freak out mode

so I ran 12.5 miles on saturday....and felt ok. i coughed the entire first mile, but then it subsided thankfully. however....i don't think i felt as good as I should feel the week before running 26.2. like, it shouldve felt more effortless, ya know? and i was tight and sore yesterday. i keep telling myself, thats because i took 2 weeks off from any long runs, but I'm still pretty worried. i just want sunday to get here, so i can get it over with! this week is going to be one long panic attack, haha. i'm excited because it seems like alot of friends and family will be there to cheer me along, and i'm REALLY going to need it. i'm pretty much planning on the distractions and music and kat and diane to get me through this race. (note, no reference to any actual skill or muscles or running ability)

eek! is it sunday yet???? i just want this to be over with!!

The Final Countdown....

8 days to go.....

I have been at the gym all week, using the elliptical and treadmill for about 40 minutes each time.......and I gotta say, i'm pretty nervous. I've been coughing a TON, especially when working out, and my lungs feel like theyre shrunken in half. I'm getting a little nervous about my lung capacity getting me through this race. My muscles feel totally fine, I'm not too worried about them....but...breathing is SLIGHTLY important for running 4.5 hours.

I finally ran with Back On My Feet this morning for the first time in weeks, and, overall it felt great. The first two blocks, I had to stop and have a coughing attack, almost to the point where I was going to puke, and I thought, "well I am f*cked.....".....but I pushed through and focused on my breathing and ran 3 miles total! (a small drop in the bucket compared to 26.2, but still a big step for me not having run in 2 weeks).

I'm going to keep up with my inhaler, focus on deep breathing all week....maybe call my doctor....and see how my 10 mile run goes tomorrow. Ive come too far NOT to do this!!

stay tuned for more marathon race-day info!

the fun stuff

so, i've decided that instead of freaking out about how i'm supposed to run 26.2 miles after having the flu........i'm going to think about the fun things momentarily! what do i mean by this?

a) my outfit for race day. kat, diane, and i are going to have a tshirt decorating party this weekend, i'm excited to try out the ideas i have. of course, it will have my name in giant letters so that strangers will cheer for me. i'll post photos later so that people can look for me. still debating hat vs. no hat, and if i should go for the silver pants or not. TBD.

b) post-race partying. starting to plan where I would like to feast after the race, with family and friends......which is exciting to think about- life AFTER the marathon!

c) tattoo!! started sketching out some designs, and i think i want it on my ankle, maybe the inside. or maybe on my left food, not sure yet. I don't have much money for it, so i've got to keep it small, but after the madness of this journey, i definitely want to commemorate it.

d) thank-yous for my sponsors. since I decided to fundraise for Back On My Feet, I'd like to make postcards to send to those who have sponsored me, as a thank you, hopefully with some photos from before/after the race. i always love a fun photoshop project (as most of you know).

e) hair!! i promised myself i'd get a hair cut and maybe change the color after the race, since i won't be brutally assaulting my hair by running for hours in the rain every weekend. i cant WAIT, and oh man, i really need it. bad.


yay!

note, none of things have anything to do with actually RUNNING. i'm trying to forget about that part :)

holy crap

4 weeks till the marathon.





25 days.




holy crap.

Suck on that, Nor'easter!

Well it was awful, horrible, miserable, cold, rainy.......but we did it! We ran 20 freakin miles!!!! I actually ran 21, I jogged a mile to meet up with the BOMF family, and the Drexel crew teams, at 6am at city hall. The rain had slowed down, so we set off happily down the parkway. By about mile 3, the rain picked up, and it is colder than it's been since early spring. Ughh. I was running with Kat, Diane, Billy & Fred (2 of the homeless guys training for the marathon too!), Leigh Ann, Sera...and up ahead were more friends and BOMF people.
It was pretty miserable, but there is absolutely no way in this world I couldve done it without them. We turned around at Green Lane in manayunk, I can't believe we ran that far!! I'm going out in manayunk tonite and I'm taking a train there haha I can't believe just this morning we ran there! Not again, thank you very much :)
most of the run it was just me, Kat, and Diane....we had to do 2 more than everyone else too, so we stretched out part of the loop in the city...and watched kats Nike+ to see as we approached 20, then we all started hugging and cheering on broad and lombard! People waiting for the bus were giving us some crazzzy looks!

