Breaking The Vicious Cylcle

SCD.       

Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

No Starch. No Lactose. No Sugar.

Not as hard as it sounds.

I have had luck on this diet in the past after I was first diagnosed, and after all the crap (Pun-Intended) I have been going through the last two months I’m ready to give it a shot again.

This actually all came about after a conversation with my mother over a week ago, (after a night of heavy partying on my part – I don’t recommend that for IBD patients).

Mom: “Call Dr.Cohen and refill your prescription”

Me: “All Dr.Cohen is going to do is want to see me and I don’t have the time to go in there.”

Mom: “But you have the time to spend all day drinking, the next day hungover all while in pain running to and from the bathroom. Makes sense.”

Me: “Well when you put it like that it sounds bad.”

Mom: “Is it worth it? Is it worth all the pain and the diarrhea? You should call your doctor, refill your script and go back on your diet.” Period.

Mom’s right. It’s not worth it. And then after talking to some team mates who are on SCD I put myself back on it. Now, I know dark chocolate isn’t on the “legal” list, but besides my 1 square a night, I’m pretty much lactose-, starch- and sugar-free for over a week.  My frequency has dropped to 5x a day and things are starting to look more normal. I’m still in pain and bleeding, but one step at a time.

My new food bible 

I ordered an SCD cookbook and tried a recipe from it the other night and it was wonderful. As soon as Whole Foods gets some almond flour in, I’m planning on trying to make SCD bread. But that’s another post for another time.

Dear Heartbreak Hill,

Pre-workout stretch
Dear Heartbreak Hill,

You don't scare me.

True I may not have just run 19 miles to get to you, but you aren't as tough as you think.

Last year, I ran Blue Hills.

Top that.

Love,

KerriAnn

Yes, I truly mean that. We ran Heartbreak Hill this past Saturday and it was not as difficult as I had imagined. Now granted we had only run a mile previous to the start of heartbreak hill, so I can imagine what it was like for those who have run 19+ miles to get there. That would have been bad. But I still think the Blue Hills/ "BOSTON13.1" we ran last year during Team Challenge was way worse. Not just Chickatawbut (the overlook that looks down upon the city of Boston) - up and down twice, but the 1.5 steady incline beginning at mile 10. That one was the killer. Slow and steady and I think it took my 14 minutes to finish that mile.

Victory
I may have completed heartbreak hill, but it kicked my butt. After struggling with diarrhea all week running was not something i should have done. I was weak, dehydrated and I could tell. The 3 miles back I ran slower than normal and even threw in a few walking breaks. I am not superwoman and when i am sick I need to remember to slow down.

I have not run since Saturday as I am still struggling with symptoms. I am signed up for a 6k on Sunday so running on Saturday is out of the picture. I'm hoping I am better by Friday, or at least good enough for a decent run.

Pray for Nana.

Over a week ago I complained of continuing flares, C-diff, and another ear infection.

Nothing has changed. Well, my ears are better (thanks to a lovely Dayquil/Nyquil combo prescibed by my Primary DOC since antibiotics are out of the picture).

*Note - my Prime-Doc then proceed to ask me to stop emailing him and come see him - sorry, I like email*

I got to see my GI-doc Friday afternoon. Because he "wanted to see how I looked and if I needed hospitalization." C'mon Doc, we all know I look good no matter what, what kind of question is that!

So after his approval, a new script for Vancomysin and a request for more lab work I was on my way.

The plan is to check for C-diff or see if what I am going through is a C-diff brought on IBD flare.

Still not too sure why my doc only requested c-diff cultures and not SED rates or anything, but I'm sure he is up to something.

All while I am trying to heal and figure out the best course of action for myself, I'm still training. But Thursday night's run was just not on the agenda for my body. After two stops again, Shira and I decided to head home. To cheer ourselves up Shira and I went to dinner that night. (Now remind you all this time I do not have my cell phone on me as i left it at my apt.) When I finally return home around 9 pm I have 3 missed calls from my mother. (And I thought she was just concerned about my health).

My Nana was in a bad car accident on Thursday afternoon. She has 5 broken ribs, a broken pelvis and a broken tibia right below the kneecap. She is 82. But broken bones heal. She was moved from ICU yesterday afternoon and is on the long road of recovery but we have a great family who will support her through it all. So that is why my normal Thursday & Saturday posts have been missing.

