I realized recently that I've been sending the blog link out on nearly all my email signatures, but haven't made an easy-to-find place on the blog for people to learn about how to donate.
In addition to all this running, I've committed to raise $1,800 for the SF AIDS Foundation before June 1. So far I am about halfway there.
EVEN IF YOU CAN'T GIVE MUCH, I CAN STILL REAAAAAALLLLY USE YOUR HELP!!!
You don't have to give much for your donation to make an impact. I have a lot of artist friends who have given under $100, and it is amazing to me how quickly these small amounts add up.
In addition to making me feel really happy, your dollars go FAR to support one of the most well-established and far-reaching health and social service organizations in the United States. In giving, you are not only helping thousands of people and families AROUND THE GLOBE (not just in San Francisco!) whose lives have been affected by HIV - you are also helping to LOWER THE RATE of new HIV infections.
If you'd like to donate online, you can do it in one easy mouse-click right here:
http://www.aidsmarathon.com/participant.asp?runner=SF-1090&EventCode=SF08
You can also write a check, made out to the SF AIDS FOUNDATION, with my name and runner #1090 in the subject field, and send it to me:
Laura Ricci
2425 East 28th Street
Oakland, CA 94601
ENORMOUS THANKS TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE ALREADY MADE DONATIONS!
4.23.2008
4.22.2008
WEEK 10: It's Good to Pretend
Miles This Week: 25 (Sunday's long run: 14 miles)
Miles To Date: 134.5
It's helpful, at the beginning, to pretend you're just going out for a little jog, or for a run of some distance you have already achieved.
It's helpful to continue pretending this throughout the run, especially when you are tired.
When you are too tired to pretend anymore, it's helpful to admire the flowers, or to notice the spectacular view of the Golden Gate bridge, or to eavesdrop on your companions' conversations about their kid's upcoming birthday party or their recent trip to Boston or the price of gas.
When you are finally too tired to even think, it's helpful then to just plod forward until the next one-minute walk break.
And two hours later, at the end, you don't have to pretend any longer, or think, because then it really is just two more miles, one more mile, three-quarters of a mile, half a mile - and then you SEE THE END AHEAD, the table laden with bananas, apples, oranges, popcorn, bagels, and PB&J which you normally wouldn't care for but which, after 14 miles, is absolutely THE MOST DELICIOUS and satisfying thing you've ever put in your mouth.
And then you've done it.
And then it's good to take three ibuprofen and go about your day and pretend you haven't done it, because otherwise you'll spend the rest of the day in bed.
Moaning.
And not in a good way.
Miles To Date: 134.5
It's helpful, at the beginning, to pretend you're just going out for a little jog, or for a run of some distance you have already achieved.
It's helpful to continue pretending this throughout the run, especially when you are tired.
When you are too tired to pretend anymore, it's helpful to admire the flowers, or to notice the spectacular view of the Golden Gate bridge, or to eavesdrop on your companions' conversations about their kid's upcoming birthday party or their recent trip to Boston or the price of gas.
When you are finally too tired to even think, it's helpful then to just plod forward until the next one-minute walk break.
And two hours later, at the end, you don't have to pretend any longer, or think, because then it really is just two more miles, one more mile, three-quarters of a mile, half a mile - and then you SEE THE END AHEAD, the table laden with bananas, apples, oranges, popcorn, bagels, and PB&J which you normally wouldn't care for but which, after 14 miles, is absolutely THE MOST DELICIOUS and satisfying thing you've ever put in your mouth.
And then you've done it.
And then it's good to take three ibuprofen and go about your day and pretend you haven't done it, because otherwise you'll spend the rest of the day in bed.
Moaning.
And not in a good way.
4.15.2008
WEEKS 8 & 9: I'm Giving Up
Miles Week 8: 22 (Sunday's long run: 12 miles)
Miles Week 9: 10.5 (Sunday's long run: 6 miles)
Miles To Date: 109.5
Just kidding! Not really! I wouldn't dream of it!
Well ... okay, last week I was pretty damn tired and off-kilter ... but still, I wouldn't dream of quitting.
And for so many reasons, which is the magic of this crazy program. Barring injury, once you are in it's not easy to quit. I truly am not even tempted - crazy though it sounds, they make long miles relatively easy and fun - but if I were, it would be a challenge. I am now friends with all the folks in my pace group. They expect me to be there, and I look forward to seeing them. There's a rhythm to the training schedule that has become part of my life, which I would very much miss were I to stop. There's the endorphin addiction, for sure. And then of course there's the fundraising commitment: After May 2, if you are still in the program, you sign a form COMMITTING to giving the SF AIDS Foundation $1800 by June, no matter what. If you can't raise it, they take it from your credit card. Period.
