Training Week 11!

I did it! I finally reached double digit mileage! I could not have done that without the great support I have received!

It was a gorgeous day as we ran through Solana Beach and Cardiff.

I was also presented with the spirit award from my run mate. What an honor! Our spirit award is a jacket that we pass along and the winner writes a quote or message that is then attached to the back of the jacket.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Training Weeks 9 and 10!

A lot has been happening!

On 11/04 TEAM ran in the Shelter Island 5K instead of having our normal session. I completed the 3.1 miles in 33:37 (way faster than my 36 minute goal)! The best part is that after the run we had a champagne brunch at Humphreys. It was very yummy! Here is a pic of my run mate Melissa and I during the race.

On Tuesday, 11/06 there was the Art Uncorked fundraiser. This was so much fun and I highly recommend this as a fun event to do. In a 3 hour class we painted Monet's Venice at Sunset and sipped on Wine. So much fun! Here is a pic of the final painting.

On 11/10 we had session at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. It was a cold morning and rain was threatening to fall but it turned out to be great cool weather for a 9 mile run. Longest distance yet and it felt great! It was a pretty run where we looked out at the ocean and the beautiful homes. Shout out to my run mate Melissa who earned the Spirit Award for being awesome!

Last night, 11/14, I participated in a Women's Clinic at Road Runner Sports. It was an informative session where we got properly measured for Bras and discussed topics that everyone wonders about but are too afraid to ask. This was complete with Champagne and cupcakes that looked like boobs, haha!

Once again, thank you everyone for the amazing support!

Training Week 7 and 8!

Thank you everyone for your help and support!

On 10/20 I ran 8 miles at the UCSD campus. It was a drizzly/rainy day but that did not stop us from rocking every mile! It was recommitment day where we officially signed up for the race. After the run I received a great 20 minute massage on my legs that really helped loosen up my muscles. 

Today I ran another 8 miles in Mission Beach. It was a lot hotter than last week and because it was the Halloween weekend, I ran in an 80's themed costume complete with leggings, leg warmers, earrings, side ponytail, and iconic line of sweat down my back. After the run we had a honored teammate picnic where we dined on yummy food and were reminded why we are running by listening to some inspiring stories related to Blood Cancers. Remember, your contribution helps save lives!

Training Week 5 and 6!

I skipped a week of posting so I have combined two in one.

10/06:

It was finally a back down week and we only ran 4 miles for our long run. We met at San Dieguito Park and actually ran a trail run. It was my first time completely running on trail and it is very different - I have new muscles hurting. It was a beautiful day with beautiful scenery.

After the run we has a great pancake breakfast with a lot of great toppings. They were so yummy and the perfect after run treat.

We also had our clinic on Nutrition where an elite athlete/nuritionist talked to us about the proper ways to fuel before, during and after our runs. It was very informative. Our coach then gave a foam roller demonstration (the roam roller has become a very good friend of mine).

10/13:

I ran 7 miles and it was my longest run to date! Hurts. So. Good. We met in the UTC area and it was the perfect weather to run. I cannot believe how warm it is in October. I finally got to wear my fuel belt on a run and love it. 

After running we all hung around and looked at fundraising items and chatted. I put in a order for a neat pair of sweatpants - I just hope it cools off enough so I can wear them. I did not bring any cash with me and will have to make some purchases next week.

Oh and if you have not yet contributed please donate! Just $5 - yes only FIVE BUCKS - can help save lives.

Thank you!

Ashley

October Training Schedule

Here is the training schedule for October. It looks like it formats weird when I transfer to jpg ( I can only attach pictures). Anyways...Looks like I have more hills in my future. I ran 3.5 miles of hills on Monday. Not my favorite.

Training Week 4!

I am so happy to have completed the 6 mile run on Saturday. Oh, and did I mention that the 6 miles was on hills. Hurts. So. Good. It was a beautiful and hot morning to run along concrete, trail, and asphalt in the Scripps Ranch area. Here is a picture of Lake Miramar that I took from the trail section of the run.

 Here is a pic of me after the run.

We also had a great injury prevention clinic where we learned about ways to help treat and prevent injury. I picked up a new hydration belt and a headband from a fellow teammate as part of her fundraising. And because I have reached 50% of my goal I picked up an awesome hat and order my new Team in Training sweatshirt!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the support.

Ashley

Training Week 3!

Yesterday marked the start of the 3rd week of training. We returned to Crown Point and I ran 5 miles. I have decided to train using intervals of running 10 minutes and then walking 2 minutes. By then end of the run I was actually passing some of the people who ran the whole 5 miles - and I felt great while they were slowing down and fatigued. The run took just over an hour and my average pace was 12'17"/mi.  Here is a picture after the run.

