Last 20 mile for this training block!

A slow and wet run (or more like a trot) up the Silver Strand around the perimeter of Coronado and then back. 20 miles. Yes, the last 20 miles for this training block. The weather made for a bearable run, but I was hurting (more mentally than anything) during the last 6 miles. Joey is such a sweet heart to be my support crew. Thank you, babe!

20 mi run - Silver Strand / Coronado Garmin Stats

We did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guess what, friends?! Because of your generosity, we did it and made the $3000 goal!! Thank you all for your kindness AND sharing the cause with others so they can donate to the MMRF. I have had people that I haven't even met donate to the cause. I was already really exited to run the NYC marathon, but now I know I have the love and support of so many people it will make it that much more exciting. But, just because we've reached the $3000 goal doesn't mean we don't have to stop giving! If you can spare a buck or two, it will still make a difference. Thanks again all and much love! ♥ ♥ ♥

Can't be in NYC to support me in running the marathon? Don't fret!

I know about mile 20 of a marathon (ok, ok.. sometimes even the FIRST mile), I start questioning, "WHY the F*CK am I doing this?" Sometimes the pain and fatigue that I'm feeling in my body speaks louder than my motivation and my will to keep going. Fortunately, you can help support me by going to http://supportyourmarathoner.com/ and sending webcam or text messages to keep my spirits up! Your message will appear in one of three digital screens along the course and is triggered by my timing chip. So if you can be there in person, this is the next best thing. Love you all! ♥

Received my NYCM swag!

1 sleeveless technical tee
2 support crew t-shirts
1 pair of socks
2 packages of sport beans
1 pack of Running themed thank you cards
1 utility belt

Excitement and anticipation level building!

ONE MONTH COUNTDOWN!!!

ALMOST to the $3000 fundraising goal! Exactly one month away till the NYC marathon and I have one more 20 mi run ahead of me. Time has flown by and I have encountered so many obstacles (seemingly mostly mental) but somehow still here and still ready to run this bad boy. Thank you all for your support and your generosity in donating to this extremely good cause.

http://www.active.com/donate/2010NYCMarathon/EAmbing

Tour de San Diego - 20 mi

A 20 mi adventure taking me through Old Town, Ocean Beach, Point Loma, Harbor Island, Downtown, and back up through Balboa Park. It was a really nice route with some challenging hills (save for the bike path along the 8 freeway). It wasn't my best run as I had to deal with stomach issues and feeling defeated that I was running it VERY slowly and with lots of stops. I am happy that I was able to run the 20 mi plus a little over a mile from Balboa Park home. I'm very thankful that Joey came through as my support crew (carrying water and shot blocks), with a sore butt from riding 20 mi at a 6mph pace.

Hopefully, next time I run this route, I will be in better form, mentally and physically.
20 mi run - Tour de San Diego Garmin stats

Halp...

It's been 5+ years since the last time I remember getting a cold that has prevented me from running or doing any other physical activity. I'm trying not to let it get to me but it's hard as I am now week 13 on my training schedule (the peak of my training) and I haven't done a long run since the 19 mile a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure this is really a physical test for me as much as it is a mental test. I'm trying to find other activities that is not as intense (ie walking, swimming, cycling). I need some words of encouragement/inspiration, team! Send me your love. <3

"This too shall pass..." 19 mi run Week 10

With all the string of bad luck that I have been experiencing, I am EXTREMELY grateful that I can still run the distance that I do. It definitely keeps me focus and makes me realize that "this too shall pass." The route was a tad hillier than I would have mapped out for a long run, but it's good training for my legs. ;)

Thanks to Joe Perez for being support crew and Gody Khambatta for lending Joe his bike so he can keep me company.

19 mi run - University Heights / South Park Garmin Stats

17 mi run - Mission Bay / Fiesta Island

It has been a while since I've reported training updates. Life sometimes gets in the way of things... annoying how that is. ;) But despite that, the one constant I can count on is running and I've been keeping up with the training regardless of what life has (or will) throw at me. Here are the stats for the 17 mi run around Mission Beach / Fiesta Island from yesterday.

17 mi run - Mission Bay / Fiesta Island Garmin Stats

8 mi at ~9600 ft

Well, geez, no wonder why I was having such a hard time the 2nd half of my run in Breckenridge, CO last Sunday. Didn't realize there was a gain of ~350ft on the way back (Not to mention the air was a tiny bit thinner up there)!

8 mi run - Breckenridge, CO

Woo hoo!

