Redwoods reloaded!

It's been a little while since I've posted...hmm...I bet you're wondering what I've been up to? Well, the usual track workouts on thursdays, the salty/semi stinky runs around Lake Merritt, and then...on Aug 29th...get ready...NINE MILES! In the 84 degree heat. Yes. Up hills. And down hills. And up hills again. Nike, here I come!

Thanks to my newest donors!

Okay, not as action packed as my usual photos (haha) but you know, gotta rest occasionally. So, I will take this resting time to THANK MY NEWEST DONORS!

Damon Brennen

Andrew Bancroft

John Marian

Tom Wilson

Nicole St. Lawrence

Berkeley Marina

8 miles at the berkeley Marina, baby! With my favorite running buddies, Mark and Alex. This was a nice run despite the fog and wind, because unlike Redwoods, it was FLAT!

Track!

Woo hoo! Look at me go. Go me go. Go go go. I'm down to an 11 minute mile now, but as per usual, I still have problems with push ups, the bane of my existence. Why? WHYYYYY?

Redwood Road

After running in the redwoods, and man that hill was steep, and yes, it is as hot as it looks.

help donate to my run! http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/nikesf09/mwildsmith

just a friendly reminder as i huff and puff that i am almost halfway at my fundraising. 49%.

AAAH! 49%! Please help me tip it over to 50! :)

after running mr. big-ass-hill. Fo serious. It was vertical.

saltily running along

Did a nice, salty 5.5 mile run last week at point isabel. It was gorgeous! However, if I had known we were going to run right by costco, I would have brought my wallet. Though, you know, that would have meant I would have been running back with a shopping cart.

Did the lake yesterday, and really had to pee the whole time which made me run a ton faster. I'm still always last though! What is it with me? I'm only 26, and have lost 20 pounds in the last 3 years, and have a fair amount of muscle, yet can't seem to keep up with anyone. O wellllll.

Thanks to my newest donors!

Annie O'Rourke

Claire Stoermer

push ups are the bane of my existence

Why? Why can I not do push ups? During circuit drills we need to do 4 or 5 sets of 20. I can make it up to 15 each time before my arms give out, and that's "girl push ups". AAAH!

As illustrated, Alex powers on while I hug myself and ask why? whyyyy?

Halfway there!

My shoes are no longer white after saturdays run!

Last weekend I ran 7 miles. I'm sure everyone's tired of hearing about it, but it's the farthest I've ever run, and the run was a killer. We ran in redwood park in the Oakland hills. The trail was steep, hilly, rocky, muddy and yes, it rained because we ran through clouds. It was a really pretty run, but man. Those hills were nearly vertical and I was worried I would slip at some points.

For me, the first 2 miles are always the worst, and after that it gets easier.

Recommitment is this week, which is pretty crazy. I'm excited because I'm nearly at halfway to my minimum, but still have a ways to go.

I really want to do this race, so I'm hoping I make the minimum...

Thanks to my newest set of donors!

Manuel and Dharma Galang

Patti Schneider

inspiration point

inspiration point inspires me to run faster to get out of the freezing cold mist and wind. Have you ever run through clouds at 8 am on a saturday morning? Well, now I have.

I did 5.5 miles today before ten am. Craziness! Then I did two hours of kung fu. Without coffee.

I ache, and am sitting around with ice, but i feel good, and proud of myself since i have not been able to run for the past two weeks nearly, due to moving and general busy-ness. I missed all the ill training at lake chabot, but still managed to haul my butt up the hills somehow. I guess I technically did 6 miles, but walked the last 1/2 because my chiropractor only wanted me to do 4 miles anyway.

back in the game!

Thanks to my newest donors:
Terra Caldwell
Paul Banda
Scott Wu

6 miles!

I ran 6 miles on saturday! That's twice the amount I have ever run before EVER. The next day my back hurt a lot, but I bounced back pretty quickly. I saw my chiropractor yesterday and he told me I should be fine, but only wants me to do 4 miles today. Doctors orders!

T - one hour until the lake merritt buddy run.

I'm trying to figure out how to get my list of donors back up on my site, they seem to have disappeared when my even changed...but I'll figure it out. Otherwise, I'll just re-list them on my site myself. Speaking of which -

Thanks to my newest donor - Ken!