We did it!! Diane thankfully drove me home, and I ran to 7-11 for a donut and some soda, yummm. Then, the warmest shower of my life, and to ensconce myself in fleece clothing, and curl into bed.
Just woke up from a 4 hour nap, good lord I'm stiff (that's what she said), but I don't feel too horrible yet. And I'm so glad my knee held up! It was definitely hurting most of the way, but it was like the muscle was pushing on the bruising from the inside, so I knew I could push through it.

I am actually excited to get back to running this week, oddly enough. Last week I was burnt out and angry about my knee...now I feel like I can do anything! Including run another 6.2 in 6 weeks ;)

what a waste of a week

so its been 4 days since I could really exercise, because of how much pain my left knee is still in from my fall last saturday. This SUCKS! I'm supposed to be running 20 miles on Saturday, and should've run a total of around 40 miles this week.........I've run ZERO so far. I cant believe how mangled and bruised and swollen it still is. from stupid tripping. can you tell I'm frustrated??

6 WEEKS till the marathon! thats scary how fast that is going to go.

i'm going to try and run an easy 3 tomorrow with Back on My Feet before the 20 miler on saturday.

blargh........frustrated! want this marathon to be OVER!

in other news, since i havent exercised in 4 days.........i lost 2lbs. i swear to god i have an inverse metabolism.....

wish us luck saturday, running 20 with Kat, Diane, and maybe some of the BOMF crew.......but its supposed to be POURING rain all day. and cold. yipeee!

OUCH!

well, it finally happened. i joked with my friend danielle lots of times that no one ever falls or gets hurt while running, that its a crazy thought. and saturday, i bit the sidewalk, big time. i was jogging to meet up with everyone from BOMF, and kat & diane, for our saturday 10 mile run.....and coming up to the corner we meet at, i noticed that the group was really large for a saturday, and was trying to see who was there, wasnt paying attention. boom. went FLYING. i tripped, and flew, and slammed into the sidewalk, on my hands and knees, thankfully not my head. i threw my iphone (thankfully it survived), and i didnt even know if i could stand back up right away, it hurt so badly. i looked up and Austin, and one of the bomf guys were running towards me (i was still a block away, so I wasnt sure the group had spotted me yet), and they were helping me up before i knew it. i pulled up my pant legs, and both knees were pretty banged up, along with the palms of both hands.....and the side of one hand (explain how i hit the palm AND the back of my hand in the same fall, haha). so i hobbled to the rest of the group, poured some water on the wounds to clean off some of the gravel.....cried for a few minutes. (yes, i cried, it hurt like hell!!), and started off on a ten mile run!!

it wasnt a horrible run, the weather was nice, good company as always, and lots of friendly faces along the path, but my left knee was really in alot of pain, and i was ready to be done. and VERY glad it was a smaller distance. so i got home, quickly showered, cleaned up all my cuts, and ran out the door for a camping/hiking trip to delaware water gap! it was an AMAZING time, we hiked up to sunfish pond saturday night, probably a 3 mile hike uphill or so. sunday, we hiked Mt. Tammeny, probably about 4 miles of hiking, and 1500 feet of elevation climbed. all the while though, my knee was still really hurting.

well, i'm paying for it today. my left knee is still really really swollen, purple, full of cuts/scrapes, and hurts when i bend it. basically, i'm re-opening the wounds everytime i bend my knee, haha. and hiking and not icing it all weekend has really set me back. i couldnt run this morning, i biked to work and winced in pain everytime i pedalled. basically, i think im going to have to take it slow for a few days. luckily, i dont REALLY bend my knees that much when i run because of my stride, so i might be able to do some easy runs until these wounds heal up. i'm a little worried about the swelling though, hopefully more icing will help.

