6mi and still alive!

I have so much to share this week I am not sure where to begin! First and foremost I wanted to ask everyone to keep Maria's family in your thoughts and prayers this week. I found out this morning that Maria passed away yesterday. She fought harder and lived more in her 2 years then most do in a lifetime. She is a hero and an inspiration.
I continue to work every week to increase my mileage while decreasing my time. This week I shaved 8 minutes off my daily 3 mile runs! Unfortunately, I did not keep my pace consistent enough this morning to make as good a time as I had hoped. Oh well! At least I finished without stopping!! I had my first Gu today. Imagine sucking something the consistency of peanut butter, oh and you are so thirsty you are basically choking on your saliva-yup, that is exactly what it was like :) I was running with one of my coaches when I ate it, she told me "It takes some getting used to" and "Before you know it you will be craving it!". Um, I'm pretty sure that I will not ever "crave" something that makes me want to gag it's so thick! As hard as it was to swallow, within minutes I felt an immediate burst in energy like I was on my first mile! Woohoo- I thought to myself, I can totally do this! Then I hit 5.5 mi and I wanted nothing more then to walk the rest of the way! But I pushed through it and the feeling of relief when I was close enough to see my car in the parking lot was overwhelming! I am starting to truly feel like a runner. My lungs can carry me forever, my knees cannot! Watch out guys maybe I can do a triathlon next ; ) (NOT!) Side note: I volunteered at the Redman Triathlon on Saturday. Did you know that a full Triathlon includes a 2.4 mi swim, 112 mi cycling and 26.2 mi run!? Now you see why I said "Not!" :) I'll run the marathon and let you do the triathlon...deal?
I started receiving sponsor donations this week in the mail. I cannot thank you all enough for taking this challenge with me to fight for a cure. It is exciting to check the mail everyday and look for another donation for the LLS, another life saved.
Next week I will be at the lake for a family vacation. That means running 7 miles by myself!! I hope I can do it without my teammates. It will be a true test of my determination! Wish me luck!