Bad news and good news

Hey everybody. I missed posting in what turned out to be a pretty eventful couple of weeks, so let me bring you up to speed.

The bad news: Jews for Jogging is going singular. Jew for Jogging. Unfortunately, Beth had to drop out of training this past week due to a knee injury. You can read more details about it in her post below, but the long and the short of it is, Beth won't be running the marathon. I am, however, pleased to say that she is still coming to New York to help with my charity poker tournament, and she is also planning on going to Disney to cheer for me.

Wondering what happens with the donation you already made? Well, if you donated directly to me, your donation still counts towards my fundraising goal. If you donated directly to Beth and your donation was processed, your donation will become a general donation to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. If you used our joint website to donate, half of your donation goes to my fundraising, and half goes to LLS as a general donation. If you've mailed money to Beth that hasn't yet been sent to LLS for processing, you can expect to get your check back in the next few days. At your option, you are more than welcome to keep the money, donate to my fundraising, or donate to LLS. If you'd like to submit a contribution to my fundraising, please mail it to:

Adam Moser
14 Linford Road
Great Neck, NY 11021

or donate online at:

http://bit.ly/moser

So how can there be good news? Well, I'm still running the marathon, and I am still committed to raising at least $3,700 on my own. Of that, I've raised over $2,000, including money that I sent to LLS for processing a few days ago but hasn't yet shown up in my account.

On top of that, while she will not be fundraising, I am happy to announce that my girlfriend, Shelby, will be running the race with me. Don't feel bad that she signed up too late to participate in the fundraising aspect - this will be her sixth marathon, and over the first five, culminating with this month's NYC marathon, she's already raised over $12,000 for LLS.

And, on top of that...I set a new personal longest distance ever today! A few weeks ago, I bested my longest run by breaking through the 10 mile mark, but today I went further than I ever have before, including walking. The previous high was 13.1 miles, set as a run/walk at the 2004 Virginia Beach Half Marathon and matched last week as a run. Last week's run, incidentally, was about 39 minutes shorter than at Virginia Beach, at 2 hours flat. Today I went 14, and I ran the whole way, finishing in about 2:09.

My legs are absolutely killing me.

Last bit of good news - I'm keeping the "grinds my gears" segment. Today, what really grinds my gears is my own perception of distance. I estimated the distance to the Throgs Neck Bridge as 7 miles, and figured I'd just do an out-and-back. I was off by 2 miles. In both directions. Running 4 miles right around my house at the end of a 14 mile run is much, much less fun than you might think.

In closing, I'm very sorry to see Beth go, I was really looking forward to running the race with her. But, LLS will still get some great support from people like you, I'm now really looking forward to running the race with Shelby, and Beth is going to try to compete against me in a triathlon next summer, since I obviously destroyed her this time around. So all in all, it sucks, but I'm still very excited about the marathon.

And yes, I will still be blogging. See you next week.

Jogging Jewsus is No Longer a-jogging

I don't know how many people know this. But I injured myself relatively badly last Saturday morning during my run. Running the marathon looks like a no go. It's extremely disappointing, and I am pretty irritated but I guess my old body just couldn't handle the stress. If you are interested in the details read on.

I was at about mile 3.5 on my 12 mile run last Saturday morning when all of a sudden I felt a pop in my knee. I didn't know what it was but I took another step and felt an immense amount of pain radiating up my leg. I stopped for a minute and tried to walk on it and my knee was in a ridiculous amount of pain.

Unfortunately I was running on the trail and still about half a mile from where the Team In Training people were and there was no place for cars to back up to. I started gimping along and immediately called my boyfriend to come pick me up. It really really sucked cause I had to gimp like half a mile back. But the hero that he is, Jack met me about 100 feet from his car and carried me to the car.

I haven't gone to the doctor yet, but if the pain continues I will. Speculation is that I pulled something in my knee. I would like to push through it and train, but this is my only body and I don't want to screw up my knee more. I have been limping, but my knee is starting to feel better and I have earned the affectionate nickname from my co-workers as "Hopalong Cassidy." I am sorry if I let anyone down, and I guess I am pretty upset. However, I am still flying to Orlando to support Moser and I wish him well in spite of all the crap talking.

Time for one last you know what grinds my gears: You know what really grinds my gears...training for a marathon and running miles and raising money for a great cause and then having your supposedly young body crap out on you. Please continue to donate to Moser and this is an amazing cause that benefits so many people. Anyways, at least for now... Jogging Jewsus out!

