a fresh start

isn't that what a new year is all about? a fresh start.... this past year has been memorable for the good and the bad - I am ready to start fresh!
Here are my proclamations - my goals - my accomplishments - my pats on the back

1. I've completed 6 marathons, 4 half-marathons, 1 50k and multiple 'fun' runs.
2. I want to run a lot in 2010 - I mean A LOT!
3. I have been diagnosed with cancer, survived surgery and I am now a survivor.
4. I have raised $4600 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
5. I am 16 hours away from completing my architectural internship development program.
6. I've been a running buddy for Girls on the Run and I got my sister, niece and nephew to compete in their first 5k.
7. In 2010 I plan to start taking my architecture licensing tests and make a plan to complete them.
8. I plan to be a better wife, friend, aunt, sister, daughter, running partner and person.
9. A better blogger - once a week - that can be a good goal - every post after that will be gravy.

I'm sure there is much more, but this is a fresh start to the blog - a re-birth for 2010! Stay posted, I have a lot that I haven't shared yet!

Here is to a fresh start!

Three of Three....

THREE – Diagnosed with Cancer and Conquered Cancer!

A little history here: in February my brother-in-law was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He is currently going through bi-weekly chemotherapy treatments and the scans are showing that it is helping rid his body of cancer. In March, my mom called me and told me that she had an abnormal spot on her upper arm and it was diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma (a very common form of skin cancer). She is a very strong woman and dealt with it all very well, even noting that the hardest part was the sores she was getting from the band-aids. This surely upset my sister and much as it did me, so I scheduled myself for a full body mole check at my determatologist.

On March 31st the determatologist removed a mole (that I have all of my life on my lower right shin) in order to perform a biopsy right then and there at the first ‘scan’ appointment (the photo is after the biopsy healed and before the surgery). Meanwhile, I was wondering if it would hurt at all when I ran the following Saturday – my second Yakima River Canyon Marathon – guess you could say that I wasn’t too worried (especially since the biopsy three years ago was benign)! Well, much to my surprise, the doc’s office called a week later and told me that the test showed that I had melanoma skin cancer (don’t go and google quite yet, ‘cause those sites will scare the crap out of you). I went through some pretty insane emotions – it is hard to hear that you are sick when you don’t feel sick. I continued on to a full work day after I got the news (I didn’t know what else to do). I had a lot of appointments to get me ready for surgery – yes, in order to get rid of my melanoma they had to perform a wide excision of a 2-1/2” diameter circle of skin from my shin (i'll spare you those photos - only a handful have seen the surgery site - it will still be a few months with compression before it can be exposed - also note my stripped sock in later photos).

Melanoma is no skin cancer to mess around with, it is the most deadly form of skin cancer and only 4% of skin cancers diagnosed are melanoma. In order to get my shin to heal they had to close the area with a skin graft from my tummy (and no it didn’t act as a tummy tuck, even though that wouldn’t have been so bad). The surgeons also had to do a sentinel node biopsy to make sure the cancer had not spread, another opening in my upper right thigh. My surgery was on May 6th and I was on bed rest, with my leg elevated at all times for 3 weeks with crutches and wheelchair transportation.

We received the wonderful news on May 14th that the cancer did not spread into my lymph nodes and that the wide excision removed all of the melanoma cells (even though they had began to spread). It was a very topsy-turvy month for me – yes, just about a month from diagnosis to the ‘all clear’ – which makes me a very happy cancer SURVIVOR! I am very grateful for so many things; my amazing husband (and caretaker), my family, my friends, my kitten and puppy, my doctors, science, faith, even sunshine (because even with it I got sick, but without it, my flowers would never grow).

Looking ahead, I had to postpone my Team in Training marathon in Anchorage, but instead will get to run the Nike Women’s Marathon in October in San Francisco (I will even wear flowers in my hair)! I am ready to get back on my feet and make a difference! I would like each and everyone one of you to realize how grateful we all are and to go and get yourself checked out by a dermatologist. It is really easy, and as I am now fully aware, a life-saving appointment. Oh yeah, and use sunscreen!

I have started running and on Sunday the 21st of June I ran my first 5k – the LIVESTRONG Challenge in Seattle (brian even ran the 5k with me). I cried when I crossed the survivor finish line and they handed me a yellow rose – the last time I cried crossing the finish line was my first marathon – and I guess you could say that this really was my first ‘marathon’ since the surgery. My life is slowly making it’s way back to normal and I still have days that I am down and days that everything hurts or I feel crappy, but mostly I am happy to be alive, healthy and moving!

Thanks to everyone who has gotten me through this tough time!

