Updates

First, sorry if some of your google readers or whatever show that I wrote a blog titled "Purging". I did write it this morning, then deleted it. It was just about clearing some things from my life and well... who needs to be bored with that nonsense! :)

So, one REALLY great update. I'm the chair of an event called High Heels and High Hopes. I've talked about it before (like here when I wrote about last year's event). Long story short, it's a women's night out fundraiser for Women's Health at the local hospital. I was the chair last year and we started the new event and totally had a great time, super successful, raised about $25k for women's health, yada yada yada. The pressure was on for me to get my committee rallied to make this year's event bigger and better - not an easy feat in this economy!!! We worked so hard for the last 9+ months though and I'm happy to report that it was AMAZING! On Thursday night, 300+ women came together, ate, drank, enjoyed spa services and then shopped their little hearts out at our silent and live auction. All proceeds for the evening go directly to the hospital and I'm so excited to report that this year, we'll be writing them a check for $60,000!!!! I might have been the chair woman and definitely got a lot of the credit for such a successful event, but I have to say, without my amazing 10 committee members, my two favorite Grady Foundation Sues, my contacts at OhioHealth, all of our sponsors and my hubby, it wouldn't have been the success that it was. I finally realize the unbelievable feeling of giving and saw first hand on Thursday night what a commitment my community has to helping women's health. I don't know if I could have asked for a better success story. Question is... do I do it again next year and if so, how do I ever top that? Not a bad situation to be in!

In training news, Tom and I did our last long run before the Columbus Marathon. It was weird that we ramped up for Ironman (our longest run was 18 miles) and then had to ramp up again less than a month later, although after Ironman, we did a 13, a 16 and then the 20 so it wasn't like starting from scratch. I'll be honest, I was seriously considering backing out of the full and just doing the half. I signed up for the full just because... it wasn't one of my key races this year and I did it just because of the frustration with IMLOU. After Sunday's half Ironman, I kind of just wanted to enter my off season. You see, I can't though. I have Beach 2 Battleship in 41 days and I have some concrete goals that I'd like to hit there. Might as well do the full marathon then right? :) We decided to run 10 miles out and 10 back, down the same road, along a river. We train there a lot, but usually turn around at the 5 mile point. Tom said that the last time he ran all the way to the end of the road, it was 2002. I've never done it. It was a great day for a run - overcast, 50 degrees maybe, a little breezy (okay, a lot breezy). It should have been a piece of cake... At mile 2 I had mentally convinced myself to back out of the full, do the half and just turn around at the 5 mile point. Everything hurt - my head, my ovaries (yes men, they can hurt), my hammies, my quads. Mile 2. How the eff was I going to make it to mile 20? But it just happened and I remember the power of the human body. Something clicked and I just ran. Tom and I talked about the past, our future, new things and old things. It was awesome. Before I knew it, I was turning around and heading home. The last mile, we both found another gear... and then another. We finished around 3:05 and were thrilled with that. Tom wants to go sub 4 at the marathon in two weeks. We'll start out together and if I can't hang, I'll drop back. I'm hoping to just PR - anything under 4:21 would be a good day for me!

Today... I feel like I ran 20 miles. It's cold, crappy and blah out and I couldn't be happier. I did a little shopping alone this morning (Tom's out of town), and now I'm home in sweats, making applesauce, eating snacks, enjoying my Zensah's (sweet relief on my tired leggies) and about to catch up on my trashy tv.

And finally, most of you have seen this around, but it's such a great video, that I want to post it again! What an inspiration...