RACE WEEK!!

It's finally here.  It's race week.

I am just a mess of feelings this week.  I have tons that I have to get done for school before I leave and besides school I'm feeling nervous, excited, anxious, scared, worried and many other things.  I have worked really hard for this race but I definitely don't feel as prepared as I did before my first one.  With the injury I just wasn't able to get in the mileage that I was able to last time.  I also don't feel nearly as in shape as I did before my first.  Yes, I know, I can run 20 miles, how can I be out of shape?  But, I am.  Oh well, I can't focus on those things now because there is nothing I can do about it!

I had a rough running week last week recovering from my 20 miles the weekend before.  My hip has been bugging me and my knee has been hurting me.  I've just tried to stretch a lot, roll on my foam roller to try and keep knots out of my legs and do some massage on top of lots of icing!  That being said I've taken it easy running.  I didn't do as much as I would have liked last week and I went 4.5 yesterday which was a little rough.  Part of it being my hip and knee and part of it because I could feel all of the not so good for me food and drinks I had last weekend because my best friend Sarah Heinbigner was in town from California.  I'm thinking I'm going to take today off but am hoping I'll be able to do short runs tomorrow and Thursday and then 2 miles on Saturday just to move my body a little the day before the marathon.

FUNDRAISING!!!  I am getting so close to my goal!  $200 to go...come on guys!  If you haven't donated this is the time!  It is seriously such a great cause.  Even in the past 2 months I've had 2 friends have their pets go missing.  One found her little dog a week later and the other is still looking for her cat.  PAWS is a safe place for these poor animals that go missing.  Like I've always said, I know money is tight for most of my friends, but even $1, or $5 helps.  That's one less coffee from Starbucks, one less drink at the bar, or one less trip to McDonalds!  Please help me and homeless animals out! :)

I want to thank everyone who has already donated!  This being the first time I've ever really fundraised (besides for selling candy bars, magazine subscriptions, etc. in elementary school and what not) I've found it to be an amazing experience.  Not only because it has made me really push myself in training thinking about how I'm not just doing this for me but for a cause that is very important to me, and not just because I've been able to see the way that other people are passionate for the same cause, but because I've gotten to see the amazing support of family and friends that I am lucky enough to have.  It is truly touching to see a lot of these donations and people who are supporting me.  I don't think I would have been still planning on running this weekend if I didn't have that support.  This injury was not easy to come back from and I definitely cannot say that my knee is even close to 100%, but I know I'll be able to push my way through it and that is in big part because of your support, so thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I want to make sure to specifically thank those of you who have donated in the past few weeks: Amanda Bulman, Paul & Barb Morin, Corey Stone, Heather Sahr, my mom's clinic Flying Cloud Animal Hospital, Michele & Randy Knutson, Rachel Kay my fabulous roommate, Pat & Adrienne Morin, Kevin McDonough, Sharon Dibella, Jack & Sheila McDonough, Bill Hull, Rick Berken and Rick Schoeller.  Thank you so much!! It is greatly appreciated!

So one final push!!  I'll stop bugging ya'll for money after this week!  haha...no more annoying emails!

I'm extremely excited for the trip to Chicago!  I haven't seen my former roommate Sarah Pruitt in a whole YEAR!!!  That's craziness for us!  So we're going to have a fabulous time catching up and getting to spend time together.  Also both of our parents will be there.  I haven't seen her parents in over a year so I'm excited to see them!  Plus, our parents have a pretty darn good time together so I know they're looking forward to it as well!  One of my best friends from high school and her husband who live in Chicago are volunteering at the race so I'll get to see them on the course!  And they are being nice enough to take me in for the night on Monday for a little slumber party!  We also have family, Pat & Adrienne and Joe & Pam who we will hopefully get to see!!!  I'm thinking it is going to be a great weekend!  And I don't want to toot my own horn, but definitely a weekend I think both Pruitt and I deserve!!!  :)

So please, keep me and my beaten up body in your thoughts and prayers as there is a possibility I will need them!  But only positive thoughts from me from here on out!

