BOILERMAKER 2008 !

CONGRATULATIONS ! To everyone who participated in the Boilermaker 2008 ! What a great weekend ! I not only had the honor of participating in the GO THE DISTANCE but I also volunteered at the EXPO this year with the Goodie Bags. It was a lot of fun and a awesome feeling to be a part of all the festivities.
I can not say thank you enough to everyone who helped in any way to make the Go the Distance program a huge success ! I personally would not have been able to complete the Boilermaker without the team support! Not a past runner , I didnt have a huge desire to walk let alone run until a few months ago ! Less than a year ago I was 50 pounds heavier and hated the thought of exercising ! All it took was to start eating healthier, and slowly incorporating walking into my new lifestyle. And now I cant get enough ! I am a running junkie now !
I can not thank Joe W. enough and all the health conscious runners that helped me during my stress fracture. I want to say that the program had nothing to do with my injury. Had I followed the program like I was suppose to, I believe that my injury would have been totally avoided. But after the weight loss and the new outlook on life, I not only gave the program 100% but I tried going above and beyond the running guidelines ! And mostly I didn't listen to my body ! I just wanted to give it 150% and didn't care that I was in pain. That caused my injury. I credit Joe W for not letting me come back as soon as I wanted. Even though it caused a few sad tears ! Joe had me do a lighter training program for a couple of weeks ! Joe, I totally credit you for the training which allowed me to complete the 2008 Boilermaker. I did in memory of my Mom but completed only with your guidance ! I will never ever be able to repay you, except with the deepest, sincere THANK YOU !
Thanks to everyone Jason Powles, WKTV, Go the Distance Team, Chris, Joanne, Heather, Bike patrol, Bonnie, all the runners that met with us and guided us on the Monday, Wednesday and Saturday runs, Erica W, Sue W, past GTD runners, ECR, my brother Art for coming home to run with me (even at my pace !), for my husband Jim for training and running with me(and I beat only under gun time! they dont need to fix the chip time, as far as I am concerned !) and last but not least Kim S for all the training, going above and beyond the call of duty, and understanding!

Thank you to all the supporters who provided the cheers, claps, water, music, it really did help me push myself ! Its so true the crowd carries you! What a great experience this all was for me. A huge highlight in my life. A truly special thank you to Joe C, Carol, and Anne for making training so much fun and entertaining! Thank you Anne so much for buddying up with me! I could not have done this without all of you, honestly. If I could have I would have done it 20 years ago ! You are all truly awesome friends !
I never thought a year ago I would be turning 46, 50 pounds lighter, have the 2008 Boilermaker under my accompishments and feel this great!
I hope I inspired at least one person to lose weight, get healthy and prevent heart disease.
This was for you Mom ! I miss and love you dearly ....

Thank you

Congratulations to everyone on the team who ran today! What an amazing experience running the Boilermaker today was!!! I am proud of each one of us and all the work we have done to get to this point and achieve our goals today. I would like to thank Jason, Joe W., Kim S., Chris and Joann as well as the bike crew who kept us safe. I would also like to thank all of the runners and supporters who cheered us on and encouraged us on our Monday, Wed. and Sat. runs and on our run today. Your support was just what we needed. This program well prepared me for today's run. Thank you again to all who have helped me achieve my goals. I am so glad and proud to be part of Go The Distance Group! Thank you!!!

July 12, 2008 pre race day !!!!

OMG !! It is here !!! I can not believe it !12 weeks have come and gone and its here ...it is finally here ! I want to wish everyone running the best of luck for a great, safe run. Picking up the packet last night was so exciting and a bit emotional. Wasn't sure if my stress fracture would have healed by this time and thankfully it has. I am sure that the running Gods and my Mom were on my side for a speedy recovery!(four weeks isn't speedy it felt like a lifetime, but it surely could have been longer).
Thanks to everyone from the GTD team, trainers, fellow runners, WKTV, ECR Intl,volunteers, friends, coworkers, my brother Art,(who encouraged me to lose all the weight I did, so this is even a possibility this year and is running too ), my Dad (who is the greatest supporter and the bestest Dad !), my husband Jim (for also adapting a healthy lifestyle with me and is running for the first time ever this Boilermaker 2008..hoping to beat him though!) and my son Travis (who has been encouraging me, inspiring me, and has been extremely patient with me during the last 12 weeks. Training was time consuming, and took time to get used to BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT) !