Chocolately Sickness

Not as much has happened on the Beth front as on the Moser front. Last week I thought I hurt my knee so I essentially only did the elliptical one day. However, Sunday I was signed up for the Hot Chocolate 15k. For those of you not down with our friends the metric system that's about 9.3 miles. I really did not want to run Sunday but I woke up and dragged myself there.

It was actually pretty cold Sunday morning, but I knew I would warm up during the run. Therefore, I wore sweats there and figured I would wear a long sleeve shirt and shorts to run in. So, I was sitting there freezing and waiting for the race to start with my sweats on. Approximately half an hour before the race starts I checked my "gear." This essentially means I decided to stand around in shorts and a long sleeve shirt in 40 degree weather for about half an hour. For those of you thinking...that sounds cold...yes it was.

According to the offical time I wound up finishing the race with about a 9 min 8 sec mile pace. However, I am pretty sure it would have been a lot faster, but I stopped for a potty break and I think the people in the port o johns were having stomach problems because although there was no line, it took me about 3 min to get into the stall. Therefore, I give myself the benefit of the doubt and say my time was actually much faster if not for my pit stop. :)

Needless to say, the race is the gift that keeps on giving and I am now pretty congested. I also got to enjoy watching old people blow by me while I was running. I know we compete against ourselves when we run, but it was somewhat demoralizing to have the 60 year old guy blow past me. Since I am so fast, I am guessing he was a former Olympian. I have been taking it wasy since Sunday, but I inted to get back in the saddle and go for a run tomorrow....yeah.

On a side note, congrats to Moser's lady who ran the marathon last weekend and set a PR.

Laziness pays off

For a week with almost no working out, I have a surprisingly large amount of stuff to talk about. First, the no working out. Yeah...that was a little disappointing.

After doing that 11 mile run last Saturday morning (at a surprising sub-9:00 pace), I kept slacking off, until Wednesday, when I was determined to get to the gym and do hill repeats. I did...sort of. I guess you can't really call them "repeats" when you only make it through one before you stop to cough half a lung up.

Methinks I may have overestimated how fast to run in a hill repeat.

After that I again slacked off until the sun went down Saturday night. Only then was it dark, cold, and rainy enough to really enjoy a 12 mile run in Central Park. There's something oddly serene about being one of only a few people running in Central Park the night before the NYC marathon takes over. There's also something a little terrifying about it. It's a good thing cops drive around often. I'm pretty surprised I got through a 12 mile run with virtually no working out the entire week up to that point, but I'm not one to question miracles.

In an effort to avoid another week like the last one, I've already gone out since this past Saturday's long run. Today I ran a 9:00/mi 10K around my neighborhood.

Speaking of the NYC marathon...it was pointed out to me this week that I have a wedding to go to the night before the 2010 marathon. Unfortunately, that means that I cannot run the 2010 NYC marathon, as I had been planning to do for some time. Instead, I'll finish the races that I need to guarantee entry, and I'll defer the guaranteed entry to 2011. In the meantime, I plan on attempting a triathlon or two in 2010 to stay in shape.

Speaking of having to cancel on marathons, Jews for Jogging endured a pretty big scare this week. Seems Beth's firm has been working on a big case for a couple of years, and the trial date is currently set for January 11, the day after the Disney marathon. For a couple days, we didn't know if Beth would have to skip some of the event weekend or bail altogether, but now it looks like she will be participating.

Also this past week, I submitted my recommitment form to Team in Training. It showed that I've met at least 25% of my fundraising goal, and binds me to raising the rest of the goal in exchange for reserving spaces for me in the marathon, at the hotel, on a plane, and at the various TNT events throughout the weekend. The Illinois chapter's recommitment deadline isn't for another couple of weeks, so Beth hasn't done hers yet.

Finally, today's pet peeve: drivers who keep their brights on in the face of a pedestrian. Don't get me wrong, I understand the substantial benefits of increasing a driver's field of vision with an oncoming pedestrian. Still, once you've established that there is a runner/walker in your way that you need to avoid, keeping the brights shining directly in their face is more than a little annoying.

Anyway, that does it for me. Look for the next post, when I will (hopefully) have some information about an exciting fundraising event you might be interested in. See you next week.