We've passed the 2K mark in donations! So close to the $3000 goal! Thanks everyone! Much love. <3

John Zell

I will be running in memory of John Zell, Aaron's father. Aaron posted this on my Facebook page yesterday:

"Eileen, thank you for doing great work. My father died a long and painful death from multiple Myloma, as a result from exposure to agent orange, during his tour in Vietnam. Good on ya :)"

If you would like me to run for or in memory of someone who has been affected with Multiple Myeloma, please drop me a line and I will add his/her name to my jersey.  Thanks again for all your support.  Together we'll save lives.

‎11 mi - Mira Mesa / Miramar Lake

Heat + Hills + Distance does not make for a good run, but the lots of resting to rehydrate and cool down kept me going. Lesson learned: Next time start earlier or select a flatter route. =P

11 mi - Mira Mesa / Miramar Lake Garmin Stats

The NYC Marathon training starts... on my birthday! Yay!

Training schedule for the NYC Marathon on November 7th.  Is it weird that I'm a bit excited for this "kick-my-ass" training schedule?

DATA PRESENTED CONFIRM REVLIMID’S OVERALL BENEFIT

Two large, randomized trials found patients patients treated with low-doses of Revlimid enjoyed a longer remission following stem cell transplant than those with placebo.

A treatment regimen of Revlimid, melphalan and prednisone was found to be comparable to an autologous transplant without the recovery time and side effects associated with stem cell transplant

Click here for full story

2010 San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon - done in 4:12:06!

I'm excited that I completed the marathon under my goal time of 4:30!  Especially after unsuccessfully achieving this goal the 1st 2 times that I ran it.  I felt pretty good for the majority of the race, but still got a little psyched out once I hit Fiesta Island, where I ran 2 of the slowest miles.  I started to get a pretty hamstring cramp and hobbled off to the side.  I was pretty much delirious by that time, having ran about 25 miles at that point, and couldn't figure out any stretches to get rid of the cramp.  One of the Team in Training coaches asked if I was ok and I was almost in tears asking him for advice to get rid of the cramp.  He calmed me down, saying that it helps to just relax a little and breathe easy.  After resting and stretching out for about 30 seconds, I felt ready to run that last mile!  

All in all, the energy was amazing from both the spectators and the volunteers.  The bands were pretty good and much needed to break the monotony of people groaning in pain.  Next goal, running the NYC marathon sub 4?  I shiver with excitement at the thought. =)

2010 San Diego RnR Garmin Stats

Come join me as I run the SD RnR tomorrow!

Follow me on Google Latitude and wonder why the heck I'm running so slow!! ;)  Send me a request so I can add you!

It's the Final Countdown!

Just 7 short days until the San Diego Rock and Roll marathon!  Can't believe it got here so fast.  I'm ready!

Half way to our $3000 fundraising goal!

Good news everyone! As of today, we've reached $1504.30 in donations! We are half way to our goal of $3000! Thanks again to everyone who has contributed.

The wind tried to tell me to slooooooow doooooown, but I said "F*ck you!" and I ran off with my ENERGY LEGS!!

It's funny when you're training for a marathon and you think, "Yah, only a 12 mile run today... SWEET!"  Today was pretty windy and a bit chilly, but overall a pretty decent run.  Legs felt incredibly tired though, probably because I didn't really have anything to eat before the run (except for a shot block).  Kept up a 9:21min/mile pace, hardly fast enough to finish a marathon in sub 4 though.  Ah well, under 4:30 would make me a happy girl.
12 mi run - Mira Mesa / Miramar Lake - Garmin Stats

20 mi run - Mission Bay / Fiesta Island (Last one before the RnR!!)

Yay! The last 20 mi before the SD RnR! Felt like it went a lot better than the last 20 mi that I ran, but I was 1 minute slower in my time. I'm not disappointed, though... I'm happy that I can start tapering down. =)
I ended up running about 4 miles with another runner who was doing a similar route as I was.  Turns out he was also doing a 20 mile run in preparation for the SD RnR  We were chatting and I soon realized that I was going faster than I was aiming for (8.5min/mile) and didn't even realize it.  He mentioned a couple times that I was running a pretty good pace for someone who had hoped to finish under 4.5 hrs.  Of course as soon as he said that, I decided to slow down so I could comfortably finish the 10 miles that I still had in front of me.  Overall, I feel like a champion, I'm tired, and I'm ready for the marathon. =)

20 mi run - Misson Bay / Fiesta Island Garmin Stats

A couple of interesting articles regarding Multiple Myeloma

Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC) Genomics Initiative provides first in depth look at multiple myeloma genome

Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC) initiates phase IB/II clinical trial of Treanda in combination with Revlimid and Dexamethasone in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma

12 mi run - Mira Mesa / Miramar Lake

I went for a 12 mi run from my house around Miramar Lake and back before I take my mom and grandma to their Mother's Day brunch.  The weather is perfect: overcast and slightly cool.  The area below my left calf is still giving me a little bit of problems though.  Hopefully it won't be much of a bother during the marathon.

