Happy Holidays From Team G Shock!

Well since its almost time to head home for the Holidays, we wanted to wish everyone a very happy and fun-filled time with family & friends! Hope that everyone has very safe travels to wherever they are headed and is able to enjoy some time off!

And just for fun, here's a look at our Team G Shock themed card that we sent out this year! :)

the front...

...and the back.

We do want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for all of the support since we've created Team G Shock. We have been so blessed to have such great friends & family behind us the whole time (and even beside us in some of the races!). And all of the very generous donations are going to a great cause to help my family and lots of other families have many more years filled with Holiday memories.

Event #8 - Snowflake 5K

This past Saturday was race #8 for Team G Shock! The Snowflake 5k in Shelby Bottoms Park in Nashville! The race started at 9:00AM which is later than most of our morning races, and thank goodness because it was COLD! I can only imagine how cold it would have been at 7:00AM! Luckily, Nate & I had cracked the night before and exchanged Christmas presents early (oops) so I had some brand spankin' new Under Armour cold weather gear to get me through! And he had a shiny new G-SHOCK (I had to) watch to keep us on pace!

We got to the race a little early and met up with David Wright, a co-worker and friend of mine who was joining us for the race! DW has been a big supporter of Team G Shock so it was great to have him running with us. There were over 300 people running the race, and it was a very similar course to the Shelby Bottoms Boogie 5k we did back in September. We've been trying to focus more on our goal of breaking 30:00 and decided to give it a go on this race. SOME of us were able to do it, unfortunately I could not quite keep up! I'd like to blame it on the cold I'd had all week, but it could be just because I'm slow. :) But one day we'll all get there! The good news is, that Nate & I both set new PR's! Here are the results from the race:

95th place - Nate Towne - 29:20

96th place - David Wright - 29:24

123rd place - Sara Ross - 30:40

We are so excited about our new PR's and this just gives me some more motivation to keep up with Nate & whoever else we run with! I've included some pictures from the race below. But first, some quick (and somewhat unrelated) news. Nate's company had their holiday party on Tuesday and they took some time out to share some announcements during it. Well, one of the announcements was that Nate got PROMOTED!! :) He is now officially an Agent at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment!!!! He has worked so hard for this and I am so proud of him! So if you see him, be sure to congratulate him!

Here are those pictures I was talking about...hope everyone has safe travels during the Holidays!!

Nate & me pre-race and cooooold!

after the race: Nate, me & DW

me & Nate - new PR's!!!!

Nate & his fancy new Casio G-Shock watch...

...that kept him on pace for a new PR!!

Snowflakes & Good News!

No, not the real kind of snowflakes. Not the fun, makes you want to run outside to feel them, and watch them all day from your cozy house snowflakes. Unfortunately, as I have learned in my last 5 years in Nashville, we don't get those. And if we do, they go away very quickly. But what we do have is the Snowflake 5K this coming Saturday! The race is at 9AM and is on a course that we have already run, which will be nice. I've been feeling a little under the weather this week so we haven't spent much time training, but hopefully we can make up for that before the race! And one of my co-workers and friends, DW, will be joining us for the race. Apparently Santa will even be there to lead the race! So keep us in your thoughts this weekend as we head out for Team G Shock race #8!

More importantly, onto the good news! Obviously, Team G Shock was started for a reason, and that reason is my Dad! He's been so strong through this whole thing. He had a check-up this morning where they tested his PSA level (for those of you that don't know what that is, its basically a blood test that is used to detect diseases like cancer in the prostate. The higher it is, the more it points to there being an issue). Well, Dad's level was UNDETECTABLE! Wahoooooooo! :) Great news! He's not done by any means, but this is a great step in his treatment. So thank you thank you thank you for all of the prayers and good thoughts and be sure to keep 'em coming!

Event #7 - Virginia Run Turkey Trot

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had a great time up in Virginia, and it all started with another 5k! On Thursday morning, we woke up bright and early and headed out to Centerville, VA for the 21st annual Virginia Run Turkey Trot! The race began at 8:00AM, but since it was so crowded we wanted to get there early. As I mentioned before our good friends the Baker's joined us, which was a lot of fun. Good to see them, and very fun to have them join Team G Shock for the day!

