Training update!

Please excuse the absence of blog posts this last 2 weeks - Chase and I (and sometimes John) have been traveling and then there was the issue of the broken arm and so I've been away from the computer!

We are 9 and a half weeks out from Ragnar DC so I wanted to share with you some training updates from the team.  I am so incredibly proud of the team we've managed to put together - I'm sure most of you understand the time commitment required to properly train for a high mileage race and when you factor in that ALL of our training time is happening during the heat of the summer, well, it hasn't been a totally easy process!

From Kate:  "I swear, it was not this hot when I trained for my half marathon last summer! Whew- talk about some sweaty training runs! I am training for my first ever full marathon along with the Ragnar, so I joined a local run shop's training group. It's been so fun to meet other runners, and share with them why I am running the Ragnar! We have a detailed training plan, with a 6-7 mile work out each week to work on our speed, plus we have 3 days a week where we do 5-6 "easy" miles on our own. Then, we get together as a group and run a long run on Saturday mornings...the month of August will end with an 18 mile run! I've definitely begun seeing progress, and have improved my speed by shaving 30 seconds off my mile pace so far, so I think I will be ok to maintain an 11 minute mile for the Ragnar! Say a prayer for no injuries!"

Jocelyn is hanging out in Nova Scotia with family and reports that she's been getting in some good miles!  She tells me that there are some nice hills for her to train on and that she is feeling good!

Kari tells me that she has been averaging at least 10 miles a week.  This is awesome because before I asked her to be on this team, she wasn't even a runner!  She said she ran her fastest mile yet last week too!  Yay Kari!!

Christy is in beast mode.  She and Ben seem to be always in motion! :)  They have two of the sweetest little girls who help pace them on their bicycles on long runs.  Rain, shine, heat, humidity, morning, and night, they are truly a #fitfamily!  Every time I check in with them via social media, they are on the move.

I'll share with you what's happening here with me!  When I decided this team was a reality and we were a go, I started to put Chase in gym childcare to get some treadmill miles in.  The heat and humidity here in south Florida are just brutal, but there aren't too many hills for me to practice on (I have to get ready for 11 miles of rolling hills for leg 24!).  I've been lucky though - on my travels this summer, I've been able to run in lots of different locations, including Ft. Mill, SC and beautiful Kensington MetroPark in Michigan.  Both places have given me good opportunities to run on terrain I don't get here.  My brother-in-law in Michigan is a much faster runner than I am, and we had 2 really great runs this last weekend where I really pushed my comfortable pace and felt great.  I feel stronger than I have in a while and while I'm still afraid of rolling hills, I feel a little more confident in my ability to make it through.  I'm also pretty happy to be in double digit mile long runs!  I feel so lucky to have such good BRFs (best running friends) and we've settled into a good routine - Mondays are for speed, Wednesdays we run a Mickey Mile (for my runDisney Jeff Galloway fans, it's where you run 1 mile all out to see improvements and to help you figure out a reasonable pace) and follow it with an awesome strength class, and Fridays are for hills (either on the treadmill or in the hospital parking garage ;)).  We meet up with the local running club Sunday mornings at 6am for our long (slow) distance building run.  I can usually convince John (and Chase, although he requires far less convincing!) to come along on a 5 mile run Tuesday and/or Thursday from our local running store with friends - so that's where his training is!

And my favorite update comes from my sister, on behalf of Eric!  "Eric took a week off after a hurt back which was aggravated by a tumble down some stairs (on our vacation in South Carolina!). That tumble hurt his back more which made him walk differently which led to a fall down a few more stairs at Stone Mountain which resulted in a very swollen sprained ankle. After over compensating his other ankle started to hurt but after one trip to the chiropractor things seem to be looking up! He should be good to run this weekend :)  <--it was a pretty exciting trip!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE seeing how motivated all 12 of our runners are!  Want to know what else I love?!?!?!  That we are over the $2000 mark in our fundraiser!  

This weekend, we announced a new way for our 22q families to help us on our journey! 

We'd love your help to support the Dempster Family Foundation - we're asking for you to donate and sponsor a mile for your q-tie! For a limited time, we're offering a buddy mile opportunity! Maybe the $100 is too much? Consider teaming up with a friend to co-sponsor a mile - $50 each! We're opening up 50 miles to be run as buddy miles - if you are interested, tag a 22q buddy here to ask if they want to go in with you, then click on our link (https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/22qRun) to donate, and shoot an email to werun22q@gmail.com so we know who you are sharing your mile with! smile emoticon  

remember, your 22q-tie's name will be written on our van and we'll be carrying them along with us as we run their mile!

We want to include as many of you as we can as we tackle these 200+ miles.  Please consider donating to the Dempster Family Foundation and giving us 200 beautiful names to carry!  Your gift is tax deductible and the money we raise goes to the DFF to directly help families dealing with 22q (deletion AND duplication!). 

{I feel the need to reiterate the disclaimer here again - we have all paid our own way for this race - registration and travel expenses.  EVERY SINGLE PENNY goes to programs that help families and children with 22q.}

 If ANYONE has ANY questions, please do not hesitate to shoot an email to werun22q@gmail.com.

 

Eric Ziegelbauer

It is my pleasure to introduce Eric Ziegelbauer.  Eric is my beloved brother-in-law.  I really couldn't have picked a better person to marry my sister (yep, I handpicked the guy!).  When he says "family is everything," he means it. 

