Katie update

Photo by Amy Lynn Scarborough of GypsyPearl Studio

 Katie is doing much better than anyone expected, she's had no symptoms of nasal cancer in over 5 months now! Thought I'd put a little information out there on what we've done, just so people like me can find it. There isn't a ton of info on canine nasal cancer and I think I found every little scrap of it when Katie was diagnosed.

We've done a lot of different things for Katie and it's hard to know what is helping her most, I think it's probably a combination of everything. But Katie was having nose bleeds (the most obvious symptom of nasal cancer) every day before and now she hasn't had one in over 5 months and she seems 100% happy & healthy. I really don't know if she's cured, if she was misdiagnosed (although they assured us there wasn't anything else it could be), if she's in remission, or if it'll come back tomorrow.

When we found out Katie had cancer I started researching and found Lucy's site, Lucy has nasal cancer like Katie and has had no symptoms for almost 2 years now! The general prognosis for nasal cancer is 3-6 months without treatment and 12-18 months with full radiation treatment (which we were told costs ~$10,000!!!). So Lucy has actually lived longer than she would have been expected to live if they had done radiation! Lucy's dad must be a microbiologist or something, the site is super technical, but the link is a list of supplements she was on at the time of that posting. I chose some for Katie after reading pretty much the entire site (being a science nerd pays off every now and then!), and deciding what I thought would help her most. Katie's supplement list is below. We stopped giving her most of the supplements a month or so ago (I actually do think she may be cured, but at the first sign of any issue, we'll start all the supplements again).

Katie's Supplements:

With the morning meal:

Fish oil 1000 mg

Vitamin C 1000 mg
Glutamine 1000 mg
Arginine 500 mg
CoEnzyme Q10 100 mg
Red Ginseng 400 mg

Curcumin 500 mg

with the evening meal:

Fish oil 1000 mg
Arginine 500 mg
Milk thistle 150 mg

IP6 600 mg

Sometimes Curcumin again in the evening

I also switched both Katie and Connor to a raw diet, it was pretty scary at first, but it's no big deal now. They eat raw beef, pork, turkey & chicken (Bones included!!) and sometimes canned salmon (which is cooked). It's even a little less expensive than the really good dog food we fed them before. Jeff likes to call Katie "Killer" because she just plows right through everything we give her! Connor is a little more gentle and gnaws on bones for a while before he eats them. I think this has helped them both with general skin & shedding & dirty teeth issues. Hard to say if it helped with the cancer...

Probably the best thing we did for Katie was take her to a homeopathic vet. His name is Dr. Will Falconer, he has a great website and he really seems like the stereotypical holistic doctor, long gray beard, soft, kind voice, and he's super nice. Homeopathy is really different, he looks at the animal and treats them as a whole rather than the specific illness. I actually read a book about homeopathy before we went, so I had some idea of what to expect, it really is completely different than going to a regular vet or doctor! With Katie he was concerned that she has always been anxious and sometimes fearful/nervous (weird for a lab), so he chose remedies that addressed that more than cancer specifically, the idea being that if you make the animal's system function properly they fight off illness on their own- even cancer! He told me a couple weeks ago, that Katie has been an ideal patient, she really responded to the remedy he gave her and he thinks her system really has fought off the cancer and it's gone! Pretty cool stuff! She also isn't as anxious or nervous anymore, which is super cool too- and really, really interesting!

Katie. Photo by Amy Lynn Scarborough of GypsyPearl Studio

Katie's 5K9 Race Report

Hi, it's me Katie again, I wanted to tell you all about my race at the Austin 5K9 Walk,Run,Wag.

We got up really early on race morning, even before Connor woke up to whine for breakfast! I was still pretty sleepy when we left, so I slept in the car on the way. When we got close to Decker Lake I saw there were dogs in most of the other cars around us, fun! When we got to the park, I got super excited because there were dogs and people EVERYWHERE! When we finally got out of the car, I had to drag my parents over to where all the fun stuff was, I'm not sure what they were doing but they were being way too slow! In the main area there were lots of booths where people were giving stuff away, I got a new ball, a new frisbee, lots of treats, and tons of attention! I also got to meet Mia Adams, Hilda and Enzo Bush, and Carly Marek, I met lots of other dogs too, but my mom has told me a lot about Mia, Hilda and Enzo and Carly. I saw the Austin Pets Alive! booth where dogs without owners got to find people to run the race with, very cool!