41 miles later...

My last post was on Oct 11, and since then, I've logged over 41 miles running. That includes two long runs (10 miles last week and 11 miles this morning), 2 sprint interval runs (this week's sucked), and a 5 mi run, along with some cycling and strengthening. I am pleased to say that it looks like I am now a sub-9 minute mile runner, having completed today's 11 miler at an 8:51/mi pace.

Beth said she's doing 10 miles tomorrow. Not bad. It's no 11, but hey, that's alright. It doesn't mean she's a bad person. There are plenty of other things she does that mean that.

Two weeks ago I ended the post by saying I planned to stick to the workout schedule that week. That didn't so much happen. Instead, I ignored all but 2 days of the schedule. Good times.

This week, I was much better - I did every workout except one (which I made up for by doing more than scheduled today). I'm pretty pleased with that. That's 5 days of working out this week, probably a new record for me.

Speaking of personal records, I've never run 11 miles before. I've done 10 three times - once in the 2004 Virginia Beach Half Marathon, once in the 2008 Soldier Field 10, and once last week (last week's was the fastest by about 15 minutes). I did go more than 11 miles in the half marathon (that's 13.1), but I walked the last three miles or so, so I don't count it as my longest run.

I'm ripping the "grinds my gears" bit off from Beth, since she ripped it off from Family Guy. Things that grind my gears: people who don't move out of the way even though I'm saying "excuse me!" The last few miles of my run today were up 1st Ave from 34th to 90th. At one point I came across a group of people walking 4 abreast with giant umbrellas, taking up the whole sidewalk, and ignoring me. As I passed, I made some comment thanking them for taking up all the available space. Their response: "The sidewalks aren't for runners." Really? Are there wheels attached to my feet that I'm not aware of?

Anyway, it's quarter to 3 in the morning, and I'm going to sleep. See you next week.

Oy my knee!

So much has happened since my last blog. I will start by clearing the air. Yes, I did compliment Moser. However, in my defense it was his birthday and I was delirious with exhaustion. I probably also complimented his couch and told his lamp I loved it. Who knows what went down. Anyways, Moser and I did run the 7 miles in Great Neck. They have ridiculous amounts of hills. Thank goodness IL is flat.

So in addition to running with Moser I have been going to my running club and socializing with my fellow good looking runners in the greater Wicker Park area. However, the running club will now thin out seeing as how the Chicago Marathon occurred this last weekend.

I attempted to run for 60 minutes on Saturday. I was in fact doing amazing *pats self on back* and approximately 8 min 30 seconds miles when about 48 minutes in I felt intense pain in my knee. So, as all good runners would do I stopped running. Unfortunately, it was a windy Chicago day and I was in mere running clothes when without physical exertion the weather would require a coat. So, I started to freeze. Therefore, I started to run to avoid the cold and before I knew it I fell over from pain. I once again stopped and hobbled "igor-style" for the last mile of my run. Not my most promising moment and I am letting my knee recover.

This past weekend was also the Chicago Marathon. Although I didn't run it I did sell my soul to Nike for about 5 hours and hock their overpriced goods in a tent. I got to see the first guy finish who was of course from Kenya and he set a new course record of 2 hours and 5 min and some odd seconds. To break it down that's like 4 min and 45 second miles for like 26.2 miles. That is insane and when the guy finished he looked like you or I would after a somewhat rousing game of racquetball and didn't look nearly as tired as I do after even like 8 miles. I guess that's why he's a pro. I also heard people talking after the marathon, and upon inquiring how one guy was feeling after the marathon, his exact words were "My body feels like shit but in my head it was amazing." I guess that kind of sums up the marathon experience.

Now for another installment of you know what really grinds my gears. You know what really grinds my gears: People that have no problem letting their dog crap on the very narrow running trail, and when you look at them like um..aren't you going to clean that up, they act like they have places to be and can't be bothered. If you have time to stroll your dog down by the lake...you have time to pick up his poop.

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3 months to go

Yes that's right, yesterday was exactly 3 months before the 2010 Disney Marathon. I went to the Saturday morning TNT group run and did 8 miles in Central Park. The loop formed by 72nd, 102nd, and East and West Park Drives is 4 miles, so we ran it twice. There are about 40 or 50 TNTers that meet in the Park for the runs, but we split up into different levels of expertise (and some people are training for a half marathon), so I ended up spending most of the run with 6 or 8 people that were going my pace, 9:15 or so/mile.