Please visit my fundraising page to make your donation!
http://pawschicago.kintera.org/teampawschicago2011/kellymcdonough

Or, send checks made out to PAWS Chicago, w/Team PAWS 2011-Kelly McDonough in the memo line to me @ 10601 Zinran Circle, Bloomington, MN 55438 or send them directly to PAWS Chicago, Attn: Team PAWS, 1110 W. 35th St., Chicago, IL 60609.  If you send them directly to PAWS it is very important to make sure my name is in the memo line of the check, otherwise it might not get credited to my goal!

THANKS a MILLION!!  Emma sends lots of puppy kisses as well!  :)

Well, since the last time I posted I completed another 20 mile run!!...AND all by myself!!  It was not horrible like I expected it to be.  However, my water pack bugged me a lot during my first long run and gave me a really painful bruise on my back so I didn't want to bring it on my 20 miler.  I re-worked my route so that I could swing by my parents often enough to reload water and gu.  I went 6 miles at first then reloaded and went out for another 6.  I felt really pretty great after hitting 12!  But then when I hit 16 I started cramping really badly.  I think it was partly from the cold and partly from not hydrating enough.  I walked for about 2 minutes to do a gu and drink a good amount of water.  That helped a lot and once I started running again I was able to make it to 20!  It was a great accomplishment for me.  I didn't think I'd ever be able to do 20 miles before this marathon.  And now I've done it twice.  I think back to the pain I was in during July and all the doctors telling me there was no way I could do the Chicago marathon on October 9 and I am so proud of myself.  I would never have done it if I wasn't committed to doing this for PAWS Chicago.  I knew I was obligated to this and it has pushed me so hard and I'm thrilled to do it.  It is such a good cause, I urge you all to PLEASE help these animals and help me reach my goal!!  Donate at http://pawschicago.kintera.org/teampawschicago2011/kellymcdonough 

PLEASE & THANK YOU!!!

I only have 9 days to raise $400!!!  PLEASE HELP!!!

Click Here to Donate

20 MILES!!!

I did it!!  I completed my 20 mile run!!  Last Friday I went to KC for a wedding and my friend Pikul that I keep talking about was running her 20 miler with team in training so I decided to run with her because it would be easier with a group.  It was my first time doing a team run and I loved it!  Its so great to have the support of everyone, not to mention the water stops!  We started off nice and slow which is why I was able to go the full 20 miles!  It was a nice cool morning and I did really well at the beginning.  I did start having pain in my knee about 8 miles in when I was running down hill and my feet started hurting as well because I need new shoes.  My knee continued to bother me which concerned me, but not bad enough for me to stop!  I was feeling good at mile 15, Pikul and I both kind of picked up the pace and this was through a hilly part of the run.  Well, it was too early for my to speed up...about mile 18 I started struggling.  I held back a little and Pikul was great in keeping me positive and helping me continue!  However, I felt bad I was holding her back and finally after telling her numerous times to speed up and leave me going slow she sped up.  Pikul killed the run!  She did awesome!  And she really motivated me and I was able to finish.  I might have been in pain and running slow at the end and thinking I was gonna die the last 2 miles, but hey...I finished!!!  And I didn't walk which was my main goal!!

Before my first marathon 20 miles was the furthest I ran.  I feel like I need to do 1 more 20 mile run before the race, but I'm extremely nervous about doing it on my own.  My fabulous roommate Rachel has volunteered to rollerblade the 20 miles with me and I might take her up on that offer!  But I also might try to find a race or even just a running group here that I can do it with.

My weekend in KC was fabulous!  The run, the wedding, everything was great!  I got to spend some time with great friends which was so good!  I miss Kansas :(

Fundraising...less than a month to go!!!  Crunch time!!!  Please help support homeless dogs and cats by donating!  Visit my fundraising page: http://pawschicago.kintera.org/teampawschicago2011/kellymcdonough
I also would like to ask everyone to keep an old friend's cocker spaniel in your prayers.  He went through some intensive surgery Monday and needs your prayers and thoughts.