(I'm actually writing this at work in between inspection reports - to be posted later tonight)

Me and Nana Playing a game Easter a few years ago.

So I'm gonna close with how she always says goodbye to me. "Pray for Nana" and "Be good."

(where I say "I'm always good Nana" and she say "I know Kerri, you're a good girl.")
UPDATE: I talked to Nana over the phone and as I said goodbye - she told me to be good - she must be on the road to recovery.

A 5k and an update.

This C diff has really messed me up. I swear I have yet another ear infection.

I had to stop twice on a THREE mile run today.

And I'm almost alway in some sorta pain/cramping.

Oh yes. And I am still bleeding.

I hate really hate I.B.D.

So right now, I have two options. Diet. or Steriods.

And i know it may sound selfish and conceited, but I am finally below the pre-prednisone weight from over a year ago - I DONT want to go back on steriods.

So that leaves diet. And I have no self control.

Team Challenge ran their first 5k's over the weekend. There was a huge alumni precence at the Attleboro race. Kind of made me sad I missed it. But I decided it was the perfect week to take the Friday night to hang out with my bestie and catch up. Of course that included wine and martinis (remember the lack of self control from earlier?)

Cheesy Burger Pasta

Holy.Sore.Muscles.

Yesterday I was hurting. I'm still hurting today. I guess I wasn't ready for the 60+ lunges I did Sunday morning. So yesterday since Shira was resting her foot (inflammation in her big toe) I decided to hit the elliptical for 40 min then do some core work.

It also reminded what I love (hot guys/good sights/good people watching) and hate (only one elliptical free and no room on the mats) about the gym. But the sights were definatley worth it ;)

Last night I woke up at midnight with a migraine. I was able to take some meds and I was back asleep within an hour. But this morning I woke up with more then a soar throat. It just got worse. All afternoon I was sucking on peppermints in my office because it just hurt. Then my ear started throbbing (I'm probably the only adult who still gets ear infections) As soon as I left work I hit up CVS for soar throat drops and some nyquil.

Tonight I made one of my fav. dinners - Cheeseburger Pasta. Yummy :) I enjoyed Hamburger Helper as a kid, but as an adult I like to recreate meals like hamburger helperbut make them better for me and my body.

Cheeseburger Pasta

Serves: 2 or 3

1/2 lb Ground Turkey

1-8 oz can Diced Tomatoes

1/2 C Diced onion

1 tsp minced garlic

salt & pepper to taste

2 or 3 Cups Whole Wheat Pasta (Rigatoni)

1/4 C Kethcup

1/8 C Mustard

1/4 C Relish

1/2 C Mexican Blend Cheese

Cook pasta per instructions

Saute onion in Olive Oil for approx 5 min

Add ground turkey, garlic, salt and pepper

Cook until no longer pink

Add diced tomatoes and juice

Add ketchup, mustard & relish (amounts are estimated - make to taste preferences)

bring sauce to boil the reduce heat to simmer

simmer for about 5 min then add cheese

stir until cheese melted

add cooked pasta, stir to completely coat pasta

serve&enjoy.

(I chose to serve mine over spinach - i also saved about 1/3 of the pre-cheesed mix of turkey, tomatoes and condiments for tomorrow's dinner - cheeseburger pizza!)



Now, I could have sworn I wrote another blog post sometime this week besides Monday. I must be dreaming that. Well, maybe its because nothing really exciting happened. Tuesday I ran errands. Wednesday I ran a 3.1 mile loop. Had trouble with my Garmin not locating a satellite so I didn't even bother with it. Thursday was a 4 mile run in 39:53. My faster 4 mile. Seriously.

Saturday was another amazing run at Carson Beach. This week we did 6 miles around the baseball field and Castle Island. As usual, I hit the potty at L Street Community Center so I wound up running with my teammate Gianna this week. We finished the 6.1 miles in 64 min.. Averaging about a 10:30 min/mile. A little slower than I have been running lately, but I wanted to run slowly this week (I may of had  a little too much wine at Momma Alice's the night before!) and I wanted to meet a new teammate. I was also happy because Gianna said when she runs by herself at home its about a 12 minute mile, where with me she was running much faster. The perks of group running! I was so proud. I also won a raffle for setting up a fundraising event - and got some lovely TC gear.