My mom said "look at Tom" but I was saying thanks for bringing me to the race, it's fun already! Photo by Tom Marek

When it was almost time to start the race we got into the big crowd of dogs and people. Some of the dogs were barking and jumping and pulling, but after all our training, I knew I had to be good and wait for everyone to start. We found Banjo and Melissa, so yay! I'd get to run with Banjo again. Finally Logan counted down and said GO! We started running and I wanted to go FAST, but my mom kept holding me back, she says I always start out too fast and get tired before the end, but it was so exciting, I just wanted to GO! I saw my dad videoing us as we ran by too. It had rained on Friday night and my mom had said it would be "a muddy mess out there", I didn't realize that meant it would be SUPER FUN! Once we got off the road and onto the trail it was really muddy and there were huge puddles, some of them were really deep, up to my tummy (I bet some of the little dogs had to swim!). I had so much fun sloshing and splashing through the puddles, especially after my mom finally got her shoes wet and stopped trying to find the dry spots.

RUNNING! Photo by Tom Marek

We got to the first water stop and my mom made me stop and tried to make me drink out of a bowl of water, I think lots of other dogs had been drinking that water, so I just stood and waited until she offered me her cup of water and I drank that. Then we got to run again! There were 3 water stops and we had to stop at all of them even though I didn't want to, my mom said I had to drink water but I really just wanted to keep running! We ran with Banjo the whole time, and after the 2nd water stop we found Carly too. After the 2nd water stop I started to get a little tired, maybe my mom's right maybe I do start out too fast. She slowed down and we walked for a couple minutes. Then by the 3rd water stop I was ready to run again! We saw a dog being pushed in a stroller, it didn't look like much fun to me, but maybe Connor can ride in a wagon or stroller and do the race next year. When we came out of the woods we saw my dad and Tom Marek (Carly's dad). We stopped to say hi, and then ran to the finish line! Logan announced "Heather Herrick running with Katie" and the people at the finish line congratulated us. That was SO MUCH FUN!!!

High Fives at the finish! Photo by Ed Sparks

My mom saying "Congratulations on your race Katie" Photo by Ed Sparks

Me and Banjo after the race. Photo by Tom Marek

Getting a drink. Photo by Ed Sparks

My mom gave me lots of water after the finish, I didn't really want to stop and get a drink during the race (even though she forced me to stop), but I was thirsty after we finished. Then Jack found us and we had to follow him back to the start, there was a second race! Jack asked if we could lead out the 1 mile race and my parents said yes! Jack and Logan dedicated the race to me and told the people I have cancer but I still feel good and I'm making the most of my life! My parents seemed really happy and touched by the things that Jack & Logan said. They took lots of pictures of us too.Then it was time to start running again- yay! Logan counted down and yelled GO! And this time my dad ran with us too! But we only ran a little way and then stopped, my parents said I couldn't run a whole mile more- I think I could have! (but I was a tiny bit sore on Sunday, so maybe they were right).

A picture of our picture being taken at the 1 mile start

Then we watched the police dog demonstrations, actually I couldn't see that, the fence was too high, but I could hear and those dogs sounded serious! Then there was a frisbee demonstration, I LOVE to play frisbee, so when I saw that I tried to run over the fence and go catch a frisbee, but my mom bear hugged me and stopped me, she said I'd ruin the demonstration. I don't know how I'd ruin the demonstration, I was just going to catch the frisbee like the other dogs! I barked to try and tell her that and instead of letting me in the demo ring, they took me far away so I couldn't see the frisbees anymore. When that was all over, we went back to the main area and a nice lady gave me a new frisbee and I finally got to play with that one!

Tom took a picture of me catching my new frisbee. Photo by Tom Marek

We hung out with Carly for the awards ceremony. Carly and Carolyn even got an award. My mom & I got the very last award, we were the top fundraisers for the Petco Foundation and Austin Pets Alive! That made me really, really happy! They gave us so much stuff that my mom could barely carry it all! It's lots of treats and toys and stuff for my mom and coupons for even more stuff. She says we're going to give some of it away on my Facebook page. I decided to give the best toy to Connor so he wouldn't feel left out.

