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On Sunday, after months of training, Sally and I successfully completed the Cox Providence Half-Marathon, all 13.1 miles.  It was a blast. Here are some of the things I learned:

From training:

• Follow the plan.  The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society gave us a typical training plan in which the long runs get longer every weekend.  We followed it pretty obsessively.  I credit this with  how surprisingly great I felt on the days following the race.
• Bring water!  I learned this years ago on a hike and again on a long bike ride and then AGAIN last fall on another hike (this blog could just be called Lessons Learned Again and Again So Why Don’t You Get It Yet Already?): Severe dehydration feels like fatigue rather than thirst.
• Test all of your gear well before race day. Find out what rubs and what doesn’t. Find out what falls down.

From Race Day:

• Drive the course.  It was really good to know what to expect and you really can’t get that from the maps & elevation diagrams.
• Nothing beats having a great Pit Crew!  I will hold in my heart, forever, the image of Kat slapping a new bottle of Gatorade into my hand and blindly flinging the empty one behind her onto the lawn or whatever was it its path.  Steve, Kat & Wes worked the logistic perfectly so that we saw them at the start, 4 miles, 8 miles and finish.

• Know where your supporters will be.  Knowing, in advance, that Carol & Mark were at mile 1.5 and Gale was at mile 6.5 just inspired us  and pulled us along to those points.
• Don’t know where your supporters will be.  Having Gale pop up two other times, unexpectedly, was fun and a boost. Those squishy orange sections were a bonus and made great running snacks.
• If you are lucky enough to find a big crowd of spectators  at the finish line (we were at the back of the pack BUT we shared the last mile and finish with main-stream marathon runners), no one cares how slow you were – they just see you finishing.  If you throw your arms up into the air (which is what we wanted to do anyway) the crowd goes nuts!  What a great way to finish!

It was a great experience and Sally & I both learned that we are stronger then we think we are.

I’ve said it before: If I had to pick one theme of the hundreds of lessons here, the one underlying thing to learn, it is to  “Ask!”

This is the last day before Sally and I (each) run 13.1 miles for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  We have each raised funds before and we have learned to ask EVERYONE if they would donate to our campaign.

Years ago, training for my first event, I met another runner who told me that she was planning to ask her rich sister, but not her poor sister, to support her.  A friend told her that it was their business, not hers, to decide who would give.  So she asked both, and sure enough, the poor sister is the one who came through with the big donation. “Ask everyone!” she said. So i do.

Sally and I asked everyone.  We asked our friends, neighbors, former classmates, co-workers.  Between us, we asked two dentists and periodontist, and raised $250 from them.  When i said I was going to ask “the drummers,” meaning my African drumming group, Sally told me to ask Ringo.  Huh?  So I did.  He didn’t donate. Yet. But I asked. (btw if you happen to have a connection to Ringo, this would be a great time to get in touch and make this story SO much better)

Now it’s the day before the race and we have raised SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS to fight blood cancers and to support patients.  The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is doing some great stuff, including fighting for patients to be able to have new easier and effective chemotherapy paid for just like inpatient IV treatment.  Silly that anyone has to fight for this, but as long as they do, here we have people who will ASK for what is right.

So keep asking for whatever it is you need.  It’s the only way to get it.

Hey there!  Did you miss me?  I certainly missed you all!

I have been so busy training and fundraising for my half-marathon, which is less than 38 hours from now (!) that I have been sadly neglecting sharing all the things I have learned in the last few months. They have been accumulating on scraps of paper or on emails to myself, or have just plain been lost.  I was even thinking of hanging up my … what? keyboard?  So I told Steve that this was the day I needed to either post or officially put this on hold.

Then what happens?  The most profound lesson just drops into my lap. Or into my inbox.  Yes, Kat, the inbox with exactly 11,838 unread messages.  Accept it.

Anyway, as Sally and I wrap up 3 months and just over 250 miles of running to train for the race, all that’s left is to pack our stuff, eat some carbs, and get our head in the game.  My Team in Training Mentor, Kristen, just sent this advice for the race:

This is what Steve learned from Bill.  Maybe you can use it this season!

“Last week my friend Bill gave me this advice to remedy my recent slowdown in getting productive hits at softball: it’s all in the hands.  