One, Two, Three – and on to many more……

Part Two of Three

TWO – Tacoma City Marathon (a new PR) – Complete!
OK, I’m not going to get to a full report – I have too much going on… here is the quick version. April sucked – I got life changing news – see next post. I trudged along and ran a couple of times. I opted for the early start at the Tacoma City Marathon – 6am is really early! I ran the entire way with Michelle and Jenny – we talked, laughed, ran in silence and made it across the finish line.

My agenda was to run hard and wear myself out and be active (again see next post). I crossed the finish line in 5:38:28 which was a new PR! This photo after the run says it all – what a group we are and a group that I am proud and happy to be a part of!

How good do we look after running 26.2 miles! Up next - Michelle's Grande Ass Marathon!

Part One of Three....

Ok guys and gals – there are three long posts here, after reading post three you’ll understand where I got all of the time to write!

Here is a preview:
ONE – Yakima Canyon River Marathon – Complete!
TWO – Tacoma City Marathon (a new PR) – Complete!
THREE – Diagnosed with Cancer and conquered Cancer – Complete!

One – Yakima City River Marathon
Taking a half day from work on Friday, I checked the pass report and raced to the mountain pass. It was April 3rd and I had to rush to beat the pass closing for avalanche control (yes in April I had to worry about snow on the pass). I beat the road closing and ran into a huge traffic jam – I was in the middle of the mountain pass, three lanes of traffic wide and we were rolling… I could run faster (I was really frustrated). Anyway, I made it over in time to pick up my race packet and get settled for my FIRST ever Marathon Maniac Reunion Meeting. It was amazing being in a room with 40-60 other runners that have the same running addiction. A lot of the Puyallup Y-Club runners were there and we took up a full row in the room. The lovely race director Lenore Dolphin called out each of our names and handed us a YCRM mug and we were able to say our names, MM status,etc. Eric made sure that we all made mention that we were from “Puy-allup,” we had a lot of fun. I remembered why I love this group of runners so much, we are all one big happy family! I even won a Marathon Maniac car flag for being the ‘newest’ maniac at the reunion.

A group of us headed to the Olive Garden for dinner. I prepared myself and looked up meals online that would still fit into my weight watchers plan. After dinner I stopped at a local grocery and got a few more supplies and cold water (oh yeah and my new tradition – a slice of cheesecake). I made it back to the hotel, organized my stuff and settled down for a quick nights sleep. The morning rolled around really fast – I made a microwave breakfast sandwich and headed to Starbuck for a quick Skinny, Cinnamon Dolce Latte. We had to catch the shuttle buses in Selah at 6:00 am, so I had plenty of time to wake up. With two hours to the start I was getting a little nervous, which is weird, this would be my fifth marathon – I was pro at this. I think my nerves were from having time before the start. At the small (30 people) runs, you get out of your car and go – although the time allows you to really get ready and make sure you are prepared. The race directors have a box of ‘drop’ clothes at the expo, so I picked up a sweatshirt from the box so I had an extra layer at the start.

The start was chilly, maybe mid to high 30’s. Clear skies and a promise of a great run. I started off with Michelle and I planned on finishing the day with her (she had just finished her first 100k, two weeks before – she is my hero). We settled into a great pace of 4 minutes run with a 1 minute walk break. Heading into the canyon we started up the first little incline, this canyon run is mostly downhill, but it has some major hills at about half way and then again about mile 22. Last year, this was my first marathon and I struggled through the canyon, I really worked hard this past year to make sure that I could have a wonderful second chance at the canyon. It worked, I lost about 30 pounds and I worked on my pace by running with others that were just slightly faster than my usual pace. I also made a conscious effort to rest for a couple of weeks before the run. The mileage, training and weight loss were in the bag – I needed the rest to make sure that I would perform at my best. Michelle and I chatted along the way, and at one point we heard a lot of birds chirping, we looked up to the canyon rock wall and noticed all of their nests right there within the rock face. These are the things that I really enjoy when I run; the conversation, the observations, amazing nature, connecting in so many ways.

We finally were able to make a pit stop at about mile 13, we didn’t want to have to wait in a line – guess we should have told the lady who was in there when we pulled up…. At this point I was feeling good, I had shed my coat and was running in capris, a tech shirt with my marathon maniac singlet on top. My pack was full of snacks; rice crispy treats, shot blocks, jelly beans, GU, but I forgot my cinnamon bagel and pretzels. The bagel and pretzels usually help ‘fill’ my stomach during a run and they seem to help soak up all of the sugar so I don’t get queasy, I did alright anyway. My feet were holding up well, last year I changed my socks at mile 13 and the insides of my heels were huge blisters, I’ve learned a lot in the past year. Body glide and lots of it on my feet helped me out, that and some memory foam insoles from Route 16 Running and Walking – Miguel has been my lifesaver.

