stinks and shopping

Monday had me traveling to Texas so before the flight I decided to run one of my scheduled 12 mile runs for the week. Technically the first 12 miles of the week should have been done Tuesday but Monday was a cool day in the city I didn't want to try to figure out where to run in the Texas heat or that long on a treadmill.


The run turned into a gag fest. First, the lake had kicked up some nasty seaweed and other miscellaneous junk and it was sitting on the concrete baking. Then, the pick-up and clean-up of port-o-potties remaining from the volleyball tournament was happening. I had to pass the truck twice. Finally, mix that with the city garbage truck pick-up of the extra garbage bins that were at the beach for the tournament as well. Yeah I nearly lost my shot bloks and water by mile 6.5! Nasty! After that I ended up finishing the 12 miles under 2 hours.

Since I was playing switcharoo with the schedule Tuesday I opted for 6 mile recovery run with 6x100 repeats on the treadmill. I was all excited when I finished up early on site which meant arriving at the next hotel early and hitting up the mill before the 5pm rush. On the drive to San Antonio I saw the signs for an outlet mall I've seen every other time. I told myself I wouldn't stop because I didn't have much room in the suitcase. Then I convinced myself I would stop and see if they had a Nike outlet as I love the Nike outlet but I wouldn't go anywhere else. Hahahaha. 2 hours later I walked out of that mall with a couple extra bags. And... I hit up Coach outlet hard. I had to pay to have the items shipped home. It's not all for me though I found great deals on some excellent birthday and Christmas gifts. Just doing my part to stimulate the economy :) So after all that I didn't arrive at the hotel until 5 pm. After some room key issues I finally made it down to the full workout room. Luckily there was 1 treadmill open! 6 miles felt long on the 'mill but the pick-ups helped pass the middle miles a little faster.

One more day in Texas then home for the long weekend! Let's hope I start September off right by having my flight take off on time. Every trip home in August end up delayed 3+ hours. That is a trend I do not want to continue!

Almost Easy

alternate title for this post:

Holy Hills

Chicago is not the only windy city

Today Pfitz wanted 15 miles with 12 at race pace. Of course it dictates this must be done after 12 on Thursday, and 6 "recovery" miles with 6 x 100 strides on Friday. After arriving in central Illinois Friday night I was one tired puppy and was in bed by 10:30 (which is very early for me!) Then I slept all the way until 9 am this morning. Wow. I haven't slept like that in a long time. So by the time I got myself dressed and fed then got my husband moving to take me to the path it was 10 am. You would like I would have problems with the heat and humidity leaving that late. Well the calendar may show the end of the August but it feels more like October out there today.

Going into this run I had a lot of excuses planned if it didn't go well. Just before getting here last night I realized I forgot my water belt - doh! Luckily there is a running store in Peoria that I had been once before and the in-laws were willing to drive a bit out of the way to go there before going to dinner Friday night. Unfortunately I picked up the wrong size and had some issues early in the run when the bottles were full. Then I have the joy of being a girl happening this week (too much info?) which makes long runs just oh so enjoyable. Next up, the hills. Chicago is flat as a pancake, central Illinois is not. Finally at the turnaround I faced crazy obnoxious wind for my remaining 7 1/2 miles. No wonder the first 7 felt so easy! Despite all my planned excuses I hit or bettered race pace with the exception of miles 4, 8, and 12 where I slowed to take my shot bloks and GU gushers! The only miles I really struggled were 2, a warm-up mile, and 13, the last race pace mile where I just wanted to be done. Most miles I had to slow myself down b/c I was running my 1/2 marathon race pace, not marathon. The legs felt great even as I got tired toward the end. This run was a huge confidence booster. Lately I've really doubted my goal for Chicago and was extremely doubtful that I would even be able to maintain it for 12 miles on this run. But I nailed it and I am ecstatic!

Dreary 12

Thanks to the stormy weather, today was one of those days I just wanted to curl back into the covers and sleep the day away. Plus I was over tired from my 4 1/2 hour delay Weds. night and my sore body from my "light" weight session. Apparently lifting every once in awhile isn't cutting it ;)

When I woke up I was annoyed at the thought of having to run 12 miles in the rain. Doubled then by how sore I was from my long day before. I seriously thought about ditching it. But how do you just ditch a 12 mile run? - that's huge! Even as the rain tapered but the sky remained dreary and I changed into my running clothes I still considered skipping. So I headed out with much trepidation into this...