The race was through the Virginia Run neighborhood of Centerville and was packed! There were over 3,000 runners of ALL ages that came out, which was surprising since it was so cold out! There was also a ton of fog that morning, which made it interesting. You couldn't see too much ahead of you on the course (which I liked because you couldn't see any hills or how big they were!). It was also fun because it was so crowded and you were always in a crowd of people. In some of the races we have run, you can literally find yourself running alone for the majority of the race. But in this it was packed in the beginning, and although it spread out a bit, you were always surrounded by lots of people. And it was nice because some of the neighbors came out to cheer the runners on!

We also have a brand new Team G Shock record set by the very speedy Ted Baker! And then came myself & Nate and then Dad & Mr. Baker. Here are the official results (they don't have place-rankings for overall, so the places are in the Men's Division for everyone else and mine is out of all of the Women who ran):

65th place - Ted Baker - 19:45

875th place - Sara Ross - 32:12

1165th place - Nate Towne - 32:12

1239th place - Mr. Baker - 33:16

1241st place - Joe Ross - 33:16

We stayed after for a bit to enjoy some of the door prize drawings (although none of us were lucky winners) and for the awards. It was a great way to start off a Thanksgiving filled with family and fun! See below for some photos!

Nate, Dad & me before the race!

Dad, Ted, Nate, me & Mr. Baker before the start!

Mr. Baker snuck up to get a picture of me & Nate during the race.

We look pretty happy for a freezing cold 5k!

post-race: Nate, me, Dad, Ted & Mr. Baker

Happy Turkey Day!

We are off to VA for the holiday and just wanted to wish everyone a very happy & safe Thanksgiving! If you are up early tomorrow morning send good vibes out for the Virginia Run Turkey Trot that we'll be running. Details and photos will be up next week! Gobble Gobble!!

Big Announcement!

After some thinking and discussing this weekend, Nate & I have decided that we need to do more for Team G Shock. We've already doubled our fundraising goal from $1500 to $3000 (mainly because it was way too easy to reach that $1500 mark, so why not do more?). But, why should people donate more money, if we're just doing the same old thing? So, instead of 10 races, we've decided to run 20 races to help find a cure for prostate cancer! Nate & I have really had a lot of fun running together and challenging ourselves with each race. We've also had fun running with our friends and family and have felt so supported by everyone through this whole adventure.

We have race #7 this Thursday, #8 in December and we will continue to add more as they come up! If we run one nearby, feel free to come out and join us! Or, if you're feeling generous, donate to Team G Shock! We appreciate every little bit. And please know that it all (the running, the donating, the encouraging) is helping my Dad and many other men out there!

GOOOOOOO TEAM G SHOCK!!!

Holidays = more races!

Well, we are currently gearing up for Team G Shock's 7th race, the Virginia Run Turkey Trot, that will take place next week on Thanksgiving morning at 8:00AM. Nate & I will head up to Virginia on Wednesday night and then hit the race with my Dad early Thursday morning. Some very dear family friends (that we've known for a VERY long time thanks to the Army!) will be running with us. And when I say with us, I mean much much faster than us. But we're excited to have them come out for Team G Shock! So keep an eye out for pictures and times - there might even be a new Team G Shock record!

We have also registered for race #8! We will be running the Snowflake 5K right here in Nashville on December 12th at 9:00AM. Its actually on the same course as one of our other races (the Shelby Bottoms Boogie 5K...aka the race that it POURED during..aka the race that we set our current Team G Shock PR on!) so that will be fun to see how we do compared to last time! If you'll be in town that weekend, register to join us!

We have had so much fun over the last 5 months running these races and raising money for Team G Shock. Now that we've doubled our fundraising goal, maybe we should double our goal of 10 races to 20 - what do you think? :)

Gobble, Gobble!

