I Gotta Feelin'...

...that tonight's gonna be a good, good night. Why am I quoting this Black Eyed Peas song, you ask? Besides it's presence on my iPod running playlist I am celebrating three milestones tonight. I'll share in chronological order, though the BIGGEST news is at the end (for those of you who don't like suspense).

1. I ran 17 miles yesterday! I got a bit later of a start in the afternoon than I'd originally planned, but I ran 11.25 miles outside and finished on an indoor track after it got dark. Again, the long distance helped me to build my confidence. My legs did not fall off. I did not want to puke at any time (well, maybe I shouldn't have ordered the big salad at lunch, ha). The decision to use energy gel with caffeine in it (despite no longer drinking caffeine since May) definitely makes a difference as I can really 'feel' a boost about 5 minutes after I down the gel. Mmm, Power Bar Gel Double Latte. :) This picture shows me all decked out in my layers of running apparel--two shirts and a jacket, earmuffs, tights under pants plus iPod and a hydration belt.


2. I got the Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS running watch for my birthday! A huge thanks to my husband Tim and his parents Terry & Kitty for this awesome gift. Now, I'll never run alone again because I'll have a virtual training partner...and I'll always know how far I've run, at what pace and about a million other super cool things that I'll be figuring out over the next few days. This will most certainly be something that aids me in continuing my training, even once my first marathon is over. Yes, I'm already thinking of 2010 races...

3. I have reached my fundraising goal! Not only that, I have exceeded it by a bit even! I was so excited to see the donation notification from some dear friends Adam & Christina that I cried. (And yes, there have been many tears during this experience...it's hard not to be overwhelmed with the generosity of others!) My hope was to be done by Christmas with fundraising. Now I can rest assured that any additional donations that come in are icing on the cake!

Miles run this week: 28

Keep on steppin'!