Michelle and I made it up the huge mile long hill at the half-way point – we would pick a spot on the guardrail and run to it, then walk and run to another point. We made it and kept moving. I was feeling strong and felt like I had more in my tank, but I was really enjoying my time running with Michelle. We just talked away the day and I really helped mentally to have someone to run with in the canyon. Last year I felt really lonely in the canyon – but I needed that time alone to reflect and make some serious changes.

At the top of the last major hill there was a sign that said 3.7 miles left. Michelle looked at her watch and told me that I had about 30 minutes to get to the finish…. So I took off. Literally, I took off and started doing sub-ten minute miles – this was big for me, my usual pace is 12+ minute miles and at mile 23 in a marathon I picked up my pace and I couldn’t have been happier! I wish I could capture that feeling and breath in right now. Ok, so you’re asking, why such a big deal to get to the finish – Well, last year I finished the marathon in 6 hours and 39 minutes and I was on pace to finish in 5 hours and 38 minutes – a full hour and a minute faster. I really pushed myself to the finish and smiled as I crossed the finish line – 5 hours 45 minutes. I almost made it! And in my mind I did make it, this run was not about the number, but about feeling like I could do anything and I got that feeling. I ran with a friend for over 5 hours and I was able to pick up my pace at the end of a marathon! I had an amazing run and the feelings of finishing all rushed to me as I grabbed a bottle of water and sat down with the rest of the Y-club runners. I did it, I conquered the canyon again – this time I won!

A long overdue update:

It’s been while – a lot has been happening with us the past few months.

Team in Training has been keeping me really busy and I have been doing a great job running every Saturday morning with the group and my fundraising is moving right along – thank you to all of my friends, family, colleagues who have supported me so far!

We received some horrible new in mid-February, my sister found out that her husband has Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – the same week that I sent out my first letters for Team in Training which supports The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society – that is irony. Justin went to the doctor because he just wasn’t getting over the symptoms of the flu. They did a biopsy and by the end of the week they had the news. My sister is dealing with it quite well, my mom says she is more organized than ever. The entire family has been helping in whatever capacity they can, some babysit so Justin can rest, others take care of some of the bills, and others run for a cure (that’s me – I also babysat all three kids one day). So my involvement with Team in Training has now become very personal. Justin has started his chemotherapy and will continue treatment every two weeks for six months. His kids are ok, the oldest is 3-1/2 so they don’t really understand, they just know that daddy goes to the doctor to try and get better. My sister is working as much as possible to keep some income coming in (and I’m sure it is somewhat of an escape for a few hours each day).

In some wonderful news we found out that Brian’s sister is pregnant and is going to have a baby lovebug in August. They are having a little boy and Brian is excited because he can teach the little guy how to ski (and pester his mom). I am excited to meet the little guy!

On the running front I am getting ready for the Yakima River Canyon Marathon on April 4th. Last year this was my very first marathon – this year I am totally ready! I have four marathons and one 50k under my belt, and I’m a marathon maniac – I am ready! Oh yeah, my belt this year is going to be holding up my pants ‘cause I’m 30 pounds lighter than last year – I can’t wait to run fast through the canyon!

TNT weekly update and some running highlights from the past few months:

Week 1 - 1/31 Vasault Park – first run since my 50k the weekend before. Felt good to get out and run, even better to only run a short distance.

Week 2 - 2/7 Cushman trail in Gig Harbor. Shoe Clinic, I finally have insoles that work and the blisters are gone! Seriously all it took was some new insoles – everyone should go and see Miguel and SR 16 Run/Walk – he knows his shiz!

Week 3 - 2/14 Sand Dunes with brother and dad, I did not do any running, but man I rode that 4-wheeler like it was going out of style – upon our return home on Sunday the 15th we received the sad news that about my brother-in-law.

Week 4 - 2/21 We celebrated Brian’s Birthday in Cannon Beach. I ran 60 min. through town and some on the beach into the wind and rain. I was amazed that I could enjoy site-seeing so much – this is definitely the way I want to spend vacations from now on! We also hiked about 3 miles at Ecola State Park and rocked the trail – maybe I should try some trail running!