"I was always into sports growing up. In high school, I ran cross country and played soccer.  In college, I played intramural softball and took bowling and weightlifting. While in bowling class, I met Katie and she convinced me to try out for the UF bowling team. On the team, I met Katie's sister, Jesse.  She is now my wife, and together we have 3 beautiful children. Family is everything to us.  We are crazy people around the holidays, driving back and forth between our families, making a 3 hour drive at 2 in the morning so we can do Christmas eve with one family and be there for present opening in the morning with the other.  I remember when Chase was born - it was a Thursday and Jesse took the kids and made that 3 hour trip to meet our nephew.  It was a little while until he came home, so shortly after his homecoming, we made our second trip to the other coast of Florida and spent some time with our "diChase".   My boys instantly fell in love with their newest cousin, and when our youngest daughter was born, well, Chase was quite fond of her! (now that feeling is mutual!)

I picked up running a few years ago after watching/cheering/chasing Katie around Disney. Most of our runs are together at Disney, because its the happiest place on Earth (and because I'm really just a big kid myself!), with my wife, mother-in-law, and all the kids in tow.   When Katie asked if I would be on the team, I was excited and honored to support my family and raise awareness for my nephew. Whenever we are visiting Katie and her family (usually once a month), we go out for a nice, long run.  I am excited to share this journey and be part of this team.

P.S. I would like to apologize in advance for the rain.

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Eric and I have run more than 8 races together in the last 14 months.  It rained during Expedition Everest Challenge, then it rained during Wine and Dine, then it rained during the Family 5k at WDW Marathon weekend, and then we enjoyed a nice shower during the marathon!  I'm thinking we might need to run something out in California together ;)

I want to use this space to just tell you all how much Eric and my sister Jesse mean to me.  They have 3 biological children of their own, but they might as well say they have 4 children the way the love and care for Chase.  Literally, from his first day here on the planet, they have gone out of their way to be an exceptional aunt and uncle.    I am so honored that they will all be joining us in DC - Eric as runner #3 (he has the "ragnarliest" leg of the race!), and Jesse as our support crew, holding down the hotel room fort with Caleb, Kamden, Addison, and my 22qt, Chase.

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22q families, consider making your donation to the Dempster Family Foundation and sponsor a mile in your child's honor! We are asking that you try to fundraise a minimum of $100 for your mile.  Your $100 donation provides for 1 hour of educational advocacy, helps cover costs for educational programming to teachers, parents, and medical professionals, or helps defray the costs of sending our children to Dragonfly Camp! If $100 seems daunting to you, PLEASE set up your own "Be a Fundraiser" page - you have 3 months to ask family and friends to pitch in for your mile! Put away $7.75 a week, $33 a month, or ask 10 friends for $10! There are lots of ways to raise that money, so please don't feel overwhelmed!

 It is our dream to have all 206 miles run in honor of these amazing children!  Your 22q hero's name will be written on our team vans! Each runner will be given 3 buttons, one for each of their legs of the journey.  The buttons will have pictures of the children that particular leg is dedicated.  You will be able to follow along using the hashtag #werun22q on instagram during training and during our journey from Cumberland, MD to Washington DC.

As a thank you for your donation, for every $100 donation (or fundraised amount in your name), you will receive a picture of your runner embarking on their leg of the journey that carries them on your mile!

Help us ensure that the Dempster Family Foundation can continue to provide the services we all depend on to help our kids!

Kari and Ellyot Clancy

It is hard to believe it is July 1 already!  We are another month closer to our race, as most of us will be travelling to our destination 3 months from today!!

Today, I have the pleasure of introducing Kari Clancy and her son Ellyot.  I think Kari might have been the first 22q friend I made on Facebook after Chase was diagnosed.  

"Hello y'all! I was born and raised in Tampa Florida . I loved to run when i was younger, even joined the track team in middle school. Running around the neighborhood was also a stress reliever for me in high school. When I was 22, I packed up and moved up to Delaware with my Husband and our soon to be baby boy Ellyot. After a few short months of being in Delaware, we were introduced to the world of 22q. Since 2012, things have been one eye opening adventure. When Katie came to me with this opportunity I couldn't be more excited! The next day I went out, got a jogging stroller for my boys, a good pair of running shoes, and started training. I also learned I had asthma. I figured, if our 22qts can go through the stuff they do on a day to day, I won't let my lungs hold me back. I can't wait to do my first Ragnar and even my first race. Hopefully i'll get a few 5k's or 10k's under my belt before the big day!"

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When we decided to put this team together, I reached out to my 22q friends on facebook.  While we were trying to keep the project under wraps in case we couldn't get it off the ground, I was hoping to be able to find 12 people who were just as vested and interested in running a crazy long distance as I was.  I asked Kari, who said she wasn't a runner, but that she was willing to try.  I cannot tell you how impressed I am with how far she has come!  She laced up her shoes right away and now only a couple of months later, has several 6 milers under her belt!

Kari is not only runner 9 (van 2), but she has also been nominated team photographer :)

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22q families, consider making your donation to the Dempster Family Foundation and sponsor a mile in your child's honor! Your $100 donation provides for 1 hour of educational advocacy, helps cover costs for educational programming to teachers, parents, and medical professionals, or helps defray the costs of sending our children to Dragonfly Camp! If $100 seems daunting to you, PLEASE set up your own "Be a Fundraiser" page - you have 4 months to ask family and friends to pitch in for your mile! Put away $6.25 a week, $25 a month, or ask 10 friends for $10! There are lots of ways to raise that money, so please don't feel overwhelmed!  It is our dream to have all 206 miles run in honor of these amazing children!

Friends! we have several ways you can help! Choose an item off of our amazon wishlist (search werun22q@gmail.com), purchase a gas gift card to help us on our journey, donate $10 and pick a song for our playlist, make a donation through PayPal (email werun22q@gmail,com), or consider making a pledge to another 22q cutie's page so a mile can be sponsored in their honor.

Help us ensure that the Dempster Family Foundation can continue to provide the services we all depend on to help our kids!