sigh.....only 6 weeks till the marathon, a 20 mile run next weekend, and this is NOT what i needed to happen!!

so here's a happy photo from my hiking adventures this weekend to cheer things up a bit :)

toe update!

i know, i know, you're all on the edge of your seats about the status of my sore toe....

so I mangled my toe this weekend with all my fabulous running.....and I haven't been able to wear shoes since Sunday, haha. I sported flip flops at work yesterday so that I could wear this giant rubber toe protector. Today its finally feeling better, still sore if i touch the top of the nail, but way better. It seems that the nail has separated from the nail bed, and there's a callous underneath it (ew, right?). according to lots of running websites, this is really common, and my nail might eventually fall off, which, apparently will make it feel way better.

i cant believe i'm actually HOPING for my toenail to fall off. running has made me into a weirdo.

in a related story- i tried to find a funny picture of a toe to post, but apparently, googling "cartoon toe" or "funny toe" doesnt come up with anything very good. so, note to self, make some cartoon toes and throw them out on the internet.

ok, now i'm losing it. going to try to run 3 after work and see how it goes!!

cheerleaders wanted!!

one more thing.......while running the PDR yesterday, I got pretty sad about the fact that I didn't have any friends/family to look for along the sidelines. Everyone I knew there was running the race!

So- Calling all friends/family! All I want for my birthday/christmas is lots of people to come and make silly posters/signs for me at the Philly Marathon, on November 22nd! I'm DEFINITELY going to need it then!

and, of course, I still want Dave to be at mile 23ish with a beer for me. the way I see it, my friends can all tailgate the race in manayunk and cheer for me when i get there? haha. and, the more ridiculous the signs are, the better. but warning, i'll probably cry. I almost did yesterday a few times (not sure why, but I was feeling all sorts of waves of emotions during the race).

thats it, come out and cheer me on, thanks, i love you all :)

-b

Philly Distance Run!!

This weekend was a flurry of excitement. Saturday, 18 of us went white water rafting in the poconos.......it was a BLAST! and exhausting. and i knew I had the Philly Distance Run (half marathon) on sunday, so I was a little nervous!

So I had to be at the RWA shelter at 6am on Sunday, we had 5 guys from Back on my Feet running the PDR. We all walked together through Love Park, and up to the start near the Art Museum. I finally started realizing, "oh shit, am I ready to run a half marathon today? maybe I shouldve taken this more seriously this week?"

We get to the start, and Fred (one of the homeless guys) and I were planning to run together. It was an absolutely beautiful morning, minus the fact the race has you running directly into the sun for the first 2 miles, haha. So Fred had me running at like, a 9 minute mile pace........I was barely keeping up, and knew there was absolutely no way I was running 13 miles at that pace. Finally around the 2nd mile I had to slow down, and he just took off (thanks alot Fred, haha....just kidding). But after the next mile, I realized I was running just under 10 minute miles on my own. What? I almost always run 11+ minute miles, especially when I'm not keeping up with anyone else!

So I decided I was doing this for as many miles as I could keep it up. At mile 8 or 9, I decided, thats it, I'm running this pace the whoooole race if I can! I was so excited about completely shattering my time from last year's half marathon! I remembered being somewhere around 2:30 and figured maybe I could pull a 2:15 if I kicked my butt into gear.

I felt great, even at mile 11! So great, in fact, that I took advantage of a "Beer Stop" along the side of Kelly Drive. It was the most delicious beer I had ever tasted (probably a natty light or something gross, haha). I was so pumped about how well it was going that I just wanted to celebrate (a little early). I didn't start feeling sluggish and tired until after mile 12, but thankfully the sidelines were packed with people cheering me along.

I finished in 2:10!!! And when i got home, I looked up my time from last year- 2:40! I shaved 30 MINUTES off my time! It was really amazing to see how far I've come in just a year, and really motivated me to get through this marathon.