It was slow going and the legs didn't want to cooperate but as I reached North Beach/Oak St. Beach I saw this...

Yes the AVP Volleyball tourney is in town and I had some yummy eye candy. Even though it was dreary and in the 60's the boys didn't disappoint. YUMMY!

It was slow going but I made it through 12!

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This weekend we are making a trip to visit with the in-laws. It's been awhile since our last visit so we need to go make the rounds. I have a long run that needs to get done and I feel bad taking time away from the short visit but it's gotta happen. Luckily there is a 6.5 mile path that I can do a back and forth run for my 15 mile long run (w/ 12 at race pace - eek!)

WRIGHTSOCK Round 2 - Double Layer

Last week I tested out the remaining 3 double-layer pairs of WRIGHTSOCKs for the WRIGHTSOCK challenge hosted by Runners Lounge. First observation of the double-layer options were that these 3 ran a little larger than the single layer WRIGHTSOCKs. I'm between sizes so my suggestion would be to go down to the lower size if purchasing the double-layer options.

The double-layer options to test:

Running II: A mid weight double layer sock with a snugger fit through the arch. I chose these for a 5 mile recovery run in where it started pouring as soon as I headed out. These bad boys held up like champs. Nice mid range cushioning from start to finish, hugged mid-foot (which I love!), I didn't notice any heaviness/sogginess during the downpour, and no blisters! Maybe it was too short of run to make any final assessments but I was quite happy and will be wearing these again.

Cushioned DLX: The cushioned double-layer are heavier than all the other socks in this packet and seemed to run larger than the other pairs. I chose this pair for a mid-morning 12 mile run; a run that ended up being warmer than expected. My feet were warm but not overly so and these socks were very comfortable. I started to notice some aggravation of the blistered toe calluses towards the last 1/3 of the run but I think it was because I was focusing more on the overall feel from start to finish. I think these will be a nice

Coolmesh: According to the description these are the lightest, most breathable double layer. Light and cool they were but they also were the hardest on my feet. I had worn a pair of these in my last marathon and they ripped my feet into blister city. I was willing to give them another chance as maybe I had worn the wrong size or it was my shoes... something. Well I gave them a shot on a 9 mile tempo run. Yes, they were light but I felt the blistered calluses on both toes start to flare. By the time I was home and stretching the blisters were in full force. After many chances I'll be keeping these socks for the gym and short, short runs only.

Next up final observations after trying all the pairs again!

cool weather training in august

So does my husband know me or what? Yes the pink asic kayano 15's I've been drooling over but didn't want to purchase until it was necessary to switch the shoes were my anniversary gift! I can't wait to take them for a spin!

The weekend running (16 miles + 5 miles) went well thanks to the extremely mild temps we are having. 60's in August!?!? I would have said you were lying if I hadn't been out there myself. Although I don't enjoy sweaters in August it's awesome for training. Definitely spoiled this weekend :)

This week I've had to do some more re-arrangement of the running schedule thanks to the work travel schedule. Old news I know. Monday I was not feeling any sort of speed; my legs were tired from the long weekend! Pftiz called for 10 miles with 5 x 1000 meters (to be done at my 5K pace which for me and this training is 7:55 - 8:05). Weeeellllllll... I kind of didn't convert meters to miles properly and ran the intervals a little long. After the 3rd interval I thought I had nearly reached my puke threshold and really considered stopping there. But I made it through all 5! And did them all between a 7:50 - 7:55 pace! Not sure how I did it but I did. The workout kicked my ass but felt amazing at the same time. Today I had big plans to run 12 miles before my flight. But thanks to sleeping in and my flight leaving earlier than I originally though I settled for 5 recovery miles. My left shin is really bothering me and I'm not feeling the treadmill in Birmingham so Weds is a cross-training day and back at it Thursday in Chicago.

Year One

A year ago today on a very humid and rainy August day I married the guy who makes me laugh, deals with my craziness like no one else can, and has been there for me through it all... I married my best friend. I can't believe it's been a year! Happy Anniversary Jacob. I can't wait to see what the 2nd year of marriage holds for us.

Wow it's Thursday?!?