Week 5 - 2/28 Orting, Foothills Trail 8 miles – it was a nice flat run.
Week 6 - 3/7 ran from Vasault Park to Wright Park for a total of 12 miles.
Week 7 - 3/14 ran from Vasault Park to Wright Park for a total of 10 miles in the miserable rain. Then finished 3.1 more at Rogers park near my house – it was brutal starting back up after getting warm – at least the sun came out for my second run. I also signed up to be on the National Bone Barrow Registry.

Week 8 - 3/21 – we ran from Vasault Park for 7 miles – it was foggy, but not raining! I finished it off with 13 miles at the Pac Rim (a 24-hr fun run) with Michelle, Jenny and Abi. – Those girls are amazing. Steve, Rob & Jamal also did amazing jobs – maybe next year I’ll take a stab at it. After I finished my miles I whipped up some pancakes and made some grilled cheese for the group. Even in the weee hours they were munching on the grilled cheese!

I will be getting ready for Yakima this week and I can’t wait for 8am on Saturday morning – when I will conquer that canyon!

Here is my photo from last year - yikes - I did carry that 200lbs down the canyon....

Keep on running!

50k is how far?

I did it, my first 'ultra' - I ran a 50k on Saturday morning! That is 31 miles. I ran 31 miles. I ran 31 miles. I ran 31 miles. I still don't believe it. Saturday morning was the Pigtails 50k around Lake Youngs in Renton. I made it to the early start and ran the entire way with Michelle and we finished in 7 hours 2o minutes. The first lap around the lake (it sounds so short, but was around 9.6 miles) we had a fairly large group, which was really nice because we started at 6:30 and ran with headlamps - who is this writing... I woke up early on a Saturday and started running at 6:30 am. We ran three loops around the lake, which is the Seattle watershed and then a short out and back with a huge hill to the finish. I am sore today and my giganto blister has been deflated and is doing fine, I am also still really tired today. Through all of this I am super proud of myself. I did it! And now on to bigger and better things!

Anyway this is a short and sweet post as I have some running fundraising to start. I've been thinking about this whole running thing lately and that while it has been amazing and life changing for me, there are surely others out there that I could help while running, so I joined Team in Training last week and I have been reviewing all of my information and getting ready to get some flyers out to everyone I know. It is a really great organization with 75% of the fundraising going toward research serving patients and families that are affected by blood cancer. Thankfully I have not had first hand experience with blood cancer, but I strongly believe in research and supporting a group that furthers that work. So that being said, take a look at my fundraising page and help if you can. I will be working on fun ways to raise money and posting them here - if anyone has any ideas, I'm game.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/anchor09/jwillia6im

Also, please become a blood donor. It is easy, doesn't hurt and hey, what a way to instantly loose a pound. I've been donating every six weeks for over a year (that's over a gallon donated)http://www.cascadebloodcenters.org/home/index.htm

where 'o where in the world has jessica been?

Ok, I’ve totally been slacking at keeping my blog updated. I’ve been really, really busy the past few months – whoa it really has been a while. So here is the long and short of it. I really will get better at posting – even if it is only a few words, such as ‘I finished’ or ‘Today I ran’ or ‘Yipee another size smaller’…. So here it goes (this starts in the year 2008 – again, yikes!).

October
On the 5th I ran the Portland Marathon – I had a wonderful time – my lo-o-o-ng overdue and long race report can be found through a link above. The short and sweet of it is that I finished 1 hour faster than my first marathon six months earlier! Oh yeah, I was 28 pounds lighter – that might have helped. It was a great experience and I will surely do it again – I was floating for days!

I hosted Elinor's baby shower in the middle of the month. If I didn't already have a day job, party planner would be my calling, I love getting everything ready for guests, and especially for Elinor and baby Owen. We have waited a long time to meet this little guy, so his party had to be big. I really enjoyed the day and I think baby Owen has a lot of 'aunties' to watch over him. How cute is pregnant Elinor - she was seriously glowing!

I also ran the Dawg Dash with my friend Lisa and her kids Brandon and Abby. Darby tagged along too, since this is one race that encourages the four-legged family members. Brandon was almost 5 and he ran the whole 5k - I was impressed. Lisa pushed the jogging stroller with Abby and was really fast (I'll have to weigh it down next time!). Abby even ran the kids dash! We had a great day and I will definitely put it on the schedule for next year!

My sister had baby girl Ashlyn Patricia – baby #3
Brian and I baby sat my niece and nephew for two nights so that my sister could recover and bond quietly with Ashlyn. We took the kids to the zoo for the first time and then got them dressed and went trick-o-treating – they had a ball. Brycen was Spidermand and Haylee was a princess (I even made her a magical wand). We were wiped after we took them home - I can't imagine how my sister does it.

