I have been silently angry at my IT band for the last month and I apologize for not writing. The last few weeks have been taken very lightly and I may be switching to the half marathon rather than the full. On a positive note, I raised an AMAZING amount of money (still open for donations ;) and our team is ready to ROCK!!! Woohoo!

I'll be coming into town on Friday and leaving Sunday with tired legs and a giant smile for completing my second run with Team in Training. Go team!!

My marathon shoes match last year's marathon shoes. I put them near each other so they could share stories and wisdom. I'm hoping the old ones will pass on secrets of success and live vicariously through the new ones without remorse. I still wear them, after all. No need to be jealous, shoes!

16 Miles

This is my longest run so far! Woo! Every step was delicious. The Bingham quote from last weekend fit well today and I released my stress in each drop of sweat. It was a hot afternoon so the reduction was liberating!

I decided:

1) I am STOKED for my new old shoes. (New pair of the old model)

2) Running is my favorite.

3) I am afraid of geese and groundhogs.

Today I accepted that my legs were meant for distance, not speed, and the leisurely pace I took fit me just fine. What I consider to be a bit slow was damn hard, but I felt terrific. Every time my foot hit the pavement I thought to myself, "I have support. There are people behind me, and I am here for an amazing cause. We will do this together. My cousin's have it right: Curb Stomp Cancer." I had to fight the urge to tell each person I passed that I was running 16 miles to fight cancer because I didn't want to become a Spokane statistic. I sent the message telepathically instead.

I did have a toddler run towards me yelling "Mama!" at one point. I smiled and quickly ran in the other direction.

I've been working on form and function lately, so I must say that I have improved my "deep belly breathing." I also discovered the BEST combination for running snacks: chocolate covered gummy bears, raw almonds, and slightly salted cashews. SO good. The banana before my run also rocked. I love food.

Note to self: find and purchase yummy Powerbar things we sampled in first practices...

That's all for now!

"Our running shoes are really erasers. Every step erases a memory of a past failure. Every mile brings us closer to a clean slate. Each foot strike rubs away a word, a look, or an event, which led us to believe that success is beyond our grasp."

- John Bingham

Okay!! Finals are done so I can get back to writing! Coming soon.. Xoxoxo

My team is organizing an auction in Spokane to benefit our cause and I'm wondering if you can help...

Do you know any businesses in or around Spokane that would be interested in donating products/food/anything to an auction to raise money for fighting cancer?

All proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, of course. Let me know anytime before April 24th.

Thank you for your continued support!

Crystal

Donate today and make a difference:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl10/cgoade

"The long run puts the tiger in the cat."
- Bill Squires, Marathon Coach

Growl.

"I ran and ran every day, and I acquired a sense of determination,
this sense of spirit that I would never, never, give up, no matter what else happened."
-Wilma Rudolph, US track star

I am looking at my new schedule with trepidation. 12 miles on Saturday! Sprints on Tuesday! Ahh! Here I go!!

Today was crazy. It hailed, it snowed, it rained and it shined. The weather couldn't make up it's mind! I feel great. I was sick earlier this week and got back to running on Thursday before rocking it this afternoon. Actually, I did another 3.62 miles at a much easier pace an hour or so later with Joni (she's such a sweetie for slowing down for me).

I've been thinking again about all the people I run for and how my heart goes out to everyone in the world who has been or is being affected by the stupid, horrible varieties of cancer. Cancer sucks. I wish I could do more than run, but it's what I can do right now and I hope I raise the winning amount of money to make a breakthrough. Save everyone. Cheer. Kill cancer FOREVER.

That's what I dream about, among other things. Mostly, though, it's what gets me through these runs.

Rest in peace, Great Uncle Dick.

I dare you to donate today in honor of my re-commitment with Team in Training. I'm going all the way! High-fives are cool and all, but here's a new way to look at them:

1. Gimme 5 minutes of your time - go to my website at http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl10/cgoade and read about what I am is doing.

2. Gimme $5 bucks - just donate online: five dollars for a great cause - and hey if you want to donate more, high FIVE!

3. Gimme 5 friends - send this to five friends and help spread the word!

4. 5 was the age of diagnosis for Kamryn, one of the honored patients that I am running for. She is 7 years old now and still in treatment. It blows. Kill cancer with every step, every dollar, and every shout out!

5. Every 5 minutes someone new is diagnosed with a blood cancer - money for research is desperately needed. Donate now.

Another way to make a difference...