This "recovery" week has just flown right on by... I'm more exhausted then typical thanks to some hefty delays to and from Dallas. Also this weeks cross-training felt more difficult than normal but that could be because I haven't done any sort of weights, stationary bike, or elliptical machine for over 2 weeks. But I have to say it felt awesome to use the other muscles!

This week I rand 12 miles on Tuesday before catching my flight to Dallas (chafed and not a fun 2 hour flight in the last row of the plane - yuck) and 9 miles with 4 LT at a 15K pace (8:20 - 8:40). For some reason I thought it would be okay to head out around nearly 10 am for the 12 miles on Tuesday. Oh, that did not feel so good. Not sure what I was thinking?!? But I did it at a much slower pace than expected, but it got done.

Today, I was sooooooooooo not feeling the 9 miles today or any sort of exercise at all. I put it off all day. The morning rain, then the afternoon heat, finally I went out in humid and windy - not ideal but it so rarely is ideal weather in August. I decided to go out 3 easy, then 4 at tempo, and 2 mile cool down. The first 3 miles really hurt. I just kept telling myself I was shaking all the soreness/lactic acid loose and my legs were just holding back from what they really wanted to do. Thinking positive thoughts! I guess it worked. My legs ended up feeling great although I seemed to be struggling for air more than normal. Here's how the 4 at LT went down...

1: 8:38

2: 8:36

3: 8:29

4: 8:21

Woohoo negative splits! I had to stop between 3-4 to fix my waist band water bottle holder and take in some fluids but other than that much better than expected. Plus my cool down 2 miles were faster than expected.

Have you ever felt like you were running super slow then you looked at the garmin and you were running nearly race pace? It's a rarity for me but that was how my last 2 miles went. I started to go with it and the last mile felt amazing!

2 runs left this week, 5 recovery and a 16 mile long run both very doable. And the weather appears to be cooperative this weekend, high in the low 70's!

Crowds and Storms

I am really excited today is a cross-training day. I haven't been able to do much cross-training in the past 2 weeks thanks to my travel schedule and pure exhaustion. It will be a nice change to the constant miles I've been logging; plus I'll actually be able to use the gym I give money away to each month. Added bonus!

Sunday finished my running week at just shy of 48 miles! That makes me tired just looking at the number ;) Saturday I woke early (well early for me) for a 17 mile long run. I was hoping to beat not only the sun and heat but also the 51st Annual Chicago Air and Water show masses. For those of you who may not be familiar this show is a big f*&^%$# deal in these parts and families come from all over to set up shop all along the lakefront. Plus, it has taken on a festival-like atmosphere so there are food and game tents set up in addition to all the families who bring their tents, grills, smokers, games, coolers, and nearly anything else you could think of. So although it's a great venue for people and plane watching, it's not too conducive for running. Other than a few not so pleasant smells (think corn dogs, funnel cakes, and B.O. all for the first two but not when mixed with the 3rd, gross) and an overall feeling of being a little off the first 3 miles the first 1/2 of the run went well. I started to get antsy around 7 but was fine once I realized I would be turning around in less than 2 miles. The return trip, well... I ran into those crowds I was hoping to beat. The CPD blocked me from going back over the North Beach bridge as they had closed it down and made it 1-way pedestrian traffic towards the lake, I wanted to get away from the lake. Even my cutest, sweatiest, feel pity for me smile wasn't getting me across that bridge. Although the cop did say sorry and sounded like he actually meant it. The bridge blockade meant I had to do a lot of weaving and stop/starting to get through the crowd until the next cross street nearly a mile north of the bridge. After making it through the mess the remaining 4.5 miles were fantastic even in the heat.

Sunday I ran a very wet 5 mile recovery run. The day had been on and off storms and I decided to head out late afternoon when it seemed like it hadn't rained in awhile. Ha said mother nature! Within minutes of my warm-up the sprinkles started and since I was already out I figured no big deal. Ha again. The skies opened up and I was a drowned rat in seconds. I kept going because I was already wet and really it was only 5 miles. Side note, plastic baggies around the ipods totally work! No need to spend money on a fancy case :) Anyways, I may have ran a little too fast for a recovery run but I had a lot of fun "playing" in the rain! And I felt kind of hardcore ;) Yes, the clothes would have caused some serious chafing issues had I gone much further and I could have used goggles or windshield wipers but it was all good for this run.