So, yes. There's that.
I think it's genius! Some friends have expressed some alarm about the financial commitment part, but I think without it, it would be too easy to quit. They get to raise money, I get to absolutely change my life and body and self, forever. That sounds perhaps dangerously fanatical, I know, but it's true. I can't imagine the kind of strength and pride I will feel when I can know that I've run a marathon. It's spirit-fuel for so many things.
That said...
A week ago this past Sunday, we ran 12 miles. Isn't that insane? What's nuttier is that, although I was tired by the end, I wasn't spent; I could absolutely have gone another two miles. Let's hope I can say that this coming Sunday, when the distance is 14.
12 miles intimidated me. I once ran 10 miles on my own, years ago, so three weeks ago when 10 was the distance I knew from experience that it was within my capacity. 12 miles was a first, and I was nervous. And as is often the case, the first 3 miles or so were challenging. But you keep going, and before long it's been 6 miles, then 8, and by then your body is awake and chugging and you're in a groove. The company is entertaining, the view is spectacular (we run along the western Berkeley shore, with a full view of the SF skyline, Angel Island, and the Golden Gate bridge) - you've got your little running snacks and your sports drink (refilled at stations peopled with volunteers along the way) and it just feels good, even when your body starts to fatigue.
That's a good day, anyway, and the 12-mile day turned out to be a good day for me.
A good day, incidentally, is pretty much guaranteed by A) adequate sleep, B) proper nutrition and hydration, and C) general emotional balance the few days preceding the long run. A bad day is pretty much guaranteed by lack of any of the following. That's my experience, anyway. If I drink water and eat a decent amount of clean food the day preceding, and sleep, I perform well and feel okay. The one run that nearly killed me (7 miles) was preceded by a week of sickness, sleep deficit, and dehydration. It can sneak up on you. With a life as generally unregulated as mine, it helps to have a real motivation binding me to a regular self-care routine.
I do think my vitamins help, too.
This week was our first recovery week. From here on out, we increase our long-run distance by two miles every two weeks, and in the alternate weeks we run half the distance of the previous week's run. So, after 12, last Sunday was 6 (I actually slept in and did it at the gym Monday morning!); this Sunday will be 14, the week following that 7; then 16, then 8, and so forth. I think once we hit 20 (then 10) we increase by one mile until we reach 23, then we do shorter runs for 2 weeks and then we run the marathon, 26.2 miles.
It sounds like math. But it's really just running.
By the way, I don't look anything like any of those women in the running magazines. If my body has changed, you can't really see it, at least not yet (well, the shins, a bit. But that's it.). This is true, I believe, of most everyone in the program. Except for the very fast experienced runners, most of us don't look like athletes. Most of us in fact look remarkably UNathletic... you would be surprised at the folks you pass in a day who have 12 miles, or 26, or some equally remarkable achievement, already under their belts! It excites me to reflect that possibility: You don't have to already BE an athlete, to become one. You just have to show up at the Berkeley Marina Sunday mornings at 8, hang out out with nice people, and do the best you can, at whatever pace is right for you, taking the walking breaks you need and drinking water and eating sports gummies. Oh, and do that twice a week on your own. That's it.
That, and raise $1800. HELP! SUPPORT! ME! PLEASE! THANK! YOU!
http://www.aidsmarathon.com/participant.asp?runner=SF-1090&EventCode=SF08
Miles Week 9: 10.5 (Sunday's long run: 6 miles)
Miles To Date: 109.5
Just kidding! Not really! I wouldn't dream of it!
Well ... okay, last week I was pretty damn tired and off-kilter ... but still, I wouldn't dream of quitting.
And for so many reasons, which is the magic of this crazy program. Barring injury, once you are in it's not easy to quit. I truly am not even tempted - crazy though it sounds, they make long miles relatively easy and fun - but if I were, it would be a challenge. I am now friends with all the folks in my pace group. They expect me to be there, and I look forward to seeing them. There's a rhythm to the training schedule that has become part of my life, which I would very much miss were I to stop. There's the endorphin addiction, for sure. And then of course there's the fundraising commitment: After May 2, if you are still in the program, you sign a form COMMITTING to giving the SF AIDS Foundation $1800 by June, no matter what. If you can't raise it, they take it from your credit card. Period.
So, yes. There's that.