12 mi run - Mira Mesa / Miramar Lake Garmin Stats

20 mi run - Mission Bay (1 of 2 before tapering down)

20 mi run around Mission Bay. The San Diego International Sprint Triathlon was happening around Fiesta Island, so after running 2.5 mi clockwise on our route, we decided it was best to go the other way so I wouldn't get in the way of these Tri-athletes. Unfortunately for me, that means I had to suffer through Fiesta Island at the end of my run. I started to get a nagging cramp on the base of left calf around mile 8 and immediately took an electrolyte/salt pill to avoid the cramping getting worse. I took a few more of those pills periodically throughout the remaining of the run and it seemed to help keep the calf cramp at bay. So yay, I have learned a lesson from the horrible cramps I suffered after the La Jolla half. This old girl can learn new tricks. ;)
Overall, a pretty decent run, if I push it just a tiny tiny bit more, it's very possible that I can crack 4 hours at the RnR marathon, but I will be completely happy with a sub 4:30 time, since this was my initial goal when I ran my first marathon in 2005. =)

20 mi run - Mission Bay Garmin Stats

2010 La Jolla Half - 1:53:36 ... Woo-muthaf'n-hoo!

I am completely elated at how well I did on the La Jolla Half! 1:53:36, this time is even better than the Carlsbad Half Marathon. I even managed to get a couple of sub 8 min/miles in, thanks to the down hills. =)

At the end of the run, though, my calves were cramping up soooooo badly.  The cramps were so bad that as I was walking, my calves seized up and I fell to the ground.  Luckily it was on the grass, so I didn't hurt myself falling.  I had to flag down a couple of strangers to help me out because I couldn't get rid of it.  I know I didn't drink enough water / vitalyte during the race, but I didn't realize that it would have such a horrible effect afterwards.  I made sure to drink some vitalyte after the race and had a couple of bananas but it didn't help.  Any advise to prevent this from happening in the future would be greatly appreciated.

2010 La Jolla Garmin Stats

Butterflies before the Half...

Quick 5 mi run around Mira Mesa to take off some nerves for the La Jolla Half tomorrow. I'm excited for this race as I love the route, yet, still have some nervousness. I guess that's normal when you have certain expectations and don't want to let yourself down.

I know that I'm going to have a great time.  Goal for this half is to finish under 2 hr 10min.  =)

5 mi run - Mira Mesa Garmin Stats

8 mi pace run from my house to Mira Mar lake. So awesome the power of a good run will do.

There is just something so cleansing and refreshing about running in the rain. It was made even better running around the lake because there were hardly anyone there and no cars speeding past me. Just the sound of me breathing and the rain hitting the pavement. It was a fantastic run. =)

8 mi pace - Mira Mesa / Miramar Lake Garmin Stats

"The truth is that we can learn to condition our minds, bodies, and emotions to link pain or pleasure to whatever we choose. By changing what we link pain and pleasure to, we will instantly change our behavior."

- Tony Robbins, American self-help author and motivational speaker

Tour de Mira Mesa - Results..

It was a surprisingly pleasant run, my legs and lungs felt great. Goal was to finish under 3 hours: done!
Tour de Mira Mesa Garmin Stats

Tour de Mira Mesa

I will be running Tour de Mira Mesa (an 18 mile tour) this morning!  Follow me on Google Latitude. =)

Tour de Mira Mesa

Lots of fun crazyiness this weekend!

I participated in my first 5K obstacle course yesterday called the Warrior Dash in Lake Elsinore. It was certainly different than what I'm used to. I found myself looking forward to each obstacle, jumping over haystacks and junked cars, leaping over a fire, and crawling through poopy smelling mud whilst avoiding getting scratched up by barbed wire. And at the end, I was rewarded with a turkey leg... a true warrior's meal! It was great weather and had great company as well.

