Just a Week Away

So here we are.....one week and 9 hours from Van 1's start time for the Ragnar in Miami. I have 3 little boys with me tonight (my own 2 plus my best friend's son - who also happens to be my oldest son's best friend). The two oldest are watching a movie and I am planning out my remaining training runs......7 days....4 good runs! This time a week from now I will be in bed (or getting there) in Miami......gearing up for my first adventure of 2011! Thanks again for your support during the last few months! I cannot wait to share all the adventure from the road with pics, video, and text updates. Tomorrow I will run 4.5 miles and will be sure to let you know how it goes :)

One really great side effect of all this running.....no holiday weight gain. I am happy to say that through the holiday season this year (which I realize isn't quite over yet) I have not only maintained my weight....I actually LOST 2 lbs! Nothing is different this year in terms of the cooking, baking, and eating I have done....just the running tacked on to it! Gotta love a good run!

Race Day Prep

As we near the race and I prepare to update you all from my Blackberry...I set up an email address that is supposed to post directly to the blog. This is a test of that email :). Thanks again for your interest and support! XOXO- Jenn
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Happy First Snow

As the snowflakes fall here for the first time of this season I am daydreaming about breathing in warmer air as I run from Miami to Key West with my crazy teammates! The race is now just 3 weeks away! Training has been temporarily suspended as I had some personal stuff to take care of but will be on the treadmill again this weekend and then not missing another training run up until the race! My team continues to raise funds for a great cause, The American Cancer Society. I have been out in the lead for a while where fundraising is concerned and want to stay there....and meet my 2nd tier goal of $1000 personally raised. If you are able and interested, please consider sponsoring me. You can do so by going to our team website and clicking to Donate. This donation is completely tax deducible....and there are only 14 days remaining in this tax year.....still counts!!! :) When you donate, please make sure to click the link to leave special directions (on the confirmation page) and be sure to type in the text box that the donation is "on behalf of Jenn Sponheimer". Thanks again for your interest and your support! I run to support a great cause and in those rough patches....knowing so many people are behind me gets me through! You are my inspirations and for all of you I am so grateful!

Coming Along

Just noticed that this post I wrote on Dec 7th didn't make it to the active blog....I saved it instead of posting. Oops :)

Last week I ran 11 miles out of my planned 26.5. Not the best training week in keeping up with the days I had planned but the 11 miles I did get to run were FANTASTIC! I am really feeling excited and eager for this race. One month from today we will be on our journey from Miami to Key West. This week I am slated to run 24 miles....although circumstances out of my control kept me from my 5 mile run yesterday....I will try to make it up today! There really is nothing like the feeling of going for a good long run and the endorphins it releases.

Down But Not Out

This is my first posting in 10 days.....shortly after my last post....a headache of proportions I have not seen in years took me down. I muttled through the day but running was not on my radar. Today was my first chance to get in a run since that headache (and the leftover effects on my body) lifted. So I picked up where my training plan left off and ran 4 miles on the treadmill today. Clearly my time "off" from running made my time suffer. I finished those 4 miles in a long 47 minutes. But the really good part about it was that while I really didn't feel like getting on the treadmill today....I did.....and there were a number of times I wanted to quit and call it a day....but I stayed through it....and now I can't wait for tomorrow! The training plan tomorrow calls for my first multiple run day. This will help to prepare for the 3 runs I will make during the relay with hours in between. Tomorrow's plan is for two short runs (3 miles each). I am really looking forward to it!!! More tomorrow at the end of the second run. Two-a-days here I come!!

Leader of the Pack

As you undoubtedly know by the fact that you are reading this blog.....I am running not only because running has become my new passion....but for a cause! My team (Team MDAA) is running to benefit the American Cancer Society. As a part of our participation in this adventure....each of the 12 runners is required to raise $500. Being the overachiever I am....I have set 3 goals for myself. The first is to raise that team minimum....the second is to raise $1000 total and the third and final is to raise $1500. I would LOVE to make it to that third tier goal!!! I am happy to report today that as of November 8th....I had not only surpassed my first goal...but I have raised the most money of any member of the team! Thank you to all of you who have donated to my team and my personal journey! I am running because I truly hope that someday we will live in a world where none of us has to be touched by cancer in the lives of our friends and loved ones. Thank you for your help!!!!

The team's page is here: http://www.themdaa.org/TeamMDAA.html You can check out the team's progress as well as mine there.....and you can donate to our team if you like as well. If you do put in a donation, make sure you include my name in the notes field for PayPal so it gets properly credited :)

Breathless

On November 6th, I got up early in the morning, donned my running gear, and headed out to Fredericksburg for my very first competitive 5K race. The race was called the Live United 5K and was to benefit the United Way. I picked this course for its similarity in elevation change to the legs I will run during the relay in January. It was fairly cool on race morning....although standing there waiting for the race to begin....it certainly felt awfully cold! Temp was 39 degrees. During the race I kept pace with a small pack of people and tried to keep one female runner in my sights most of the race....she was wearing a t-shirt from the Marine Corp Marathon from the week before. I had no plans to keep up with her....just wanted to be able to always see her during the race. 2 miles in I had failed at that venture....she was well ahead of me. BUT.....I finished the race (all 3.1 miles) in 30 min and 57 seconds. I had in my head that I wanted to finish in under 30 minutes. So to be just 57 seconds over my goal.......I will take it for the first time out of the gate! When I crossed the finish line....my iPod was playing the song "Breathless" by the Corrs.....appropriate huh?