Komen Eastern Washington Race for the Cure®

Race Date: April 18, 2010

Dear Friends and Family,

I recently accepted the challenge to raise funds to support the 2010 Komen Eastern Washington Race for the Cure® on 04/18/2010 in the fight against breast cancer. One in eight women will be stricken with breast cancer in her lifetime and the more we raise, the more the Eastern Washington Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure can give back to fund vital breast cancer education, screening and treatment programs in our own community and support the national search for a cure.

Click here to visit my personal page and pledge your support.

Please join me in the fight by pledging in support of my participation in the Race or contributing generously to the 2010 Komen Eastern Washington Race for the Cure®. Your tax-deductible contribution will fund innovative outreach and awareness programs for medically underserved communities in the Eastern Washington area and national breast cancer research. It is faster and easier than ever to support this great cause - you can make a donation online by simply clicking on the link at the bottom of this message. If you would prefer, you can also send your tax-deductible contribution to the address listed below. Whatever you can give will help! I truly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.

Thank you so much for your time and support in the fight against breast cancer! Every step counts!

Sincerely,

Crystal Goade

To sponsor my participation online, click here.

A Mission Moment

Cancer Clinical Trials

A cancer clinical trial, sometimes called a research study, is a study conducted by medical scientists to improve the care and treatment of cancer patients. There are clinical trials that test and develop new and improved ways to diagnose and treat cancer in people, prevent or alleviate treatment side effects, help prevent a recurrence of cancer or improve the comfort and quality of life of persons with cancer.

Clinical trials are important for the treatment of leukemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma or myeloma (blood cancers) because they provide promising new treatment options and offer the hope of increased survival and/or improved quality of life. They may also help future patients with these cancers. A treatment that is proven safe and effective in a cancer clinical trial will often be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and become a standard treatment for future patients with cancer.

- (From my team manager a couple weeks ago)

We make a living by what we get;
we make a life by what we give.
- Winston Churchill

Joni and I rocked our hill run yesterday! Woohoo! My legs are sore from walking in heels all evening, however. Double score.

The Rummage Sale/Car Wash wasn't a huge hit, but it got us out there and now we have everything ready to host our own. Joe and I plan on setting up in our lawn and studying while selling in the next couple weeks. I'll be spreading the word soon.

Today's workout is 30 minutes of recovery to keep my muscles from crying later this week. I'll be swimming and working my arms, too! If only I could study in the pool... it's going to be a busy week. Love!

I've been thinking of the U-Tards a lot lately and sending so much love their way. Join me? Go Team Goade!! *SPIRIT FINGERS* in the general direction of Utah.

Hello all,

I wanted to thank you again for all of your support!!!

I've had a couple people ask for more info, so here's a quick overview:

MY FUNDRAISING GOAL: $2500

BY: April 18, 2010

(I can collect money until the race, but this is my goal for my goal!)

FOR: Little girls and anyone with cancer. Of any kind. Let's kick cancer's butt!

I RUN: June 26, 2010 at the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon: http://seattle.competitor.com/

WEBSITE TO SEND ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY FOR DONATIONS: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl10/cgoade

A little bit goes a long way :D If you're in or near Spokane TODAY, March 27th, we're having a TNT group Rummage Sale and Car Wash from 7am-3pm at:

Mt Spokane Church
6311 East Mt Spokane Park Drive
Mead, WA 99021

All proceeds, of course, go to fight cancer and get us across the finish line.

So much love.

Sincerely,

Crystal

Swimming! I added swimming to my cross-training last week. Woohoo! I got a nice Speedo suit and goggles at SwimOutlet.com for about $20 (with shipping), total SCORE. The gym at school has a terrific pool and I'm loving it. I adjusted my calendar a bit this week so I'm cross-training more and running fewer days; it's similar to this program: http://www.furman.edu/first/fmtp.htm

Thanks to Uncle Bret for turning me onto this last year! It's great!

Love. Donate today.

My uncle has colon cancer. It blows. He keeps trying to kill it and it keeps reappearing. I want to kill it, probably by strangling it with my bare hands. Unfortunately I can't. But I CAN run. I'll be missing my family team tomorrow :( but I will be there in spirit. GO TEAM. RICH>CANCER

Kill colon cancer.

http://www.active.com/donate/preventcc/teamipoop

Want to know what I do?

My schedule is pretty crazy during the week. Along with school classes, I run and cross train. I generally spend 3-5 days jogging and 2-4 days cross training (stationary bike/elliptical) or weight lifting. I bought a swim suit last week so I could start doing laps at least once a week, too! Gotta love school gyms. I love doing yoga as well and try to work it in as much as possible. When I'm home (usually while cooking) I do arm toning exercises with light weight and high reps - at least 3x/week and throw in a few ab/back days when I take study breaks.

My runs during the week and on Sundays are shorter (30-50 minutes) with a long run on Saturday mornings with my team (GO TEAM! Hours and hours and hours... not really but kind of).