Photo by Tom Marek

Top Fundraisers Photo by Ed Sparks

I really hope my mom lets me race again, the entire day was SO MUCH FUN!!!

Thank you to Jack Murray of High Five Events and Hong Van Le of  the Petco 5K9 Walk Run series (and everyone else at High Five and 5K9). I haven't been to a lot of races, but my mom has and she said this was really well done, with a great expo and some very cool demonstrations.

And Thank you so much to everyone who donated to the Petco Foundation and Austin Pets Alive! for us, being the top fundraisers was pretty cool and obviously we couldn't have done that without all of you!

Katie's Pre- 5K9 Report

My friend Shayla made these cool cake balls for me (but I bet my parents don't let me eat any of them!)

Hi this is Katie. My dad left the computer open this morning, so this is my chance to write about my big race coming up on Saturday!

First I guess I should write about cancer. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I know I went to a lot of vets and when they said I had nasal cancer my parents were really sad and cried a lot. My mom says cancer is what made my nose bleed and what makes me sneeze and have a runny nose all the time (her nose runs all the time and she has allergies- I'm not sure what the difference is), none of that stuff really bothers me, so I'm not sure why my parents were so upset. They gave me some medicine and some other stuff and my nose hasn't been bleeding anymore, they seem happy about that.

I'm not really sure cancer is so bad. My parents say it will probably make me feel sick. But because of cancer I get extra attention, new toys, super yummy food, I get to run with my mom again, I get to raise money for the Petco Foundation, and  I get to go to a lot of cool places. But the best thing of all is all the love and support I've gotten from all my friends and family and even strangers! My mom always tells me what people say on my Facebook page and almost every day my dad says "Katie, you're a lucky dog, A LOT of people really love and care about you!" So even if cancer makes me feel really sick, I will always remember that I'm a very lucky dog because so many people love and care about me.

A few days after the cancer diagnosis, I was acting super happy to try and cheer up my parents. My mom said since I felt so good, she was going to try running with me again. Connor and I used to run with her all the time, but a few years ago Connor started to not be able to keep up anymore and Mom started running really far, so we stopped running with her. We went for a 1 mile run and had lots of fun! We went on a few more runs and then she asked if I wanted to run a race! I was super excited! My mom does lots of races but I've never gotten to go, I've only been to my Dad's mountain bike race. So she said if I stayed healthy and felt good, we'd run the Petco 5K9 in May. That was way back in February, so it seemed far away. But I was happy because I got to run a lot to train for the race!

My mom & me after I told her I wanted to do a race!

When WalkRunWag- the people in charge of the race- asked for ambassadors a few months ago, my mom thought we'd have fun doing that, so she applied for us. They said we'd make "perfect ambassadors", and they sent a package to us in the mail. It was full of all kinds of yummy smelling treats and food! There were also collars, bandanas, stickers, and t-shirts. My mom made me wear a t-shirt and took pictures- how embarrassing!

Stupid embarrassing t-shirt picture

Then she wouldn't let me or Connor eat any of the treats, she said we had to give them away to other dogs...sigh...at least I got a collar and bandana that look cool. As an ambassador I got to go places and tell people & dogs about the race- that was the best part of being an ambassador! I went to run workouts with Gilbert's Gazelles and Coach Cindy, I got to go to Jack & Adam's tri shop. Jack's a pretty cool guy, every time he sees me he gives me hugs and attention and my mom says he asks about me all the time. I even got to do a Moonlight run and meet my new friend Banjo!

At a Coach Cindy workout

At a Gilbert's Gazelles workout

I even got to meet Olympic silver medalist Leo Manzano! (I think my mom was jealous that I got a picture with him and she didn't)

Jack & me at Jack & Adams

We also get to raise money for the Petco Foundation, which will give all the money raised in Austin to Austin Pets Alive!  They help dogs who don't have homes find homes with families to love them. I have been with my family since I was a tiny baby, so I don't know what it's like to be a shelter dog or to not have a family. But I've met other dogs who lived at shelters and they all say the people at the shelters are nice but being with a real family is much better. So I'm really happy that we get to raise money that will help dogs find good homes & families. If you'd like to help us, you can donate here.

