WEEK 17 UPDATE

So this is the BIG WEEK! Yes the time has finally arrived. This Saturday, June
1st I will be running in my first marathon. What a journey it has been. I went
back to Physical Therapy yesterday. If you haven’t already heard, I was
diagnosed with Peroneal Tendonitis (basically inflammation of tendons that run
down the outside of my foot) a couple of weeks ago. The Physical Therapist has
given me lots of stretches/exercises to do with my ankle and yes, now for my
knee too. Ahhhh!!! I can’t fall apart yet, just got to keep it together one
more week. I ran about 9 miles this past Saturday. My ankle felt great but by
the end my knee was in a lot of pain. I think it is deferred pain up through my
knee now that the ankle feels better. The doctor also told me I could probably
benefit from orthotics…but, that’s the last thing he wanted to do two weeks
before my race and plus…I want to make my own orthotics :) . So this week
is all about Physical Therapy, a lot of icing, little running and a lot of rest. I’m
so close, I feel like I just have to push through it. Good news though the
doctor says he’s not worried about rupturing a tendon and the physical therapist
said out of 20 years practicing she’s only seen it happen once in a case where
someone fell down the steps or something. So, hopefully it will be okay in the
“long run.” The plan for this weekend is to head out of Atlanta at 9am on
Friday, rest up and enjoy a pasta dinner on Saturday, race Sunday, and head back
home on Monday. I’ve never been good about sleeping on planes, but who knows
after 26.2 I might not find it so hard anymore. Either way, I can’t wait to
report back next week about my San Diego running adventures. Also, I wanted to
keep you posted on Erin’s progress. She returned home this past Monday,
Memorial Day, from round 4 of chemo. I know she wants this to be over sooo bad,
please continue to keep her in your prayers for a speedy recovery, minimal side
effects and please pray for injury free running and safe traveling for me as
well. Thanks for all your love and support throughout this adventure, like I’ve
said before and will say again, I could never have done this without caring
people such as yourselves. My final funds raised were $4,116.26. Wow! Thank you for being so giving and helping me to surpass my goal; you truly are a life saver.

:)Denise

Also, as promised I will be running with names plastered on my legs…special
thanks to these guys for “running a marathon with me” in sunny San Diego.

- Mom and Dad
- Uncle Karl and Aunt Carol
- Grandma Larkins
- Theresa and Joey Woodall
- Karen Larkins
- Aunt Debbie
- Chris Little and Ashley Day
- Karen Armsby

And thanks to my "2008 Official Erin Mile Sponsors":

VIP Mile 1: Grandma Larkins
Mile 2: Grandma Larkins
Mile 3: Grandma Larkins
Mile 4: Aunt Kathleen
Mile 5: Aunt Debbie
Mile 6: Aunt Debbie
Mile 7: Mom and Dad
Mile 8: Theresa & Joey Woodall
Mile 9: Theresa & Joey Woodall
Mile 10: Karen Larkins
Mile 11: The Armsby’s
Mile 12: Chris Little & Ashley Day
VIP Mile 13: Chris Little & Ashley Day / Karen Larkins/ The Armsby’s
Mile 14: Grandma D.
Mile 15: The Powell’s
Mile 16: The Nash’s
Mile 17: The Hickey’s
Mile 18: The Dewitt’s
Mile 19: Boris Prilutsky
Mile 20: Chris Hovorka
Mile 21: Zhen Liu
Mile 22: Mike & Dan Martin / Theresa Sheldon
Mile 23: Uncle Karl and Aunt Carol
Mile 24: Uncle Karl and Aunt Carol
Mile 25: Uncle Karl and Aunt Carol
VIP Mile 26: Uncle Karl and Aunt Carol
VIP Mile 26.2: Uncle Karl and Aunt Carol

* Erin Miles were assigned in no particular order except for miles 1, 13, 26
and 26.2 reserved for top donors.

