girlrunningaround's Xanga

Help me fight for a cure, TODAY!

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:39:51 GMT

You have the power! TODAY I want to tap into the power of the internet and social media (Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.) to raise $500 in ONE day for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). My ultimate goal is to raise $4,000 by April.

You have the power to help! What can you do?

A. Donate! If just 100 people donate $5 (or more) each, I will have met my goal for the day, and you will have been a part of it. Go to my donation page at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/mi/cmc10/jillduffy

B. Update your Facebook Status. Let your friends and family know about my goal.

Here are some sample updates for you to copy:

Help my friend raise $500 in ONE day to fight cancer. http://pages.teamintraining.org/mi/cmc10/jillduffy

One day. $500. One step closer to a cure. http://pages.teamintraining.org/mi/cmc10/jillduffy

$5 gets us closer to a cure. http://pages.teamintraining.org/mi/cmc10/jillduffy

C. Update your Twitter status. Or follow me on Twitter and retweet my posts. My Twitter page: http://www.twitter.com/runnergirl13. Use the samples above to make your own tweets.

D. Post a link to my donation page on your blog or website. http://pages.teamintraining.org/mi/cmc10/jillduffy

E. Invite your friends to join this event. Spread the word!

F. All of the above!

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission.

Thank you for your help!

Help me save lives

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:02:03 GMT

In April I will be running the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville, TN in honor of those I know who are personally affected by blood cancer. I am raising funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) as a participant in their Team In Training program and I'm asking you to help by making a donation to my fundraising campaign.

Please use the link below to donate online quickly and securely plus learn more about my progress. You will receive a confirmation of your donation by email and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/mi/cmc10/jillduffy

Each donation helps accelerate finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. More than 823,000 Americans are battling these blood cancers. I am hoping that my participation in Team In Training will help bring them hope and support.

On behalf of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, thank you very much for your support. I greatly appreciate your generosity.

Thank you,

girlrunningaround

I did it!

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:38:36 GMT

In case you missed it on Facebook or Twitter:

I PASSED THE BAR EXAM!

That's right folks. Just one swearing-in ceremony away from being a real lawyer.

I also got a real job.

Life is good.

Oh. Hello.

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:01:23 GMT

Hello peeps.

I have done a couple of runs since I last popped in. I also had the flu.

Feeling better again and hoping to do a small 5k this weekend to see if my recent speed work is actually working.

Tempo Run Tuesday

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:53:44 GMT

Posted on a Wednesday :)

10 min jog (0.94 mi 10:38min/mile)

8 min at 85% (0.90 mi 8:52min/mile)

2 min easy (0.10 mi 19:29min/mile walk)

8 min at 85% (0.89 mi 8:59min/mile)

10 min jog (0.82 mi 12:08min/mile)

Total: 38:00 min 3.66 miles

Cooldown: 1.7 mile walk with the pup

Getting my groove back!

Veggie week recap

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:32:33 GMT

Seven days without meat makes one….weak.

Okay, not necessarily, but it did for me (and Hubby).

As I mentioned earlier, Hubby and I decided to go vegetarian for a week. I really did enjoy eating more veggies. Maybe I am weird, but I actually like vegetables and never feel like I get enough of them. I never really craved meat all week, but I definitely craved protein.

The cravings for protein probably were not a necessary consequence of going vegetarian, more like the consequence of not knowing how to properly go vegetarian. We definitely did not incorporate enough protein into our food to make up for what we would normally consume in meat.

I think it affected my running. I am not positive it was going veggie that did it, but my recovery was much slower this week. My legs always felt tired and not well rested, even after an entire day off. I was also more tired this week, which is probably a direct result in something lacking in my diet.

The consensus? We have agreed to eat less meat, but not give it up completely. Actually, this week’s menu only includes meat on one day and its fish. Also, more veggies. Lots more veggies.

my little buddy

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:44:15 GMT

Lately, my favorite part of my run has been the cool down.

I get to spend a half hour walking and jogging with this:

Does it get much better than that?

Running Fuel: Vegetarian

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:53:08 GMT

In an effort to keep this blog mostly running related…

Hubby and I decided to go vegetarian this week. It has actually been sort of a slow progression. We do not really eat THAT much meat anyway. Usually just east poultry—beef and fish once a week each.

Hubby heard an interesting segment on NPR last week about chicken farmers in Michigan and was saddened by the condition that the animals we eat have to live in (I tried to find a link to the article, but no luck). I have been steadily trying to keep us eating healthy, taking tips from Caitlin, Angela and Meghann.

So this week we decided to see if we could go veggie. So far so good. Last night was almost a breaking point though. We both came home from work ~~hungry~~ starving, but we had to run an errand before we could get dinner. By the time we were driving home we were at each other’s throats because we were so hungry. Luckily, I have the phone number for our local Thai restaurant on speed dial. I called them up and by the time we drove from our errand to the restaurant our steaming hot food was waiting for us. AND, we ordered it vegetarian!

Thank goodness for Thai food!

I was tempted to swing into McDonald’s, I was that hungry.

More on this subject when our meat-free week is over.

Michigan run

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:39:43 GMT

My run today was the perfect example of the weather here in Michigan. My training plan called for a 40 minute easy run (training for what? You’ll find out next week!). I left after lunch because the entire morning had been cold, drizzly and windy.

The first twenty minutes of my run were warm and still. With the sun shining, I was almost too hot with long pants, long sleeved shirt and running vest on. At the turn around, it suddenly got windy and started raining again. I ran against the wind, in the cold drizzle for just over ten minutes until the sun peeked back out, the wind went away and I finished my four miles. As I walked the last quarter mile of my cool down to my house the rain was back.

You never know what to suspect in these parts.

Stats

Time: 40:00 minutes

Distance: 4.0 miles

Hello friends

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:58:28 GMT

I’m back.

But different. I started this blog as a running blog, and I’m going to keep it that way. I had too much hodge-podge on here before, and trying to keep this blog updated with everything that was going on in my life was impossible.

I’m back and I’m focusing on running.

I had a horrible summer. Studying for the bar brought me to my breaking point. There were health issues with several friends and family members. My wedding photographers set out to emotionally hurt me. I stopped running.

I stopped running. Running is so much more mental than physical for me. In dealing with all of the above mentioned items, I had no mental energy left to run. I couldn’t force myself to lace up my shoes. I was physically and mentally exhausted.

But I’m back.

Unfortunately, it took me longer than I thought it would to get back. I had planned on running the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon in a few weeks, but I had a little accident in our back yard. I stepped in a hole. Sprained my ankle. Had to baby it for two weeks. Flushed the Detroit Half dreams down the drain.

But I’m running now. I ran almost 5 miles last night. My ankle hurt, but in a good way. A tired and sore but happy kind of way.

So, I’m back. And I’m running. And I’m happy again. Thanks for waiting for me.