This is my family, I'm happiest when all 4 of us get to be together. Photo by-Amy Gawlik of Gyspy Pearl Studio

I've had so much fun training for the race and being an ambassador! My mom says I'm well trained and will do great at the race (she says we won't win- there will be some super fast dogs there! But I don't care about that, I just want to run and have fun) I can't wait for Saturday, the race is going to be AWESOME!!!

Chilling out after Mike's Moonlight Run

PS I'll write a race report after the race, but it might take a couple days. I have to wait til my parents accidentally leave the computer open, I can't open that dumb latchy thing on top with my paws.

Cake Balls for a Cause! Giveaway!!!!!

I think most people know that Katie and I are planning to run the Petco 5K9 in May and that we're fundraising for the Petco Foundation/Austin Pets Alive! along with the race.

I just found out that Cake Ball Addiction is going to offer cake balls as an incentive to donate!!! How exciting! Especially since they have the BEST cake balls in Austin! Yum!!

So here's how it will work:
Beginning at 10pm on Feb 27th the first 3 people in the Austin area to donate $50 or more to our 5K9 Run page here will get 1 dozen red velvet cake balls as a great big THANK YOU! Please make sure to put in your name on the donation page and please leave a comment here or on Katie's facebook page that you'd like the cake balls if you are one of the first 3 to donate. Cake balls don't ship well, so you have to be in the Austin area to claim the cake ball. They will be available after March 7th and I'll do my best to deliver them to you by the weekend of March 9th.


Thank you so much to the generous people at Cake Ball Addiction for making this giveaway possible!

Katie

Katie & Connor Christmas 2012

Life is shaping up to be a little different this year, and I probably won't be racing as much as usual. Since life is kind of focusing on Katie and Connor right now, I guess the blog can too.

Katie started having tiny little nosebleeds in November and then on Jan. 17th she had a major one, Jeff took her to the vet the next day and they told him nosebleeds in dogs are not normal and often are caused by major issues. We took her to the specialist on Jan 25th and after looking at her and hearing about her symptoms he told us Katie definitely has nasal cancer, they could do a CT scan to see the size and extend of the tumor. Then he said "you're looking at about 9-18 months" I said "that's without any treatment, right?" He looked at me sadly and said, "No that's WITH radiation treatment". We were devastated. We took Katie home and started reading and researching trying to figure out what to do. We decided we didn't want to do radiation (the side effects are pretty bad), and since we weren't going to do treatment there wasn't much point in doing the CT scan. We also learned that it's very normal for a dog with nasal cancer to seem perfectly healthy and happy until the very end. Katie certainly didn't seem sick, aside from the nosebleeds.

From facebook on Jan. 26th: "We found out yesterday that Katie has nasal cancer. Even with chemo/radiation the prognosis is bad (9-18 months), so I think we're going to enjoy whatever time we get with her and spoil the heck out of her. With no treatment life expectancy is about 3-6 months (but Katie will probably do better than that, she's tough). She's not in any pain and feels fine right now. So if I'm not my typical smiley self for the next few months you'll all know why, this is truly heartbreaking for both Jeff and me."

The outpouring of support from friends and family was overwhelming! I started to reframe the situation a little bit. I wanted to really appreciate and enjoy our time with Katie but that's hard to do that when you feel really sad. Plus, I think dogs are really good at picking up on how we feel and we didn't want to give Katie sad vibes. She was still our same Katie, energetic and always ready to GO! So we wanted to let her have as much fun as possible for as long as possible! It got a little easier when the medication and supplements stopped her nosebleeds (this is probably temporary, but we'll enjoy it while we can!). 

Connor and Katie used to love to run with me, but when Connor started to slow down to the point he couldn't really run anymore, I stopped taking both of them. On Feb. 1st I decided to see if Katie was still strong enough to run, Jeff kept Connor occupied and I planned to take Katie out for 1/4 to 1/2 mile if she could do it. 1 mile later we got back home and Katie was one very happy dog! So I decided to set a goal for us.