I also picked up some pretty cool swag. For raising at least 25% of my goal I got some socks (they say "saving lives one mile at a time" around the ankle) and a license plate frame.

I really want to reach 50% of my goal because I will get a Team In Training hat and if I reach the goal by October 20th, I will get a sweatshirt.

Thank you once again for supporting LLS and my efforts - it is greatly appreciated.

Ashley

Training Week 2!

Hello!

Thank you everyone for bringing me to 47% of my fundraising goal!

Saturday kicked off Week 2 of our training where we ran over 4 miles. I cannot wait for this heat to go away - It was in the 80s by 7:00am and then got to be over 100 degrees, yowza!

It was also the week where we got fitted for new shoes. At Road Runner Sports, they have this "Shoe Dog" program where they look at your foot type and analzye how you run. I learned that I have fairly flat feet and need a stability shoe. After trying on almost a dozen pair of shoes I selected the Mizuno Wave Inspire 8.

I also joined Chuze Fitness, a San Diego based gym, to do my cross training. I go there on Tuesdays and Sundays to do 40-45 minutes on the bike or elliptical. Last week I woke up everyday around 4:30/4:45am to run before my day began. This week, I am working out after work. I actually think I prefer getting up early because then I do not have to worry about it for the rest of the day. Mondays and Wednesdays are the hardest days to fit in running because I tutor for an Adult Literacy Program after work. At least I am keeping busy!

Thank you,

Ashley

Training Has Officially Begun!

Today was the first official day of Training! Go Team!

We met at Crown Point Shores in Mission Bay for our first meet. I ran 3 miles with the group. Here is a map of the route:

Today's session included an Expo where we received a lot of information and met the coaches and mentors that will guide us through the training season. Here is a copy of my training schedule for the next few weeks:

And may I say: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

It felt awesome going to my first training session today and already having 40% of my fundraising goal completed! Because I have already started raising money, I got a new training T Shirt - see the pic below.

Next Saturday we will meet at Road Runner Sports to get fitted for proper running shoes.

Thank you!

Ashley

Some General Information...

I thought I should post some general information about LLS/Team In Training, What the next several months have in store for me, and the event I will be running.

The Mission behind the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is to "Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families." Team In Training was started in 1988 and "Only Team In Training has trained over a half a million runners, walkers, triathletes, cyclists and hikers and raised over $1.2 billion to fund lifesaving research." Visit the website http://www.teamintraining.org/ for more information.

Although the official kick-off for my training begins on September 8th, I started running several weeks ago to get ready. I currently run on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings at 5 am and run on Sunday in the evenings. Each week my total mileage is about 10 miles. Once training begins, I will be adjusting my schedule slightly because

I will be running on Saturdays with the Team In Training group/trainer. I should still be running 4-5 days a week at that time. I will post more information specifically about training once it begins and will try to update this blog weekly with photos and such. I will be running the Tinker Bell Half Marathon on January 20, 2013 at Disneyland. I will be running through the Disneyland and California Theme Parks as well as the surrounding streets of Anaheim. This mostly women attended event's inaugural run was last year where there were a lot of runners dressed as Tinker Bell and Disney Princesses.

Thank you everyone for your support and I also really appreciate the words of encouragement! Please donate to this great cause and together we can help save lives!

Until next time, Ashley!

Ashley is running a half marathon...

Teams are made up of individuals. Without them, there is no team. Welcome to the Team In Training section of my blog. I have a mission-to help find cures and more effective treatments for blood cancers. To accomplish that mission, I’m participating in a sports endurance event as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training. Like the other members of TNT, I will be raising funds to help find cures and better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. I’m improving the quality of my life by participating and with your support, I can help improve the quality of life for patients and their families as well. Please make a donation in support of my efforts with Team In Training and help advance the research for cures. Thank you for all of your support! Ashley

Update On My Status

Well...it has been awhile since I have put anything on here. Since getting medically cleared I have been working and waiting for an update. I have been officially updated that the available spots for the remainder of the year have been filled. I am actually fairly happy and will be considered for departure in February - June of 2010. I am still pushing for South America but would be also be happy with Africa.

I should be having another suitability review of my application and then discuss everything with a placement officer in the upcoming weeks. Wish me luck!

Ciao

Ash

Medically Cleared!!!

I have just been informed by the Office of Medical Services that I have been medically and dentally cleared for the Peace Corps! After months of dealing with all of this, I am so glad it is over.