We have officially registered for Team G Shock's race #7! Nate will be coming home with me to VA for Thanksgiving, so we're going to run the 2009 Virginia Run Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning! The race will take place in Centerville, VA at 8:00AM on Thursday, November 26th. As of now, myself, Nate & my dad will make our way out there for the race and maybe get some of my friends and more of the family to join us (hint, hint). :)

It should be a pretty fun race, and it looks like there were over 3,000 racers last year, so that will make this the largest race we have run in so far for Team G Shock! This is the 21st year for this race, and its only $20 to register before November 21st. All proceeds will benefit "Life With Cancer." If you'd like to join us, please let me know, or go ahead and register online! Or, feel free to donate to Team G Shock and we can do the running for you!

Event #6 - I Run For The Party 5k

A belated HAPPY HALLOWEEN to everyone! To celebrate, Team G Shock took to the streets for our 6th race. This time around it was the I Run For The Party 5k here in Nashville. I Run For The Party is a great organization that raises money for amazing causes through races and events.

The race was at 5:00PM on Saturday (Halloween) which brought out all kinds of fun costumes. Since we weren't so sure how well we could run in full-on costumes, we decided to go as the "TEAM G SHOCK ALL-STARS." :) And, we were lucky enough to have our good friends Jordan & Dave join us for this race (see pictures below for their costumes!). The race started on Demonbreun Street (try to pronounce that one if you're not from Nashville) and headed up to the round-a-bout and then up and back on Music Row. As many times as I've driven up Music Row, I've never noticed how hilly it is. It's amazing to run on a road that you drive on pretty often - definitely gives you a different perspective. I had a harder time with the hills than I thought I would, but as always, Nate was a great encourager all the way until the end! We crossed the finish line together and then were able to cheer on Jordan & Dave who finished just behind us! Here are the official results:

196th place - Nate Towne - 32:25

199th place - Sara Ross - 32:26

236th place - Dave Vaughn - 34:01

237th place - Jordan Moore - 34:02

After the race there was a big block party with food and drinks for everyone. We stayed for a bit, but once the sun went down it started to cool down a lot so we headed home to get warm. I want to thank Jordan & Dave for joining us for this race - it has really meant a lot to me that so many of my friends have come out to support us! And of course, I made them take a few photos, so enjoy!

Team G Shock All-Stars before the race!

This was supposed to be our "tough" face. I just look funny.

Dave & Jordan (aka H1N1) after the race!

Dave, Jordan, Nate & me after the race!

enjoying some of the festivities!

costumes, costumes, costumes..

one more for the road...

Double or Nothing?

Well, we've done it! We met our fundraising goal of $1500!! In only 4 short months, with the help of many many friends and family (and friends of friends, etc), we raised $1500. Every cent of that money is going to the Prostate Cancer Foundation to find a cure for this blasted disease! Woo hoo!

When we first set that goal, I thought it would be pretty tough to reach. But obviously, it wasn't so bad. That's when we decided that we needed something a little more challenging. As of this morning, we have officially DOUBLED our goal. That's right, doubled. So the new & improved Team G Shock fundraising goal is $3000. I KNOW we can do it, and I'm so excited for all that has and is still to come for this team.

We're also still well on our way to running the 10 races we originally set out to run! We ran our 6th race on Saturday, the I Run For The Party 5k right here in Nashville. It went well and was tons of fun, so keep an eye out for results & photos later this week!

And on a VERY happy note...I am pleased to share that my Dad is doing GREAT. Yesterday (Nov. 1) was 6 months to the day that he was diagnosed. He made it through a few hormone treatments already and 8-weeks of radiation. So far, so good. He will still continue to receive hormone treatments for a couple years, with check-ups along the way to make sure his positive progress continues. So thank you for all of your prayers and happy thoughts, and please continue to send them his way! It can't hurt, right?

Happy Halloween to Event #6!

Now that we're halfway through our goal of 10 races, its time to pick our next one! There is a race in Nashville every year that has always looked fun to me, so we decided to make that our next event. So...(drumroll please)...race #6 will be the I Run For The Party Halloween 5k right here in Nashville. This will be the 5th year of the very popular race, and should be a pretty fun time for Team G Shock. The race will be held on Saturday, Oct 31st at 5:00pm. Since its Halloween, runners are encouraged to dress in costume and there are even prizes for the best costumes and a party after the race. So if you're in Nashville, come join us for the run! Suggestions for costume ideas are welcome! :)

Event #5 - Pumpkins In The Park 5k

Well, we did it! We are halfway to our goal of 10 races for Team G Shock. Although, I have to tell you, there's a pretty good chance that we may continue well after the 10 races, so be sure to stay tuned!