Everyone was complaining about the hills in Central Park. I invite them to run anywhere around Great Neck. You'd think it would be relatively flat, what with it being a small peninsula, but that is really not the case.

Today was the Chicago Marathon - congratulations to Kristin, Andrea, Mike, Dan, Lynn, and anyone else that ran it! Beth was scheduled to work in a tent at the race, so I'm sure she'll dazzle you with stories of frigid 35 degree weather and other pleasant things.

I also found out today that I know how to change a bicycle tire. I had no idea that I had that ability. My bicycle is back in working order, and I celebrated with a 10 mile ride to recover from yesterday's long run. I now carry a spare tube, a patching kit, and a tire pump, so that I'll never have to walk my bicycle home on a flat tire again.

This week, my only goal is to stick to the entire training schedule, including strengthening workouts, which I've been awful at keeping up with. Probably been better at it than Beth, though. See you next week.

Missed a week

Apparently I never posted last weekend. Let me regale you with a quick summary of that week - I set a 1-mile PR (personal record) with a time of 6:59 in the Fifth Avenue Mile, my seventh of nine qualifying races for the 2010 NYC marathon, and did a 9:00/mi 5K the day before that and a 9:12/mi 6 mi long run the day after.

Did you know that a donation of $50 could register one person to be a bone marrow donor? We're more than 20% of the way to our goal, but we need your help! Find out more at: http://bit.ly/jewsforjogging.

I've been using my new Asics Gel Kayano 15 sneakers. I got them a couple weeks ago. Until then, I thought my Brooks Adrenalines were great. It turned out I was wrong. They're good, but the Asics provide a lot more cushioning, and that's important, because my stride is godawful and I hit the ground hard. For a week or two I was using the new shoes every other run, but for my birthday, I got a second pair, so now I can rotate between the Asics for running and only use the Brooks for bicycling (next spring I'm going to upgrade to clips for bicycling). Why rotate? It's good to give running shoes a few days between runs, to allow them to fully dry out and retain their shape better.

Something amazing and incredibly rare happened yesterday. Beth complimented me. I know, I'm as shocked as you are. She and our other friend came in from Chicago for my birthday and stayed at my house, so Beth and I did our long run this weekend together. Her schedule said 8 miles, mine said 6, so we split the difference. After we finished, at a 9:13 pace, she told me that she found the hills to be pretty brutal, and was impressed that I run near my house all the time. Ahh, to live in the midwest, where the main geographic feature is the horizon...

I'm pretty sure she also admitted that I'm a much better person than her, but don't quote me on that.

See you next week.

Aah Chicago in the Summer

So today I kicked it up a notch and I did 8 miles. That was what the Team in Training Schedule said to do. It was perfect running weather and approximately 70 degrees. We live about 2 miles from the lake front. Therefore, I ran the 2 miles there and 2 miles along the lakefront.I have to say it made me appreciate what I love about Chicago. The lake was gorgeous, as was the skyline. Chicago skyline in the summer has to be seen at least one point in your life. It's an amazing break from the hustle and bustle of the city. There are beaches, boats, restaurants, water, set amid an amazing backdrop of Navy Pier and the Chicago skyline. I would have taken a picture, but no way in heck I am carrying a camera during my run.

When all was said and done I wound up doing my 8 miles, one of the longest runs I have done, in about 1 hour and 13 minutes. Not bad at all and it worked out to like 9:12 miles. I even surprised myself a bit. Next weekend I will be in New York, and the great forces that are Beth and Moser will combine for a training run. Now I have talked to Moser and he did 6 miles a 9:12. I am not going to say I did better...but I certainly did go longer...

Ironwoman

So I just read Moser's post and that is sad and all. However, in the immortal words of Nelson from the Simpsons, ha ha! Anywho, I have been staying on top of training. I didn't go on the group run Saturday morning even though I woke up to do so. If you knew how comfortable my bed was you would totally understand. However, I decided to run yesterday. So by the time I wasted my day away and decided to go running it was 4 pm and I was ready to hit the streets.