Plus, once I made my way through the crowds upon crowds of people, and back to the BOMF tent.....I almost cried at how proud I was of our guys. They not only finished their first race, but a half-marathon nonetheless! I dont think any of them really grasp what a major accomplishment that is yet, but I hope they realize that lots of runners never even get that far, let alone people who have only been running for 2-3 months. Absolutely amazing!

So here's some pictures of all of us, pre and post-race.

Up this week- (2) 5 milers, an 8 miler, and a 14 miler this weekend (mixed in with at LEAST a 30 mile bike ride somewhere). Less than 2 weeks until the MS 150, City to Shore bike ride. Starting to get nervous about that, since I've focused sooo much on running the past few months. YIKES!

yikes....

Last night, I had to get in an 8 mile run....and didnt get to leave work until 6:30. So I knew I had a long run ahead of me....and the rain was looming.

I found a little pouch made of crypton, from a fabric rep, that I was going to use to attempt to protect my iphone, and I set off running.

First of all, a long sleeved tshirt was a HORRIBLE choice, it was a weird combination of mugginess and cool and rainy, and humid. But it was too hot with the long sleeves. And second, my legs felt like lead weights. I couldnt get any sort of "speed" (which, again, is way slower than normal people), and one mile in I didnt see any way i'd make it through 8 miles. Also, my stomach had been bugging me all day (which is why I missed my morning BOMF run).

Anyways, 3 or so miles in, I realize...it is DEFINITELY going to be dark out for the better half of my run. And I'm running along kelly drive, alone.....and there's been so many rapes/attacks lately. So naturally, I spent most of my run scaring myself that someone was going to jump out of every single bush or corner. I was very jumpy, and just imagining the worst.

So much for a relaxing run, right?

And then it got worse....my stomach was KILLING me, and I knew I'd never make it back, 3 more miles to go, without a bathroom break. All I could think of was the picture that Dave posted awhile back, haha. It was dark, I was running a variety of options through my head........and finally, with one mile to go to Lloyd Hall (and bathrooms), a magical port-a-potty appeared. BUT.......it was scary, and dark, and i just saw shadows of giant spiders. It was awful....but it saved me life. And then I sprinted the last mile and a half home, because I was over it. I was over running, and just wanted to be home.

So I went to the grocery store, and made meatballs, and a bunch of healthy stuff....I'm determined to lose weight during this marathon training if it kills me!! And it just might!

So far today I had:
a screwed up smoothie (ice wouldnt crush, so it was like, strawberry soup)
4 mushrooms
1 roma tomato (my obsession)
healthy homemade meatballs, with some marinara, on a wheat bun.

sheesh......i just want to bury my head in a pizza and snickers feast. hehe.

Running 6 tonite, 6 tomorrow, 5k race saturday (plus 3), and biking 30 miles sunday. yikes...

long lonely road

Well this weekend I've been staying home in Paoli visiting my parents, and yesterday called for a 14 mile run. So I mapped out a run that would take me to Radnor, run the 5 mile Radnor Trail, then home. I wasnt sure how this was going to go, running so far by myself, but I was ready with my Fuel Belt, and carried some money, and a granola bar, just in case. I felt like the Bear Grylls of running. I set off along Sugartown Road, which was pretty much the only road I took all the way to the trail. WAY different than city running, in that there was no shoulder, no sidewalk, and cars were not used to seeing a runner along the side of the street. Some of the twists and turns I was actually scared that a car would zip around the corner and slam into me. So it wasnt the most relaxing of runs, but getting to the trail was nice, because its tree covered, and chock full of runners, walkers, bikers, etc. (think: smaller scale of kelly drive- and less Lance Armstrongs zipping along).

