Blogging in the Rain.

Dear Blog Readers,

Whoops. It's been another two weeks with no post. Why?

Well, for one, I've been busy running! Last week I ran a marathon's worth of miles - rain or shine. In fact, with Coach Farshaud's help, we even ran in the rain and did not get wet. Instead of making our normal trip down the Clovis trail, we made 12 trips around the Parkway Trails Shopping Center. 12 laps under the building awnings. 12 laps past the donut shop. And 3 miles in total, no rain, extra donuts.

For two, it's Team In Training recruitment time! We're currently registering new teammates for marathons, century rides, and triathalons - and you could be one of those people! The Leukemia Society Staff and all of the volunteers for this season have been busy visiting information meetings and assisting with fundraising clinics, but it's not over yet. In fact, you can get all of the information about Team In Training this Friday at the brand-new wine shop"The Tasting Room" in the Palm Bluff Shopping Center. Some Team supporters have offered to host us for an evening of Teamness and tasting, and there will be yummy appetizers, too!

If you're interested in checking out Team In Training, Please RSVP to 435-1482 (the Leukemia Society Office) or email Becky.Brown@lls.org by Thursday, January 21st. It should be a fun night, and a great way to learn more about the awesome experience you could have with Team In Training.

That's about it for this baby blog post. However, I'd like to give some shout outs to people who recently signed up for Team! Check out their fundraising pages to see what they are doing all season long!

My roomie Jamilee: http://pages.teamintraining.org/cca/rnr10/jwareham

My email BFF Mark: http://pages.teamintraining.org/cca/ambbr10/markvtorres

And my new friend Josh who I tried to help at his one on one fundraising session, but he's totally got things going all on his own because he is PUMPED UP: http://pages.teamintraining.org/cca/ambbr10/jcosta

If you're feeling inspired what these three people and over 410,000 others have done to raise essential funds for cancer research, you can be a hero, too! Come taste wine and get a mental taste of victory while you learn more about Team.

You can also support their efforts by donating to an athlete, or, my favorite...

VOLUNTEERING YOUR TIME!

Contact me at brittneekao@yahoo.com if you are available on Saturday mornings to help hand out gatorade and inspiration to thirsty runners like myself. We'd all really appreciate your help making our longs runs a little bit shorter!

Thanks for reading my blog. You're already kind of a hero for giving me the ego boost of having an audience.

GO TEAM!

xoxoxo,

Brittnee

Brittnee rocks out and eats right.

So in Team In Training we don't run with our ipods. Running outside w/ ipod = major dangerous. Don't do it.

Now, when you're cross training at GB3 in some crazy body conditioning class, you are totally allowed to listen to music. And you kind of have to, because they blast it at you hardcore. And so... I introduce my new love. Electonica. Oh yes!

Before you go one minute longer - head to http://www.pandora.com/ (if you haven't been there before, WOW, you need to check their music gemome project out, it will probably change your life), and make a new station from song "Don't Trust Me" by 3OH3!. You will super love it and want to dance your butt, belly, and thighs off.

This is important - really! Cross training is a big, big part of being able to successfully run a marathon, so all of us in Team In Training are not only running 3 times a week in this nasty heat, but we are also hitting up pilates, yoga (our pup Atlas is a pro at downward dog), lifting weights, and doing all sorts of other activity to train our core muscles.

The other important thing... cough, cough, Amanda... is eating right! And let me tell you, if you are a no-carber, back away from your computer screen, because what's coming up will not even sort of motivate you to run a marathon. According to Runner's World magazine and like, everyone else, the marathon trainee's diet should break down (approximately) as follows:

• 15 - 20% protein
• 30% fat
• 50 - 55% Carbohydrates

Holy smokes - that's a lot of carbs! But, According to Registered Dietician Allegra Burton carbohydrates are important because they are "the body's preferred fuel for running (or any endurance sport) is muscle glycogen. Glycogen is the body's storage form of carbohydrate. If muscle glycogen breakdown exceeds its replacement, glycogen stores become depleted. The result is fatigue and inability to maintain training and racing intensity. In order to replenish and maintain glycogen stores, the marathoner's diet needs to be carbohydrate-rich.

Alright Allegra, I am putting a big pot of pasta on the stove right now! I promise.

While it boils, I'd of course like to thank the most recent donor to my fundraising campaign, Gina Cuttone! Thanks for showing some Theta love, Gina! I am so proud to have my sisters' support as I run for one of our own Theta ladies.