Today I hit the gym for a much needed strength session. One thing I always say about half training, I always slack on my strength training. I maintain my weight, but my body fat goes up, and I don't like that one bit. So I hit the weights today. Followed by my Sunday routine - coupons, shopping, open houses, catching up on the paper and my maggies. I love my Sundays.

Soy Milk - after my workout.

Lunch - egg & cheese on a whole wheat bagel before two open houses and grocery shopping/walmart run.

Dinner - roasted beet and goat cheese salad with chicken.

That's what I love about Sundays... :)

SPEEDemon

Holy cow! Today Shira and I went for a four mile run up behind her house where there is a fairly decent sized hill that I wanted to tackle. Last week we only went part-way up and  I know I was soar the next day. This week i told her I wanted to go all the way up it. It was so hard. And we didn't slow down our pace that much either - which I'm not too sure if its a good or a bad thing. Here is our splits:

Lap 1 - 1 mile - 10:04
Lap 2 - 1 mile - 10:06
Lap 3 - 1 mile - 10:20
Lap 4 - 1 mile - 10:20

Funny how the major hill I talked about was the last part of mile 2. But I'm not going to complain. 40:50 in total and it was awesome.

Saturday's training run was 5.22 miles at Carson Beach again. LOVE Carson Beach. I ran with Super Dave and Will. I tried running with Amanda, but I couldn't keep up. She is fast. Although Dave wasn't going as hard as he normally does, I know I was totally going faster than I normally would. My legs were feeling it yesterday. My legs will be feeling it again tomorrow.

Following our training session we had a short yoga session taught by Coach Jenny. I love yoga, and love the stretch. But it was freezing. We totally needed it though.

 (Please note Shira in the right hand corner slacking off).

Miss (Lack Of) Motivation

Its kind of ironic that today we get an email from Coach Jenny about motiviation and giving yourself a break from all the stressors of life be going out for a run. And I haven't run since Monday. There are many reasons why I should or shouldn't run. And I know I need to get into that running schedule especially once we start tacking on the miles, I just haven't had the motivation this week. Yesterday spur of the moment I decided to take Nana Helen to dinner. Maybe it was the start of Lent, maybe its that I haven't seen her, i don't know but as I got off the highway last night I decided to see if she would want to go to dinner, and of course she did.

Today I had to leave work early and go see my G.I. after all that happend last week with the C. Diff Colitis. I knew it was serious and that I was predisposed to it because of the IBD but I did not realize the severity of the situation. I will have to be careful for the next year if I'm ever put on antibiotics. C diff can be deadly if not treated properly. I can understand because last week I thought I was going to die. When that was over (after waiting over 30 mins for my doctor) it was 530 pm and my doctor just so happens to be right around the corner from one of my favorite places:

Trader Joes. My Love. Got a bunch of goodies. Seriously where else can you get such quality, good for you food for (semi-)cheap. whole foods - no way. That size bag from whole Foods would have cost me nearly $20 more than what I paid at TJs. But whole foods is a lot bigger than this store. The goods:

Random. I know. And worst of all I didn't eat any of it tonight (well, maybe I had one of those pistachio covered toffee). Although I can't wait to crack the green juice tomorrow. I know. So gross. But so good. Maybe I should invest in a juicer.

Dinner:

Yum. Chicken. Brown Rice. Salad. Yum. I eat like this 95% of the time (hey, I don't claim to be perfect) but funny, I remain forty pounds overweight. I hate you steriods.

Health Update & Pacing

Saturday after our team training I had to head over to the Deaconess Glover Hospital for some lab work. My GI was on vacation last week, so my primary care physician called in some lab work to check out whether I had a bacteria or virus or something like that causing the diarrhea and cramping I was experiencing all last week. When he calls you back on a Sunday you know something is wrong. I have C Diff Colitis caused by the antibiotics I took two weeks ago. Good thing people with UC and Crohn's are predisposed to that (says so right on the website when I googled it). C Diff comes either mild or severe -  I'll let you guess what I had. But that means another 10-day round of antibiotics.

