[half] Marathon Monday

I run in memory of Janice Itschner.

Janice on an Itschner, Moss and friends
camping trip at Detroit Lake.

When I was in grade school, my best friend's mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time, I couldn't comprehend what this diagnosis meant or how it would impact her family years later. This would be our real-life introduction to cancer and I wish it would have left a better first impression.

What I did know at this age was that having cancer meant you were sick and chemotherapy is the medicine they used to try and make you well again. I would learn that chemo made you feel incredibly awful and out of sorts but once treatment was complete, it could also be an (albeit highly undesirable) alternative to going to the salon to get a perm. You did want a perm, right?

When I think back on my memories of Janice, I don't remember her as someone who was sick, I remember all of the things she was capable of.

She was a woman with skills and talents people find themselves only wishing they had. She had a beautiful voice, played the guitar and spoke Spanish fluently. Even at a young age, I remember being able to sense her strong work ethic. When God made Janice, "give up" was definitely not one of the ingredients included. She was the kind of person who, just by being herself, made you feel like you could do anything as long as you were willing to work for it. She was inspirational to me in setting goals that seemed too big (like learning Spanish) and then daring to achieve them.

The Itschner Family
Jon, Travis, Michelle and Janice

Janice was also a woman of incredible faith. If ever there was someone you could trust to do what they felt was the good and right thing, it was her. There was no cutting corners and no easy way out; you just did what was right.

After Michelle and I met in the first grade, our moms became very close. If you were to ask my mom about her memories of Janice (which I did), the first thing you would hear is, "she was such an intelligent woman." From designing their log cabin home (really, she drew up the blueprints) to teaching foreign languages or giving you a makeover, she was a real-life renaissance woman.

(And for all of you out there thinking, "log cabin?" it was definitely not a wild-west settler's log cabin. This is what I imagined in the first grade, with log cabin knowledge limited to Yosemite National Park and historical museums. Think more like two-story suburban home, but made of logs... and in a forest. Yes, it is as awesome as it sounds.)

After several years of a successful fight against her cancer, Janice passed away when Michelle and I were 13. I wish life came with a manual and an index of reasons why the people we love have to endure such tragedies. Sometimes the only thing we can do is pick ourselves up and move forward, carrying them with us.

I run not only for Janice, but also for her daughter who is still a very dear friend. Michelle, you have so many of your mom's wonderful traits and I am incredibly grateful to have you as a friend. I know she is always with you and so very proud.

All donations for the Livestrong Half Marathon benefit Livestrong, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by cancer.

To make a donation, visit my fundraising page. Thank you for your support.

First 5k

What has two thumbs and can run 3.1 miles without stopping?

THIS LADY!

This year on Thanksgiving morning, I ran Houston's 5k Turkey Trot. After agreeing to run the half marathon, my co-runner suggested that I fit in a 5 or 10k first. Since a 5k is a much shorter distance than a half marathon, I thought it would be better done sooner than later. I had two goals with this run: 1) don't walk; and 2) finish somewhere close to 35 minutes.

Coach Tiffany and I post trot.

With the help of an awesome volunteer running coach (left), I completed both goals, finishing in 32 minutes and 45 seconds. We both maintain that it could have done it in 30 if it wasn't for the twelve thousand other people running with us. I'm also pretty sure that we ran more than 5k due to all of the zigging and zagging back and forth to get around walkers and joggers.

My next planned running adventure is a 5 mile jingle bell run in December. A nice perk in addition to (hopefully) increasing my running distance is the sexy pair of reindeer antlers that they give out to participants. Who needs another free t-shirt when you can have your very own antlers?! 

I must admit that I was skeptical about running with someone else. All of my not-walking adventures up until this point had been suffered in solitude. I didn't think I would do well running with another person, but it was a great idea. Big thanks to Tiffany for sticking with me! Although she may be tiny, Tiffany has more willpower and determination than most people I know. Today, she is an athlete by anyone's standards - just hearing about her workout routines make my muscles ache. But just a few years ago, she made an amazing transformation from non-runner to running a marathon in 6 months. She's continued to push herself and the transformation is incredible to watch. Tiffany is definitely an inspiration and makes me feel encouraged that I can not only live through this half marathon, but do better than I first expected of myself.

Thanksgiving this year was exactly what it was supposed to be. We had a great morning with friends, an afternoon of nothing but football and naps and then absurd amounts of food in the evening. We decided make reservations at a nice restaurant that had a thanksgiving meal... with so much food that we couldn't even touch some of the dishes; they just went straight to boxes.

