Congrats on $20,000 Team CATS!

I finally got a chance to review the training program Peachy suggested and realized it includes 4 runs per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Since I was off on Monday, I figured I'd get started. I drove up to Abalone Cove but the parking lot was closed! Luckily there was another small, free parking lot right next to it but it was only 30 minute parking. The area wasn't very big so this ended up being just enough time to get a quick run in. It was really beautiful and not terribly steep so I had a great run!

Wednesday it was rainy and gloomy and I almost thought about skipping the run but I wouldn't have any time to make it up. I ran 5 miles with 2 miles at tempo. I tried to keep my tempo miles close to 9:00 pace but actually went a little faster for some parts. It felt really good, much better than my tempo runs last year!

Thursday was my only chance to get to Bar Method but that almost didn't happen either. I left work with enough time to get there for the 6:15 class but when I turned on my GPS it said 6:30. I called them up to say I couldn't make it and they offered to switch me to the 7:30 class. Although I hated the idea of getting home so late I figured I better just do it. Martine was the instructor and she really pushed us. Normally the instructors will call out a general "get lower" or "get that arm/leg higher" but she actually singled people out which made me nervous so I tried a lot harder to avoid having my name called. Ultimately it was a good thing because my triceps were really sore on Friday.

I had planned to run 3 miles on Friday to stay in line with Peachy's schedule but after a tiring week I just couldn't manage it. Instead I conserved energy for my 13 mile run on Saturday. My brother signed up for the Spartan Race in Malibu on Saturday so I decided to get there early and run before his race. The parking was at Zuma Beach and since I ran there earlier this year I knew I there was a decent course. It took about 2 and a half loops of the course to get my mileage in but I got to watch the surfers and there were plenty of other walkers/runners out for me to exchange pleasantries with. I even got a compliment on my shoes! The run went well but I'm still having a hard time getting used to my Nike+ GPS watch. I've noticed that it'll show a fast instantaneous pace throughout my run but when I look at the average pace it's much slower. Since the watch only shows two fields at a time, I usually have instantaneous pace and distance showing so I'm always surprised to see my average pace is slower than expected. For example on this run I didn't see an 11:00 or slower pace the entire time I ran, however I had 2 miles that were that slow. My fastest mile was only 10:30 despite seeing 9-something many times! It also doesn't have as many statistics as Garmin when the run is uploaded to the website. I love the way it looks and I like the social aspects but I'm still not sure if I should fix and keep my Garmin or stick with the Nike. I need to decide soon because I plan to sell the other one and donate the money to CATS!

After my run I met up with my dad and Mike to go watch my brother race. It was super muddy so I couldn't get around the course as planned but I got a picture of him with his team at the end and my shoes to show that even the spectators got in on the action!

Sunday after church I took class at Bar Method again with Nick. He was hilarious as usual calling out one of the girls because it was her birthday. He piled on the reps but told us to "get over it" and explained that our leg should be straight, the opposite of him! He was really sweet too when I told him at the beginning of class that my shin was bothering me. He brought mats over during thigh work so I could alleviate some pressure and it helped a ton! I really love how knowledgable the instructors are!

There hasn't been much action on the fundraising front this week for me personally but I'm hoping to garner more donations once you all see how ridiculous I look dressed as corn for the Christmas Run. Don't let that hold you back though, feel free to donate now by clicking Donate Now in the top right of this page. This week Team CATS hit the $20,000 mark and 10 of us will get our names on the back of our race shirt for raising $1,000 by 11/30! Thank you so much to all who have donated so far, I'm so thankful for your support and your money is going to such wonderful people who help victims of sexual abuse and assault. I can't wait to reach my next goal, hoping to reach $2,500 by the end of the year!