And last but most importantly I would like to recognize the incredible Heroes
that I am running for:

In honor of…
- Erin Blonshine
- Erin Shmalo
- Aunt Kathleen
- Sidney Dewitt
- Gary Sandberg

And in loving memory of…
- Aunt Christine
- Alexander Larkins
- Susan, Cathy, and Lisa

WEEK 16 UPDATE

So this past week has been eventful. I made it through 18 miles on Saturday!! Yay! I wanted to try and run a couple more miles, but my ankle was feeling pretty sore and my coach told me to not run, anymore. She said I would be fine as far as mileage goes and to just go home and ice/rest my ankle. I was also told I should probably have a doctor take a look at my ankle. So, I did and come to find out I have peronneal tendonitis (basically inflammation of tendons that run down to your foot). It's probably being led on by a combination of the biomechanics of my foot, running on uneven surfaces, my running form and just general running a ton. But, at this point in the game it's too late to try and do any kind of orthotic intervention so I'm just going to physical therapy a few times today and next week to do stretches and for them to give me deep tissue massage/therapy to keep the inflammation down. Running workouts have been going well so far this week so hopefully the "good running streak" (no pun intended) will hold out through June 1st. I leave for San Diego in a week and a day from now so its getting closer by the minute! Today Erin starts round 4 of her chemo, she should be at Emory for 6 more days. So please continue to pray for her speedy recovery to the finish line. Thank you for your constant love and support. I'm being summoned to go help open up our pool, so I need to go. But, have a great weekend and I'll post again before I leave for San Diego.
Love,
Denise

WEEK 15 UPDATE

So yes this post comes a little late again. We'll just blame it on the lazy days of summer already :). Anyway, this past week has been a little rough as far as my running goes. Two Saturdays ago was the run where it was pouring down rain and I ran 14 miles. Despite the weather, the run actually felt pretty strong. Unfortunately my right ankle didn't really agree the following morning. I don't know what I did but it did not feel good at all. I proceeded to try and take it as easy as possible and I iced it like 3 times a day because I was on schedule to do 20 miles this past Saturday. Come Saturday, my ankle still didn't feel great but I thought it might be tolerable. However, after mile 10, I called it quits in fear of doing a lot of harm to my ankle because I felt like I was just running on numbed pain. So with less than 3 weeks less to go til race day you could see how this is making me a little nervous. I really need to get to 20 miles before I go out and try to do 26.2. I really wanted to keep going on Saturday but was afraid I was going to put myself at more of a risk of not being able to run later. So Sunday and Monday I rested it again and yesterday...I ran 7 miles on it and felt ok! Please pray that this trend continues I really want to be able to get my 20 miler this Saturday so I can start tapering next week.

Other than running, swim season started on Monday. I'm coaching the Dacula Dolphins this summer! I think its going to be fun :). And still in the process of tracking down a daytime job.

Yesterday I had fun hanging out with Erin. She's doing well. If all goes as planned she's on schedule to begin round 4 of the chemo this Thursday/Friday. Also if you're interested and in the area there will be a blood drive on Sunday at Lawrenceville 1st United Methodist church (Erin's church) from 8-12:30pm and a bone marrow donor drive which only involves a cheek swab! Be a lifesaver and give blood!

Well, I hope to report happy news to you about my progress next week. But til then have a good one and Happy Belated Mother's Day to all moms out there!
Love,
Denise

WEEK 14 UPDATE

Hi all. So this post comes to you a little late this week. I have just now finally unburied my computer after having moved out of my apartment this past weekend and back home for the summer. So, I'm finally taking the time to sit down and write. This past weekend was definitely busy but I still managed to get in my long run on Saturday. All day Friday/Saturday was spent moving my stuff out. I took a break on Saturday morning to go run but proceeded to get to run at least 14 miles in the pouring down rain. It definitely felt longer (and took longer) than what 14 miles should take but that's how long they said it was. I was supposed to get in 16 but I had to be back by noon to move out of my apartment before they fined me. After running I sat on the interstate for at least 40 minutes going less than 5 miles (they decided to pave I-75/85 in the middle of the day) and I got back late to check out but they were nice and let me get by without a fine. So this week has just been spent so far unpacking and looking for a job. It's hard to believe the marathon is less that 4 weeks away now! Wow - time sure has gone by fast. Upon waking up on Sunday morning I realized my right ankle was sore like my left one had been earlier in the season. I've just gone easy on it so far this week and I'm just praying that it is nothing serious and feels better fast, I can't afford to lose training time at this point!