4:02 pm starts raining. Therefore, I did my 6 miles at the gym on the treadmill. I also did 150 sit ups, 60 assisted pull ups, and 15 push ups. You totally should get tickets to my gun show. I am also going to run tonight and keep up with my program of running and spinning throughout the week. It is perfect running weather in Chicago (mid 70's) and hopefully it stays that way. I need to hold onto the nice weather and wonderfulness of Chicago for another two weeks until it gets cold and the spite sets in.

I have decided to end every post with a segment that I derived from Peter Griffin, ala Family Guy and a little thing I like to call "You know what really grinds my gears."

You know what really grinds my gears, people who go to the treadmill right next to yours when the gym is almost empty and make sure to grunt and wheeze, and then look over at you just to make sure you know exactly how hard they are working out.

What goes down...

...must come up. Especially on out-and-backs, like the one I ran yesterday. Mile 2 is pretty much all downhill, which is very nice...except for when it becomes Mile 4. Then things take a turn for the worse.

Still, my pace on the back half matched my pace on the front half, 9:01/mile, so I guess I handled the hill pretty well. Today was a make-up for missing yesterday morning's group run before heading down to Baltimore for the Red Sox game (go Sox!).

Also this past week, I learned that I will never ride my bicycle on the service road, or without my cell phone, or without some sort of tire repair kit.

As I was turning from New Hyde Park Road on to the westbound service road, a one way, 3 lane, 40 mph entry and exit point for the Long Island Expressway, a nail ripped a hole in the side of my tire, and cars were nearly knocking me over at high speeds. But wait - it gets better! There was pretty much no place for me to stand on the side of the road, because of the bushes and trees, so I got to stand in a pack of bushes, holding my bike up and away from the road, waiting for some break in the traffic.

I finally got one and managed to ride my bike, with the flat tire (walking would have been too slow and dangerous), to Community Drive, from which I figured I would walk home (about a 2 mile walk). But wait - it gets better! I couldn't walk along the service road to Lakeville Road - a much better and less hilly choice - so instead I got to walk down Community Drive, with a large downhill and a very large, very steep uphill on Pond Hill Rd.

I made it back home, where I learned that I could have been picked up by car if I had had my cell phone with me.

A good time was had by all. Now I have to go get ready to watch Giants-Cowboys. Go Giants! See you next week.

Getting my run on.

So, I have in fact been working out this week. I am starting to set up a rhythm, and even found people to run with. I missed the group run yesterday morning because the bf and I are searching for homes. I think we found the perfect place for us. 1800 square feet, near public transit, 2 blocks from the lake, walking distance to some restaurants. Only problem it was the first day we went out. Either we are decisive or just dumb.

Anyways back to the work out thing. Today I did 6 miles and Friday I did 5 miles. Both days I was able to run by the lake and it was beautiful. Nothing better than the Chicago lakefront a nice day. I need to try to remember how much I love it when winter comes and I once again despise all that is the Midwest.

Btw, thanks to everyone who donated!!! It means soo much to us. This training and run is all for people we all loved who have been affected.

Season Kickoff

We're almost at $1,000! Make your donation online today at:

http://bit.ly/jewsforjogging

TNT's NYC chapter officially kicked off the winter season today, with an introduction of all the coaches, mentors, and TNT staff. It was a pretty big group - about 20 or 25 of them, for the 40 or so runners. Among the highlights was when they asked cancer survivors to stand up and introduce themselves. About 8 got up on stage, 2 of whom were diagnosed and recovered when they were teenagers (one has been a TNT coach for the past 5 or 6 seasons), and 2 of whom are currently undergoing treatment (one was diagnosed only 3 months ago). The last person to go was the mother of the team's honored patient, a six-year-old boy who was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of three and who will be involved with the team as we train for Disney.

After the meeting, all 60 of us walked a few blocks over to Central Park and did a 30 minute out-and-back at a "conversation pace" - that is, slow enough to comfortably talk to your neighbors, about a 10:45 pace for me. The point wasn't so much for distance (I was among the faster people, meaning I went among the furthest distances, and I didn't even hit 3 miles), as it was for getting 30 minutes of cardio exercise in and meeting some of the other people running this season.

Overall, it was a good experience. Everyone I talked to was really nice. It was a great change of pace from talking to Beth.

Aside from that, I had a pretty busy week, workout-wise. I ran 10K in under an hour on Tuesday night, then had the last pre-season group run with TNT on Wednesday night, a 4 mile run at conversation pace. I took Thursday off, then dragged myself off my couch and to the gym on a rainy Friday for half on hour on the bike and a little time on some machines.