I was feeling REALLY great until about mile 11. I was just about out of water/gatorade, in all 4 bottles, and was trudging along at a 12 minute mile pace. A Michael Jackson song came up- Rock with You, and I actually started singing along and felt the urge to dance, haha. But it really motivated me to keep going, which i also found hilarious. At one point I took my headphones out, and realized that my "singing" after running 12+ miles, actually just sounded like squeaking and breathing, haha, but when I was blasting the music at least i felt like i was singing along. I mustve sounded absolutely crazy to anyone driving by who heard me. Also, the entire run, I pondered my marathon weight loss cookbook. I really want to make it happen and have a ton of great ideas. which, i should write down before i forget, haha. And a few ideas for other running related things that i've decided need to be invented. But i cant post them or you'll steal them! hehe.

oh, and my iphone died at 13.8 miles. WORST. that last little bit is when i really need some music pulling me along. that was tough. and then, i couldnt even cool down because my muscles were immediately seizing up after stopping.

And i'm supposed to be able to run 12 more???????????????

no freakin way. I barely wouldve had half a mile more in me. How am I going to be able to do this? Sometimes after runs, I know I have a few more in me, but am just following my training schedule. At this point, I don't see how in a few weeks I'm going to be able to run 16 or 18 or whatever, i really don't. Its almost like a religious feeling....I need to place my faith in this training plan, and trust that its leading me on the right path (literally), but I just cant forsee it. So i'm trying to remain optimistic, and know that if i follow all my runs, the mileage will come. but sheesh. i was really wiped out yesterday.

on that note- off to go bike 20 miles, since the MS 150 is quickly approaching as well!

remind me never to train for a marathon AND a 150 mile bike ride at the same time? k, thanks!

-bridge

one month down!

so i realized this morning, when i flipped my training calendar to a new page, that i've been in "official" marathon training for a whole month. kinda crazy how fast its going, and how far i've gone so far already (literally)

it was a little sad to flip the page, because it was nice seeing all the checkboxes filled in, with all the runs i've completed.....to a new month, and a page of glaringly empty boxes. It was also daunting to see the mileage leap this month. I guess the first month got kind of comfortable, with my weeks filled with 3's, 4's, some 6's, and then the long runs. This month i'll be facing some 8's and 9's during the week, which is something i'm not used to, and a little intimidating!

a quick update, since i haven't posted lately: two weeks ago we ran a very rainy, and very inspirational 12 miles with some of the guys from BOMF and my friends Kat and Diane, and other BOMF volunteers. It was an amazing run, and really got me back in the groove of training since I had missed the long run the weekend before. Last saturday we did yet another rainy 10 miler, with the same group, which was awesome. Not quite as easy for me, since I was having some rumblings in my tummy, and I ended up being sick the rest of the day. But I survived!

So yesterday, we woke up to some nice cool fall-like weather.....and what did I do instead of running? Laid around on my couch watching DVDs of Madmen, haha. oops. I had a dr's appt in the morning (yes, the "tummy alien" drama is still on-going, no real updates yet), and thought i'd run at night. I thought wrong!

So I was determined to make up that 4-miler, and not miss a run. This morning I ran a nice, easy 3.5 miles around Rittenhouse, all the way down to about 7th & walnut, then back. Of course, when I get in to work this morning, I hear about a girl being attacked on 21st & Locust (um, RIGHT down the street from me!) which left me a little freaked out, since I ran by there this morning, and walk by there at night ALL the time going to the gym. I'll be going to the store to get mace/pepper spray sometime this week for sure.

Tonite I'm going to make it a double-header by running 7 miles after work. I'm looking forward to it!

However....as I weighed myself this morning, and wrote it on the calendar.....I looked back a month ago, and realized....i GAINED 1lb this month! what the hell???? I'm tracking all my calories, i've cut back drinking a ton, and i'm eating healthy. what gives???? Its like fat is permanently glued to my body. So my goal for this month is to do some research on what foods I should eat when, to best repair muscles after runs, prep for long runs, etc. In a dream world, I'd love to write a cookbook about how to eat AND lose weight during marathon training. But alas, I wouldn't be a very good test dummy for this, since I cant seem to figure it out myself.

although i'm sure my daily Snickers doesnt help ;) but- its got peanuts and protein! haha. i started tracking my measurements too, maybe that will help me feel better about this, at least if i'm losing inches and not pounds.