This week is a recovery week; I guess if you call 42 miles instead of 48 a recovery week. I am sure I will notice the difference and comes at a great time as I'm feeling more tired than usual. I do have to say that on my long runs I am feeling stronger, especially in the later miles, than I ever have before with any other program I have used. It's just when I come home all I want to do is sleep!

Week 1 WRIGHTSOCK - The 1st 3

When I first started running I didn't give much thought to what went on my feet. And it really didn't matter until I started training for my first marathon. At that time Target had just introduced the C9 sock and I thought they were the greatest socks ever. Come July, mid-training, I learned my feet did not agree and I picked up a pair of thin Nike right/left tech socks. I fell in love and they treated me fabulously through training and 2 races.

As far as the type of socks I gravitate towards - I like comfort but I find them too hot when summer arrives. So for training I've become a big fan of thin socks that keep my feet comfortable and relatively dry (because this girl can SWEAT!). Overheated feet make for a very unhappy long run! The Nike socks I had picked up were perfect... unfortunately I couldn't find them again as they rolled out a new style with the next season :( Needless to say I jumped at the chance to be a part of the WRIGHTSOCK challenge in hope of finding a suitable replacement. I was willing to give them a 2nd chance even after they destroyed my feet at the Cleveland Marathon this past May. I have a feeling I may have not been wearing the proper size/fit for my foot. Also, my feet are prone to/have constant blister type calluses on the outside of both big toes - yuck.

For week 1 I tried the 3 pairs of WRIGHTSOCK, 1 pair two times. Yes, I did wash them before wearing for the 2nd time.

First up the Ultra Thin SLT for my recover 5 miler. Super thin and cool. This is a nice summer sock on short to mid range runs. I'm not sure I would wear these on a long run but will tell you for sure after I actually do.

On my second and fourth run I tried to the cushioned SLR. The SLR is their mid-weight cushioned sock. The 2nd run was the fun trail and treadmill 10 miler and the 4th run was my 17 mile long run today. I really enjoyed this pair! They were cushioned on the bottom and thinner on the top of the foot so my feet were warm (it was in the mid to upper 80's!) but didn't become unbearably hot. I think this sock may be my ideal summer sock - I'm kind of like goldilocks the mid range pair were "just right"

For the third run, 11 miles on Thursday, I opted to try the deluxe SLX. These were like running on pillowy clouds. They were incredibly comfortable BUT it was warm and my feet became quite toasty. I may be more sensitive than others or maybe just more aware since I need to write a review. I think these may become my new favs for cool fall and winter running.

Overall, I did not find any new blisters after trying these 3 pair of socks for the week. My left toe blistery callus doesn't seem any worse/bigger after wearing these so that's a positive! Next week I'm all set to dry the double-layer set of socks.

long day(s)

Thank goodness for schedules and the motivating power of putting on the running clothes. Otherwise I'm not sure I would have done anything but come home and sleep today. Wednesday I had the "wonderful" perk of my job - delays in Newark for no darn reason other than it's Newark. Awesome. So my 5:26 PM flight was delayed nearly 3 1/2 hours before they realized "the plane was no good". The had another plane but it wasn't arriving until 9:50 PM. Mind you I had a day trip Thursday to hotlanta and my flight was scheduled to leave at 6:18 AM. So to make an already long story a little shorter I didn't land until 11:45 PM and walked into my condo at 12:35 AM. I was able to pull off a stellar 3 1/2 hours of sleep before my 4:05 AM wake-up call. Suh-weet.

My site was cool with my deliriousness today so that was good. I caught an earlier flight home that actually arrived relatively on time. Still with the earlier flight it ended up being a 12 hour day! The whole day, when I wasn't sleeping or working, I was thinking about the running schedule and how I could possibly make up 11 miles if I didn't run today. There was no way I could. I came home checked some e-mail I hadn't checked in what felt like a week but wasn't and slowly changed into running gear. It helps I had just spent a crapload amount of money at nike.com and had some new fun stuff to take for a spin. Plus I had my 3rd pair of WRIGHTSOCKS to try. (I promise that review on the 3 single layer socks I tried this week). Well the power of the new gear took over and I headed out to see how far I could make it before the exhaustion took over. I promised myself to take it easier than usual and if it didn't click today I would turn around. The legs felt like cinder blocks the first mile or so and I contemplated turning home but then it started to fall into place. I made it the full 11 miles! Then I came home showered, got dressed, and did something I've never done in Chicago... I went to dinner by MYSELF :) I do it all the time while on the road but have never done it in my own city. It was a nice little evening at my favorite Indian restaurant.