I think it's genius! Some friends have expressed some alarm about the financial commitment part, but I think without it, it would be too easy to quit. They get to raise money, I get to absolutely change my life and body and self, forever. That sounds perhaps dangerously fanatical, I know, but it's true. I can't imagine the kind of strength and pride I will feel when I can know that I've run a marathon. It's spirit-fuel for so many things.
That said...
A week ago this past Sunday, we ran 12 miles. Isn't that insane? What's nuttier is that, although I was tired by the end, I wasn't spent; I could absolutely have gone another two miles. Let's hope I can say that this coming Sunday, when the distance is 14.
12 miles intimidated me. I once ran 10 miles on my own, years ago, so three weeks ago when 10 was the distance I knew from experience that it was within my capacity. 12 miles was a first, and I was nervous. And as is often the case, the first 3 miles or so were challenging. But you keep going, and before long it's been 6 miles, then 8, and by then your body is awake and chugging and you're in a groove. The company is entertaining, the view is spectacular (we run along the western Berkeley shore, with a full view of the SF skyline, Angel Island, and the Golden Gate bridge) - you've got your little running snacks and your sports drink (refilled at stations peopled with volunteers along the way) and it just feels good, even when your body starts to fatigue.
That's a good day, anyway, and the 12-mile day turned out to be a good day for me.
A good day, incidentally, is pretty much guaranteed by A) adequate sleep, B) proper nutrition and hydration, and C) general emotional balance the few days preceding the long run. A bad day is pretty much guaranteed by lack of any of the following. That's my experience, anyway. If I drink water and eat a decent amount of clean food the day preceding, and sleep, I perform well and feel okay. The one run that nearly killed me (7 miles) was preceded by a week of sickness, sleep deficit, and dehydration. It can sneak up on you. With a life as generally unregulated as mine, it helps to have a real motivation binding me to a regular self-care routine.
I do think my vitamins help, too.
This week was our first recovery week. From here on out, we increase our long-run distance by two miles every two weeks, and in the alternate weeks we run half the distance of the previous week's run. So, after 12, last Sunday was 6 (I actually slept in and did it at the gym Monday morning!); this Sunday will be 14, the week following that 7; then 16, then 8, and so forth. I think once we hit 20 (then 10) we increase by one mile until we reach 23, then we do shorter runs for 2 weeks and then we run the marathon, 26.2 miles.
It sounds like math. But it's really just running.
By the way, I don't look anything like any of those women in the running magazines. If my body has changed, you can't really see it, at least not yet (well, the shins, a bit. But that's it.). This is true, I believe, of most everyone in the program. Except for the very fast experienced runners, most of us don't look like athletes. Most of us in fact look remarkably UNathletic... you would be surprised at the folks you pass in a day who have 12 miles, or 26, or some equally remarkable achievement, already under their belts! It excites me to reflect that possibility: You don't have to already BE an athlete, to become one. You just have to show up at the Berkeley Marina Sunday mornings at 8, hang out out with nice people, and do the best you can, at whatever pace is right for you, taking the walking breaks you need and drinking water and eating sports gummies. Oh, and do that twice a week on your own. That's it.
That, and raise $1800. HELP! SUPPORT! ME! PLEASE! THANK! YOU!
http://www.aidsmarathon.com/participant.asp?runner=SF-1090&EventCode=SF08
4.02.2008
WEEK 7: Ten in One
Miles This Week: 10 (Sunday's long run: 10 miles)
Miles to Date: 77
...that is to say: Ten miles in one run - that is to say, I ran ten miles this week, and it was in one run, my Sunday long run with my group; it was the only run I took.
Oh, all kinds of things got in the way last week: I got my period, which makes me sweat and shake and puke and pretty much uses me up for at least several days. I had a heavier work week. I slept less. And I had various personal issues stressing me out, as well.
Given how exhausted and sick I was all week, I was surprised to even finish the run. Everything after mile 4 was hard, but I managed to keep pace until the end.
Ten miles is a funny milestone. If it's not already in your running repertoire, it sounds impossible. I have to say that these longer distances (which are increasing now for us by two miles each week) are really only conceivably achievable to me AFTER I do them. I just show up on Sunday on good faith that if everybody else can do it, I guess I can, too, and I don't think about it any more than that. And once we're running, then it's just about running, until we're done.