Renewed Hope & Brand New Confidence

I apologize for my lack of posting lately.  With summer coming to an end, moving into a new apartment and starting up my last year of law school, I just have not made the time to post!  But, I do have good news about my training!

Last weekend one of my best friends, Sarah "Pikul" Dyerson came up to Minnesota to visit.  It was her first time here and I was soooo happy to have her!  We had a great weekend which included some margaritas, the MN state fair (lots of deep fried food on a stick), and a run around the lake followed by brunch on the rooftop in Uptown.

Pikul is training for her second marathon right now as well and is in about the same place in her training that I should be in.  Pikul runs with LLS's Team in Training.  She has had much more technical training and instruction than I have had so talking with her about training is always very informative.  Throughout the weekend we talked about my running post-injury and both of our training.  Pikul shared with me some things that she has found help her and what not.  Heading out for our run, we planned on running around Lake Calhoun; 3 miles.  She is a much more conservative runner (yes, Pikul...conservative...not slow!) than I have been in the past.  She does a great job at starting off slow and conserving her energy to make sure she will have the energy to finish and hopefully to push herself harder at the end of her run.  So, I wanted to stick to her pace, start out slow.  Not only to just conserve my energy but to allow my body to warm up; something I had kind of forgotten about.  I also forgot how much easier it is to run with someone else.  We made it around the lake once and I was surprised we were already done with one lap, so we continued for a second!  I made it 6 miles without walking!  That is by far the furthest I have been able to run since my fall.  It felt AWESOME!!!  My legs were obviously a little fatigued, but my knee held up really well.  I did have pain after and made sure to ice and take anti-inflammatories.  But that run made my confidence improve so much...I actually feel like this marathon is doable and I won't be walking 10 miles of it!

After our run Pikul and I went to brunch on the rooftop @ the Cafeteria in Uptown and then I had to bring her to the airport :(

The next day I headed out for another run.  I was planning on going just 3 miles at my new pace, but it was going so well that I kept going.  I have to constantly remind myself to keep at the slower pace and I check my pace probably every minute or so which is annoying, but eventually I won't have to look as often, I'll just be able to feel it.  I made it 6 miles again!  I was so happy!  I definitely feel so much better and hopeful that this marathon might not be a horrible experience but a good one.  One in which I can be very proud of.  Running a marathon is in itself a great achievement; doing it after having 2 fractures in my knee, a slightly torn meniscus and cartilidge damage and missing 7 weeks of training is something I never thought I would be able to do.  I went out for a long run last Friday with the goal of running 12 miles.  Some people were concerned I was uping my mileage too quickly but I felt I could do it.  I wanted to challenge myself but promised I would listen to my body, and I did.  I made sure to hydrate and gu and I finished my 12 miles with an average pace of 11:30.  It's not what I would have thought my pace would be if you had asked me in May or June, but if you had asked me in July, I wouldn't have thought I would even have been able to run 12 miles yet!  My legs were fatigued afterwards, but the next day I wasn't nearly as sore as expected.  I did ice bath and ice a lot during the night.  So I am very happy and confidence in where I'm at.  And I am so excited to run the marathon with my old roommate Sarah Pruitt.  She and I haven't seen each other since last October so we're just looking forward to doing this together and aren't concerned with our time.

I will be going to KC this weekend for the beautiful Lauren Hutchison's wedding!!  I used to cheer with her at KU.  I am so excited to share her and Colin's day with them and to see lots of my great college friends!!!  It will be a crazy weekend.  But, Saturday morning Pikul has a 20 mile run with her team in training group and I am going to attempt to run it with them!  I know it seems like a HUGE jump in mileage, and that's because it is.  But I think that it is best to attempt this run with other people and with controlled training conditions.  I will have support of other people which always helps.  I am staying positive about my ability to do this run, but know that I will most definitely have to listen to my body and not push too far.  The last thing I would want to do is hurt myself further so I know that I might not make the whole 20 miles running, and that is fine with me.  I'm hoping I can make 18 @ least!  So, we'll see!  Wish me luck! :)

Fundraising...I need to thank my Grandpa, Terry McDonough and Patti and Jeff Sahr for recent donations.  Every dollar helps!  I'm a month out from race time and still have quite a bit to raise!  So any donations you can make would be greatly appreciated!  Visit my fundraising page and donate: http://pawschicago.kintera.org/teampawschicago2011/kellymcdonough or send a check made out to Paws Chicago with "Team Paws-Kelly McDonough" in the memo line to 10601 Zinran Circle, Bloomington, MN 55438 and I will send it on to the charity.