I've got a 14 miler coming up this weekend, that will be the longest i've EVER run in my life, i'm both excited AND nervous!

hot, muggy, with a chance of frustration

so, week two is off to a much rockier start than week 1. mostly because its about 1000 degrees out, with 100% humidity, and its making it VERY hard to be inspired to go out and run 6 miles. yesterday I was supposed to run 4 miles, but it was too darn hot, so I went to the gym, thinking, "oh, i'll just do it on a treadmill instead" but i forgot one important thing....


I HATE treadmills!


i managed to run 2.5 miles before wanting to kill myself, at a pace of.....13:00 miles!! haha. thats the real reason i hate treadmills, if i go any faster than 12:30, i feel like i'm going to fly off and crash into some unsuspecting treadmill behind me. worst.


i'm a little frustrated because i need to either a) learn to love treadmills, because i have at least another month of awful hotness and mugginess. b) deal with the heat and humidity and get out there and run. c) learn to wake up crazy early every day and get my runs in. luckily my 5:30am runs with Back On My Feet will be a good chance to get some of the early morning miles in, i just have to make sure and go 3 times a week now!


Another thing frustrating me to no end, is the fact that I'm not losing weight like I want to be. I'm tracking every single calorie that I eat, and even the exercise calories that i'm "earning" so that I don't eat too little. what am i doing wrong?? no matter what, i stay the same weight. which, i guess is good, but its frustrating. i almost want to go to a nutritionist and figure out what i am doing wrong! i'm packing all my lunches, cooking healthy things, i just dont get it. its infuriating.

and to top things off, my friend sent me this article today-
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html

so apparently exercising can actually make it HARDER to lose weight? Great. Just Great.


so, for now, i'm going to keep eating snickers (dont worry, i'm tracking the calories!) and i'm going to attempt to run 6 miles outside tonite, if all else fails i can do 2 on the treadmill of torture.


-Bridge

week one : so far so good

quick recap of my training so far this week:

Monday: ran 2 miles, and 2 miles (4 total), at a "fast" pace (fast for me)

Tuesday: had a really strong 6 mile run after work, there was a nice breeze, but it was still humid and hot as heck. iced up the knee later on!

Wednesday: bought new running shoes!! was scheduled to run 4 miles, but instead....I ran 2.7 to my company softball game, drank some beers, ate a hot dog, and ran 2.7 back home :) yes, that second leg was much slower, but it was fun, and i'm glad i got my miles in (plus a little extra!)

Thursday: Thank GOD its a rest day! i am exhausted....and a little stiff. going to stretch out alot today, probably ice up the knee (even though the new shoes felt great), and get ready for a 4 miler early tomorrow morning with BOMF!


i actually think i can do this! (now ask me again in 4 weeks...)

-Bridge

good news and bad news....

so, between dave and I, this blog so far hasnt proven extremely inspirational, haha. we're kind of in shambles. BUT......i have good news and bad news...

the good news: i dont have appendicitis

the bad news: i do, however, have a mysterious golfball sized mass in my intestine? what that means, i still don't know. right now it looks like there will be a surgery in my future to remove it, according to my doctor. so, what this means for training, remains to be seen.

otherwise, i got the go-ahead last night to run from my doctor, as long as i "take it easy"....which, luckily, is the speed i run at anyways ;)

so this morning, I had a great 4.5 miles (3 with BOMF, 1.5 on my own), and i'm excited to start the official training schedule on monday!!

my knees are a little sore, but i think i need to get new shoes asap. since joining BOMF in january, i've put way more miles on than I typically would (got this pair for christmas).

so, off i go!

-bridget

storm chaser

so last night, i was determined to get in a 6 mile run, before going out to celebrate my lovely roommate Liddy's bday. I saw on the weather that we were supposed to get some storms, but totally ignored it anyways. So i set out on kelly drive, using my new iphone & a new app called Distance which tells you distance, time, and pace (although i SERIOUSLY doubt the accuracy of this). It started off well, even though the silly app said i was running a 15min mile, haha, which, is almost impossible (i knew i was somewhere around 11).

