I felt strong today.

Four-and-a-half miles and it felt great.

I love it when a run feels that good.

Most of the time I want to quit, not take the time to stretch, drive away, and eat something chocolate.

BUT NOT TODAY :)

Weeeeee!

Five miles today, at least I think it was five..... The track was being used by the school (losers, that's my track ;) ) But I'm pretty sure the path I ran at Rose Rud. was about 2.5 miles. I ran it twice.

It was pretty hard. My arms and back were sore from falling yesterday. My arm hurts too, but it's a surface pain. My arms and back are from muscle pain.

Chocolate helped :)

Chapel and JennaLeigh came over tonight. Chap brought a loaf of French bread, broccoli cheese soup and three fancy desserts (think truffle topped brownies).

Wow.

I was scheduled to do 35 minutes of cross training today. I'm not sure if rollerblading is cross training... but I decided to take my chances.

I still don't know how that choice affected my runs, but safety wise, that chance of mine threw me into a neighborhood lawn.

I was rollerblading just fine. Up hills, down hills, stopping at all required stops... when a perceived "little" hill got the best of me.

I was rolling faster and faster.

Brakes, use your brakes

But the little knob of rubber couldn't fight gravity.

Faster and faster... directly to a -- albeit lightly used -- street intersection.

I can't stop before then. What should I do? Just whiz through and hope no cars are coming? Or do I throw myself in that lawn there?

Whizzzzz... Too late for that lawn. How about the next? Nope, now it's gone too.

This is the last lawn before the intersection. Go for it now.

--- Truthfully, it was kind of cool... actually going through with such a brash decision. (Brash for me, anyway) I jumped the curb, tucked my arms, clenched my hands, and rolled to a stop in the grass.

The dogs in the backyard went nuts.

At first nothing hurt, then my fingers and wrist started throbbing, then my knee.

My arm didn't hurt at all until I was off skating again. Even then it was just stinging, but I had given myself the worst strawberry I've had since two hands could tell my age. Oozey, slightly bloody and grated skin with dirt.

Ouch.

I silently screamed in the shower and went to Bible study/let's talk about life. The injury got some grimaces.

It is pretty nasty looking.

I'm proud :)

But not too proud... I walked down the next hill wearing my striped plaid socks, rollerblades in hand.

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Short one... only two miles.

I ran without headphones, hoping I could spend that time praying.

It's just 20 minutes and with no ringing phone or television -- No big deal, right?

Yeah, right...

Do you know how hard it is to stay focused?

I watched other runners on the track. I inspected the stands and stadium lights. I thought about the pending football season and how a mosquito just bit my leg.

All this is zippy zapping around my brain at the same time.

Finally, I'd had enough.

And I said, "Hi God."

Did I just say hi to God? Gah, you're so stupid Stephanie. Oh, well, I already starting this thing... might as well talk about a good one...

"So, what do you have planned for me, Lord?"

And scripture popped into my head... "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness..."

Cringe. How often do I do that?

Do I have to answer here?

If so, it's not so often.

After a four-miler, I stretched in the grass today.

I ran at the track and stretched on the football's 30-yard-line.

It smelled oh so nice.

It reminded me of being on swim team in Pflugerville.

Time warp:

I was in elementary school, the bathing suits were red and blue, and the leg slits cut clean to my hips. My brother wore a Speedo. We were the Piranhas.

:)

I loved swimming but pretty sure I would have skipped the meets. They were held early Saturday mornings. It was hot and the time correlated negatively with the city's mow schedule. Since they mowed right before competition, the ants were nice and agitated; the dead grass would stick to anything wet.

And since we were swimming our whole bodies were wet.

Yuck.

I remember tents being set up out in the grass where people would relax before swimming their heat.

And I remember sitting statue-still to have the events in which I would compete written on my arm in permanent marker. Of all the memories I have of swimming team, those abbreviations -- and getting a chocolate and banana bomb pop from the concession stand -- are most vivid.

I loved having that list written on my arm. Don't know why. It could be because my dad did not like my brother and me to write on our hands. Maybe having nonsense written in PERMANENT marker all over my ARM made me feel rebellious.

Funny.

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Sooo... I'm running a marathon.

No.

Oh, yes my dubious hombre. That's 26.2 miles.

Twenty-six POINT two.

And what's more, I'm running with a purpose... to raise $1,800 for blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma.

I teamed up with the organization Team in Training and am now one of bookoos running to be part of the cure.

I know, I know... This hasn't always been one of my issues. This isn't conservation or agriculture. And not only have I never been sick, I've also never watched a loved one battle these awful diseases.

But so what.

I know how many have.

-Every five minutes someone new is diagnosed with a blood cancer; every ten minutes someone loses their battle*
-Leukemia is the number one killer of children and strikes ten times as many adults.*
-And non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the sixth most common cancer in the U.S.*

Maybe someday those little tidbits won't be true, especially if you help me

I'm not good at fundraising.

Little known fact, the name Stephanie in Hebrew means "can't ask for a red cent."

Even in middle school I'm pretty sure my mom and dad had to buy my required "you must sell 5 items" from the band wrapping paper sale.

So, it got me thinking... Maybe, if I write about training -- what I'm learning, what I'm hating, what I wish would happen -- you'll feel involved yourself.

Maybe you'll learn something new.
Maybe you'll want to give (you can make a tax deductible contribution at http://www.active.com/donate/tntntx/stephaniejeter and help me meet my goal)
Maybe you'll want to help.
Or maybe I'll see you on the trail.

You never know, passion makes you do funny things... like wake up at 6 a.m. to run with the rising sun.

But if not, that's totally cool. The point of this journal is to make a connection.

Talk to you soon!!!!

P.S.- The TNT Web site is up for donations. I'll be making it prettier later :)


*cancer info from TNT