nineteen hours.

In 19 hours and change, I will be running 3.1 miles along the beautiful coast of San Francisco.

How excited am I???

Actually, more nervous than excited. I'm worrying about making it on time, missing the start, and the whole host of other things that might go wrong. (i.e. I end up in an ambulance because my body quits at mile 2)

We are leaving for San Francisco in 2 1/2 hours, so this will be the last blog post you will read before I finish the race. I feel a bit sentimental. This blog has become an outlet for me to share my triumphs (and, um, losses) with the world. And as much as my joints hate me, I had fun.

I just want to take this moment to thank absolutely everyone. Thank you to the people who read my blog and left me encouraging comments. Thank you to the people who came to my spaghetti feed. And most of all, thank you to everyone who donated their hard earned money towards a cause that means so much to me. I have the best family and friends anyone could ask for!!!!


Wish me luck!!!

Fundraising DEADLINE!!!

I just wanted to again, thank everyone who graciously donated to my amazing cause, PETA. I also wanted to let you all know that it isn't too late to donate if you haven't already!

The official deadline for donations is.....

Saturday, January 31 at midnight.

If you haven't donated, and would like to, please go to my website:

http://www.active.com/donate/PETAPack/jencar

I really appreciate everything you guys have done for me! I am forever grateful for your help in raising money for PETA!!!!

2 more days 2 more days!!!!

Well, I officially have a massage appointment on Monday at 11:00am.

I can't wait! It's going to be so amazing right after the Big 5k. That is, if I don't die during the Big 5k. That might be a downer.....

Today and tomorrow are officially my last days to do any sort of training to get ready. We are supposed to taper down this week, but I just really feel like I'm not ready!!!
So I'm going to focus on Power Walking. I'm going to power walk 3.1 miles tomorrow and see how I feel. Hopefully if I don't die walking, I won't die too much running. That's my logic anyway......

I'm starting to get really nervous. Not even about actually running. I'm nervous about getting there and starting on time! I don't know San Francisco very well, so all the directions for the parking and shuttles might as well be in Swahili. I hate not being able to visualize where I'm going. I'm so nervous that I'm going to get lost and miss the shuttle and therefore miss the start!! Sheesh I need to calm down. I'm staying with my lovely Justine and her lovely family, and I plan to leave their house in South San Francisco shortly before 6:00am (oh dear lord). That will give me a whole hour to go a 23 minute distance and catch a shuttle to the start. I think I can handle that.....I think.

Not that I will want to be running at that horrifying hour of the morning. I can tell you right now, my alarm will go off and I will do one of the following:
1) roll over and go back to sleep
2) throw up
3) cry

Then I'll probably get my ass out of bed and get going. I didn't train for 2 months for nothing! I haven't run 5-6 miles per week for nothing!!! I am WOMAN! I can do this!!!

I will post a status report tomorrow!

Four. Days. WOW.

I just looked at my countdown clock and realized I am going to be running a 5k in 4 days.
What was I thinking when I signed up for this???
I was also looking at the Race Web Page, and realized that it's actually called The Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon and 5k Fun Run.

5k FUN Run? Who ever decided that a 5k was anything about fun? I can think of a lot of things that are more fun than running a 5k. Sleeping, new episodes of Grey's Anatomy, or eating a nice piece of cake. None of these involve running, which, in my opinion, is the opposite of fun.

I've gotten to know Cameron Park Lake pretty well over the last couple of weeks. Yesterday I actually attempted 2.5 miles (attempted being the key word), which meant I went around the lake twice. I don't know why, but there was an absurd amount of geese out yesterday. I mean, they're always there, but yesterday there were literally gaggles of them, so to speak. I was bopping along, trying not to succumb to the pain in my......well, whole body, and I saw one of the aforementioned gaggles on the trail ahead. Usually they just kind of waddle off to the side of the trail when you run by, but not these guys. They were feisty. One decided to chase another one just as I was approaching, and they both took to the air......right towards my head. I ducked (hahaha) and threw my hands up in the air to shield the oncoming kamikaze geese. When I finally looked, they were peacefully on the ground beside me pecking at bugs. And fellow trail runners were looking at me like I was nuts. It was great.

Stories like these are what I am going to miss most about training. I won't miss the running at all, but I'll miss the geese and the fellow runners (even the 80-something year old man who kept pace with me yesterday and the 10 year old boy who lapped me the day before).

I'm considering keeping with the training schedule around the lake, but with power walking instead. Damn I am a good power-walker! I power-walked the entire second mile yesterday and it was great! I almost puked when I was done but I felt good, man. Really.

Today, every ounce of my body is in pain. I'm glad I have a desk job because if I had a crazy job that involved, like, moving, I'd be in trouble. I have muscles that I never knew about, and they're all screaming at me at the same time.

So today I'm taking the day off to rest. Mostly because I'm pretty sure if I actually drove to the lake and got out of the car, my body would collapse in protest just LOOKING at the trail.
So tomorrow I power-walk 3.6 miles. I'm not going to attempt running it, just getting through it to see how it feels. It will probably feel horrible. Then the next 2 days I'll add some jogging, and hope for the best after that. I'm leaving for San Francisco on Saturday at 3 to eat some amazing pasta with some amazing PETA people, spending the night with my lovely Justine and her amazing family, and then running the not-so-amazing race on Sunday morning.