I can't stress enough the importance of having a trainer and, in essence, a running support group. It is of course largely about needing an educated, informed, trustworthy person to help me gauge the degree of challenge I need and to help remind me to do all the things I need to do to stay healthy and take proper care of myself as my weekly miles increase. But it's also just needing to be able to focus on the work itself, the psychological and emotional demand of it, without having to be solely in charge of negotiating the big logistical training picture. Yes, of course, people train on their own all the time. Still, when you're trying to take on something you've never done before - whether it is finishing your first marathon or improving your time - I think the emotional involvement can make it difficult to really know how much challenge is enough, and how much is too much. It's helpful to have the perspective and encouragement of someone who's NOT emotionally invested, who can stand back and say, Yes, ten miles will be challenging, but you're ready for it, and if you need help or support along the way, I can offer that.
MEANWHILE: I would like to report - I think, through all this, I've lost all of one pound. Yes, on long run days, I get very, very hungry. I do eat more, but it doesn't seem to me that I eat THAT much more. Kinda weird. Either I'll start losing weight at some point and will have to eat a LOT more, or not. I mean I would think so, but it hasn't happened yet. Strange.
ALSO: I am noticing new muscle definition - but only in my calves and shins! Makes perfect sense but I hadn't anticipated it. I was hoping for, you know, nice thighs and a muscular butt - but no, it's my shins. Hot shins. Does anyone know any cute gay female shin fetishists?
Today is Wednesday. I ran five miles on the treadmill (and I RAN the whole five miles, no walk breaks, that's a first), plan on three on Thursday, four on Friday (because alliteration's fun) and two on Saturday ... I would of course run six on Saturday but as the long run is Sunday, I don't think six before a long run at this point would be wise. Courting fatigue with that.
Sunday is twelve. No alliteration there at all, but I'm doing it anyway. From your cozy Sunday morning nest, wherever you are, toast me with a mimosa, and cheer me on.
Miles to Date: 77
...that is to say: Ten miles in one run - that is to say, I ran ten miles this week, and it was in one run, my Sunday long run with my group; it was the only run I took.
Oh, all kinds of things got in the way last week: I got my period, which makes me sweat and shake and puke and pretty much uses me up for at least several days. I had a heavier work week. I slept less. And I had various personal issues stressing me out, as well.
Given how exhausted and sick I was all week, I was surprised to even finish the run. Everything after mile 4 was hard, but I managed to keep pace until the end.
Ten miles is a funny milestone. If it's not already in your running repertoire, it sounds impossible. I have to say that these longer distances (which are increasing now for us by two miles each week) are really only conceivably achievable to me AFTER I do them. I just show up on Sunday on good faith that if everybody else can do it, I guess I can, too, and I don't think about it any more than that. And once we're running, then it's just about running, until we're done.
I can't stress enough the importance of having a trainer and, in essence, a running support group. It is of course largely about needing an educated, informed, trustworthy person to help me gauge the degree of challenge I need and to help remind me to do all the things I need to do to stay healthy and take proper care of myself as my weekly miles increase. But it's also just needing to be able to focus on the work itself, the psychological and emotional demand of it, without having to be solely in charge of negotiating the big logistical training picture. Yes, of course, people train on their own all the time. Still, when you're trying to take on something you've never done before - whether it is finishing your first marathon or improving your time - I think the emotional involvement can make it difficult to really know how much challenge is enough, and how much is too much. It's helpful to have the perspective and encouragement of someone who's NOT emotionally invested, who can stand back and say, Yes, ten miles will be challenging, but you're ready for it, and if you need help or support along the way, I can offer that.
MEANWHILE: I would like to report - I think, through all this, I've lost all of one pound. Yes, on long run days, I get very, very hungry. I do eat more, but it doesn't seem to me that I eat THAT much more. Kinda weird. Either I'll start losing weight at some point and will have to eat a LOT more, or not. I mean I would think so, but it hasn't happened yet. Strange.
ALSO: I am noticing new muscle definition - but only in my calves and shins! Makes perfect sense but I hadn't anticipated it. I was hoping for, you know, nice thighs and a muscular butt - but no, it's my shins. Hot shins. Does anyone know any cute gay female shin fetishists?
Today is Wednesday. I ran five miles on the treadmill (and I RAN the whole five miles, no walk breaks, that's a first), plan on three on Thursday, four on Friday (because alliteration's fun) and two on Saturday ... I would of course run six on Saturday but as the long run is Sunday, I don't think six before a long run at this point would be wise. Courting fatigue with that.
Sunday is twelve. No alliteration there at all, but I'm doing it anyway. From your cozy Sunday morning nest, wherever you are, toast me with a mimosa, and cheer me on.
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