because James and a fellow teammate kept "mooing" when ever we had to line up and get moving - so typically of James, no?)

We got to the Quest Expo Center to pick up our race packets - no line it was easy. Then we entered the Expo - we spent 3 hours just perusing the vendor booths and listening to speakers. It was very cool to see all the different people! We received many free samples of things and purchased several souvenirs. When will we ever run the INAUGURAL Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon again?

After the Expo, James and I went with 2 of our teammates Lia & Leann. We went to the Crab Pot. It was pretty cool. James took a picture of the huge pots of food that were dumped on the table for us to eat.

We are up early this morning (well actually it's sleeping in for us since it's really 8:30 am CST). We are watching the morning news which is featuring the Rock N Roll marathon. There are 25,000 runners slated to run! Today we are spending our free time with Tina, one of my college friends. We will post more later!

LESS THAN 2 WEEKS TO GO!

Hard to believe, but at this time in 2 weeks we will just be returning from Seattle! Another very busy week with work - both the previous one as well as the one in front of me. Most of our summer programs start this week = lots to do!!! We did manage a team run and lunch yesterday. We traveled out to Mt. Horeb to run the hills and dine at Leann's home. They own about 60 acres in a beautiful area. The views were gorgeous. My rear end is a little sore from the hills. Unfortunately, upon completion of the run yesterday the top of my foot began to hurt - BAD! from my big toe to my ankle. It has swelled and it is sore to walk on. So, we decided to skip the group run with the fall team today to rest.

Our "rest" was comprised of traveling to the Wisconsin Dells - shopping at the outlet mall and going to Noah's Ark! (How pathetic that on my day off I go to a waterpark...) Christopher really enjoyed it. We are all a little pink, but not too bad. The water was so cold it numbed my foot and made it feel better. Now, it's getting sore again. I hope this is nothing serious...

It's been a week since my last post, but our lives continue to be quite hectic. My car was in the shop all last week being repaired from my car accident. (I was rear ended as part of a 4 car crash!) It is as good as new.

I have worked alot - of course - in the past week. The weather has not been cooperating with me, so the pool finally opened today. I spent the day on deck due to being short staffed. I am a little sunburned. I have somehow managed to get all my runs in - including the 3+ hour one on Sunday (after work). My knee remains a little stiff and sore, but it's improving.

Tonight was the official send-off from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. It's official we have our purple jerseys to be worn for the race. We also received our tickets and information for the race weekend. It's only 2 1/2 weeks away!!!

A final note that we can still take donations through tomorrow. PLEASE, consider donating if you haven't done so already. Apparently, James & I are in the lead for the top fundraiser for our area - THANKS!

Don't forget we hosting our own send-off party on Saturday, June 20 starting at 3pm. Eat, drink & be merry. (Please RSVP by June 18.)

IT'S JUNE ALREADY???

I can't believe it's already June! We have 25 days until the marathon! We only have 8 more days to accept donations that will count towards our total. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated! We couldn't have done this without you!

I have worked everyday since mid-May with the exception of the 1/2 marathon day...I am exhausted and have had a hard time fitting in running. After working a full day both Saturday & Sunday I came home to start my long run at 5:30pm. I actually felt pretty good! I was surprised. I didn't get 16 miles in, but I did manage a 1/2 marathon distance before deciding to head back home. I wasn't sore either as I thought I might be. Today turned out to be a pretty good weather day, and I was actually home by 5pm tonight, so both James & I decided to do a long run. I ran about 9 miles. It certainly did not feel as good tonight. It really took a while to loosen up and I could feel myself limping a little at the beginning. I felt okay when I finished. I tried some "BODY GLIDE" tonight - it's suppose to prevent chaffing. I keep getting a line from my sports bra that really hurts. It seemed to help tonight. James got 8 miles in as well and seems to feel pretty good. Our only problem is that "we stink" according to Christopher and need to take a shower!