So here's how I finished:
Total time = 30 min 57 sec
Place = 35/50 runners overall; 17/27 female runners; 11/16 women under 40

You can review the race results here: http://www.racetimingunlimited.org/results/lu10rtu.htm

Behind in My Posting but NOT in Preparations

My Dad is my one and only OFFICIAL follower of this blog (he subscribes to my updates) and of course that means my Mom is a follower too :) I promised them that I would be better about updating...so here we go. I haven't written a blog entry in over 2 months! How terrible....but I have been fundraising and training. Starting tomorrow you will once again see my run totals at the bottom of the blog. Each day I will log how far I ran and my total time. The blog entries I will write from here on out will detail some of the cool milestones I have experienced since I last blogged. Just wanted to take the opportunity here to thank you for your interest and support! It means the world to me.

Another Run, Another Success

There was a point during my run tonight when I thought this posting was going to appear different than I am writing it. I didn't think I was going to be able to push through. This week I have increased my total distance to 4 miles. I had two goals when I left for my run; 1-to run a greater distance than my last run and 2-to complete the whole 4 mile course. I am happy to report that I did both!! I left for my run earlier than I was originally supposed to because the sky and the forecast for this evening were looking ominous for plenty of rain. I should think about running in the rain at some point just in case it rains during my leg(s) of the relay but for now.....I think just conquering the distances is what I should focus on. So...tonight I met my goals :) I ran 2.8 of the 4 miles....and of course....finished it. At the bottom of my blog you will now see my run tracker. It will display my data for the week as I complete each training run.

In the meantime, please don't forget that while I conquer my distances the American Cancer Society is working to conquer cancer. My first fundraising goal is to have $200 raised by Sept 1st. Right now I have just over $100 to my credit. If you would like to help me with my fundraising goals, please visit the Maryland Athletic Association's donation page. When you donate, please make sure to click the link to leave special directions (on the confirmation page) and be sure to type in the text box that the donation is "on behalf of Jenn Sponheimer".

Thanks again for your support!

Willpower and Determination

Tonight was my next official training run. I wasn't exactly feeling well today.....big headache the whole day.....that resulted in the need for a nap when I got home from work. But I knew going into the nap that after the boys went to bed, I was going to head outside for that next run. The humidity was much cooler this evening so I feel like I was set up to perform better. And between that and the sheer determination I had to improve I exceeded my goal. I really wanted to improve my pace in the 2.8 mile run by 50/100 but instead I improved it by 92/100!! I feel really lifted by this run...and by the people who are cheering me on behind the scenes...thank you to all of you for your support! I couldn't do it without you!!

Jenn

Let the Training Begin

So the organization that runs the relay I will be participating in (Ragnar Relay) has a posted training plan for both beginners and experienced runners. I am definitely a beginner. Years ago I used to hate running....but sometime in the last year I realized that if I was ever going to lose the pounds I have gained since I graduated from college....running was going to have to be my friend. So I started running....slowly but surely. But I felt like I needed to run toward something. Enter this relay :)

If I were to follow the "official" training program, I would start this coming Monday....but I decided to get a bit of a jump. So....I started this past Saturday and ran again today. I only ran 2.8 miles total each day and today I shaved 36/100 off my pace from the first run. By no means am I going to be the team superstar....but if I keep continual progress and regular training...I will certainly not let them down.

But to really do this....I am going to need help and support. Feel free to email me, text me, or comment here to ask how I am doing on training days (Mon, Wed, Fri, and in a few weeks Sat). I will be posting regularly too. Thanks for your interest and support!

Starting the Journey

This post is the first of many as I begin a 21 week training plan to be prepared for the experience of a lifetime. On January 7, 2011 I will join 11 other runners in Miami, FL on a 185 mile relay race to Key West, FL. We will be running not only for our love of it, but to benefit the American Cancer Society.

Running is a new passion of mine and I am thrilled to not only be able to participate in a unique experience but to do so in an effort to help the American Cancer Society further their work in the fight against cancer.

If you would like to help me with my fundraising goals, please visit the Maryland Athletic Association's donation page. When you donate, please make sure to click the link to leave special directions (on the confirmation page) and be sure to type in the text box that the donation is "on behalf of Jenn Sponheimer".

Thanks for visiting my blog. In the coming weeks you will see much about my training, and my successes and failures along the way. I appreciate your love and support!

Jenn