Nate, myself, Mom and Dad arrived in Dunbar, WV on Friday afternoon. We were treated to some quality time with our sweet Lily before my brother Drew took me, Nate and Dad to pick up our race packets. As soon as we gave our names, I was very surprised (and pleased) to hear "oh, you're the Nashville people. I read the blog!". That was our first official random reader that we've come across and I was probably more excited than I should have been. :)

Once we got back to the house, we were treated to a delicious pasta dinner home-cooked by my sister-in-law, Jenny. We had a little more quality time with the family and then headed off to the hotel for some much needed rest. Unfortunately, my brother Geoff and his girlfriend Gabrielle couldn't leave until after work on Friday so they were driving into the early morning and we didn't see them until the morning of the big race.

The race took place in front of the Capitol building along Kanawha Boulevard in downtown Charleston. It had been raining the night before, but luckily it was just a little chilly on the morning of the race. The race began at 9:00AM and we all staggered into our own pace from the start. Gabrielle and Geoff were up front, with Dad in the middle, and me & Nate bringing up the rear (mainly because of me). The race was an up & back along the river and was a really nice course - very flat and a lot of scenery to check out. Along the way we had our cheerleaders (Drew & Mom) which was a nice motivation. Gabrielle finished first (with a new Team G Shock record!), followed by Geoff (also a new PR for Team G Shock). Next came me & Nate with our standard sprint to the finish and then my Dad finished it up for the team. Here are the official times for our racers. Thank you to Amanda with the Junior League of Charleston for getting me this info so quickly...

19th place - Gabrielle Kantrowitz - 24:18.10

23rd place - Geoff Ross - 25:02.30

74th place - Sara Ross - 31:31.74

75th place - Nate Towne - 31:31.85

82nd place - Joe Ross - 34:27.41

Oh, and just because I can, I would like to let everyone know that Gabrielle finished 1st in her age group! Our first official Team G Shock award winner! And I also just found out that Geoff placed 2nd in his, so way to go G&G!

I have to say that I am SO proud of my Dad for running the race with us. I know that it was just a 5k and he's done dozens of those, but he's never done one after 8 weeks of radiation treatment. And the fact that he was even out there with us was amazing! Also, I was pretty impressed with Geoff & Gabrielle - not only for running with us (and doing an awesome job), but for running after getting into town shortly after 3:00AM. Maybe that's what we need to do to break 30:00 - run on no sleep after a 6 hour car ride. Hmm...

Since we had our "official" photographers, I have a few more photos from the race, so enjoy!

our new Team G-Shock shirts that Mom & Dad got us!

dad, Nate & me pre-race

in front of the capitol pre-race

(Nate, me, Gabrielle, Geoff, Mom & Dad)

Nate (and me if you look close) starting out

Gabrielle crossing the finish line!

Geoff finishing up!

me & Nate (look - we're floating!)

Gabrielle, Geoff, me & Nate cheering on Dad!

take THAT prostate cancer

at the finish line :)

(Nate, me, Dad, Geoff & Gabrielle)

me & Dad post-race :)

Gabrielle getting her first place award!!

our faithful cheerleaders, Drew & Mom

and of course..the birthday girl!

Katie On The Today Show!

As I mentioned earlier, my friend Katie is in need of a life-saving stem cell transplant. She got to talk to Al Roker this morning on the Today Show to try to encourage viewers to sign up to be donors! It's not too late to sign up! Please follow this link if you'd like to become a donor and help save Katie's (or someone else's) life.

Link: http://join.marrow.org/4katie

Katie talks to Al Roker about her need for a donor - 10/15

(copyright The Today Show/NBC)

To Charleston We Go!

Tomorrow morning we are off to Charleston, WV to help celebrate my niece Lily's 1st birthday! I can't wait to see the whole family, and especially Miss Lily! And while we are there, we will be running race #5 for Team G Shock. This time around its the Pumpkins In The Park 5k in downtown Charleston. Myself, Nate & my dad are running with (hopefully) a few more members of the family.