Okay. That's where things are with me.

One of the things I like about my Garmin is it shows me how well (or how poorly) I pace myself. Now granted things like hills and stuff totally affect my speed, but the picture above was from Saturday at Carson beach which is rather flat. You cansee right around the halfway mark where we turned around, but other wise these are a few ups and downs that worry me. Jacy and I pretty much stayed together the entire time and I know we slowed to talk to some people, but I was really surprised to see the fluctuations.

When I run by myself (in daylight) I can focus on my pace (I've actually learned to look at just pace and not time or distance anymore) but when I'm running with friends I totally forget about my garmin and just go.

Oh well. I guess thats one more thing to work on. I just got my new kindle, as my other one froze - and I think I may of had withdrawals. Good night :)

Team JACEface

I have a home! :) As a TC Alum I don't get a mentor which the newbiew get. Last year my mentor, Bethanne< was simply fabulous. She connected with me while I was out to sea, answered all my "am I going to be able to do this?" questions and was just really motivating. I love her and miss her terribly. But as everyone has been connecting with their mentor I just hang out with fellow alums and introduce myself to their mentees (I'm still trying to learn everyone's name!). But I just placed on my friend JACY's team (aka Team JACEface) and I now have a home. SUPER EXCITED About that.

(A portion of us refueling after our run)

Yesterday we took training to Carson Beach in Southie. Maybe one of my favorite places to run, especially when the weather gets better and everyone is out running there. But we had a huge showing of teammates there which was amazing and we set out for a 5 mile run. It took us 50 min to run (with two bathroom stops) but it totally flew by. Jacy of course waited for me whenver I needed to take a pit stop, but we would shortly catch back up with everyone.

After our run a group of us got together and headed to Mul's Diner in Southie for some breakfast.

Commence stuffing Face. LOOOOVVVVEEEEE! So good to get to know some new teammates and catch up with some old friends. Of course we had to ask Coach Chris for no judgment prior to commencement. Just kidding. Sorta. I did scarf down a bacon egg & cheese on and English and split a stack of pancakes with teammate Jacquiline. Yes, a food coma was to follow.



Week 3 Recap.

Week 3 has come and gone. How can we already be on week 4 of training? This is going by WAY too fast for me. Like I had mentioned before Team Challenge is a 16 week training and fundraising program. So far I have raised $1,500. almost halfway to my goal of $3,500. Of course I am oh so grateful to all those who donate and I try to immediately send out a thank you.

A few weeks back I had some time on a plane ride home from business so I wrote out all my thank-yous that flight. I wish I could say I have received donations since, but unfortunately that is not true. I've pre-planned a March Madness Fundraiser which should bring in some donations, but I'm going to have to get creative here pretty soon.

As far as training has been going, I'm loving every minute of it. This past Saturday we had a cold, snow and slippery run at D.W. Field Park in Brockton. Of course, we were supposed to do 25 min out and 25 min back, but Jacy Jen and I wanted to see if the path we were on looped around and we actually finished 4 miles in 42 min. Whoops. We were close to the 50 min!

Damn we look good. I love team photos. The Monday (last) night, my teammate Shira and I ran together around Norwood since she lives here too! We did a nice 3.75 mile loop through the center of town. I totally didn't even start my garmin the first mile. And of course didn't set the laps so I would have an average of my mile times. But for the time I did have the garmin going we averaged 10:55 min/mile. Not bad considering we were talking, going uphill and dodging rush hour traffic and puddles. A successful run if I do say so myself.

So far all I have had is good news. So onto the bad I guess. Well it may not be bad. I don't know yet. I'm pretty much praying I have some sorta virus right now, otherwise I am having a horrible flare with symptoms that aren't normal to me. Like I have stated before I tend to see blood when I am flaring. I'm actually using a suppository right now for that fact. Last night though I started getting major stomach cramps and the runs. It lasted all day at work. I was actually afraid I wasn't going to make it to the bathroom once. These are symptoms of IBD, just not mine. So I am hoping it is a virus or a bug and I'll be over it quick. For now, its time to finish my book and get some rest for tomorrow. Goodnight all! 