But on a more happy note, schools out AND I have officially surpassed my fundraising goal!!! I have to admit starting out was a little intimidating thinking that I had to raise $4000 but with the help of such amazing people such as yourselves it all became possible! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER!! Be on the lookout soon for my naming of the Erin Mile Sponsors. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful and caring people in my life. Hope you have a week that is practically perfect in every way :).
Love,
Denise

WEEK 13 UPDATE

Yay! I have pictures today...courtesy of Joey! This weekend was the Country Music 1/2 Marathon in Nashville! It was a speedy trip but lots of fun nevertheless. Friday afternoon Jenna and I headed up to Ringgold, GA to meet Theresa and Joey to head up to Nashville from there. We gained an hour because of the time change which was good for the much needed sleep once we finally went to bed around 11:00pm. We had to get up at 4am so I made sure we set 2 alarms (I wasn't taking any chances). Theresa and Joey aren't exactly morning people. So we (or I should say "I") got up at 4am after waking up on the hour all night and got ready to go. I think I was nervous about not waking up on time and there were thunderstorms all night which were pretty loud too. We managed to get out of the hotel around 5:15am in the rain. We proceeded to sit in gridlock traffic for about 20minutes before deciding to rely on the God sent GPS system. We were able to program in a different route, head to the start line and make it to the race in time for it to start at 7am. The pic you see above is of Theresa and I before the race. The race started in Centennial Park (I felt like I was at home again in Atlanta).

S0 by the time the race started thankfully it had stopped raining and it was perfect weather for running, nice and cool. The first 6 miles or so were a little hilly but after that it was all pretty flat/downhill until about the last mile which hit a few more hills (but I didn't think the hills were that bad for it being in Tennessee). Anyway I felt pretty good about the race I ran my personal best time so I was happy. Unfortunately I didn't see Jenna and her sister along the route. I was looking around the side of the road she said they would be on, but in a race like that it is overwhelming for both the fans and runners due to the amount of people.

Here are a couple of my favorite photos from the day that Joey shot for me. Here is a glimpse at just part of the crowd at the beginning of the race....it was a sea of people.









Here is a pic of a little boy that came in ahead of me (but...for my self confidence notice he is not wearing a number- I promise I can fun faster than a 5 year old!) Too cute :).









Here is a man that was probaby mid 70's I'm guessing.I want to be able to be still running marathons when I'm over 70 too! This man was a powerhouse.












And here I am finishing!! Always a great feeling :). But, I promise I don't always make weird faces when I'm running.









This pic was taken of a couple holding their two kids across the finish line...how precious. If you look really closely you can see a purple banner in the background. It was for Team in Training. There were Team in Training people all along the course and so I got lots of cheers just for wearing my Team in Training shirt...awesome group to be a part of.









And here I am at the finish line with my sis. My favorite quote of the day from my sister: "My feet are so sore." Hahaha...but there was an explanation, she was wearing my shoes that were too small for her. But stil, I loved giving her a hard time for the irony of the comment.














And a couple other pics from the post race festivities
My picture with the blackberry...yes Joey made me take this one.

And I found this shirt very funny for some reason. If you can't read it, it says, "I'd give my right arm to be ambedextrous." I don't know why I just couldn't stop laughing.

And here's my amazing friend Jenna who roadtripped with me this weekend.

And some of my other favorite quotes from the weekend...

Erin: "We can but belly paint on you Jenna. It can say Go "D"! or wait...it can just say GOD!"

From the guy at the free beer station: "Don't listen to what the water guy says...drink up, beer gets rid of the cramps!"

Joey: "Get fired up, get fired up, get...firrred up!" (sorry inside joke)

Just for you jenna: "How big is a 9 inch pizza box?" (yes, that was me)

Theresa: "This is stressing me out watching this race" (oh Theresa...I love you)

One of the bands along the course: "Hey runners we wrote this song just for you"....'Running...keep on running...hope you're not burnt out....keep on running' (what kind of motivation is that?)