From facebook on Feb. 1st: "It's good to have a goal. Katie wanted a goal, so I told her as long as she's healthy enough and still feeling good we'll run the Petco 5K9 Run in May. Neither of my dogs have ever run a race (which is weird because they used to run with me all the time). Katie seems happy and excited about running in a race!"

WalkRunWag asked for ambassadors to promote the run in each city, I sent them our story and they said we'd make great ambassadors! Then I decided since we're ambassadors and this is my biggest goal race for the year (yes, I just said a 5K fun run is my biggest event of the year!), we should fundraise for the event, especially since the money goes to Austin Pets Alive! an awesome local organization.

So far Katie is having the best time training, and seems to be loving all the attention and fame that comes with being a WalkRunWag Ambassador! She even has her own facebook page now.

I really hope that we get to run the 5K9 Run in May, but if we don't, at least we know we've made the most of our time with Katie. 

Please know that the support of our family and friends means the world to Jeff, Connor, Katie, & me right now. We truly appreciate each and every one of you! THANK YOU!!

Austin Marathon 2013

I trained for the marathon this year with Gilbert's Gazelles. I really enjoyed it, it was a little more challenging and higher mileage that what I've done before, but I felt good all through training. I did 3 runs of 20+ miles and actually enjoyed all of them. So based on my training I felt really good going into the marathon this year. My goals were:
1. Have Fun & Finish
2. PR over my 2010 marathon (5:26)
3. If I have a perfect day, I'd love to go sub 5:00

Jeff got me to the start early, but after lining up and just 6 minutes before start time, I decided I needed to use the restroom again. There are porta-potties at every aid station (every mile) but they always have lines and I wanted to go for a PR and definitely didn't want to waste time standing in line during the race! So as the race started I was standing in line. My time wouldn't start until I crossed the start mat, so I wasn't wasting time, but I didn't want to start at the very back of the pack either. I let myself get a little nervous about it, even though I knew it was unnecessary. As soon as I finished, I rushed back to the start, gave Jeff a quick good luck kiss and got into the mass heading across the start mat. I crossed the mat and started running, it was crowded but I wasn't getting stuck behind walkers or anything, so I assumed I had gotten back to the start just in time.

As I ran up San Jacinto I heard and saw lots of spectators, my legs felt good and I felt the sun on my shoulders. I was suddenly smiling from ear to ear and I thought "this is so much FUN! This is exactly why I LOVE racing!" I tried to really let myself feel that and let it set the tone for my day.

Soon the 3:40 pace group passed me and I realized I had actually started closer to the 3:00 runners than the 4:45 where I had planned to start! Oh well, luckily I'm good at running my own pace and not getting concerned about people passing. And when the 3:40 group passed I knew to expect lots of people to go by for the first few miles. At mile 2 I ran by City Hall looking for my spectating crew of Kristen, Ingrid, Shayla, Jeff, & Jim (KIS,J2), but instead I saw Rita and threw her my gloves. Then around the corner I heard before I saw KIS!! J2 wasn't there, but I assumed Jeff was still en route since I had mangled the start plan a little.

Waving to my KIS crew to make sure they saw me in the mass of people at mile 2! Photo by Kristen Carey

As I ran up Congress, I thought about Gilbert's advice to be patient and NOT go out too fast, I let people pass me going up the hills on Congress and told myself to be patient. I saw Southies Gina, E-beth & Kelly cheering! When I turned onto South First I knew I'd get to pick up the pace some going downhill- Yay! Maggie and Linda both doing the half, both passed me and I talked with each of them for a minute. I saw Alysha on S. 1st and was impressed that she picked me out of the crowd! I saw the Southie crew again on S. 1st, but I'm pretty sure they didn't see me this time! As I crossed the First street bridge I saw my KIS crew again and this time J2 was with them, good!

High fiving Shayla on the First Street bridge. Photo by Kristen Carey

I found Lauren just after the bridge and ran with her for awhile. Texas 4000 was running the mile 9 water stop. They must have found every single person they know to come out and cheer, just past the Lamar bridge was "Livestrong Way" there were hundreds (if not over a thousand) people out wearing yellow, with yellow signs, yellow chalk on the ground and all cheering their hearts out- it was amazing! One of the highlights of my marathon! Melissa from book club was at the Mopac crossover, there weren't a lot of spectators right there, so it was great to see her! At mile 9 I was on pace for a sub 5 hour marathon. I knew I'd lose some time in the next 5 or 6 miles, but I also knew the last 7 miles could be faster if I felt good and so far I was feeling awesome!