Ass down Feet up.

What a good night for a run. My original plan was to run this morning because last nights run was superseded by the new washer and dryer that I got delivered yesterday. But when I checked the weather as my alarm was going off at 5 am and saw it was 5 degrees outside I reset the alarm and went back to bed. I'm kinda a baby. So after work today I was determined to get that run in. I had a hard time getting my Garmin to load the satellite so I ran my first 0.7 miles without it. Finally when It began working I got these for splits:

Lap 1: 1 mile 10:31
Lap 2: 1 mile 10:30
Lap 3: 0.34 mile 3:45 (11:06/mile pace)

Normally I'm pretty good running 10:30/mile on the street. The last wee bit of my run however I ended up on my butt. Full Fledged slip on some ice. I'm pretty sure I'll be feeling it tomorrow. The worst part is I slipped while trying to stop when I came across the giant patch of ice. Oh well. Its winter in New England.

I brushed myself off, came home and made this:

Like my Valentine's place mat? This was a turkey sausage casserole thing I had seen in a magazine and made one Sunday. But since I make meals big enough to feed an army, I froze a few portions and pulled out out the other day to defrost so I could have it tonight. I had it over some spinach as you can see because I feel you should eat tons of greens. Plus I have low Iron counts when I'm bleeding from the IBD so every little bit helps right?

Then this happened:

Love my new washer and dryer. DESPISE! folding clothes. I purposely empty laundry baskets onto my bed cause I won't throw clean clothes on the floor (although I have totally slept with them on my bed before, don't judge). Now its time to finish my glass of vino, read my magazine (FITNESS) and crawl into bed soon.

On a good note. I have not seen blood for days! YAY! Love Rowasa! Let's hope this keeps up. My Nana told me she was praying for me tonight (she better since she hung up on me cause I interrupted the rosary on TV!). Nana's always praying to heal me...

New Goal...

Whoa. I'm officially the worst blogger ever. But I've set a new goal. Along with my training goals, this blog was supposed to be a part of it all. So No promises of every day, but let's start with 3 times a week. I usually run three times a week, why not blog three times a week.

Phewww, now that that's off my chest - on to the good stuff.

LOVE. I had a killer hot yoga session tonight. Totally needed it. But since it dehydrates me so much I can only participate once a week. Disappointment, but oh well. That's the life of an IBD patient.

After a great workout I was famished! Then this happened.



Is it just me or do I have HUGE plates! Normally I just use my salad plates, and I honestly didn't realize I was on a huge plate until I looked at this picture. It was so delish. Roasted sweet potatoes, kale and onion saute, and a piece of chicken breast (nothing exciting, just an purdue oven backed chicken breast). YUM.What's even better is this - 

 LEFTOVERS! Lunch for tomorrow as well as some kale saute for tomorrow night. Love it. Tomorrow after work I will be running so the fuel above going to be put to use :)

So As I have mentioned previously I am currently flaring. Just like when I was first diagnosed I started noticing blood when I would go to the bathroom, and finally broke down and called the doctor when I would see blood after I farted. I was again put on Rowasa (suppository) which I am to take at night before bed. Just another medicine added to my nightly routine. Things have begun to improve, but if I go one night without using the Rowasa, i notice blood again. So I'll keep at it, but if things don't change after I use up my 1st month's supply I might be calling my Doc again.

Since I have been flaring, I make it a point to get 7-8 hours of sleep. Granted, I make a point to get 7-8 hours of sleep when I'm healthy, but when I'm flaring my bed calls me earlier and earlier. So this is what's waiting for me now -

Yes, I still sleep with stuffed animals. And after my uncle had coronary bypass earlier this year, I have made it a point to educate myself on the heart and heart disease.

Don't forget to DONATE today!

TC looove..

Today was a day full of TC love. One of the most rewarding outcomes of Team Challenge is the friendships created during training. This was extremely apparent today when I went to Dream Dinners for a fundraising party hosted by Vegas '10 Participant Amanda for Vegas '10 and Virginia '11 participant Julia. Oh, and I was one of 5 TC participants who showed up to support Amanda and Julia and the CCFA. It didn't help that I walked away with all the ingredients to make this:

YUMMM! Chicken breast with veggies in a tomato based sauce which I put over some whole wheat pasta. Delish! Accompanied with a glass of red wine, my kind of fuel.