I have to say I'm very proud of myself today! Normally I would have come home changed into my "fat pants" (aka pj's) and curled into bed with the computer. I feel so much better that I didn't! Now it's time for some much needed and deserved sleep!

not so enjoyable run and SOCKS!

Today I had one crazy and not very enjoyable run. See I'm in Hamilton, NJ... staying right off the expressway, in a very busy area, with no sidewalks to run. I had 10 miles with 5 miles at LT (lactate threshold). No way I wanted to sweat it out on the treadmill. I mentally was not tough enough for that today. So I did some quick research and found Clayton Park about 7 miles away. I don't know what I was expecting but they were true trails. No way in hell I would be able to do my tempo run in that! I did just over a 3 mile loop that truly kicked my booty and jumped back in the car to hit up the dreaded mill. I should mention it is 7 pm by this point and I am STARVING! I made it back to the hotel and jumped on the treadmill to at least pound out my 5 tempo miles. All I can say - ugh! What a struggle. I think I may have done just over 4 tempo and a slightly slower tempo than I was hoping for (8:40's vs 8:20's) and ran about 9 1/2 miles total. Now I'm sore and wishing I had my recovery socks.

Speaking of socks... If you've clicked out of google reader to my actual blog page you may have noticed the new WRIGHTSOCK widget on the rightside of the page. Runners Lounge along with Wrightsock are having a little August challenge. This came at an excellent time for me as I recently started a hunt for some new favaorite running socks as Nike discontinued the pair I loved. WRIGHTSOCK sent 6 different pairs of socks to test out and report back my very scientific observations :) I'll have more information and reviews later this week (and month!). A lot of the info I need is at home and on my good computer (not this crappy work computer 3 years past its prime). I can tell you since opening the goods on Sunday I have tested 2 different pairs of the single layer socks on my first 2 runs this week. I'm looking forward to taking them all out on a spin. I hope you are all ready for review month mixed in with the training updates ;)

Long Weekend Wrap-Up

What a weekend in Ohio. More like a weekend plus a couple of days seeing as we left on Wednesday. Dad is staying strong and kicking the cancer's ass. He is tired from the chemo along with some other not so fun side effects but considering he had his 2nd treatment on Thursday he is doing pretty dang well. We made/ate a lot of food, drank a lot of beer, did some shopping and some boating, and I was able to run nearly my weekly goal. I did not however use much of the computer so now I'm behind on both work and your blogs!

Thursday I ran around Medina and did 10x100 repeats on the local jr. high track. I was close to my best friends parents home so I decided to run by to visit with my 2nd mom. After catching up with Mrs. D I finished the remainder of my 7 miles and headed home to a very annoyed husband and brother in law. Both were starving and waiting for me for a long time to go get lunch then to visit with Fred at the clinic. While running I passed only 1 other runner. It was strange running around the neighborhoods and not seeing all the active people like you do on the lakefront. Although everyone I passed (not working out) waved/said hello which was a nice change from Chicago where we pretty much all ignore one another on the path.

Saturday I had an early morning wake up call in casa de Bougher and drove 25 minutes to Peninsula, OH to run the tow path for my 16 miles - 10 at race pace before the house came alive. The path was hopping with running and cycling groups - it was awesome! I started to get giddy as I parked (for free!) in the overflow lot and headed over to discover a path new to me. I ended up falling in love with the new-to-me route! The day was cool and overcast with a threat of rain that only occurred as soon as I finished. The path itself was along a river and old train tracks, through woods, and different stations every few miles. There were paths branching off the main path but I stuck with the out and back to ensure I would not get lost :) Everyone I passed, which was a lot of people, waved/nodded/said hello. It got a lot tiring after the 1st mile as I found it difficult to find my happy running pace. Eventually I was able to focus and had an enjoyable 16 miles. Miles 7-10 were more of a struggle and I had some bargaining to do with myself to get through those miles but I rebounded and finished strong.