The race is at 9:00am (eastern this time) on Saturday morning so if you're thinking of it...send a cheer our way! I'll be sure to post pictures of the weekend and the race so keep an eye out! And for a little preview...here's a picture of the birthday girl with her first taste of birthday cake. :)

A Request To Help A Friend...

My dear friend Rachel's best friend Katie has been battling Hodgkin Lymphoma for the past year and a half. I had the privilege of meeting Katie before her battle started and was thrilled to see her fight her way through it like we all knew she could. She went into remission last year, but last week was given the awful news that her cancer is back. Katie was able to donate her own stem cells to herself last year, but now is in need of stem cells from donors. Unfortunately, of the 12 million donors in the database, none are a match. We need your help! All it takes is a minute to sign up and then another minute to take a Q-tip to the inside of your cheek. Its free to sign up and you could be saving a persons life.

While Team G Shock is raising money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation, we are hopeful that someday ALL cancers will be gone so that no family has to go through what our family, and Katie's family and everyone else's family has had to go through.

So please, follow this link and become a donor: http://join.marrow.org/lifesource

Event #4 - Shelby Bottoms Boogie 5k

I don't know about the rest of you, but us Nashvillians had been getting soaked with rain for the last couple of weeks. And Saturday, when we ran the Shelby Bottoms Boogie 5k, was no exception. We woke up to thunder & lightning and TONS of rain. But we decided to head on down to the race to see if it was still on, flash flood warnings and all. And lucky for us...it was! :) We made our way to join the rest of the participants all huddled under the picnic shelter closest to the starting line. Once again a few of our very sweet friends joined us (even in the terrible weather) and made it another event to remember for Team G Shock.

The race began at 7:30AM, and I was very excited because this was our first chip-timed event. Not that we've ever been so far back from the starting line that it would make much difference, but it was just fun to know that our time would be EXACT. The race was on the Shelby greenway and ended with a loop around the lake. Our friend Joe led the pack out front, followed by Nate, and then myself & our friend Jonathan bringing up the rear. It was an interesting first mile since there were multiple ankle-deep puddles to navigate through (and no real way to avoid them). But it also made it a little more fun to try to high-step it through the water. After the first mile, I caught up to Nate and we ran the rest of the race together. We came up to the finish line with Joe cheering us on along with Elizabeth who was too sick to join us for the run. She was a trooper for sticking it out in the rain the whole time we were out there. Once again, Nate & I sprinted to the finish line and set ANOTHER PR!! We were so excited, and are getting closer and closer to our newest goal of breaking 30:00. So here are the official results for Team G Shock Nashville...

28th place - Joe Kirschbaum - 27:23

53rd place - Sara Ross - 30:53

54th place - Nate Towne - 30:53

79th place - Jonathan Insogna - 34:47

Once again, I want to thank my wonderful friends for coming out to run & support Team G Shock! It turns out that Joe, myself & Nate would have gotten age group awards (2nd, 3rd and 3rd place respectively) if we had bothered to stick around for the awards part of the race! Never thought that would happen. Note to self: stay for the awards ceremony from now on just in case. :) One more quick (but BIG) thank you to Nate's best friend Walzer & his wife Kim for their very generous donation to Team G Shock since we performed so well in the race!

And of course, in the tradition of Team G Shock, I forced my friends to pose for pictures, even in the pouring rain.

Joe, me & Nate pre-race (and already soaked)

post-race with the boys

(Jonathan, me, Nate & Joe)

acting silly in the rain...because we can

Elizabeth (our cheerleader & photographer) & Jonathan

me & Nate after another PR race! 30:00 here we coooooome..

Jonathan & Joe..I think the rain was getting to us..

Big Day!

Well, folks, today is the day. Today is the LAST day of radiation for my Dad! :) I am so proud of him, and I know he's excited to be done! The staff at the hospital was WONDERFUL and I know he was very thankful for them and for all that they do everyday. So now he will move on to more hormone treatments and of course, more check-ins with the doctor. I will be sure to keep you all posted on how it all continues to go!