Thank you again everyone for your donations, prayers, and support!  

First run in 6 weeks

Well...I did it!  I got to actually hit the pavement for the first time in 6 weeks, since my fall.  I was so nervous, anxious and excited.  I woke up to a beautiful Minnesota morning: 65 degrees, zero humidity and sunny.  I was thrilled with the weather.  So, I set off.

My goal was to try to run (w/o walking) the first mile.  Then I wanted to run/walk to 4 miles.  I thought the first mile was do-able, but was a little hesitant about going 4.  I didn't know how my knee would hold up and knew if I was having pain I had to stop.  Well...I made it that first mile pain free...well at least my knee was pain free.  The rest of my body felt like a ton of bricks.  My legs felt like they were 100lbs each.  My breathing was out of control.  I felt like an obese woman who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day.  But I pushed and made the 1 mile...woohoo!  Pathetic that 9 weeks out from when I'm supposed to run 26.2 miles, I'm excited about running 1.  But, I continued to run till 1.5 and was having a little pain.  It wasn't sharp pains or anything really concerning.  It kind of felt like it was just getting used to the movement again.  I walked and ran off and on from then on till 4 miles.  I reached my goal!

I'm happy I was able to push myself to 4 miles regardless of having to switch between running and walking.  I think that will possibly be the case for a while while I'm trying to get back into it.  My breathing got better as I got into it but my legs were pretty heavy the whole run.  It was also pretty windy and the wind kept picking up throughout the run.  My Nike+ wristband was being really strange yesterday (because I haven't used it in so long: sad) so I am not sure what my pace was.  Before my fall I was usually between a 9:10-9:50 minute mile.  I think the first mile I did mostly in that pace but then I definitely slowed down a little.  I need to calibrate the wristband today so it can be accurate again.  Afterwards I felt pretty good.  My knee hurt a little bit, but not horribly.  I took an extremely cold ice bath after which I think helped with my soreness today!  I also iced 3 more times throughout the day to curb any swelling.

As I said, today I am going to calibrate my wristband so I'll just run an easy 1 mile and then possibly just walk for a little bit.  I want to let my legs rest a little bit.  I am sore today...I mean, my calves, quads, even my back and abs!  It's so sad how hard it is to get in shape and how easy it is to fall out of shape. But the good news is my knee feels pretty good!  So all in all the first attempt was a success! I am planning on doing 4 miles again tomorrow if my body feels ok and my knee seems like it can handle it.

I received my first donation from the family letters I sent out yesterday!  Thank you to Terry McDonough!  I really appreciate your thoughtfulness!  Hopefully this is just the beginning of donations from the family!  Thank you to everyone for your donations, thoughts, prayers, calls & texts!  Your support is so much more helpful than you think! 

http://pawschicago.kintera.org/teampawschicago2011/kellymcdonough

Dogs in the Courtroom??

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/nyregion/dog-helps-rape-victim-15-testify.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

I love this idea.  Here is just another example of how animals can help humans in such an awesome way.  The comfort that a dog can bring a person is amazing to me.  I know that personally, my little Emma can always cheer me up and is definitely comforting to me.  After a long, stressful day, the only thing I want to do is come home and snuggle up with her.

I do understand the possibility of the presence of a dog in the courtroom being unfair.  I recognize that this could be a problem, but overall, I think I believe that dogs who are trained therapy animals who can bring comfort to a victim who is testifying should be allowed in the court room.  If it allows a victim, especially a child victim to speak out, by all means, it should be allowed.  If jurors are instructed correctly on the presence of the dog I do not believe that the dogs presence would not cause that much of a problem.

What are your thoughts??