We definitely picked a festive area to have dinner. So festive, in fact, that we couldn't even park in the same zip code as the restaurant. Ok, so that's being dramatic - but there were road closures that led to a tour of every area but the one we wanted to park in, followed by walking quite a distance. The culprit was a holiday lighting event with lots of those LED flashlight wands that they sell at Disneyland and an abundance of fake Christmas trees. Eventually we made it to the restaurant, where the food was mostly delicious and the sangria was mostly ice. You win some and lose some.

Rules to Run By

I am a data gatherer by nature, and it's definitely a genetic double-whammy. My dad is a very logical and rational person, always a fan of a good piece of information. He searches, assesses and decides.

But my mom, as I have mentioned before, is the most spectacular data gatherer in all of the land - and it appears mother nature has appointed me as her apprentice. We are like little squirrels scavenging for majestic nuggets of information. We joyfully and obsessively collect our treasures until we are completely exhausted. In most cases, then (and only then) we are satisfied. 

In my case, starting a new activity or hobby often sparks this desire for information overload. Needless to say, there have been a lot of running related Google searches in my free time lately. When I'm not at home, my gracious co-workers who I have classified as runners are mercilessly ambushed with run chat. I ask questions, share random facts (thanks to Google) or divulge details of my morning run. They not only humor me, but also offer fantastic advice that I eagerly implement on my next not walk run.

Today, I came upon an article from Runner's World that I wanted to share - mostly because it made me giggle.

Say what?! This is definitely something that I have not experienced yet; and I like to pretend that I will escape this icky foot fate. Just today I was complaining about sore feet. I will keep on pretending that is the worst of it until the day I pull my sock off in horror.

The moral of this story is: don't do the potty dance at intersections. You can stop, it's okay! I actually prefer to take this moment to stretch and pretend like I don't look like I'm about to die. Sometimes I wonder if cars are nervous that I will just keel over into moving traffic. However, I'm sure doing a jig on the corner will just make me look crazier than I already am. I'm glad to have Runner's World backing me up on this one.

As for the last running tip that I will share from this article, I have no words - only a glorious quote:

[half] Marathon Monday

I run in memory of my grandmother, Virginia Haines Coleman.

Little Christine with grandparents Virginia & Ivan Haines

Soon, I will be running the Livestrong Half Marathon in Austin, TX. As I train, I will be raising money for Livestrong, an organization founded by cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, with a mission to improve the lives of those affected by cancer. Each week, I will share why this cause is so important to me.


I will bring the people I write about on this journey to motivate me - to push myself further than I think I can go. When I get tired, I will think of them and remember their influence on my life, their strength and the cause I am running for.

My grandmother passed away of ovarian cancer when I was 12, the same year the Lance Armstrong Foundation was established. Although I was young, my childhood memories are filled with her. We played a lot of Uno and watched just as much Lawrence Welk (which was far more interesting to me than other favorite, Murder She Wrote).

As you might be able to tell, there were also lots of flowers. Flowers on the 'davenport,' flowers on the walls, flowers on the muumuus, flowers on the shirts under the muumuus and flowers on the dishware.

She always had the same collection of mints and gum that I still come across every once in a while. Let me tell you, the connection between smell and memory is no joke. Not too long ago, I opened a pack of Wrigley's spearmint gum and it was like she jumped right out saying, "here I am, right here with you." I hope I am not the only one this happens to.

The picture to the left is probably the most frequently occurring scene for the two of us. Ever since I was a baby, she would rock me to sleep in a recliner. As I got older and bigger, she didn't give up. My grandmother would wrestle me into her lap and rock away as if I was still tiny. At one point, I remember being largely uncomfortable with limbs flopped over both sides of the chair, but complying anyway because it seemed she felt this was her grandmotherly duty. Who knows, maybe one day I will do the same.

Above all, I remember that she was patient with me, attentive to whatever I wanted to do or show or tell. She let me be exactly who I was and encouraged me to be... me. I think that's what grandparents are for.

Learn more about Livestrong and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Support my journey by contributing on my fundraising page.

Texas: the Good, the Bad, and the just plain Strange

Casey and I decided we would move to Houston, Texas despite the fact that neither of us had ever been there. My closest connection to the state was that my grandfather is from Southeast Texas and my dad was also nearly born there. I say nearly because my grandmother despises this part of the country so much that she preferred to drive thousands of miles at 8 months pregnant than give birth and raise a child in [insert colorful name here]. This is a brave move for anyone, even with today's modern conveniences, and I can't even imagine making this trek in 1951.