The last part turned to be pretty stupid. I hadn't done that in months. My arms are ridiculously sore now. Typing actually hurts, so with that, I'm going to end this post. See you next week.

Back from Jersey

Did you know that 56% of your tax-deductible donation goes to patient/community services and research? Help us in the fight against leukemia, lymphoma, and other cancers by visiting:

http://bit.ly/jewsforjogging

You can also learn more about where your money goes here.

I'll admit it. Beth has me beat in mileage - my best week so far is 15.48 (my total since August 29 is 20.48 - you can follow my training log online here). Unlike her, however, I also threw in some bicycling and - wait for it - pilates. Yeah, that's right. Pilates. Now, I don't mean to imply that this somehow makes me better than her...but it does.

Wednesday night was my first group TNT experience. I had run the Virginia Beach 1/2 marathon with TNT in 2004, but I lived in Maryland and raised money for my sister's chapter, in Delaware. As a result, while I got all the great benefits TNT has to offer during the event weekend, I wasn't able to join in the group training. This season hasn't kicked off yet, but TNT NYC did organize (for the first time) a couple of pre-season Wednesday night workouts, and this time, I am taking full advantage.

This week's pre-season workout was a 1/2 hour beginner pilates session, followed by a 2.5 mile out-and-back in Central Park at "conversation speed," the speed where you can comfortably chat with the person next to you without out of control heavy breathing, about 11:30/mile. There were about 20 other people at the workout. The pilates session was tough, but I wasn't anywhere near as sore as several people told me I would be. This leads me to believe that I most likely have superhuman strength.

...Or I was doing it wrong. Definitely one of the two.

Aside from that, I haven't done much noteworthy in the past week. I did a couple of 4 to 5 mile runs, a 10 mile bicycle ride, and I'm trying to remember to work in at least a couple of core and muscle strengthening exercises, usually push-ups and crunches, after a run or bike ride.

Over the weekend, instead of working out, I had a rehearsal dinner, wedding, and post-wedding brunch in New Jersey, so I traded in my running shoes for drinks, dancing, and deep-fried oreos. Turned out it wasn't much of an excuse - two people at the wedding who are training with TNT for the NYC marathon had run 16 miles the morning of the rehearsal dinner. Thanks to Shelby and Tara for showing me up :)

Tomorrow I run in the morning, then Wednesday night is the last pre-season workout before training kicks off on Saturday.

Thanks for the support!

So I am back from my long hiatus of posting on the Jews for Jogging blog. Training is starting and I am slowly starting to put the pizza boxes down, dust off the crumbs, and start running. I have been running with a running group on Tuesdays and doing spinning on Wednesday. This Friday I also ran with a small group and even woke myself up at 5:30 am on Saturday to be at the run by 6:30 with the Team in Training group. I have run about 17 miles last week collectively, and I am trying to build my mileage up. I will also take the time to update you every so often as to my slow and turtle-like progress in regards to my marathon training.

I would also like to thank everyone for all of the support. Running isnt easy but when its for a good cause and I am looking forward to the sense of accomplishment. I know times are tough but any money at all you would be able to donate would be greatly appreciated and please go to our fundraising page at:

http://bit.ly/jewsforjogging

for information about why this cause is so important and has affected our lives. I will post again soon, just cause I know all you JFJ blogging fanatics missed me. :)

Pre-season

Thanks to everyone who has donated so far! We've reached 10% of our fundraising total! Donate today at:

http://bit.ly/jewsforjogging

I don't know about Beth, but I'm planning on posting every week after the TNT group runs on Saturday mornings. Unfortunately, the NYC chapter's winter season hasn't officially kicked off yet - the first winter season group run isn't until September 12. Still, they did give us a 4 week "pre-season" schedule to use (which I started following yesterday, the second to last day of week 2), and I figure in addition to memorializing the start of following the TNT training schedule, I should also get in the habit of writing a post weekly.

Seems like just yesterday Beth was telling me that she was thinking about running Disney and I, indecisive about how I was going to eventually gain entry to a New York marathon, realized that it would be a great incentive to do the 9 qualifying races, that I could raise money with TNT while doing it, and that Beth and I could motivate mock each other to keep going. It was actually back in December, about 8 months ago. Time really flies.

