ANJILI IS STILL RUNNING...

So, I know it's been ages since I last posted. My apologies. I was so busy with training and fundraising for the San Diego 1/2 marathon and now summer is here and I am enjoying every sunny day we are having (especially since Boston has not had that many!) The 1/2 marathon was great! I finished and felt amazing as I crossed the finish line! The course was great (except the part where we had to run on the highway-the banked highway-which was very hard on my hips and knees) and my family surprised me by showing up at mile 7, mile 10 and the finish line to cheer me up! Thanks guys! And thanks to everyone who supported me on this journey and helped me EXCEED my fundraising goal!

I can now call myself a RUNNER! Yippee!

Since the San Diego Marathon, I have completed a handful of 5K races and now I'm mentoring some runners for Team in Training. Additionally, I have once again begun training for another 1/2 marathon. I will be running the Disney 1/2 marathon in Orlando, January 9th 2010. That's lots of time to train and I'm really looking forward to it. I think I will enjoy training in the cooler fall/winter weather. I will update again, soon...

"Spring" Training!

So, now I'm halfway through training season. Yippee! The weather is getting warmer and the runs are getting longer! Today, I ran 6 miles with a BIG hill.... I'm certainly not breaking any records in the speed department but my pace is steady which is a HUGE accomplishment for me! Running is spring is definitely better than running in winter...LOL!!! Now, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that there will be no rain on my run days !

While the training is going well, the fundraising has sort of lagged. Please, please, join me in supporting this great cause! All the money raised by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society goes back into its mission which is to support research and provide patient assistance. Your tax deductible gift of generosity will be used immediately to help patients....what could be better than that?

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/rnr09/amathur

Week 4 of Training

Hi everyone! I know it's been a while since my last post and that's because I've been so busy with training, I just haven't had the time to blog! Anyway, here's a progress report. So, the Saturday morning runs with my team are gradually increasing in length. Next Saturday will be a 5 mile run for me! Yikes! I'm trying to get more outdoor running done during the week but the Nor'easter's are making it way too difficult. Team in Training has been a great experience so far. We had a shoe and clothing clinic where we got fitted for new running shoes and I got a new running jacket to keep me warm on these long winter runs. We've also had a nutrition clinic. I learned what I should be eating before, during and after my runs to fuel my body. For the longest time I couldn't understand why I was so hungry all the time. Turns out that all this running has really revved up my metabolism and so my body needs more fuel and thus, the increase in appetite. This is why many of you see me grazing at work all day!

I've posted a picture of my team. We are all training for different events (marathon, triathalon, hikes) while raising funds to help cure cancer. We are all working hard at fund-raising but need your help to reach our goal.

Thanks to the generosity of friends and family I am off to a good start but still have a long way to go before I reach my personal fund-raising goal. Please help me find a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma by clicking on the link to my personal fund-raising website. No donation is too small.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/rnr09/amathur

Official Training Begins

Hey all! I know it's been a while since my last update and that is because I am now in official training mode! I've met my mentor and my coach and had my first team run as well. My team is awesome-supportive and encouraging! Week 1 of training has reached completion and I'm proud to report that I have logged in 9 miles! Woohoo! Since most of my weekday runs are done on a treadmill, I am dependent on my ipod playlists for motivation. I am trying to put together the ultimate "Running Playlist". Suggestions are welcome so please share what music keeps you motivated.
I've learned a lot in this first week of training. I've learned (the hard way) that stretching before and after my runs is extremely important! I've also learned that oatmeal raisin power bars taste better than the chocolate ones (who knew??).
Along with the training, my fund-raising has also begun. Thanks to the generosity of friends and family I am off to a good start but still have a long way to go before I reach my goal. Please help me find a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma by clicking on the link to my personal fund-raising website. No donation is too small. http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/rnr09/amathur

That's it for now. Be back soon...

5am Run...

...NOT!!! I hate myself, today. The alarm went off at 5am and I promptly sprung up in bed, then turned over, shut the alarm off and fell back down. I swear I only wanted 5 more minutes of sleep, honest. But, wouldn't you know it, I didn't wake up again until 6:30am (it's Friday, and it's been a really tiring week). Then, instead of lacing up my shoes and heading out the door, I contemplated the clock. If I go for a run now, I won't be back until about 7:30am, then 15 minutes for breakfast and then a nice hot shower followed by blow drying my hair (hey, it's winter and I don't want my hair to freeze...) will get me to about 8:30am. Yikes! No way I could possibly make it into work for my 9am meeting since the drive in would take me 40 minutes putting my ETA at work around 9:15 at the earliest. Ok. That was definitely not going to work. Clearly, there was no time for a run this morning. I am so deflated. Not a good start to my training. As I type this blog, now, I can see my running gear out of the corner of my eye. It seems to be staring me down...ugggh! I should go for my run now. But, after a long, hard day at work and a very trying week, will I have the energy to complete my planned 2 mile run???

Hmmm.......I'll sign off now and catch you later 'cause it's time to lace up my sneakers.

Ciao!

In the Beginning...

OK, so that’s not a picture of me running but hopefully, in 4 months, I will be that happy when I cross the finish line.
My marathon journey began 10 days ago when I attended an information session hosted by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. Now, I haven’t always been a runner, in fact, I’m not sure if I can even classify myself as a runner. I picked up running 4 months ago and really enjoyed it. Although, the most I’ve been able to run at a time was 2 miles (well, alright, maybe run/walk) but hey, it’s better than nothing! After the info session, and the incredibly motivating video they showed me, I was convinced I could do this. And besides, by signing up for this marathon I would be helping raise funds for cancer research. What could be better than that? And thus, it began....
I knew there was no way I could prepare for a full marathon in 4 months (or 44 months for that matter...) so I signed up for a half marathon. Make that the coolest half marathon- the Rock n Roll marathon! Bands at every mile and awesome concert headliners like Pat Benetar and Hootie and The Blowfish who have played at previous marathons. Official training begins in two weeks but my training for the training begins this week! I plan on getting up at 5am tomorrow, drag myself to the treadmill and run a good two miles- no stopping. Wish me luck! ;-)