Marathon Update #2

Hey everyone,
It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update! In the past few weeks we have really upped the training mileage. I was feeling good about my 12 milers (having done 2) and last weekend set out to do 14. Hot and sweating my butt off on the West Side Highway, it was not my best run ever, but I made it in one piece! I know I’ve done this before but sometimes you forget (maybe you block out) how difficult the mileage increases can be. Especially in this heat! Next month we’ll be starting our Saturday morning practices 30 min earlier - 8am. A rough time, but it helps tremendously when running in the summer. In other training news, we had our “run a mile as fast as you can… 3 times!” test last week. My fastest mile was 7:18! As a supposed 10-minute miler, I’m pretty proud of that, and hope to get even faster as the season progresses.

So training is going well! Unfortunately, my fundraising has stalled. I am up to almost $800 (some checks have not yet made it on the site) but I still need your help to make it to $2000! You have until November 2nd, when I hope to see you all on the sidelines, to click on the link and make a donation
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/nyc08/rburkett

I want to share a story about one of our honored teammates, Cynthia was initially diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2000. She was in remission for 3 years before relapsing. She underwent more chemo and radiation, which put her into remission for 4 years. In those 4 years, she became very involved in Team In Training, completing 8 century rides and 6 triathlons, raising over $30,0000! Sadly, Cynthia was diagnosed with a recurrence of Hodgkin’s about two weeks ago, just three days after returning from Israel with her husband and newborn son. To read more about her journey, visit http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/cynthiagormezano.I will be keeping Cynthia and her family in my thoughts, especially during my runs, as she prepares for an autologous stem cell transplant in just a few weeks.

That’s all from here, thank you for reading and please pass the link along to your friends and coworkers.

Love,
Bex

The need for speed

In the past few years that I’ve been running, I’ve gotten faster!  Which is super exciting.  I mean, I’m by no means a Kenyan, but I am improving on my times and that feels awesome.  This past week we had test #1 - basically run a mile as fast as you can, 3 times.  Tuesday in Manhattan was brutal.  A hot and sticky mess.  I didn’t want to stand outside, much less run in it.  But run I did.  My first mile was 7:18, 2nd was 7:46, 3rd was 7:40.  And I feel great about that!  My fastest mile ever was 7:07, and that was after weeks of hill/speed training.  Since we’re just about to embark on hills/speed, I can’t wait to get through this torture and kick the pants off my time in test #2!

(and don’t forget to donate to my cause: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/nyc08/rburkett)

Marathon Update #1

The email I sent today:

Hey everyone,

First of all, I wanted to say thank you to the people who have donated to the cause.  I have raised over $600 dollars already (don’t worry Julie, I still have the check to mail), over 1/4 of the way to my goal of $2000!  You are incredible and generous people, thank you so much!

Training is coming along.  The weather in New York has been hot and humid for the most part, not exactly ideal.  I thought I was doing pretty well, ran 10 miles in the heat and humidity last Saturday, so I figured yesterday’s run would be a breeze.  Not so much.  In fact it was the worst run I’ve had thus far this season.  Only 9 miles (I know, “only” sounds silly), and  felt like torture.  In fact I even walked part of it, something I hate to admit.  I was feeling pretty down on myself when I reached the rest of the group, then I sat down for the day’s event - Connection to the Cause.  We have 9 honored teammates this season, 8 of whom are running alongside us.  Their stories were so inspiring, I forgot all about the bad run I had, and it brought me back to why I’m running, because we can make a difference.
Please visit http://www.sloaneroad.com/movies/kate_NIKE.mov to learn about 6 year old Kate Davis, one of our honored teammates this season (no, she’s not running with us!).

You can help by visiting my fundraising page: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/nyc08/rburkett

Oh, and don’t forget to join my facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=42957260441

Enough with the links then, thanks for your support!  I will keep you posted on my progress till race day - November 2nd, 2008.

Love,

Bex

Marathon Season Has Arrived

Dear Friends, Family and Colleagues,

As many of you may know, I like to run marathons.  I also like to fundraise for incredible causes.  It’s been three years since my last marathon with Team in Training, and I’m feeling the itch; it’s time for another one.  I’m so excited to be running with Team in Training again, and I think it’s going to be an awesome season.  For those of you who don’t know, Team in Training is an organization that raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society through endurance events.  The society’s mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.  I have run two marathons with them: San Diego in 2004, and New York City in 2005, raising over $6000 in total!  This year, I will be running NYC again, on November 2nd, 2008, and I hope to raise at least $2000.