Cheerleaders along the course: "L-E-T-S - G-O...Come on let's go!" (The cheer I could not get out of my head for about the last two miles)

That afternoon we headed back to Atlanta in the rain after going to a good mex restaurant for lunch. But I was just so thankful the weather held out for the race. And today we had a surprise retirement party for our Catholic Center priest, Fr. Mario, who is leaving for FL after 38 years at GA Tech! It was sad to say goodbye but the party turned out really well given we had less than a month to throw it all together. So as I type now I have just woken from a nap...I think I might be finally catching up on sleep. But I really have to go study now for finals coming this Tuesday.

But, before I go, I know this is a long post but I just wanted to update you on Erin. She is currently at home right now (thank God for that) recovering from the most recent round of chemo. I know she is just ready for this all to be over with but the prayers of you all and her family and friends are helping her through. From running the race this past weekend and seeing so many Team in Training people from all over, it is very evident how Leukemia & Lymphoma has affected so many. But, it is also encouraging to see how much support and hope there for people like my Erin who are the real athletes in this marathon.

I will be moving back to Dacula this week so if you're in the area...please stop by and say hi, would love the company! Have a terrific week!!

Love,

Denise

WEEK 12 UPDATE

Good evening bloggers!
What a beautiful day today was huh? Couldn't ask for better weather.
This weekend was great! On Saturday it rained a little but kept us cool and then the sunshine came out :). I ran 14 miles, a personal record for me!! I've down a couple of 1/2 marathons and gone 13.1 miles but never 14. And surprisingly I wasn't that tired on Saturday evening or today. I had some friends over on Saturday and was afraid I would be sleeping through dinner but I felt fine. It's amazing how you slowly build up your endurance week after week. As the mileage increases I'm coming to grasp with the fact that the marathon is not that far away, just a little over a month from now! Next week is Country Music 1/2 Marathon, looking forward to road tripping with Jenna, Theresa, and Joey up to Nashville for the race. Hopefully, I'll come back with some pictures I can post. And only one real week of school left...this coming week at Tech is known as Dead Week. So looking forward to what I guess is my last summer as a student. After this summer all my summers will most likely be spent out in the working world (whatever that place is like). Erin went back to Emory this weekend to start with round 3 of her chemo. I think she is doing awesome at this race, she has so much more endurance then I every will. Please continue to pray for her speedy recovery and minimal side effects. And fundraising is going great...many many thanks to all of you awesome donors out there - I know I'll never be able to thank you enough, but I can try....so this won't be the last time you'll hear thank you! Two little words that mean so much! Have a beautiful week!
Love,
Denise

WEEK 11 UPDATE

Hi everyone!
Hope you are enjoying today's chilly weather as much as I am...haha. If you know me at all you'll know that I'm always freezing cold wherever I go and I am very much looking forward to the warm summer months. I guess being a July baby does that to you :).

Well, Saturday was interesting. I went to Team in Training Practice at the river...plan being to run 14 miles. I got about 8 miles into it (after making it up Johnson Ferry Rd - with a tortuous hill) and the sky decided to open up with rain, thunder, lightening, etc. It was a little scary, I'm not gonna lie - I hate being outside during thunderstorms, definitely a phobia of mine for some reason. But, to my rescue came the TNT SUV to pick me up and bring me back to my car. That's what's great about TNT, I feel like there's always someone looking out for you, so it's more reassuring when you know you're about to go out and run a bazillion miles. Also, you can always count on that Powerade stop if you keep going just a little bit further. So, since I only got in 8 miles in the morning, I went home took a nap, got a little bit of work done and then ran 5 miles that afternoon. Gotta keep that mileage up!

The rest of my weekend I enjoyed hanging out with my big sister and on Sunday had my last Connect With Tech Session EVER!! Hard to believe its over after 4 years! But, guess its time to move on.

So, only two more weeks til Country Music 1/2 Marathon. The headliner concert will be featuring Steve Cropper and Friends ("Sittin on the Dock of the Bay", "Knock on Wood", "In the midnight Hour") and Lady Antebellum will be the opening act. So, should be pretty good. But, I have finals two days later so hopefully I'll get in some studying sometime...guess I better start now.

Have a wonderful week!! Hope you all are doing well ~ thanks for your support always!
Love,
Denise