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....