We are also excited because race #4 (The Shelby Bottoms Boogie 5k) is this Saturday! A couple of our friends will be joining us, and we're very excited for that! Be sure to send out good vibes not only for me & Nate, but also for Joe Kirschbaum and Jonathan & Elizabeth Insogna! And if you live in Nashville and like to wake up early on Saturdays, come cheer us on at 7:30am at Shelby Bottoms park!

To add a fun twist to this weekend's race, Nate's best friend has sent us a challenge. Walzer (known to some as Matt Walzer) will be donating to Team G Shock, but based on how we perform at Saturday's race. For example, in the last race, we both ran it in 32 minutes and a few seconds. A combined time of about 64 minutes. Walzer has said that for every minute under 70 that our combined times come to, he will donate $10. So he would have donated $60 since we were six minutes under 70 last time. But if we speed it up a bit and both run it in 30 minutes, Walzer will be ponying up $100 to the cause and we'll set a new PR. There's some motivation if I've ever seen it. And, now that its on the internet, he can't back out of it, no matter how fast we finish! :) So cheer loud, and send lots of good thoughts our way..its all in the name of TEAM G SHOCK!!

Slight Change of Plans - Event #5

It turns out that we won't be able to make the trip up to Ripley for the Warrior Run 5k on October 10th for our 5th event. But, luckily, there is another race in Charleston, WV (where we will be) that same day that we will be able to make it to. We will be running in the Pumpkins In The Park 5k at the WV State Capitol Complex at 9:00am. There is going to be a whole festival after the race, which should be fun for Lily and the rest of the family. Myself, Nate & my dad will be running and we're hoping to coax a few other family members into walking since its officially a run/walk.

And tune in next week for results of our 4th race this weekend - the Shelby Bottoms Boogie 5k. We'll have some more friends joining us so keep an eye out for results & photos!

Family & Fun for Event #5!

We have picked our 5th race for Team G Shock, and to make it even better, we'll be able to run it with my Dad! We are heading up to Dunbar, WV for my niece Lily's 1st birthday the second weekend in October. There just happens to be a 5k run in Ripley, WV (about 40 min away) that Saturday. And since we'll all be in town, we figured we could make it a Team G Shock event!

The race is the Warrior Run 5k to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. It will take place on Saturday, October 10th at 9:00AM. So if you're in the area, come join us! Or as always, cheer us on from home if you think of us!

And for a little treat..here's a picture of my sweet little niece that we'll be visiting (just because its raining and it is sure to brighten anyone's day!).

my sweet angel baby niece, Lily Dylan :)

I remember...

...sitting in Math class at JMU when someone said there was a fire at the Pentagon. Being that most of JMU is from either NY/NJ or DC, no one thought much of it. It's the Pentagon! What could happen? 

I remember going to grab lunch at PC Dukes and seeing it on TV. It was more than a fire, but we still had no idea what was happening. 

I remember crying while trying to order food from the girl behind the counter who was also crying. 

I remember trying to get in touch with my Mom because as far as I knew my dad was still working at the Pentagon. It was so hard to get in touch with her because everyone else was trying to get in touch with someone. 

I remember finally talking to my Mom and finding out that Dad had moved to a new office (out of the Pentagon) on September 10th. 

I remember my Mom saying "the 2nd tower fell!" and me asking "what tower?" because we hadn't found out about the Twin Towers yet. 

I remember being terrified for my friends and family in New York and the DC area. 

I remember sitting in front of the TV all day with friends not saying a word because we were shocked. And then driving my friends to the other side of campus for a vigil that night with the rest of JMU. 

I remember the feeling of helplessness.

I remember the pride of being an American. 

Not only today, but throughout the year, I remember how lucky I am to live in a country like ours. And how proud I am that my Dad served in the military and that I grew up surrounded by military families. So thank you to all of you that serve, thank you to all of you that helped during that awful awful time and thanks to those that have given everything so that the rest of us can live the life that we live. 

Mark Your Calendars, Please!