Sunday's "Upper Body" workout is at the gym and takes a little longer than most days. I do big muscle groups and more weight for my arms, usually something like pull-ups, shoulder exercises, chest, back, shoulders again, maybe another back, triceps, biceps, done. I aim to do 3 sets of 10-12 reps. If I can squeeze yoga in I'm in love. These jogs are easy and quick: 30-minute for my legs to get a little working stretch after the long Saturday run.

Monday is rest day. If I do yoga it's short and relaxing to let my body recover.

Tuesday is usually a 45-minute interval run. For my "Legs" workout, it's simply squats/lunges, inner and outer thighs (machines), and calves (raises) and takes very little time. Again, 3 sets of 10-12 reps. My legs get most of their workout from training.

Wednesdays are busy school days. I hit the gym for "Upper Body" which is really more focused on the body as a whole and includes some core workouts. It takes a lot less time than my other arm days and allows me to spend at least 30-minutes on the bike/elliptical. Occasionally I run instead of cross-training (or do both when I'm feeling crazy). My other running partner, Joni, has gotten me out to jog every week since we started training her for a marathon as well. She's awesome. I like to do yoga right before bed but have been missing this a lot due to my late class. This will be changing. I miss it too much.

Thursdays I'm back to running! I try to do a tempo or longer interval run, somewhere around 40-50 minutes. I also relish in the soreness of all my muscles and totally pig out.

Fridays are rest days. I pretty much melt into the couch after class and try to talk Joe into playing (losing) Scrabble or Rummy with me while we watch movies/Lost.

Saturdays, as I said, are my long runs. These are set by my Team in Training coaches and are now over an hour. Joni and I rock another run in the afternoon. Yeah. It's bad ass.

Rinse and repeat.

I'm tired thinking about it. Thank goodness it's Monday! Zzz....

And the winner is...

NANCY ARNTZ!! Woohoo! $5 Friday Challenge is complete so watch out for the next one!

Thank you SOO MUCH to everyone who has participated and helped me out this year and last. I love you all. Let's keep this up!

Xoxoxo

In honor of it being the 12th...

12 Reasons to Give $12:

1) It won't hurt a bit!

2) An estimated 912,938 people in the United States are living with, or are in remission from, leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma or myeloma. Every four minutes, someone new is diagnosed with blood cancer. Every 10 minutes, someone dies.

3) Anyone can get leukemia; it affects all ages and sexes.

4) You’ll lose more in loose change in other people’s cars this year.

5) I’ll run for you. You don’t have to get off the couch.

6) By 1970-73, the five year relative survival rate had jumped to 22 percent, and in 1995-2001 the overall relative survival rate was 48 percent. That’s amazing process!

7) It will make you smile.

8) It will make me smile.

9) The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) made 4.9 million contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals in fiscal year 2009, through our Information Resource Center (IRC), our award winning Web site and community-based patient service programs. We put people together with experts through Web-casts and teleconferences, and provided professional education through seminars, to extend the latest findings to a broader professional audience.

10) You’ll give hope to a patient who is fighting with all they’ve got to stay alive.

11) You can openly pick on me here or on Facebook/Twitter for running like a crazy person.

12) At the end of the day, you can say you’ve made a difference.

Thank you again to everyone who's already helped! I hope you all have a terrific weekend. TGIF!

♥

Two weeks after I signed up last year I found out a friend had been diagnosed with leukemia. I ran for her.

I ran for every person the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society brought in to thank us at our various meetings.

I ran for a family-friend's mom.

I ran for my uncle, who has colon cancer.

I ran for the fans who stopped me every mile to tell me how I'd made a difference in their lives.

This year, I'm running for them again. And more.

Let me know if you've been affected and I'll dedicate part of my run to you.

Thank you.

Wooohoo exercise and health!

Team in Training promotes both and helps approximately 39,000 people a year achieve their dream of participating in an endurance event and become healthier individuals. And it's made up of 73% women! Girl power!

I ran hills yesterday and it was absolutely GORGEOUS outside!! Here's a little picture from the trail. Spread the word and donate today!

$5 Friday Challenge!

Midterms are done! Yesss!!

Here's my challenge for all my supporters this week:

I'm daring you ALL to donate $5 of the money you might spend this weekend on a coffee, a beer, a happy hour pizza, a magazine and ice cream, or even parking if you live in Seattle (!) and help us fight blood cancer!

The more $5's you give the better! Get your friends to donate, see if your company matches donations and spread the word! Ask coworkers, family, friends, everyone!