Just do it

Decided to switch my event to Nike Women's half-marathon in San Francisco instead of Kaui'i for various reasons. And now it's official!

1. with all the immigration costs Greg and I are dealing with now, if I can't raise the minimum donation for kaui'i we can't afford to make up the difference
2. Nike is October 18th, so I will have nearly 2 months extra training time
3. All my FRIENDS can come watch me run since it's in SAN FRANCISCO! so mark your calendars

Still aiming to raise as much as I can!

I've found some photos of my grandmother and uncle so hopefully I can decorate my page to remind myself why I am huffing and puffing around a track at 8 am every saturday morning.

Donors!

Thanks to my latest Donor, Erin Carter! You are awesome!

knee pain sucks

I've always had knee problems and now they're acting up as I'm running more and more. When I was 11 I fell on concrete on my right knee and partially severed a tendon or ligament (I don't remember which one) ever since then I have been too afraid to bend my knees...so I don't! It's horrifying to me to think of bending them past a certain point, and watching other people do it makes me cringe. So i finally went to a chiropractor and told him about it. He used this weird metal device that sounded like a staple gun on them and they actually feel much better.

About to leave for track in an hour, so I hope they hold up to more circuit drills!

Circuit Drills!

Yesterday was our first set of circuit drills. Circuit drills = pain, but they are still fun. I say that now, but in a couple months I will probably be regretting it since they only get harder. It is pretty much running a lap around the track, then a variety of excercises like squats, one legged squats, sit ups, push ups, all that good stuff. Then...what? another lap around the track, and then repeat 4 times followed by a "victory lap" which is us shuffling around the track with our half empty water bottles picturing what we are going to eat when we get home. Or maybe that's just me?

The bad news is that I am a slow runner, but I completed the full circuit in 23 minutes 50 seconds. The good news is I have incredible balance according to one of the coaches. I am the one everyone hangs onto when they are falling over stretching their quads of doing one legged squats. Thanks Wing Tsun! Usually, my name and "incredible balance" do not go in the same sentence, especially when Sihing Adrian is talking. Hahahaha.

I also got to punch coach Al in the stomach to demonstrate how solid his core is. Thanks Wing Tsun!

Push ups did not defeat me as much as I thought they would...but still...booooo push ups. I think I'll be stuck doing "girl push ups" until I die, but hopefully I will die with strong upper back muscles.

Thanks to my newest set of donors, Michael Hoch! You are awesome. And I can't believe you run as much as you do per week.

And Madeleine Corson, who is also awesome, and one of the best graphic designers I have ever met.

The Lake of 1,000 Smells

Ran all the way around the lake of 1,000 smells today with Greg and took our neighbor's pug, Tank, with us. I was pleased with my consistent pace, and amused at how much algae was floating around. It always takes me back to cross country in high school when one of our team mates fell into the lake near the "submerged shopping cart" which was always one of our markers. Good times.

My next goal is to make it around the lake twice, which would be 6.2 miles. But I think first I'd like to move at a faster pace. Maybe bump it up a notch from tortoise to racing snail.

Tank made it mostly around the lake, wheezing a little, but picking up the pace after our water stops for him at teh drinking fountains. He also had fun chasing geese, and eating their ummm...leavings...which was pretty gross. Ah Tank. You are a continual source of amusement and poop.

Thanks to my first set of donors! David Sophia Siegel, my neighbors Alex and Erica (tank's parents) and my mom and dad.

I think the most daunting part of the entire thing is the fundraising, I know it's only day 2, but still. Eeeeek. I know my friends love me though, otherwise they wouldn't return my calls. You love me...don't you?

Ready?

Thanks for visiting my training blog! I'm going to try to update this as much as I can during the training to let everyone know my progress, and also complain a lot. Ha ha. Seriously.

Yesterday was day 1 of training and it would have been completely fine and dandy, but Greg and I got there half an hour late because it's all the way out in San Ramon and both of us were coming from Montgomery bart. We really need to arrange car pooling with other team members.

And YES, Greg is doing the half-marathon with me! So that's super exciting. I ran cross country a looong time ago, but he has only done sprints...a loooong time ago.

The track was actually closed (doh!) but we ended up doing laps around a field instead. I was super impressed with myself for making it around 5 times in 13 minutes. Greg is already calling me "the tortoise" because I can keep a very slow consistent pace.