At around 2 miles out, the sky ahead of me was turning pitch black and yet weirdly light, like from the movie Twister, and I kept having these internal struggles. "Do I turn around at 2 miles and get in a solid 4 mile run before the storm hits? Do I keep going? Can I camp out somewhere if the rain hits, so as not to ruin my brand new iphone??"

I decided there was no way i was NOT running 6 miles! so i trudged on, heading right into the darkness.

I finally hit the 3 mile turn-around point, and was almost exactly where the sunny sky and the dark clouds met. Once I turned around, I knew the storm was right on my tail, and I was going to have to book it if I wanted to stay out of the rain. Now, don't get me wrong, i actually LOVE running in the rain, I was just panicking about my new iphone getting wet, hehe. So at this point, I started sprinting (ok, well, sprinting for me, is like, a slow pace for normal people, haha), and I kept looking over my shoulder and watching the storm creep closer and closer.

I was actually outrunning it! I couldnt believe it!

And then I felt some droplets of rain.... so I ran faster and faster, even though I had 1.5 more miles, I was running like I was almost at the finish line of a race. It felt great!

and then the skies opened up on me......


Moral of the story: Its probably physically impossible to outrun a storm that is moving 20mph, but, trying to outrun it is a really good way to boost your training!

ps- I put my iphone in my pants, so don't worry, it didnt get ruined. thankfully!

crazy dogs and bagel sandwiches

here's a quick backstory:

I run 3 days a week with a wonderful group called Back On My Feet. (http://www.backonmyfeet.org/) Basically, we run with homeless men, to help them, well, for lack of better words- get back on their feet! (its a very fitting name). Each team is based out of a shelter in Philly, and my team is an amazing group of people.....about 15 homeless men, and about 15 or so volunteers at any given time. We meet at 5:30am on Mon, Wed, Fri mornings, and usually do anywhere between 1-3 miles, with longer runs on saturdays. Its been an incredible experience to be a part of it, and it really has inspired me to get more involved with running, and was a big motivator for wanting to do the full marathon.

so.....this morning, i set out as usual, jogging down to broad street where we meet...... and I come up upon this woman walking a giant giant dog. I'm thinking to myself "do i go around her side, or the dog's side?" as there wasnt much room. Suddenly, the dog turns to the side, and i see its wearing a crazy looking muzzle. Usually not a sign of the Worlds Friendliest Dog.

The horrible woman turns around and starts SCREAMING at me! She's like, "What is wrong with you??? why would you run up behind someone with a German Shepard? What the hell is your problem?? You've got the whole city to run in, why would you choose this sidewalk??" and is all yelling and crazy and mean and horrible. So i just sideswipe her and say a quiet "sorry....sheesh" and keep running.

i'm such a wuss.........there was about 100 things i couldve yelled at her- including the fact that maybe she shouldnt live in the city with a dog that isnt safe to be around people!! Or the fact that i run down Bainbridge because I'm about to meet 30 people for a run on the corner of that very street! (even if it was a few blocks away).

ugh. she was the worst. and her dog didnt even try to attack me or anything, but she was SOO mean about it! I hope i see her again some morning, because this time i'll yell back!

but then I had a great run with BOMF, did 4 miles total this morning.............and just topped it off with a glorious bacon egg and cheese bagel from Pete's.

I'm off to a music festival and camping for a few days, so I cant wait to see how badly I manage to de-rail my training so far, haha.

hopefully dave can run enough this weekend for the both of us!

Here's a lovely picture of part of my Back On My Feet Family......and also, german shepards and a bagel sandwich. enjoy!

-Bridget

The Starting Line

Stay tuned for the (mis)adventures of Dave and Bridget as they train for the Philly marathon. We'll keep you updated with our training routines, maps of our runs, and pictures along the way. It's sure to be entertaining and most likely full of poor training habits such as eating junk food, drinking too much and too often, and missing workouts because we were too lazy. It should be a doozy.