Because of the issues with my mouth, I do have restrictions on which countries I can go to. Because I need to have Dental X-Rays every 6 months, the list of accommodating countries is just a little shorter then the full list. I am okay with this (at least that means the country will have a little better health care).

So, now I have been contacted by a Placement Officer for Africa and need to send in some paperwork and forms to her. The placement office will determine where I am going to be invited to. Passing the medical screening is bringing me to the final steps and soon I should be on my way!

June Gloom Update

Well...It is the 15th of June and I still have not been medically cleared by the Peace Corps. They are reviewing my information and I am hoping to have a response in the near future. For those of you who do not know, the mass was benign and I just need to keep an eye on it in the future.

Having that said, there is really no way I can leave next month. At this point, I am hoping to leave sometime in or after September. I can leave in 2010 for all I know as well. It all depends on when I get medically cleared and where they invited me to.

Because it looks like I am staying in San Diego for a bit and I was laid off, I have began a job search once again. Wish me luck

♥☮♥☮♥☮♥ Ash ♥☮♥☮♥☮♥

Update...

Yesterday I went in for oral surgery. Based on the X-Ray they thought it was cementoma and that it would be easy to remove it. Once they opened me up, the lesion was not well delineated and they just did a biopsy. It is now believed that I have Osteofibroma which is a benign bone tumor that consists of fibrous connective tissue and bone, but I will not know for two weeks if that is what I have. Basically, this was just a really expensive Biopsy.

I am a little swollen but the pain is not too bad because of all the drugs, haha. Because the surgery was in the front of my mouth, I am hoping to be eating solid foods a lot quicker then when I got my wisdom teeth out.

I called the Peace Corps Dentist in Washington DC and he had a meeting with the Medical Office to determine if this is still a Dental issue. Turns out, now it is a medical problem and I can hopefully be Dentally cleared by early next week. Yay! (A positive spin on a negative situation)!

I also just got some forms sent from the Medical Office for some follow up appointments. Luckily, I can fax in all of this information and they can therefore receive it a lot quicker then me mailing it in. Everyone at the Medical Services Office in DC have been so nice and understanding!

I am going to be really glad when this whole ordeal is over and I can get an invitation and find out my departure information. At least I am learning some of the key fundamentals of the Peace Corps like Patience and Flexibility!

Thank you for everyone who has helped get through all of this, I really appreciate the support!

I don't like going to the dentist...

So, yesterday I had my dentist appointment to see if I needed a root canal for one of my teeth. He thought I might so he then referred me to an Endodontist. The Endodontist determined that I do not need a root canal, but I do have an abnormality that surrounds the root of the tooth like a halo that may be something called Cementoma. Tomorrow I am going to an Oral Surgeon (the same one that took out my Wisdom Teeth) to get a third opinion and have some tests done.

After this whole ordeal is done, I really don't want to see another dentist for a long time, haha.

Other then this, I have no news to report about my Peace Corps process.

More Dental Work Needed...

Today I received all of my dental forms back from the Peace Corps. They have determined that I might need more work done on my teeth. They Peace Corps Dentist saw something in my X-Ray that was abnormal and not accounted for by my dentist. I have an appointment for next week and hopefully it will turn out to be nothing. Luckily, I can still receive an invitation without my dental forms being complete. I just cannot leave for training without them.

Also, on the 16th, there is a Peace Corps Event at the San Diego Humane Society. It is the largest gathering of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers in San Diego. My best friend Katie will be visiting that weekend and will accompany me. Yay!

Out of 100

As I was perusing the unlimited amount of information about the Peace Corps, I came across some data on Peace Corps Wiki. This is a chart that shows how many people make it to the Close of Service (COS) out of every 100 applicants. The chart shows that out of 100 applications, only 65 even get a nomination. Even scarier that out of those same 100, only 22 finish their entire 2 years.



I also saw that the average length of time from Application to Leaving for Training averages about 335 days.

I sent in all of my medical forms and am still waiting to hear from them. Normally, the medical review takes over 50 days but I need a rush on it if they are still planning on me leaving in July.

Almost There...

After this week I should be done with all of my medical appointments. Once all of the forms are complete, I can send them in and hope I am deemed in good enough health to serve in the PC. I would like to think that I can get my Invitation (that tells me when and where I will go) by the end of April. Fingers crossed!!

New Camera

So, my dad just bought me a new camera for my trip. It is a Canon Powershot SX10 IS and is an advanced digital point and shoot. I decided not to go with a SLR because they are more expensive, too many parts, and more difficult to learn. I am really pleased with the camera thus far and am glad to have a chance to learn to use it by the time I leave.