Next Friday I'll tally up the donations and whoever helps raise the most will receive a commission for a small piece of ART (a painting, drawing, homemade journal, crafty desire, personal chalkboard...) specially made for you.

Five ways your donations make a difference:

1) Your donations last much longer than the 30 seconds it takes to punch in numbers online. You WILL be making a difference in someone's life, even if your contribution is only $1!

2) $50 will register 1 person to be a bone marrow donor.

3) $100 will pay for the cost of 4 patient's chemotherapy drug prescription co-payments.

4) $500 will provide patient aid to a person with Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma or Hodgkin's disease for a year.

5) $1,000 allows patients to meet with health care specialists to design and discuss their disease, treatment plan and prepare them with the info they will need during the treatment process.

I have corporate sponsorship forms if anyone knows of a business who might be interested in taking part in our mission.

Thank you again for your support and have a fun and safe weekend! I'll be running for you!

Go Team!!

Crystal

My team has now raised almost $30,000 in a fight for the cure. Have you made a difference in the world today? Donate now: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl10/cgoade

It's tax deductible! Score!

Honored Teammates

These are the people I run for 5 days a week.

Here's one of many of our honorees: http://www.teamintraining.org/firsttimehere/honoredpatient

If you'd like me to run for someone you know, email me! I'll add you to my blog and keep your name on my running shirt. It's all for you!

Happy Monday!

Why?

I received a surprise phone call last night from my Great Uncle Gary. It was wonderful to visit with him and one of the things we talked about was running. It made him so happy to hear that another person in our family was doing this CRAZY marathon thing (my words, not his) and I felt the same. He didn’t know I had just signed up for number two!

When he asked how last years went, I laughed. I sprained my ankle pretty bad and finished the second half in about 3x the time it took to do the first. It was ridiculous BUT totally worth it. His next question was, “Why didn’t you stop?” This hadn’t occurred to me. Along the race there were spectators holding signs up thanking me, yelling my name, crying, and clearly impacted by the fact that I was there running for them or theirs. It was the most amazing experience in my life. I had raised over $4000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and over 75% of the money went to patient care and research. So why didn’t I stop?

Why would I?

I have able legs. Even when injured.

This year is going to be even better. I’ll be fund raising on the east side of the mountains this time but shouting for help from all my friends and family across the world. The Seattle Rock and Roll is going to be fantastic!! I hope to see many smiling faces when I cross that finish line and can’t wait to see how much I can help these patients!!

$1800 is nothing. Every dollar counts, people!!

Love, love, love. Spread it. Xoxo.

Dear friends and family,

I have recently committed to running another marathon with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training to raise money in attempt to accelerate finding cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma and bring increased hope to the patients and families who are on the front lines of the battle against these blood cancers. For those of you who don’t know, I ran with them last year in my first 26.2 mile conquest in San Diego. This year I’ll be running in the Seattle Rock and Roll and rocking the home team!

I attended my first training run on Saturday with the Spokane group, who is only a few weeks into their session. Their fundraising has already helped 164 families! I think this is incredible and hope that I can join them in their efforts with your help. My fundraising site is: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl10/cgoade

My team is amazingly supportive. We have “mission moments” every week that come from families who experience every affect of cancer. This week we had a woman whose close friend came down with lymphoma at 40 and found out she was pregnant a year later. Because of the rare case of her cancer, the doctors didn’t know how to proceed. There was one possible treatment that came from the core blood of one baby, but since her case was so severe it would take the contents of two to make a difference. The doctors didn’t even know if it would be safe for her to carry one as their was no previous case to refer to. Shortly after, she was informed she would be having twins. Not only did her children come into the world as healthy, beautiful babies, but she received a treatment she desperately needed and is still alive to watch them grow. Without the money for research and patient care she might not be here today.

For a little bit of history, I ran the San Diego Rock and Roll Full Marathon last year and hobbled across the finish on a sprained ankle wondering, “what the heck am I doing!?” and begging Joe not to let me sign up for another marathon. Ever. Again. But then a woman came up to me crying, threw her arms around me and thanked me. She said I inspired her to such a degree that she was signing up with her daughter for next year. She told me she knew it was possible to make a difference from watching me. It was all tears after that and here we go again!

Yes, I am asking for your support. The sooner the better. I know, I know, I’m hitting you up for more money in a terrible economy! But hey; it’s never a bad time to save lives.

I will follow up soon and you can track my progress at the same website I used last year:

http://littlestepslongway.blogspot.com/

I’m counting on you to help me make a difference and sincerely appreciate anything you can give. Come out on June 26th and watch me rock the finish line!

I love you and am always thankful to be a part of your life,

Crystal

Help me in the race for the cure! http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl10/cgoade

http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl10/cgoade

Here we go again!!