Today, I tackled a 17 mi run around Harbor Island. The weather couldn't have been any better: overcast and cool with a slight breeze to keep me from overheating. It was a great run, my legs felt pretty good, and I felt like I had the stamina and endurance to power through it. I realized (or maybe rediscovered) that running is as much training your body as it is training your mentality. During the last 3 miles of my run, I kept thinking to myself, "3 miles, that's completely cake to you." But at the same time, I also thought, "but I just put 14 miles down before that.. I can't run anymore..." Running long distances can really mess with your mind and it certainly can bring you to tears. I have to remind myself that both my mind and body is strong and to not let the negative thinking convince me otherwise. I've found that each day that I run, I become stronger mentally as well as physically.

17 mi run - Harbor Island

Chilly, but gorgeous morning for an 8 mi run up the Hill

Every time I start off at the bottom of the N. Torrey Pines Hill, I have a sense of determination to get to the top as quickly as possible for a couple of reasons.  It is cold, windy, and at the hour I start running, the sun hasn't peeked over the hills yet to provide some warmth.  The other reason is I know when I'm heading back down, I'm going to be treated to a gorgeous view of the coast.  This helps me get up in the morning.

8 mi run - N. Torrey Pines / La Jolla

We did it!!!

We did it!! Thanks to Tom Morrison for pushing the donations to the $1000 mark! And thanks to everyone for your continued support. ♥

Let's Break that $1000 mark!!! Here's your incentive:

Who'll be the one to make the contribution that'll break that $1000 mark? If you're the one, I will deliver (if you're within reasonable distance) or send you some baked goodies. ;)

2nd time's the charm! (15 mi run - Mission Bay )

Spring 15mi run around Mission bay proved to be a rather tough one. I felt like I had the cardio endurance, but my legs were still a tad sore from Friday's leg workout. But alas, I did it and I'm feeling accomplished. =)

Garmin Stats

Run Eileen Run!

I recently discovered that I really like to run.  For me, running helps me to focus and keep centered when everything else seems chaotic.  Each time I complete a run, I feel accomplished, even if it is a short run or not my best run.

I am extremely excited to be running the 2010 ING NYC Marathon while benefiting the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.  I'm determine to raise at least $3000 for the MMRF, even though my goal is $2500.  Come join me as I embark on this exciting journey!

5 mi run - Miramar Lake

Tonight's run may have been just a 5 miler, but it made me feel a lot better after the disappointment on Sunday. =)

Garmin Stats

2010 San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon Training Schedule

We're going to hit $1K!

Thanks again to all that have contributed! We're almost to the $1000 mark!!

Treatment of Multiple Myeloma

The goal of multiple myeloma treatment is to relieve the symptoms. Symptoms include:
Bleeding problems
Bone or back pain
Increased susceptibility to infection
Symptoms of anemia (such as tiredness, shortness of breath, and fatigue)
Unexplained fractures
People who have mild disease or a questionable diagnosis are usually carefully monitored without treatment. Some people have a slow-developing form of multiple myeloma that takes years to cause symptoms.
Treatment begins when the disease becomes worse or causes symptoms.
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy may be performed to relieve bone pain or treat a bone tumor.
Bone marrow transplantation in younger patients has been shown to increase disease-free and overall survival, but it has significant risks.
Medications for multiple myeloma include decadron, melophalan, thalidomide, lenalidomide (Revlimid), and bortezomib (Velcade). Bisphosphonates are used to prevent fractures.
People with multiple myeloma should drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration and help maintain proper kidney function. They should also be cautious when having x-ray tests that use contrast dye.
Chemotherapy and transplants rarely lead to a permanent cure.

Revlimid and Thalomid are 2 drugs that emerged from Celgene through MMRF funded research and has increased life expectancy of those living with multiple myeloma.

For the full article, please visit: https://health.google.com/health/ref/Multiple+myeloma

Down but not out... (10.7 mi run - Mission Bay)

I was pretty bummed about the run yesterday. The hike from Saturday was a little more rough than I had thought. I could not lift my legs up and on top of that, I felt nauseas from having eaten "too much" before the run (I had an oatmeal bar). I tried my hardest to plow through the pain, but figured it wasn't worth it. There is always next Sunday to try again. ;)
The fact that it was a gorgeous day for a run almost makes up for the fact that I had a less than spectacular run.

Click here for Garmin Stats

Upcoming 2010 Events

These are the events that I have coming up. 'Course, I may be adding more along the way. ;)

Upcoming running events:
April 10th: Warrior Dash
April 25th: La Jolla Half Marathon
June 6th: San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon
August 15th: America's Finest City Half Marathon
November 7th: NYC City Marathon