November
Started working in retail – yikes! Worked, worked and worked – trying to keep my sanity, and trying to keep my schedules straight.
On November 29 I ran the Seattle Ghost Marathon after working a full week at job #1 (40+ hrs) and job #2 (3-4hrs each night). I ran with Michelle, Margaret with Steve and Robin joining us for the second half. This run was totally not about my time, but about keeping Michelle sane on her second of three marathons in a row, this in turn kept me preoccupied and I just ran and ran and we talked and started singing towards the end – this is what it is all about, running with friends on a beautiful day in along the shores of Lake Washington. It was a beautiful fall day – in the 50’s, overcast and not raining (I even picked up a few pretty leaves to hang on the wreath on the front door). My running high was quickly ruined by huge chaffing issues with my REI performance underwear (they were too big – argg) and was nearly in tears as I headed off to work retail for 4 hours after running a marathon – yes, I greeted people at the door of a retail store after running for six hours and having my thighs rubbed raw – how the heck did I do it – I still don’t know, guess I’m tougher than I thought.

December
I worked and worked some more. Working in retail was a whole new world for me – People are really rude sometimes, and others are so dang nice and easy to talk to and help it is amazing. If anything else I learned a lot about the Christmas spirit and I transferred it to our holiday – we went small this year, but meaningful. I pulled my sister’s name from the hat and I gave her some great gifts – some lotion for her (when she gets some quiet time), some photos of her kids at the zoo in an album and a framed collage of her family. Gifts that were unique and created just for her. I did not get a lot of runs in (but when I did they ended up being long runs), I did run the Pigtails Flat Ass Marathon on the 20th in the snow with screws in my shoes for 26.2 miles with Michelle. My camelback hose froze about 1 mile in it was in the teens – I’d never ran when the temperature was so low. I kept my small water bottles from freezing by putting them in my shirt and alternating them. My Starbucks hot chocolate turned into a Frappachino by the time I started drinking it, but it turned out to be delicious. This was another slow run (6 hours 29 minutes), but running 26.2 miles in the snow is no small feat. I was a little sore after this run, my hips were achy, but I really think that I was using different muscles to help keep my balance on the snow. There were a couple of blisters, but nothing too bad. I did find wonderful Patagonia underwear – no chaffing – yippee! This was my third marathon in three months which qualified me for Marathon maniac status! I am maniac #1255 – I did it.
I got my jersey on Christmas eve – I was stoked! I might have even worn it to dinner at my in-laws =)
January
I ran the First Call Marathon on January 1st hosted by Adrian and he and his volunteers did a wonderful job. This is the first race that has provided pancakes at the finish line – and boy were they delicious, I’m going to try and carry some on an upcoming race. They settled my upset stomach the instant they hit my mouth (I had way too much sugary items during the run). The trail still had some slush (as seen in my Maniac jersey photo above), but after about the first mile it was clear pavement. I ran on my own, Michelle was doing the second marathon of a double and I didn’t make it to the early start to run with her. I had a great time though –my i-pod was playing Bennie and the Jets by Elton John over and over and I talked to my friend Lisa and her daughter gave me a good luck shout (nothing better than a 3 year old cheering you on). I talked to my parents and they gave me some kudos and I left a message for Elinor to make Owen wait until I crossed the finish line to come into the world so I could meet him (today was her due date, but it was not like I could stop him). Along the trail I saw two bald eagles perched in a tree and the beautiful Woodinville valley with the all of the breweries and wineries – maybe next year they can host an aid station – hey I might have something here I finished in 5 hours 42 minutes – only 3 minutes slower than Portland (even with the slushy trail) so I was pretty proud of myself.

Brian and I have gone Cross Country Skiing a couple of times since Christmas and we learned to snowshoe with Darby the last time we were up, the weather has been beautiful each time we get to White Pass – we’ve been lucky

Elinor & Jack’s Baby Owen Arrived on January 5th. I was fortunate to be able to spend a day at home with Elinor as she was getting used to another man in her life. It is really amazing how such a small person is created – it was a blessing to be able to spend time with them. I made Elinor and Jack a wonderful (I’m hoping it was good) lasagna dinner and made up their plates and left them to enjoy a quiet dinner as a new family – it felt wonderful to do something for others and I’m sure they appreciated a good home cooked meal (and I’m sure the leftovers were a hit).

My Upcoming Plans:
Registered for the Yakima Marathon in April, 1st Annual Rock’n’Roll Marathon in late June. I have a lot more that I want to run – I’ll get the calendar out and start signing up!

Pigtails Flat Ass 50k this weekend, my first ultra!