As I ran up Winsted and Exposition I tried to remember to be patient and as long as my legs felt good when I turned on 35th I was in good shape. Devon, Tom & Carolyn were spectating on Winsted, which was the only part of the course I hadn't run numerous times (it's not normally runnable due to traffic). Exposition is definitely the toughest part of the course for me, with a few steep hills. As I got closer to Westover I couldn't help but think "whoever made the spectating plan for my KISJ2 crew is a genius (me), I am SO happy I'll see them here!" As I started up the Westover hill, Kristen was there taking pictures and told me everyone else was at the top of the hill.

About to start up the BIG hill to Westover. Photo by Kristen Carey

 I'm sure I would have walked a little of that hill if I hadn't known they were up there! I saw them and Ingrid flashed this sign at me! So Cool! Ingrid's awesome signs were another highlight of my marathon!

The first of Ingrid's Awesome marathon signs! It's a "mom" sign from Connor & Katie- CUTE! Photo by Kristen Carey

I continued up Exposition and thought I had another hill or 2 when I saw the light at 35th, wow, I'm at the top already! Not often I think that! I hit the half marathon mark at 2:32, just about perfect according to Gilbert's plan (negative split the second half because the first half is so hilly), and I still felt really good!

I saw Nicki on Shoal Creek around mile 16 and told her I felt great! I passed the Gazelle Band and said hi to Jay at mile 17. But shortly after that I started to get a side stitch, I don't get them too often, but when I do they usually keep coming back. I walked for a minute and got rid of it, I was sure it wouldn't come back. Great Northern was one of the few places with not many spectators and I really could have used them then, but near the curve a lady came jogging toward me and said "this is a lonely stretch with not many people, but don't worry, just around the corner there are lots of people!" I really appreciated her! I saw Del, Kim & Jen  and then Annette, Nicki, at Foster and then Veronica & Bianca, and right after that the stitch came back- oh no! I tried to run through it, but it got worse and I had to walk to get rid of it again. I got to Northcross and saw my KISJ2 crew again and Ingrid had another awesome sign for me! She ran with me and asked how I was doing, I told her I felt great except for a couple of side stitches but I was sure they were gone now. And of course, right after that, I felt it come back again, I ran through it as long as I could then had to walk again.

A smile power sign from Ingrid! Photo by Kristen Carey

A high five from Jim. Photo by Kristen Carey

A Mama Mudge high five, looks like we both had to stretch for that one! Photo by Kristen Carey

And a high five from my awesome husband! Photo by Kristen Carey

I was really impressed that the Crestview neighborhood came out in force to spectate! They even had Domino the giant Violet Crown pig out on Morrow!

Domino the Crestview Pig, notice how big he is, he's being pulled on a trailer behind a truck (random photo from the internet)

 I saw Tracy running the opposite direction down Morrow whooping and cheering wearing her cowboy hat and boa, I'm pretty sure she didn't see me, but it was fun to see her! There were lots of house parties and lots of kids cheering in Crestview, so even though I was disappointed that the side stitches were slowing me down (and they kept coming back) I really enjoyed running through Crestview! At mile 19.5 I passed "Jenny Corner" I knew Jenny wouldn't be there, but I found a random spectator, high fived her and thanked her, thought of Jenny out skiing and ran on. Alysha showed up again at mile 20.5, she was like a little leprechaun who kept showing up at the best places! Then Monica ran with me a little at Thunderbird Coffee. As I got close to the mile 21 water stop, I saw Laura, she started cheering my name and then everyone else at the water stop started cheering my name, it was pretty cool! I was off pace by now, but aside from the side stitches I was having the best time! I was still hoping the stitches would stop and I could bomb down Duval and still be close to 5 hours.