To be honest, I'm scared to death! I've never done anything like this before, and I know I can get through it. I just worry that by the time I finish it will be dark and the food will be gone......

Wish me luck in all my spandex glory on Sunday!

my running outfit.

.....needs some work.
I thought I was all good with the running clothing, but yesterday I realized not so much. I'm good from the waist up. I have my Nike sports bra and my BRIGHT pink UnderArmor Shirt, both of which have amazing "wicking" agents to "wick" the sweat right off my body! Amazing. So I had those down, and I thought that my terry lounge pants would suffice as running pants. They even have a stripe down the side! That means they're sporty, right?
Well, they are kind of baggy, and the longer distance I run, the more the extra fabric rubs and causes unspeakable pain.
Suffice to day, these pants are more geared toward the stationary type of exercise, like lifting weights.......or reaching for the remote.
So today I am off to TJ Maxx, birthday gift card in hand (thanks Scotty!!) to purchase a new pair of tighter, less chafier running pants.
I will let y'all know how it goes and what I end up with!!

the lake.

SO.
I've been running, roadkill and all, on Cameron Park Drive, much to the dismay of most of my family and friends.
Today, I discovered that the under-appreciated Cameron park Lake has a jogging trail! With mile markers! WHAHOO!
So I drove down to the lake today and did my run there. It's 1.2 miles all the way around the lake, and by the grace of G-d, I can actually do that. If you had asked me about running 1.2 miles 3 months ago, I would have laughed at you. Now it's like "1.2 miles? no biggie. pshhht!"

Another awesome thing about running around a lake: the scenery! It's gorgeous. Especially at sunset. Of course, the park is supposed to close at sunset, so if you're still watching the sun set while you're running, you'd best get your ass moving to the finish line before they close the gate on you and you have to spend the night with the ducks.

Of course with the awesome comes the not-so-awesome. There are a few not-so-awesomes about the lake.
1) Duck crap. It's everywhere. Sometimes I feel like I'm trying more to do a complicated cardio dance than a run because I have to dodge all the, ahem, piles.
2) Random floating fluff. I'm really not sure if it's some sort of plant or if it's duck feathers. It's white and fluffy and it floats randomly through a good quarter mile of the trail. I accidentally inhaled some today. Not fun.
3) Lake-smell. This also is only about a quarter mile of the trail. It basically smells like a moldy bathroom. But hey, whatever makes me run faster, right?

So those are the only not-so-awesomes, and I think it's totally worth it. No roadkill, no hoots nor hollers. I think I can live with it! haha.

So the other day my aunt was like "HEY! I have this totally awesome book you should read!". Ok, so my aunt doesn't actually use the phrase "totally awesome" but it was something like that. Anyway, she lent me this book that you all should read.

From the cover it seems like one of those crappy "YAYYY YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!" books. Trust me, this book was written by one of us. It was written by a Sacramento woman who, like me, went from couch potato to marathon runner. Except, not like me, she's actually running a full 26.2 mile marathon. WOW.
Anyway, it's about her training, and it's absolutely hilarious. I literally laughed out loud about every 2 pages. Read the Amazon plot summary, I'm horrible at summarizing without going on and on and on and.....well yeah.

In other, more important news, my Spaghetti Feed was an AMAZING success! I had some crappy friends who didn't show up, but my family really pulled together and made up for those crappy friends! I was able to raise $100! WOOHOO!
Also, I have had an amazing number of bay-area people I don't know donating to my cause. This is amazing, and I'm pretty sure I have the Amazing Alex to thank for putting the word out about me. Here's a summary of how wonderful and amazing these people are:

* Lisa Towell and Dave Cortright: $250 (WOOOOOOW!!)
* Beth Levinson: $150
* Dyanna Csaposs: $50
* Thoi Pham: $50
* Jane McCurdy: $30

I have never met these people, and they have collectively donated $530, which is 53% of my goal! I did have the honor to meet Beth at the PETA Holiday Party, and she is wonderful. I am really hoping to meet the rest of this amazing group of angels at the race or at some point!

Also a HUGE thank you to the many friends and family who have graciously donated. I will be making a list to put on my blog at the end of the fund raiser so everyone can see how wonderful and amazing you are!

In the mean time, if you haven't had a chance to donate, you have 11 days and some change! Here is the link in case you didn't get it the first 16764565489 times I posted/sent/texted/yelled it:
http://www.active.com/donate/PETAPack/jencar

I'm officially right now at 68% of my goal, only 32% more to go! That's only $320!! WHAHHOO!

SO Amazing.

DUDE, I'm almost crying again, (it's been an emotional day lol) ANOTHER person I DON'T KNOW donated $50 to my cause.
I can't believe how generous some people are!! They don't even know me!!!

This marathon has seriously been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. No joke.