I'm calling myself an "intermediate" runner (in your face, every gym coach I ever had), so yesterday's pre-season was 40 to 50 minutes of easy running, which I accomplished with 5 miles on easy hills at a 9:14 pace. Probably a little faster than I should have gone, but oh well. Today's was 30 to 40 minutes, so I did the same types of hills over 4 miles at a 9:04 pace.

They also have pre-season group runs on Wednesday nights for a few weeks before the official season kickoff, but I couldn't make last week's. I'm planning on going to this week's. It will be my first ever organized group run. I'll have to show off my mad skillz.

Oh, also, I should probably mention that last Saturday, I successfully slept through the Harlem 5K, which would have been my 7th qualifying race for NYC. Today I'm signing up for the Continental 5th Avenue Mile. I'm going to hold off on signing up for anything else until I see the TNT training schedule. Hopefully I can schedule the qualifying races around the same time I would be doing the same distance with TNT.

One last thing - I started a training log on Google Documents. Admittedly, the push-ups and crunches were pretty awful, but hey, I haven't done either in almost a year, the running is what matters most, and pre-season doesn't count. Anyway, according to Google, all you need is this link to view:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AjYT-XBo5UH9dE9SVWRLcFhEd3YzTG83S0EzYzlsVkE&hl=en

See you next week.

Fundraising Goal: $7500

That's right, we've started raising money for the Disney Marathon! Our goal is $7,500, and we've already got $125, so we are well on our way.

Want to donate? Click here:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/il/wdw10/TeamJewsforJogging

Now that we've started fundraising and training is about to get into gear (NYC kick-off is September 12), we'll be updating this blog weekly with our latest training successes and shenanigans, so stay tuned. If you use an RSS reader, like Google Reader or Yahoo!, don't forget to add this page to your feed by using the Subscribe To section on the right side of this page.

Remember, every little bit makes a difference. Thank you.

Dear Friends and Family...

Dear Friends and Family,

On January 10, 2010, Adam and Beth will both run the 26.2 miles of the Disney Marathon, in support of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training (TNT) program. Why are we doing this? Aside from a healthy dose of insanity, it's because of our desire to help LLS's mission: to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Adam

July 22, 1992 started off as a normal day. I went to summer camp in the morning, and we took a field trip to see the Mets beat the Dodgers, 7 to 5. My mom picked me up. It started to get weird when she didn't make the turn to go to our house that she always made. That's when she told me we were going to the hospital. At the hospital, they told me the bad news - my sister, Stacey, had leukemia. The good news was, as an otherwise healthy 11 year old with acute lymphocytic leukemia, her prognosis was excellent. About two and a half years, a couple of trips to the ICU, a great vacation in Disney World, and more spinal taps than we can count later, Stacey's chemotherapy treatments ended, and she is now a completely healthy 29 year old. Stacey and our entire family owe a huge debt of gratitude to LLS, an organization that helped pave the way in a number of tests and treatments utilized by her amazing team of doctors in the pediatric oncology unit at North Shore University Hospital.

Beth

Everyone knows someone who has been affected or who has lost a loved one to cancer. To me, it hit very close to home. When I was six years old, my mother was diagnosed with colon cancer. It was a long battle for her, and when I was 9 and my mother was 42 she finally succumbed to the disease. My mother was a strong lady and when she was diagnosed the doctors told her she had six months to live. She battled for three years for the sake of seeing her children grow up just a little longer. The fight and determination my mother had has stayed with me. She fought hard, and every day as I train for this marathon, no matter how hard the training gets, I think of how hard my mother fought and of all the other people who have both succumbed to cancer and fought to overcome the disease. Although nothing can change the past, LLS can change lives in the future.

Thank you!

26.2 miles will not be easy - for either one of us. But 26.2 miles through the parks of Disney World one Sunday morning is nothing compared to what cancer patients and their families have to go through every single day. For them, the finish line is not some line at Epcot Center. It's a cure. With your help, we can make that happen.

Donations are 100% tax-deductible, and more than 74 cents of every dollar you donate will go directly to funding LLS's mission. Please donate by visiting:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/il/wdw10/TeamJewsforJogging

Don't forget to track our progress on our blog:

http://JewsForJogging.blogspot.com

Thank you, and we'll see you at the finish line!

It begins!

Fundraising starts today, and official training kick-off (for the NYC chapter) starts on September 12! Here we go...