Coming up this weekend, the Team is headed to Millerton Lake where we will be running 8 MILES. That is almost the longest I've ever run (except for that random entry into the Trail of Two Cities Half-Marathon here in Fresno - which you can train for with Team In Training, by the way), and I am a little bit intimidated! But, at least I have the gummi bears to look forward to! Yup - just another reason why training with the Team is the way to go for wanna-be marathoners. While you could run miles and miles and miles alone with no company, we run with friends AND organized water stops, all of which are stocked with water, gatorade, and a little candy in case any one is getting low on blood sugar. (Or in case you are a candy freak like me, and need the lure of gummi bears to make it another mile or two) It's pretty awesome.

Now, I'm going go to go make that pasta and get in bed - 5 miles at 5 am tomorrow!

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to visit my fundraising page to make a donation! Even the littlest ones make a huge difference in my fundraising efforts!

XOXOX,

Brittnee

Lonely Five Miler

Dear Blog Readers,

Today I ran just for you. I missed Team In Training's practice this morning because me and Jackson dog had to work, so I decided to make up the mileage by myself this afternoon at Woodward Park.

You know what isn't that fun? Running five miles alone in Woodward Park. No one to see if you're actually running and not walking, no one to talk about dog strollers with (Annie, I missed you), and even worse, NOTHING to look at. Seriously, nothing. If you're ever in the mood for a solitary stroll in the park, you should go at two in the afternoon on a Saturday. Not a puppy or bike rider was in sight almost my entire 5 mile trek down Eaton Trail.

That is, until I needed to use the bathroom. What are the odds that I FINALLY get to the stupid bathroom just before the 4 mile mark and there is a whole family of bicylers waiting to go into the single person bathroom shack. If you're Brittnee Maxfield, apparently those odds are pretty good. So lo-and-behold, there was no bathroom break in the cards for me. Mainly, because I wanted to make you all proud, and run as far as I could without stopping! I swear, I really wanted to come home and post on my blog how far I ran, and thinking that it wouldn't be very exciting to say a mile or two kept me going for over four miles, at which time I was dehydrated and needing to use the restroom all at once. Then I walked a little bit, but I am still very proud to say that I ran four miles without stopping, and only walked part of my last one, even without the company of my Team Mates.

Thanks, blog readers, for keeping me motivated!

Thanks also to my mom and dad, Aunt Mary, and Aunt Peggy for donating to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on my behalf this week! Your donations are a huge part in keeping me motivated to run my marathon, so thank you!!!

Now, on with my weekend to include a yummy BBQ at Uncle Jack's, and a shot at Bikram Yoga tomorrow. Yoga in a 90 plus degree room? Should be interesting...

Talk to you soon!

Brittnee

Ready, Set.... Weeks 1 and 2 of My Marathon Training

This past Saturday marks the completion of my second week as a Team In Training marathoner - whooo hoo!

I am so excited to share with you all the sweaty details about the work I have been doing over the past few weeks. Well, maybe I'll spare you the actually sweaty part... just picture yourself on the Clovis West High School track (yes, the outdoor one) in the lovely 90+ degree Fresno weather, and you'll get the gist of it.

In our first two weeks of training we had 6 running practices, as well as some informational workshops and things of that nature. One of the benefits of Team In Training versus other programs is the time the coaches and mentors put into teaching you how to be a better runner. For as much time as I have spent in the gym, I have already learned a lot of things that I must confess I did not know!

For example...

After our first running practice, the whole team went to Sierra Running Company for a shoe clinic, where we learned about finding the right athletic shoes for your feet. Now, for those of you who have been purchasing the latest, most attractive Nikes (like myself), did you even KNOW there are 3 different types of running shoes? True story. What they taught us at Sierra Running Company (and what you can learn in this article) is that there are different types of shoes depending on the arch of your foot. The three types are neutral, stability, and motion control. Now, if you are a victim of blisters, shin splints, etc., you may want to look at the shoes you are wearing, and see if they are even meant for your feet. Read the article, it is mind-blowing stuff.

FYI, I wear neutral. These are my new shoes that I swear just happened to be pink in addition to being the best fit for my neutral feet.

Now, don't go thinking I have spent the last two weeks shopping! I have in fact been very busy with other things, such as:

• Me and my running partner Amanda asking our Kappa Alpha Theta sister Rose Henning if she would be our honoree patient for this event - she said YES!
• Writing thank you cards to those awesome folks who have made donations to my page (Thanks Chris, Lucce, Grama, and Ron!)
• Running in the park - and walking our handsome dogs after! Jackson got to play in water for the first time! As you can see, he was skeptical at first, but he loved it. Especially the being dirty and getting those nice pink shoes real brown and muddy part.
• Creating my blog - because I need your support! I created this blog to share my experience with you, in hopes that I will have your support as I raise money for a cure. Please, visit my fundraising page, and make a donation. Any amount is a big step towards a cure!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog! I really hope you'll come back often, because I like to take pictures on my Blackberry, and it's most fun if I have someone to share them with.

Lots of love,

Brittnee

I'm running for a cure - please support my race against leukemia!