My first Boilermaker is dedicated in memory of my Mom who passed away during a heart transplant. I miss and love her deeply ! I hope to do her proud, and finish on two feet !

THANK YOU EVERYONE ! BEST OF LUCK ! SEE YOU AT THE FINISH !

Nice Run

Carol, Joe, and Kim W. I enjoyed our run last night and time talking. It has been fun getting together other than on Monday nights to run and talk. I have enjoyed getting to know each one of you and having some laughs. I am proud of us all, we have worked hard and have come a long way. We are ready for Sunday and will do great. See you Friday night.

We're almost there!!

Just 5 days to go until the big day and I am psyched! We've all done so well and, like Kim, am amazed that I've made it and am ready to run. What a great training program and what a great team! There are so many to thank for getting us to this point - Jason and Joe W. : There are not enough to words to thank you for all you've done. WKTV: Thanks for the sponsorship and for Andrew whose computer expertise was so instrumental to the success of the GTD web site and blogs. To Kim, Bonnie and the rest of the runners who not only inspired us but helped with great advice and incomparable encouragement: Thanks for all your time and your caring. To Sue and Erica and all the other water station volunteers: We literally could not have done it without you. To Joe and the members of the bike patrol: Thanks for keeping us safe while running the streets amidst traffic, rain storms, etc. To ECR: Thanks for letting us use your parking lot and facilities every Monday night. Last, but certainly not least, thanks to Earle Reed for creating the Boilermaker, sponsoring our Babe's celebration, and our commemorative t-shirts. SEE YOU ALL SUNDAY!!

July 3,2008 Happy Safe Holiday

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO ALL ! Wishing everyone a safe holiday weekend !

I cant believe we are just over a week away from one of the most exciting time of my life ! This is truly a remarkable accomplishment for me. To be able to even complete the rigorous training is an achievement I never thought I was capable of. I am so proud of our team and the dedication towards running. I hope to keep up the running for as long as I possibly can, its totally infectious. Wednesday's run was great and surprisingly hard ! Kim S thank you so much for your time and your dedication to helping us be the best we can be. Carol you are doing so awesome I couldnt keep up with you ! I am so proud of you, I am in awe! With the awesome weight loss and your Mom passing away recently you truly are an inspiration to me. Joe C. you are such a great asset to the team and I love running and the conversation before and after the runs ! You make me laugh. Its great to have such fun running partners.
Anne I missed you but will see you tomorrow !

Thoughts and prayers are with the Ingalls family for the loss of Bob. I didnt know him personally but knew of him and what he accomplished for the community, he truly was a very remarkable man. He will be missed but not forgotten.

Stretch Run!

I must admit, I've been a bad bad blogger. Shame on me. Except for a select few, so have you! However I'm back, you know why? I'm am so impressed with this years crew! You all ran nine miles on Monday and did in just about two hours or less. I'm so inspired. Whether you left early or started on time you all ran wonderfully. I'm so proud how you all perserveered. You all rallied around each other to accomplish this tremendously difficult goal. This may or may not be a life-changer for you all, but it is certainly something you will never forget for the rest of your lives. I can honestly say I'm proud to be associated with this years group and hope that you all come back and help out next year.
Special thanks of course goes out to my partner-in-crime. Joe has had another tough year(isn't that every year Joe?). I know he'll make it again...31 and counting my good friend.
Thanks to all my Committee members for coming back and supporting the new group.
Thanks to Chris and Joanne for providing knowledge and leadership.
Thanks to Joe and his loyal bike patrol, without you, I couldn't sleep at night, worrying about the runners safety.
A thanks of course to Chief Hydration officer Sue and her crew (i'm thirsty thinking about it).
See you all on week 12 and please...NO MORE INJURIES!