Ok, here we go! Race #4 is on the calendar (and should be on yours too!). We will be running the 10th Annual Shelby Bottoms Boogie 5k in Shelby Bottoms Park right here in Nashville, TN! The race is on Saturday, September 26th at 7:30AM. There is also a 15k race that starts at 7:40AM for any of you more ambitious folks out there. So if you're in Nashville, come join us! And if you're not, cheer us on from wherever you are!! I can't believe we've already run 3 races - the time has flown by! 

I also want to give a quick update on Papa Ross & his progress. He is officially in week 6 of radiation treatment. He met with some of his doctors this week and all seems to be going well! YAY! So THANK YOU for your thoughts, prayers, donations, hugs, and everything else in between! Keep 'em coming please!!

The Legend Continues

Not to be outdone by the Nashville version of Team G Shock, my Dad took to the streets once again this past weekend for ANOTHER 5k. That makes it 5 since we started this whole thing...and we've only done 3. Whoops! This time around it was the Dewey Beach Lion's Club 5k on Sunday morning. Here are the official results...

167th place - Joe Ross - 33:31

He never ceases to amaze me with what he can do. Not only is it pretty awesome that he's running all of these races, but he's also kicking cancer's butt along the way. As of today, Dad has officially started week #6 of radiation treatment. That means 5 weeks down, and only 3 to go!! He is a great inspiration to me in this whole journey...I mean if he can do 8 weeks of radiation and deal with cancer, I can run a few times a week, right? So thank you for all of your good thoughts, prayers and support and please keep them coming! GOOOOOO TEAM G SHOCK!

Event #3 - The Great Prostate Cancer Challenge 5k

I don't know about you all, but I had a great Labor Day Weekend! And it all started out with the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge 5k right here in Nashville. I know that I mentioned before that a few friends were going to join us in the race, but it ended up being a few more than we had originally thought! I was SO thrilled to have some very sweet friends out on the race course all for my Dad! The fact that they were willing to get up that early and get out there and run (even though some of them hadn't in a while) was AMAZING to me. 

The race started at 7:30AM in Centennial Park and made a loop out onto the road and then back into the park. We all started together and then kind of staggered once everyone found their pace. I ran the first mile or so with the girls at about 10:40. Then I caught up with Nate and amazingly ran the next mile at a little over 9:20. I am definitely not known for my speed, and am usually just steady if anything, so needless to say I was pretty shocked when they told me I was running past the 2-mile mark at a little over 20:00! Nate & I slowed down a bit during the last mile but sprinted to the finish-line together once again! And it was a lot of fun to be able to cheer on our friends as they finished! So here are the official results for the expanded version of Team G Shock...

96th place - Travis Gordon - 29:53

115th place - Nate Towne - 32:09

116th place - Sara Ross - 32:10

133rd place - Heather Morgan - 34:35

134th place - Megan Kirschbaum (James ;) ) - 34:35

141st place - Malia Axsom - 36:56

142nd place - Ashley Ray - 36:57

I've said it a lot, but I really believe that I have some of the best, most supportive friends that a girl could ask for! It meant the world to me to have them out there for me & my family! And of course..they were gracious enough to let me take a picture post-race since the blog wouldn't be complete without it! ;) So here are a few photos of Team G Shock Nashville...and check back soon for info on Event #4! 

Travis, Nate & me pre-race

Team G Shock - Nashville post-race

(top: me, Nate, Megan, Heather & Malia. bottom: Travis & Ashley)

Nate & me after setting a new PR!!

One of my sweet friends, Ashley Ray. She has her own team for the 

Race For The Cure (Oct 10th). Join her team & help raise money for her mama! Go to her team page A RAY OF HOPE for more info!

Race #3 Here We Coooome!

Our 3rd event is coming up this Saturday, and we're pretty excited! First off all, its the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge..an obvious choice for Team G Shock. It's going to be great to be running alongside so many people working for the same cause that we are. 

Secondly, not only will Team G Shock be represented by myself & Nate..but we'll have reinforcements this time around! I am so thrilled that some of our favorite Nashville friends will be joining us. I have felt SO supported throughout this whole process and it will be an even bigger lift to have my sweet friends running right next to us. Let's give a big hand to the newest Team G Shock members...Travis Gordon, Malia Axsom and Ashley Ray!!! I know that we are all going to do GREAT on Saturday and have fun doing it at the same time! 