Speaking of fuel. Training is going to start up soon. And I haven't run since my 2 miles on Wednesday evening. Thursday I had to drive back from Albany, and yesterday I went to a glorious Hot Yoga class. Definitely needed and I'm feeling it today. My plan for tomorrow is an almost three mile run. I think its about 2.75 miles, but I'll know tomorrow since I got a garmin for Christmas that I've only been able to use once.

As you can see, I'm totally ready for tomorrow already. I'm not too sure if I'll be over dressed, but I'd rather take off layers then freeze as I run. It's been raining all afternoon and hopefully it stays above freezing so I don't have ice to deal with in the morning. Although, my sister has already fallen down our front steps and we are out of rock salt. I'll be heading to the store after.

I'm off to make a grocery list and plan my meals for the week. Have a good night!

My shins don't like me lately.

I would say I have been a "runner" for about a year. Actually, I believe it was Feb 7th last year that I gave up smoking and started running. More walking then running at the time, but it got me to the 13.1 miles on June 26th, 2010 and that's all that matter. Ever since then I have done a few 10ks, a few 5ks, but never have gone more then a few days without running. I originally used this training schedule to get me started and keep me on track. This time around it's up in the air whether or not I'll move from beginner to intermediate. I would love to move on and train based on improving time, but unfortunatley my body has not cooperated with me over the last month.

About a month ago two things went wrong. First I began flaring again (and since this blog is dedicated to IBD - that will be in its own post later this week). Secondly I got shin splints, again.

My shins hate me. I don't know if the change from running on a treadmill for a long period, then running outside, then back on the treadmill. Maybe since I have a few decent hills around me. Who knows. But the only way to heal shin splints in to STOP RUNNING. Believe me easier said then done. So I took two weeks off. Ran one day and still had pain. Took another week off, still had pain. Today was the 4th week. Although not pain free, it wasn't so much shin splints that was painful to me. So I did a short 20 min/ 2 mile run on the treadmil this afternoon. Then some ice. Tomorrow I will be on the way home from Albany so it will be my day off.

Maybe tomorrow I'll get into the flare I'm having. Til then.

How it all began....

Back in 2000 I was a freshman in high school. I was a cheerleader and I played softball. I had a great group of friends and I was enjoying being a teenager. Sports. Boys. Cheering. Shopping. School. I was a great student, had a part time job working retail, was a three-sport athlete. Life couldn't get any better, and I thought I knew it all. At some point during late winter/early spring I started noticing blood when I would go the bathroom. HOLY EMBARRASSING! Let's just keep that between me and me for a little while. Softball season starts up and after tryout/double sessions I am having trouble walking. Slight tear in right quadricep. Simple enough -  Rest. Ice. Ibuprofen.

Oh. No. Things get worse. Well, my quad gets better but I am beginning to lose a lot of blood. I remember my Uncle making a comment about how I was cold and tired all the time - that I must be low on iron - HE DID NOT KNOW HOW RIGHT HE WAS! So here I am, 15 years old with no motivation anymore and I'm beginning to bleed whenever I fart. Okay okay, I'll tell my mother.

Ops. Something really isn't right. My mom looks worried. I'm soon meeting with my primary care physician who refers me to Children's Hospital Boston. Now wait one minute. Children's is the best hospital around. And for really sick people. How can I be going here? I'm not in any pain. I'm not sick. It's just a little blood right?

Into my life walks Dr. Higuchi. For any child in the Boston area who needs a GI doctor - I HIGHLY suggest her. I went through the whole array of testing - endoscopy, colonoscopy, blood tests, ultrasounds, MRI's the whole scheebang. It was my colonoscopy that finally diagnosed me. Up until then Dr. Higuchi was concluding that I just had a case of colon polyps. The hour long procedure took nearly 3 hours because Dr. Higuchi was so surprised at what she saw. My mother said my father paced the waiting room the entire time, worried as time went on and I hadn't come out yet.