You can use the link below to make a donation.  You will receive a confirmation of your donation by email and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/nyc08/rburkett

Each donation helps accelerate finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma through research, patient aid, and education. More than 712,000 Americans are battling these blood cancers.   I am hoping that my participation in Team In Training will help bring them hope and support.  Please let me know if there is anyone in whose honor or memory you would like me to run.

Of course my primary concern in sending this email is an effort to help raise  money, but it’s also to keep you posted on my progress.  I hope you will enjoy reading about my journey as I challenge my self and my body this season!  Please pass this email on to anyone you think would be interested.  And even if you can’t make a donation, I hope to see some of you New Yorkers cheering me on from the sidelines on November 2nd!

Till next time,

Bex

Things ‘n stuff

First of all, in great news, welcome home Kaz!!! I finally got to pick my kitty up tonight, and am very relieved to have him back. I’ll have to closely monitor him for a few days, but he should be alright.

Last night I went to my first Hash run. Alice played a heavy role in getting me there, as I had been on their email list for a while. For those of you who don’t know, the Hash House Harriers are “drinkers with a running problem.” It’s a social run with a bunch of people. As the website says: The trail is set by another Hasher called the Hare. The Hare marks the trail in flour or chalk. Periodically the Hare ends the trail with a “check”, and starts the trail again somewhere nearby. The Hashers - called a Pack - try to find the continuation of the trail. The idea is that the fast r*nners will get to the check before the slower r*nners; will expend a lot of time and energy finding the continuation of the trail; this will allow the slower r*nners to catch up; and the whole pack - fast and slow - will finish the r*n at about the same time. There is an explanation conducted by the Hare of the marks used at the start of each r*n. The length of the trail varies from too short to too long. Forty-five minutes for a good r*n, one and a half hours for a lousy one.

Get it? Maybe? Basically it’s a bunch of people trying to find arrows, chasing each other through the streets of the city while almost getting killed by cars and trying not to knock people over in the process of getting to a bar. And it was great! The trail we went on was over six miles long - we started in Midtown, took us through Central Park, around and into the Ramble, past the Museum of Natural History, through the Boat Basin to the West Side Highway, up the stairs at Lincoln Center and ended at Circus in Hell’s Kitchen (where I was last seen wearing a sailor hat…). Water, beer, pizza and hazing were had by all. Good times.

And lastly, the Big Apple BBQ is this weekend. Who’s coming with me?

Run easy

I’m sure you’ve all noticed the prevalence of Reebok’s “run easy” campaign. It’s on the subway, on the bus stop, on TV, and I find it incredibly irritating. I understand the purpose of this campaign, that running should be fun and (as Reebok is a huge marathon sponsor) that you need to pace yourself. Yes, that’s pretty fundamental to marathon running - long runs should be run at a speed where you’re comfortable talking so that you don’t wear yourself out. Yet, as a marathon runner, I find this campaign extremely insulting. Simply the phrasing “run easy” as the antithesis to all sports-driven advertising….. I mean, running isn’t easy! And especially, marathon running isn’t easy! It shouldn’t be easy, it’s a challenge. What’s wrong with pushing yourself to the extreme? I much prefer “just do it” to a phrase as condescending as “run easy.” In a society where we take the easy way to do everything, shouldn’t some things remain a challenge? Not an impossibility, but something that’s awesome and should be praised. Never dismissed as “easy.” Fuck “easy.” If I wanted easy, I’d be a walker.

Training high

It feels good to be marathon training again.  I’ve run 2 marathons with Team in Training (San Diego Rock ‘n Roll Marathon - June 2004, and ING NYC Marathon - November 2005).  I couldn’t get my act together last summer and I have definitely not felt as physically fit since (despite craziness like Stacy’s Boot Camp).  I think marathon training has been good for me both physically and mentally.  I like having a goal that I’m working towards.  I like having an actual reason to get in shape, other than just wanting to look good this summer.  And I looove bragging about my long runs (it feels amazing to come back from a 20 mile run and know that some of your friends are still asleep).  So I know it’s early, but I’m glad to be back in the action.  And I hope that blogging will keep me motivated.  This is the first time I’m training without the support of a team.  DiAnne is my training buddy and she’s moving to California this summer.  So I am dependent on you, faithful readers, to keep me in check!  November 5th, here I come!

Marathon training has begun!

Today DiAnne and I started training for the NYC marathon.  Yes, it’s quite a bit early, but we’re taking it slow since neither of us have been in training mode for quite some time.  It was a beautiful morning in Central Park, and we ran the 5 mile loop.  I hadn’t run in the park in a while, and the hills definitely kicked my ass.  But in a good way.