Much to her dismay, I would be making the exact same drive in reverse in 2008. Every time Houston was brought up I would hear about one or more (and frequently all) of the following:

• oppressive heat
• ants that will eat anything that is not kept in your oven for safety
• cockroaches big enough to pick a fight with your cat
• moldy shoes (or anything else made of leather)

Needless to say, none of my grandmother's past experiences in Southeast Texas were even remotely comforting. Everyone else was just about at excited as she was that we were moving to this land of milk and honey mold and roaches. But, I had a great job with an organization that is the best at what they do and Casey was up for an adventure. Plus, the cost of living is very reasonable for a large city and you can usually find it on a "best" list of cities for young professionals or places to start a career.

I moved first, leaving Oregon in February and arriving in Houston in March. My mom accompanied me on  the 2,500 mile drive that went something like this:

There were a lot of CD mixes and reading of the AAA guides for the region we were passing through. The most painful part of the drive was undoubtedly everything between Phoenix and San Antonio. One of the only highlights of this leg of the trip is how fast you can legally pass through it.

We arrived in Houston less than a week before I would start work with everything I had in the back of my car and no apartment to put it in. Let me tell you - when moving to a city you know nothing about and having to find a place to live in a matter of days, my mother is the one to take with you. She had lists of apartments, lists of apartment locators, a city map with plotted points of recent criminal activity to avoid, and an abundance of energy to sift through it all.

By the end of the week, we ended up with a great little apartment minutes from my work and across the street from Target (score!) and some fierce furniture assembly skills. Casey took a much faster route to Houston, hopping on an airplane in May, departing and arriving all in the same month (no fun!). Although we have had our ups and downs with this city, Houston has been good to us and we've had lots of great experiences here.

I wanted to end this blog with one of my favorite Texas phenomenons - the residents' obsession with its shape. I first noticed this on my second day in the state. On our way to Houston, my mom and I stayed at a HoJo in West Texas, and upon arriving in the breakfast area, we saw this masterpiece:

Little did I know that this would be the first of many Texas-shaped discoveries. Here are a couple more for your viewing pleasure:


For more Texas masterpieces, check out Texas-Shaped Things!

The Beginning

Recently, I've found myself thinking that I should blog about the crazy things I do. In the past I've had travel blogs to keep a record of places visited and adventures had - also a place where concerned parties could go to make sure I was still alive after said adventures. But it hasn't been until more recently that I thought I should also try this for my, well, "regular" life. Going back to school (something I never thought I would do), I realized blogging would be a helpful way to remember this period of my life, since I would probably be too busy remember anything than what I was cramming my brain with at the time. Since then, there have been a few endeavors that have pushed me over the edge and into blogdom.

One of the most recent escapades included a detox/cleanse after a mega-marathon of food related documentaries. One of my favorites was Forks Over Knives, but the film that eventually sucked me into a detox was Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. Let's just say there were lots of fruits, veggies and time dedicated to food prep. I didn't find it to be as fabulous or impactful as some do, but I definitely learned a few things: 1) tasty new recipes; 2) I can enjoy cooking - especially when I pull off a new recipe; and 3) eating well is very labor intensive. All in all, I'm glad that I did it, but don't expect to hear about my detox diet again any time soon.

On the very day that I was ending this strange experiment, my dear friend Sadie sent me an email proposing that we run a half marathon this winter. Now, many of you know that on a list of Christineisms, "I don't run" could be included. I will admit, I have tried (what I like to call) not walking a handful of times over the past few months, and Sadie knows this, but I am by no means a runner. Despite the advice of my rational self, I agreed to do it. If all goes as planned, we will be running the Livestrong half marathon in February. It will be in Austin, so I must confess that I've really only said yes to get her to come and visit. I've done my fair share of surprise runs for Sadie in the past (usually involving medical emergencies), so I don't see why we should change this tradition now. As of today, the longest distance I have not walked run at one time is 2 miles; this phenomenon happened once a couple of months ago. Today I ran 1.75 miles without stopping. Needless to say, there's a lot of preparing to do over the next 3 months to build up to 13.1 miles, so you can expect to hear about running milestones (hopefully) in the near future. Here's to another unexpected adventure!

In honor of the half marathon, I feel obligated to share this gem that I found on Facebook last month. This photo says it all.

Above all else, I'm learning to embrace the unexpected adventures in my life. When you leave yourself open to all of life's possibilities (even the crazy ones), I find that's when the best things happen.