The weekly total ended up around 39 miles instead of the 43 planned. Although it's really bugging me I didn't hit my weekly total, tomorrow starts a new week! Plus missing 4 recovery miles will not be the end of me ;)

That's the weekend in a nutshell! I'm happy to be back in my own bed for the night. It was a long drive home after a tiring weekend. I'm really behind on work and this week I'm leaving for a 3 day trip to New Jersey then Hotlanta. I have a few more late nights ahead of me!

sleep does a body good

Due to my early morning wake up call Monday morning and no sleep despite my best efforts I ended up reverting to my 3 year old self. This included getting annoyed at everyone and everything around me, losing my train of thought easily, crankiness, and nearly crying. The crying happened when I couldn't open my bottle of diet pepsi. The cap was glued to the bottle and even scissors wasn't getting that sucker off! I have a nice slice and open sore on my thumb from my nearly 30 minute attempt at opening the dang bottle. Oh how I needed the caffeine; it just wasn't meant to be :) Later while sitting on the tarmac in Chicago because there was no gate available Jacob called me. He was making fun of me because I was acting all over dramatic about a regular occurrence. I snapped at him "Every little thing becomes a major catastrophe on only 2 1/2 hours of sleep" He just laughed at me - that didn't help ;) So after all that no workout Monday ;) Early to bed on Monday night and after 9 1/2 hours of sleep I was ready to go today! It felt amazing to sleep well and long. My body desperately needed it.

Thanks to all that sleep I had a pretty incredible 11 miles this evening. I maintained a 9:30 min/mile pace which is excellent for me! I felt incredibly strong and I can only hope this feeling follows me for the remaining of my training. We will see...

On the run today I decided to take some GU along for fuel as well as my new favorite drink - Zym. GU just doesn't do it for me anymore. It does in a pinch and does provide needed energy but I get so hungry on mid-long runs that it starts to hurt the last few miles. I feel as though shot bloks and GU chomps "fill" me up more or at least satiate my groaning pterodactyl stomach.

In other running related news I signed up for the Oak brook half-marathon on Labor Day. This will be my first half in nearly 2 years! Incredible... I've been meaning to run them over the past 2 years but some how I procrastinated in signing up, didn't ever get to training, or it just didn't work with my schedule at the time. I will have to do a bit of maneuvering of the schedule this time around to make it work that week. Pftiz calls for a 10K - 15K warm-up race on the Saturday of race week and there is a race on Sunday which would work better. However, I have a ticket to the BMW golf championship in Cog Hill that day. And I'm sorry but my boyfriend Tiger Woods takes priority on Sunday :) I'm also looking into another 8K race 2 weeks later. More on that later.

Alright off to pack for Ohio! I'm excited to see the family (even if not under the best circumstances). And I am super stoked to run a local trail. It will be a nice change of scenery even if it takes 45 minutes to drive in the morning.

No Humidity?

The calendar tells me it is August but you couldn't tell by the weather. For the first time I can remember August has started out with 2 days of absolutely no humidity! August 1st was even in the 60's (and nasty rainy)! Now that's a bit too cool for the girl who loves summer but I'm am definitely loving the no humidity during the running.

Saturday I was able to sleep in and go for my 15 mile long slow run around 8:30 am. That would not have been possible the last couple of summers. The run felt incredible despite some minor GI issues towards the last few miles. The only real problem I had was keeping it as slow as I needed because the weather was so incredibly ideal. Today I had a 5 mile recovery run. It was not only a recovery from my long run but from my friend's party as well. We crazy kids kept it tame on Saturday. I nursed the Coors Light but man did I consume every cookie, cupcake, scotcharoo, and cake I could find. You had to roll me out of there last night :) Of course I grabbed a couple more sweets for the long car ride home! Despite my poor fueling the recovery run went well. Again, the only problem I had on the 5 miles this afternoon was keeping it slow. Every time I looked at garmy he showed me at a slightly faster pace than I thought I was keeping. I decided to give up the good fight and let my legs do their thing.

I would have to say this is an excellent end to week 2 of training! I logged 39 miles this week - woo hoo! Week 3 and the 42 miles I need is going to be a big challenge for me. I have a day trip Monday (6 am flight - boo!) to Queens. So Monday will be a rest day unless I am super motivated and awake when I get back home around 7 pm. Based on history it's going to be a rest day from running ;) Wednesday Jacob and I will be driving back to Ohio to help out Dad who will be undergoing his 2nd chemo treatment on Thursday. I am not the best about running when I'm visiting the family and there aren't a plethora of trails/places to run. I am bound and determined to make it happen though! At least to do my best!