I saw Carolyn again on Guadalupe and on 51st I spotted Mark up ahead, I caught him, but had to walk with a stitch again so he got ahead. I hadn't seen Bonnie in forever, but I saw her working the water stop on 51st. I turned onto Duval and I heard before I saw Betsy, David, Amy & Matt going crazy for me! Betsy even made me a special book club inside joke sign! I really need to get a picture of this sign! I wanted to tell her that aside from a few side stitches this race really had been "Magic every Mutha F'ing Mile" so far! Amy came out to run with me and asked if I wanted a jello shot, at first I thought "oh jello sounds yummy" but then I realized there was also vodka in it and I couldn't run 3 more miles with vodka in my tummy! So I turned her down, then she said, will you pretend so I can get a picture? That was fun! Thanks Amy!

pretending to take a jello shot, photo by Amy Bush

I caught Mark again on the little hill past 45th (and another side stitch), I chatted with him for a minute and told him we were still on pace for about 5:10 (that may have been slightly generous). And then at 43rd I saw my KISJ2 crew again! Yay! Less than 3 miles to go! Mudge high fived me and told me to make sure to look for my special chalk sign. Ingrid had written "Si Se Puede" on the road for me! YAY!!

Coming down Duval ready for some high fives from my KISJ2 crew! Photo by Kristen Carey

My feet were starting to hurt, my legs were getting tired, but I felt much better than expected- nothing hurt too much and I felt great nutritionally and mentally, if only I could keep the side stitch from coming back! I saw Alysha the leprechaun again near the bottom of Duval. I had really wanted to take the downhills on Duval fast and I was disappointed that I just couldn't do it without bringing on the stupid stitch! I ran through campus, knowing that short stretch would seem longer than it should, and it did. I crossed MLK and knew I just had a few blocks to go. Then Tracy appeared out of the crowd and started running with me, she warned me about the awful hill coming up, I had run it in training a lot, so I knew exactly what to expect, but it was awesome to have her there talking me through it!

About to start up the insult hill with Coach Tracy there for support, and of course my KISJ2 crew cheering like crazy! Photo by Kristen Carey

As I started up the "insult hill" I saw my KISJ2 crew one more time! Jeff told me I was "too fast" and they couldn't make it to the finish line before me! At the turn, Tracey wished me well and I ran to the finish line! Finish time was 5:16, and I felt good and had fun the entire way! So 2 of 3 goals accomplished. I didn't think it was possible to have as much fun as I did during a marathon! And I PRed over my 2010 marathon by 10 minutes. I'm sure I could have been really close to 5:00 if I could have gotten rid of the side stitches.

Recovery is going really well and I can't wait to run another marathon and try for sub 5:00!

A few of my Marathon Highlights:
Feeling So Awesome at the start
"Livestrong Way"
Ingrid's awesome signs, and Betsy's special sign
The "jello shot incident"
Seeing so many friends out on the course! I knew where I'd see my KISJ2 crew and a few other people, but a lot of others were a surprise, I looked forward to seeing those I knew about and was happily surprised every time I saw someone I didn't know would be out there!

Notes mostly for me:
Weather: 36 at start, 68 at 12:00, sunny, windy in second half (headwind on Woodrow & Duval)
Clothing: nike shorts & embrocation on legs, long sleeved Gazelle shirt, compression socks
Shoes: Newton Terra Momentum
Nutrition: Infinit- 300 calories, Honey Stinger gummies- 160 calories, water at aid stations

Pre Austin Marathon 2013

5 days til the Austin Marathon! I'm feeling good about my training, Gilbert's Gazelles pushed me, but I've stayed healthy. I switched to Newton running shoes in April, I took the transition slow, but I love them now, I haven't had my typical IT band problems in a long time, and even my Achille's is feeling pretty good. I ran 20+ miles 3 times in training and all 3 went really well. The race day weather is looking cold, great for most runners, not so good for me, but it isn't forecast to be so cold I can't deal with it. I'm getting nervous and excited about the race, but that's pretty normal. Before my first marathon in 2010 I made a list of all the things I was looking forward to during the race, all of those are still true (except the parts about Ave H and 47th, because of slight route changes), but what I really loved in 2010 and what I'm most looking forward to this year is seeing friends spectating along the course!

Goals for the marathon this time:
1. Have Fun & Finish
2. PR over my 2010 marathon (5:26)
3. If I have a perfect day, I'd love to go sub 5:00

Good luck to everyone else running this weekend and an early THANK YOU to everyone planning to be on the course volunteering or spectating!