And in Other News...

I can run again! Yay! 10 miles at my first group run back on Saturday. I was so happy I almost cried.

Beautiful Jewelry for a Great Cause: My Team in Training Fundraiser!

Come to my TNT Fundraiser: A Jewelry Party Featuring the Beautiful Baubles of Billie B. Strands! (Artist Laurel Burns and some of her creations are pictured here for your viewing pleasure.)

Invitation is as follows:

The holidays are right around the corner! Here is a wonderful way to get some shopping crossed off the list, celebrate with new and old friends, and
support a great cause:

To benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, please join me for a jewelry party featuring the beautiful baubles of Billie B Strands, designed and handcrafted by my good friend Laurel Burns.

The party will feature light food and drinks, raffle prizes, and more! 10% of every jewelry purchase will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). As many of you know, I am currently participating in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training, where I am running a marathon (26.2 miles) and raising money for blood cancer research. Please visit my Team in Training page to find out more, and/or to make a tax-deductible donation.

This party is part of my effort to raise at least $5,000 for LLS as a Team in Training participant. I hope you will join me for this great cause and some beautiful jewelry!

Date: December 11, 2008

Time: 7pm

Location: My house -- 905 Myrtle Ave, Albany, NY

Good News!

It's too bad they don't ask you before they publish pictures like that in the Pace Setter. The Pace Setter is a publication of the Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club, the local running club to which Becky and I both belong. I also belong to the Albany Running Exchange, which is another local running club, currently in my better graces due to...well...not publishing a picture of me like THAT anywhere. At least, not that I know of.

The good news is, I can run again! I'm still a little nervous about doing so, but I can run again! I did 3 miles on Thursday, and 6 miles today. I'm still not sure how I get back on track in terms of doing the Team in Training schedule, which would put me at 12 miles next Saturday, but I'm hoping I can get there soon. The coaches will let me know what to do, and how. The coaches and Norris have been amazingly supportive and helpful throughout this period of injury.

I am so happy to be able to run again. I haven't felt like myself since I had to stop. Now I can reclaim the missing piece of my identity, routine, and spirit, and keep moving forward!

She's famous too...!

Check out Casey in the November 2008 issue of the Pace Setter!

Can't Wait to Start Running Again

Because blogging is a sorry substitute.

And just wanted to say I love you, Becky. Since I know you will read this. I'm so glad we are doing this together!

Every Runner Needs a Massage

Yesterday I treated myself to something that I wouldn't normally spring for--a massage.

The running books agree: massage is essential for distance runners.

But I figured, not being a particularly fast runner, or a wealthy one, that this was something that could be skipped.

Now that I'm injured, I've been trying to figure out ways to fix myself as quickly as possible. Holly came to mind. She is someone I know from theater, who is Licensed Massage Therapist and practices out of her home. Once, while doing "Anything Goes" this past May, I jammed up my foot pretty badly by running down the hall in high-heeled sandals (smart move, Casey!) I literally couldn't walk in my character shoes without sharp shooting pain. Holly took me aside, took my foot in her hands for a few (painful) minutes, and the next thing I knew, I could walk again--pain-free. This was especially helpful since I had 5 minutes before I had to be on stage, singing and dancing in front of an audience.

I could go on about some other examples of Holly's incredible healing abilities and sensitivity to people's health issues--there are many--but I'll stop here for now. So I made an appointment.

I had no idea how messed up my entire body had gotten from two months of beating on it for long distances. When she massaged my glutes....owwwwww.

So the moral of the story is, spring for a massage. It's so worth it!

The good people from the Office of Alumni Relations sent me a few more shots from the hockey game. Don't I look teeny next to these guys?

In other news...I think Casey deserves a huge hug from all of her friends, family, and supporters right now. To watch the clock tick down to race day and be forced to the sidelines for even a short amount of time... I can only imagine how she's feeling right now. The good news? 2 weeks may seem interminable, but in the grand scheme of things, it could be much worse. In no time she'll be back on the bike path, kicking butt and taking names. I ran 6 miles on Saturday and though I was going to die. Casey laughs in the face of 6 miles. 6 miles, what? It'll be real funny in Arizona, when she's running laps around me, taunting me to the finish line... but in the meantime, give her some love!

~RSF