So, as always, if you happen to be up around 7:30am (central time) on Saturday morning, send some good vibes our way. Or, if you're in Nashville, come cheer us on at Centennial Park! See you after the race....

Updates Updates Updates!

I just wanted to write a quick update on Team G Shock. First off, in response to my last post, I've been to the gym the last two days, and I feel great! We ran on Tuesday and then I went to the gym yesterday and today. And we are planning on running again tomorrow morning. I am mainly excited because of how much it will help me improve my running. The running has clearly helped how I feel when I'm at the gym, so I'm hoping it will go both ways!

In other news...we have almost reached $1000 in our fundraising efforts!! That is AMAZING! I want to thank each and every one of you who have donated - it means the world to me! Plus, it provides some extra inspiration when we're out there running. So thank you a thousand times over! 

Our next event is next Saturday (Sept 5th) at Centennial Park here in Nashville! Its the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge and for all of you Nashville folks, we'd love it if you could join us! Check out the website if you would like to register! 

And one final note...today is the incredible Donna Ross' 60th birthday!!!! :) So, I'd like to wish a very special HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the best Mom in the whole world! And if you happen to see her..do the same! Love you, Mom!!

mom & i at the beach last year during a tropical storm :)

And we're baaaaack...

..ok well we've been here. But I am very happy to announce that I will be making my big return to the gym! :) Ok, so its not that exciting to everyone else, but I'm excited. Last October, Nate joined a gym at his work and a few girls from my work & I joined the YMCA so we could go at lunch time. We were dedicated - at least 3 days a week pretty much from October through March or April. And then we took a little break, and then we found out that my dad had cancer. And that inspired us to start this running campaign that we like to call Team G Shock! 

Needless to say, the gym has definitely taken a back seat. And it hasn't helped (but it is not an excuse) that every week we were somewhere different for a wedding or something - life kind of took over. So when Nate & I went for our run this morning (thank you to Mother Nature for what felt like 0% humidity and 70 degrees..ahhh), I decided that its time to add the gym back into the mix. So on our non-running days, and maybe even sometimes on those days, I'm going to get back into the habit of going to the gym. It really helps to break up the day, plus it will help with strength training and I can only imagine it will improve my running! So wish me luck...and I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes! 

Drumroll please...

...we've chosen our next event! It's the 3rd Annual Great Prostate Cancer Challenge taking place in 7 cities around the United States. Lucky for us, one of those cities happens to be Nashville! The 5k race will take place in Centennial Park at 7:30am on September 5th. So any of you Nashville folk that happen to be around, come join us! And if you're in one of the other cities, sign up and give it a go to help us find a cure for prostate cancer! Since September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, the races will take place throughout the month. For more information (and to see if there is a race near you), check out the website  http://www.greatprostatecancerchallenge.com/index.html. 

Hope to see some of you out there with us! 

GOOOOO TEAM G SHOCK!! 

Event #2 - Howl At The Moon 5k

Well, we did it! Our 2nd event, the Howl At The Moon 5k, was this past Friday night in the City of La Vergne, TN. It was much different than our first race - this was in Tennessee in August (ick), not at sea-level, and my dad wasn't with us physically. But he was definitely there in spirit! 

The race started around 8PM (there was a little delay) and over 200 runners headed out of the park. The sun had gone down, so it was pretty dark at first. The main part of the race took part along Murfreesboro Road in La Vergne which had a bit more light, and cars were lined up along the way since parts of the roads were closed for the race. Nate & I ran together the entire time and finished together once again! We were a little slower than the last race, but we did keep a steady pace the entire time and didn't get passed once along the course! And as soon as we could see the finish line, we went into a full-on sprint to the end. Our "official" (all I could find online) times were...

Nate Towne - 34:05

Sara Ross - 34:05

We took a few pictures, and most of them are post-race so don't mind all of the sweat! :) 

pre-race. there was a bit of a mix-up so our numbers didn't match. oops!

post-race & schweaty!

race #2 for Team G Shock in the books!!

my nifty athletes for a cure gear :) thanks A4AC!

and of course...us hoooooooooowling at the moon!