Taper Tantrum

I’ve been slacking off.   No, not on the running part.  Well, maybe a little but after 4 months of marathon training right after finishing a marathon, girl can get a little tired and skip a weekday run (or two — sorry Coach!).   I’m talking about updating my training progress.   This blog have not been updated with my training progress.  I am supposed to do weekly update.   Recap of what I did on that week, what work and what didn’t work as well as document how I felt.

Yeah.  That didn’t happen.   There.  I ‘fess up.   We can move on now, yes?

Portland Marathon is 5 days away.   I started to get little antsy.   My weekly miles are significantly less as my runs are now shorter (nothing above 8 miles).  I drank more water and ate more carbs than normal.   This alone result of me feeling like a busted can of biscuit.   You know what I’m talking about?  Have you seen Pillsbury dough in a can?  When you twisted the can and all the dough burst out of the seam?   Get the idea?

I am also nervous.   This is going to be my fourth marathon.   I should be calm as I know what to expect, right?  You know, been there, done that, got the t-shirt?   Yeah, not so much.   The butterfly in my stomach when I think about the distance are still there.  26.2 miles is a long way and as much as I feel ready, race day is a different story.    The hardest part of the marathon is not the race day, but the journey to get to the start line.   I logged 351.4 miles since the beginning of the training.   In four months.    That’s a lot of miles, time commitment and sweat and don’t even talk to me about how many GU that I ate throughout the training.   Or how many bottle of Gatorade that I consumed.

I know I am ready.

However, I feel like having a tantrum.  A taper tantrum.  I want to go out and run more.   You know, just to make myself more ready.   And a sudden urge to buy more running gear because I really do need another fuel belt and socks.  Oh and more Sparkle Skirts and an extra compression socks just in case.    I also feel sluggish.    I run less, and eat more.   This is bad.  I probably am not ready.   Panic.   Anxiety.   Weight gain.   Worry about injury.   More panic.   I can’t get sick.   I think I’m coming down with a cold.    I should pack now.   I don’t think I’m ready.   Is it going to be pouring rain?  More panic

Get the picture?

There are so many article out there about what to do when you are on taper phase so I’m not going to write it here.   Just google/bing that yourself and you’ll have plenty of advice/tips and tricks (believe me, I’m reading them all now) and I know this is normal but I just need to put it out there and apologize in advance for those around me and those who have to interact with me in person for the next few days (my dear husband, bless his heart, my friends and co-workers)

I might be acting a tiny bit crazy in the next few days.     You have been warned.

Sparkle Skirts Giveaway – RESULT!

Wow.  What an overwhelming response from this event!!  I have learned SO much for doing this process and have already noted things that need to be improved on.   I’ll blog that on separate posts!

First of all, I want to thank you for everyone participation and support to the cause that so dear to my heart!  It warms my heart to know there are SO MANY compassionate people all around!   I also want to apologize for the delay in drawing.   I was about 2.5 hours behind due to some unforeseen issues.   This will go to things that need to be improved on list!

Without further ado, here are the winners:

1. Sharon Brunell 
2. Gina Hoods 
3. Jacqueline Dzerounian
4. Valerie Postle

I have sent an email to these lovely ladies with an instruction on how to collect the prize.   If you did not get my email for any reasons, please contact me immediately.

For those who did not win, or miss out on this opportunity, don’t ‘fret as I am going to have another one in November.  Stay tuned for more info!

CONGRATULATIONS!

This drawing was conducted using Random Picker site and it was randomly sorted.   If you would like to check if your name is being entered to the raffle and the integrity of the drawing, you can check the protocol and result here

Anonymous Donor

I have total six anonymous donor / raffle purchaser on the Sparkle Skirts Giveaway that I’m currently having. I respected their intent to be anonymous, but I worry there’s a misunderstanding with marking the donation as anonymous as these are all raffle purchaser based on their Sparkle On! message (which is a required note to identify yourself as a raffle purchaser). In order for me to enter their name to the raffle, I need their information, especially their name AND email. When you marked your information to be anonymous, it will show as, well, anonymous even on my end (only notified me the amount)

In hindsight, I should be very clear about this on my post about the raffle (this is my first raffle, so I am learning my way around this) and I really, really want to make sure that these awesome raffle purchaser can be entered to the raffle. The information that I have is limited to the amount and the date/time when was the donation was given. There’s no other way for me to find out who they are (hence the anonymous part). In the spirit for a fair game, if you, my awesome anonymous-raffle-purchaser, happen to read this post, please do the following:

1. Forward the confirmation email from LLS to me, that so I can match that with my records and enter your name for the raffle. I will need this by Saturday, Sept 14 2013 11am PST (drawing will be at 12pm PST — and I need a a little bit of time to work on it)
2. If you miss the deadline, forward it to me anyway — and I’ll enter that raffle entries for the next Sparkle Skirts giveaway. (Yes, there will be another one. Stay tuned for the information!). Of course, you are welcome to buy more raffle entries and donate more towards this great cause!

I appreciated all the generosity and overwhelming response to this Giveaway and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support to the cause that very dear on my heart!