I have challenged everything I thought I knew about myself and my abilites, I have met some of the most amazing people in the world, and I have made a difference in the lives of animals everywhere.


Amazing. Truly amazing.

Accomplishment doesn't even begin to describe it.

Oh. My. Gosh.
It's really happening!!!
I'm really running in a 5k!!!
I just got my race info packet in the mail yesterday, and it came with my race number and bib to wear. I am so excited and terrified at the same time!!! As of today, there are 17 days until the race. Do you know how fast those 17 days are going to go?!!! Oh man. I'm totally trying not to freak out.

I know that I said that before this came along, my idea of exercise was walking to the mailbox and back. I'm not sure if I was really clear on just how out of shape I am.... ;-)
I never received higher than a C in any PE class I EVER took. This wasn't because I goofed off or didn't try hard enough. It was because I wasn't athletic enough. No matter how hard I tried, I could never run a mile. One time I was literally 30 seconds past the cut off time. I was so excited! Of course that year I had Hitler reincarnated as a woman for a gym teacher, and an F I received. My mom tells me that when I was really young, a doctor told her that I would never be athletic or good at sports. How does a doctor even KNOW that when a kid is so young?? However, he was right.
So imagine my (and everyone I know) surprise when something inside of me said "GO FOR IT!" when I read about this marathon. Not only am I raising money for an amazing organization, but I'm challenging myself and everything I thought I knew about my own abilities.
I almost cried today when I ran a full mile. I only stopped twice for a couple seconds each. I feel like I am breaking the mold that was forced upon me by some doctor so many years ago.

Alex (our team captain PETA staffer) said in a recent email that at least half of us will cry when we cross the finish line. I can guarantee that I will be one of them.

Actually, it WAS a mile!

So in my last post I mentioned I had pre-marked in my head with my car's odometer how far it was to run a mile on Cameron Park Drive. Well, silly me, I had it wrong! I used Gmaps Pedometer and mapped my run today, and I DID run a mile! A FULL MILE! I can't even tell you how proud of myself I am!!! That means I am a third of my way to running the 5k with no problem. I'm so excited!!!
Thank you G Maps!!!

I'm baaaaaaack!

Seriously, everyone should just take the whole month of December off. It's so busy! How are we supposed to work AND do holiday stuff?!
Anyway, just because I haven't been writing, doesn't mean I haven't been running! Goodness, I'm impressing myself!
I have officially graduated from running on Orinda Circle to running on Cameron Park Drive! YAY! Orinda is too hilly, and not long enough. Cameron Park Drive is looooooong and straight.
Today was my first official day of tackling the long straight beast. Let me tell you, I'm proud of myself, but I have also never experienced pain like this before!! I made it about 3/4 of a mile. I think I could have gone further, but I've taken a few days off so my calves are kind of tight.
Running on a main street is much more entertaining than a side street. There are the usual honks and whistles, but also barking dogs in cars that fly past you on the road. Then, there are the random items you find on the side of said road.
I found 4 roadkills (said a prayer for each one), a mattress and a couple beer cans. Please note that I live in a pretty nice area of Cameron park. I didn't expect to find a mattress, and was tempted to sit down and take a breather! Just kidding. I don't need to contract any STD's from the side of the road.....
Of the aforementioned roadkill, one happened to be a poor little skunk. While my heart bleeds for these defenseless animals who didn't even have a chance, my nose wasn't so sympathetic. And of course, it was smack dab in the middle of the bike lane, where I was running. I smelled it before I saw it, so I waited for traffic to pass and made a WIDE circle around the poor thing to avoid any possibility of the smell following me home.
You know, humor aside, I really don't understand why there is so much roadkill. I ALWAYS brake for wildlife (and any moving thing for that matter). Are there really people out there who just don't care?? I can understand if it jumps out in front of you, but for those who don't even flinch their foot towards the brake, shame on you.

So I'm realizing I have a little over 3 weeks until the big race, and I'm not as prepared as I thought I would be by now. Darn those holidays!!! I'm hoping to kick it up a notch this month, becuase I really want to be able to at least jog the whole route of the race. I don't care if I place, or if I'm last. I just want to finish!
You know what else I want to be able to do? Meet my fund raising goal!!!! I've come up with a FAB idea, and I hope my fellow PETA Pack Members can do something similar.
I am hosting a Spaghetti Feed on January 17th at 12:00pm. The cost is $10 per person, a reasonable amount I think. There will be red sauce (meatless of course) and white sauce spaghetti, garlic bread and salad! I think it will be an amazing way to raise funds while having fun at the same time! So far I only have 4 confirmed guests, so I'm sending out invitations today. If you live in the Sacramento (or Bay area!) area, please email me if you would like to come!
Enough blabbing, I'm off to eat a post-run smashed white bean and avocado club sandwich! YUM!

And as always, please donate whatever you can using this page:
http://www.active.com/donate/PETAPack/jencar

Thanks guys!!!

Today's Run Playlist:
* Christina Aguilera's Greatest Hits Album "Keeps Gettin' Better"
(pretty much all the songs on the album will pump you up!)