Just Another Day in Mexico...

One of the perks (or some may say downfalls) of living in San Diego is the proximity to Mexico.  You can pop over the border in 20 minutes and come back the same day.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend barhopping in Tijuana these days, unless you're Mexican or a drug lord, but volunteering with a group feels completely safe.

On Sunday I went to Mexico with a few other people from FLOC (Future Leaders of Our Community) and worked with Build-A-Miracle to lay the flooring in a house built for a family in need.  This is the 146th home built by Build-A-Miracle, a non-profit that works solely off of donations.  They do so much more than just build homes.  The wonderful couple that started Build-A-Miracle saw a need for education and a sense of community.  So, they built a community center.  In order for a family to "earn" a home, each family member must be enrolled in some type of educational program and must each perform 500 hours of community service.  Even the adults must be furthering their education. The Community Center offers vocational training as well as parenting and marriage classes. 

Mother and Daughters and the donors that made this house possible.

We presented a finished home to a single mother with four daughters.  They went from living in a shack the size of my cubicle to a 2 bedroom home with a bathroom!  They were previously washing themselves with a hose and bucket and lacked plumbing entirely.  This new home opens up their world!  They will now have privacy, which is essential for a mother of four.  They can cook their meals and live in sanitary conditions for the first time.  This family put in a combined total of 2,500 hours of service to be eligible for this home which gives them a stake in their community. 

Me and my ninas!

Kitty Cat

I am really impressed with Build-A-Miracle's sustainable model.  They are helping the people of this community to help themselves and it's inspiring to watch.

On a running note:  I have not been running for well over a month now.  My pain is decreasing but it returns as soon as I attempt to run.  I think it may be time for PT.  Sigh.

I hope everyone is having a fantastic week!

The Things We Do for Running...

As I was laying in the doctor's chair today about to have my toenail removed I thought about all of the pain and misery that often accompany running.  Any sane person would ask, "why the hell do you do it?"  We all have our own reasons.  For most of us, we enjoy it!  We love it.  Can't live without it.  It makes us feel great.  It boosts our self esteem.  The list goes on.  But look at all of the crap we deal with.  You think we'd give up but we don't.  We do EVERYTHING humanly possible to recover from ailment X or Y and then start running again immediately.

Removal of the infected toenail.  Sexy.

In my short running life of almost 7 years I have dealt with:

• A Tibial Stress Fracture
• IT Band Syndrome
• A Metatarsal Stress Fracture
• An infected toenail
• A sprained ankle
• Knee pain
• Tendinitis
• Bloody (disgusting) blisters
• Cuts and bruises on my knees, arms and hip from falling while running... and I have hideous scars to prove it.

There you have it.  9 different issues in only 7 years of running.  Some are more serious than others but regardless, none of the above are pleasant and yet all I want to do is run!  Are we runners all sadomasochists? 

Granted, not all of us deal with injuries.  Angela is the prime example -- she hasn't had an injury since she was a Cross Country runner in college (which was quite a few years ago).  For someone like her it makes sense that she'd never want to stop running.  But what about people like me?  Why do we do this to ourselves?

I guess the pleasure is well worth the pain. 

What injuries have you dealt with? 

Have you ever considered giving up the sport?

Run Long & Always With Heart

Last week I wrote a post full of hope and positive thinking.  I actually thought I might miraculously run the marathon on Sunday.  Well... I didn't.  Instead I cheered Ang on with my little cheer squad consisting of my mom, my little sister and her best friend, Hayley.

I wasn't as depressed about not running as I thought.  I was able to run around the city chasing Ang with my family and it turned out to be a lot of fun.  I was so focused on finding her and cheering for her that it was impossible to think about myself and my injury.  We had blast!  I am hoping Ang will write a recap for all of you since it's her 3rd time running Chicago.  She's experienced both ends of the spectrum, from the hot, hot marathon in '07 to the chilly one in '09.   

Perhaps the most exciting part of the whole Chicago Marathon for me was when Ang returned from the expo with a signed poster from Scott Jurek.  She met him and told him how much we admire his cruelty-free lifestyle and how he is such a great example of how we can be incredible athletes without meat, dairy or other animal products.  I am so excited about this poster -- it will be hung directly in front of the treadmill. 

Scott wrote:

"Kate,

Run long and always with heart.

Scott Jurek"

The rest of my time in Chicago was spent with my family -- nieces, nephew, sisters, mom, dad, aunt, cousin, you name it.   I had a great time and am already missing everyone.

ahh, to be four again...

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Before I go I would like to announce the WINNER of my Brooks giveaway --

Thank you to Rachel from Sacramento at Make a Run For It for donating to my Voices for Children fundraiser!  You are the winner of a Brooks t-shirt of your choice.  Click here to choose a t-shirt (of $28 value) and e-mail me your address and size.  I will have it shipped off immediately.  

Rachel ran Chicago herself and kicked serious ass butt!  Congrats to her! 

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It's Marathon Week!

Wow.  The Chicago Marathon is just 5 days away!  I am aching to run it.  I want it so bad.  For some whacky reason I feel like I might just get out there and run it.  I know, I know -- this may be called denial, but miracles happen right?  I got a massage last night and the thereapist/acupuncturist worked on my laterial tibialis (??) and calf and it feels shockingly good today, for the first time in 4 weeks!  I am even thinking about getting some acupuncture tomorrow in hopes of pain relief and reduction in inflammation.  Cross your fingers! I know you're probably rolling your eyes thinking I am completely nuts to believe I might run 26.2 miles after being sidelined and in pain for the last month or so.  Well, I am nuts. That's no secret.

Update:  I got in for an acupuncture appointment tomorrow with a highly recommended acupuncturist.  I feel even more positive now!

Chicago is such a fun race to run.  Back in 2009, right before Ang and I moved to San Diego, she ran the Chicago Marathon for the 2nd time.  I met her at  mile13.1 and ran the whole rest of the way with her, even running through the finish line (whoops!).  I smiled the entire way.  It was such a blast!  In those moments I couldn't wait to run the entire race myself.  I have been looking forward to this marathon for so long.  I have pined for it and dreamt of it and now it may not even happen for me. 

Everyone keeps telling me, "there will be another year", but that doesn't take away from the disappointment right now. 

To make things slightly better I received my paper confirmation of acceptance into the Boston Marathon via snail mail yesterday.  It reminded me to focus on what I can do rather than what I can't.  But something deep inside of me still has hope for Sunday.

I need your positive thoughts and prayers (if you believe in that) for my leg.  How silly to ask for prayers for my leg when so much of the world is war-torn and/or suffering from famine.  I realize that, but I also believe in the power of positive thinking.  I also know that you understand the desire to run a race you've trained for.  We've all been here. 

No matter what the outcome, I will be meeting up with some fellow bloggers like Rachel and Britt in Chicago.  We are meeting at one of my favorite Starbucks in Chicago right in Old Town.  I have so many memories of North Avenue and that area of the city.  I can't wait to meet these girls.  They are all amazing in their own right.  Whether I run or not, I will be cheering everyone on.  Angela is going to do great at this race, I just know it, and I can't wait to see her cross the finish line (for the third time in Chicago). 

Thanks for all of your kind words the last few weeks and for putting up with my whining.  I have the best readers in the blogosphere!  :)

I will be drawing a winner for a Brooks T-Shirt of the winner's choice on Friday!  You still have a chance to enter and the odds are on your side!  Donate any amount of money (even $1) and you are entered to win a super cute tee of your choice ($28 value!)  Click Here