I first learned this from Ruth and now the awesome people from the Center for Science in the Public Interest / Nutrition Action have reminded me: Panera has a “Hidden Menu”  They are not listed on the board, but healthy and yummy items are available for the asking!

I think it’s very silly that these options are hidden.  And they are not all that hidden, so it’s really a marketing trick (and look! it’s working!) but it’s still pretty cool.    The Hidden Menu items are big on protein & veggies and skip the processed carbs.  The even include breakfast, which otherwise at Panera would be something of either a thousand or a million calories. This one is “Roasted all-natural, Antibiotic-free turkey, egg whites, warm baby spinach, roasted peppers, and basil Pesto. ” I’d eat that.

So check it out and let us know what you think – post your comment here.

I am learning about buckets: how to use them and how to live in them.  It’s better than it sounds.

This new lifestyle of mine is glorious and a bit confusing.  I am working 24 hours a week, which translates into three eight-hour days.  Or does it?

I thought I would have a schedule: Work Monday through Wednesday and then not work the rest of the week, using the time for play, art, writing. (Have you seen me posting here?  No? Me neither!)  Instead, I have been working around business and other needs, so that meant working different days on different weeks.  This is Week Four, looking at Week Five, and no two are alike.

It has become clear to me that I will not have a set schedule, but will continue to work around varying needs.

Then I started working partial days, thinking that a morning here would free up an afternoon there.  Before I knew it, I was working parts of many days.

So this is what I’ve learned: I need to compartmentalize, first with ON/OFF entire days.  Sometimes they will be determined by my job, sometimes by my travel or other priorities.

Then, I am learning to break those days into sections so that I am not wandering around aimlessly or spending my day in front of the computer.  For example, yesterday I dedicated an entire morning to work around our race and fundraising.  With those targeted hours, I could check off a huge list of activities that were hanging over me. Then I had  the afternoon for a series of errands that all involved driving around town.  Then I was done.

You’ll know this is working if you start seeing Lessons posted regularly!  Wish me luck!

What are your buckets?

I learned that one way to deal with change is to just pile it on.

“Too much change!” I told Celeste.  Celeste does much more than style my hair.  She lends wisdom.  She provides calm steady guidance. And she also styles my hair.  So although I claim to love change, I told her that my new job, with all that naturally comes with it: change in work, change in location, change in co-workers, change in technology, change in schedule, was feeling like way too much change.  So she decided what I really needed was MORE CHANGE.

So she completely changed the color of my hair.

I kind of think I look like this:

And Sally thinks that I look like this (specifically on left):

So I guess you get the general idea…and color theme.

I think it worked.  It’s like running full-steam ahead into the changes.  I’ll get back to you!

I learned the power of changing labels.  Kind of like one of these, but for the mind:

I have these awesome little cards that I rotate on my dresser.  One day, the card said this:

and over the course of the day, I realized that I needed a new label for what I was doing and a new way to think of it.  I thought I was “changing jobs,” but really I was changing something else:  I was going from being a life-long “corporate employee ” (which I have loved) to being a “freelancer” (a brand new thing.)

This new label feels more authentic.  It reflects both the adventure and the risk.  It helps me understand the pervasive uncertainty that I feel.  It also makes me look around for other labels I can change.

How about you?  What’s a label you’ve changed?

Fifteen years ago today, Sally was diagnosed with leukemia at age 12.  What our family and friends have learned from this experience would fill a lifetime of blogs, but today I want to focus on something Debbie taught me on that day: That the best way to pull yourself up is to help someone else.

Here is how we are doing that:

Sally and I are running a half-marathon to celebrate her survival and to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  You can read more about it and support us here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/Provid13/sallyandjane

Years ago, I learned that the Leukemia Society contributed to cancer research, including to the development of Gleevec, a miracle drug developed with Dana-Farber.

I recently learned that now the Leukemia Society is lobbying to ensure that all cancer patients can get access to oral chemotherapy instead of the inpatient IV therapy when available, removing the outdated loopholes and roadblocks in insurance coverage.

Please donate to support this work! http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/Provid13/sallyandjane

Read more about Sally’s story  on her awesome blog:  http://sallyandthecity.com/2013/02/27/why-i-run/

Thank you!
Jane

Jessica taught me to add sliced fresh ginger to the brewing stage of iced tea and that limiting brewing to five minutes is the secret to clear and not cloudy tea!