What Dr. Higuchi found was an inflamed patch right at my rectum (probably where all the visible blood was coming from) as well as one the completely encompassed my appendix that she was afraid to take a biopsy of it fearing that it would cause an appendicitis. Those were the major areas affected. It was official. I had Crohn's Disease.

Who would have thought that that May day would change my life so quickly.

Here is where I began a regime of Rowasa suppositories and Asacol 1200mg 3X a day. It's also where I began my defiance of Crohn's Disease.

FUNdraising...

One would assume that since this is my second half marathon that the thought of fundraising wouldn't scare me so much. Well, THAT'S A LIE. I have a strong dislike of asking people for money. I'm so bad at it, that luckily there is this impersonal way of doing so I like to call email. But seriously, I must have spent a solid hour trying to piece together my words correctly. Trying to show the importance of donating and raising funds, establishing a goal for myself, yet not be too graphic as there is still a stigma about about talking about bodily functions.

We all have fundraising pages through active.com which makes donating super easy. Of course there are people like my Nana Helen who will send me a check still, but seriously online make all of our lives that much easier. Here's a glimpse at my not-quite-finished page.

Which of course can be seen by your own eyes at http://www.active.com/donate/virginia11newengland/VirginiaKMacNei. Like I said it's not quite finished because I want to put up some pictures, link this blog to it, and maybe a few other things so stay tuned but by all means stop on by and donate!

I love these pages, but since last year there is now a comments section for those who donate. I nearly tear up everytime I read some of these comments from family and friends. Here's a little preview of some of the comments.

Seriously I have the greatest group of family and friends! There are also a few people on there that I don't even know! That they could find it in their hearts to support me on this journey simply amazes me.  This morning I even got a completely anonymous donation from Maryland. That's all I know about it.

So here's the email I send out to EVERYONE in my address book. I even had it sent out in an email blast to the Alumni of my college.

Dear Family and Friends,

As many of you already know I have signed up to complete my 2^nd half marathon with Team Challenge, to raise money for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. I couldn’t believe the experience of my first half - that I had to try again. This time I’m setting higher goals for myself. I’m hoping to raise $3500 as well as finish in 2 hours 15 min (that would mean pacing at 10:18/mile – up from the 11:20 min/mile I ran last time). Instead of trucking through Blue Hills, I’ll be heading to Loudoun County, VA to compete in the inaugural Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon there – and I promise no wine until AFTER the race.  I know this is the worse time to ask for donations after the holidays and all, but when really is a good time? Crohn’s doesn’t leave me alone because it was Christmas (which I spent on a ship, in pain, with no doctor!) – so I won’t stop either. Also, I’m looking to plan a fundraiser or two (possibly at Jake n Joes and/or Chateau in Norwood, MA) sometime early spring and I hope many of you can attend.

Now let me remind you of a few things about Crohn’s and Colitis. First, There. Is. No. Cure. Yet (that’s what this is all about). Secondly, 1.5 million American suffer from these debilitating and often embarrassing illnesses. I'm lucky enough to have both! And last year after the first half I had a minor flare up due to quitting smoking (who knew smoking was actually good for Colitis?!) but it hasn't stopped me yet. I'll keep running until there is a cure!

You can’t tell someone has either of these diseases by looking at them, you won’t know the pain they are feeling, or the suffering it can cause. I have been very lucky, others not so much. This is why I run. For all those who can't. For those who spend weeks at a time in the hospital. For the children on feeding tubes to get enough nutrition to grow. For the parents pacing the corridors of the hospital hoping for an answer to their child's suffering.

And finally, every little bit counts. Any amount given is greatly appreciated and one dollar closer to finding a cure. If you cannot donate, please take the time to forward this email to everyone in your address book. Let’s get the word out there and help raise these desperately needed funds!

Please follow the link to donate at anytime online: http://www.active.com/donate/virginia11newengland/VirginiaKMacNei

Or Cash/Checks (made out to the CCFA) can be sent to me at: 

Thank you all!

Since I have sent out this email and email blasted all MMA Alumni I have raised $530! Again, I'm astonished by everyone's support ans generosity. Next step is planning a FUNdraiser. I'm toying with a few ideas. Maybe a resturant 20% sorta deal. Maybe a day drinking for a cause. Maybe a jewelry party or something, who knows... another post for another day.