Tacos, Cucumbers, Vodka and Wine....

Well this week was very exciting! On Saturday, July 24, I had my second fundraiser event at Taco Cabana off 410 and Nacogdoches Rd. I had hoped for a big turn out because this location was more centrally located in San Antonio. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like that was going to happen.

The event was from 3-9pm and Taco Cabana was going to donate 10% to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I informed everyone that I invited that I would be there from 4-6 but that they would come any time. Well, it was ten minutes to 6pm and only my parents and two friends had come. I felt reminiscent of my preteen years when I was a social outcast and no one came to my parties, I almost wanted to cry - but I didn't. I said, "Well, I don't think anyone else is coming, we should just go." My dad replied, "No, you said you'd be here until 6pm. What is ten more minutes?" So I waited.

Well, within five minutes, nearly ten more people came. I actually ended up staying until 8pm as we were having so much fun! I went home where I changed quickly and then went out again to meet some colleagues at a local bar/lounge. We went to a place called The Green Lantern. it was a very nice and upscale lounge in the Stone Oak area. I asked for a unique drink and they served me my first cucumber martini. It really did taste like a cucumber! The vodka was obviously top shelf because it didn't burn at all; in fact, it was actually pretty refreshing!

Anyway, that is not why this week was great. Actually, my biggest accomplishment this week was that I finally booked the venue for my Fundraising Dinner and Silent Auction on September 18, 2010. It is going to be a Wine Tasting at a local store Winery called WineStyles, which is off of La Cantera in the RIM. I will have finger foods, wine, a silent auction and guest speakers. I am very much looking forward to it as this will be my first ever large scale fundraising event!

I am very nervous because I need at least 50-60 people to come. I am actually incurring a cost for the wine, food and possible entertainment, so I need to recover my expenses as well as generate money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. So, I will probably be charging around $30 per ticket.

I can say one thing, this has certainly been an incredible experience. Raising money for a cause is a noble thing to do but it really is outside of my comfort zone. I am not used to asking people for money. In fact, I was reflecting on a time when I sold Mary Kay products. I did not do very well, mainly because I was so moved by people who liked the product but could not afford it, so I sold it to them at cost. Yeah, I really did not do well.

But then again, I didn't have an MBA back then. Perhaps an education in Business and Marketing has helped me in my fundraising initiatives. I suppose the real test will be the turn out I get at my Wine Tasting/Silent Auction in September!

If you are in San Antonio, I hope you will consider coming out. If not, please pray that things go well! I will keep you informed as I have more information.

Thanks for reading this and God Bless.

For a Cure,

Julia

Training Log for Week Seven:

• Mon, July 19: Ran 2.28 miles at the Phil Hardberger park in 38 minutes (16 min/mile)
• Tues, July 20: Ran 3.0 miles at the San Antonio Riverwalk in 44 minutes (14 min/mile)
• Thurs, July 22: Ran 2.39 miles at Eisenhower Park in 36 minutes (15 min/mile)
• Sat: July 24: Ran 6.0 miles at Rogers Ranch. Finished in 1 Hour and 35 minutes (15 min/mile).
  
  

Was Blind, but Now I See

Please forgive my delay in updating this week. I had a very, very busy weekend! On Friday, July 16, 2010 - I had LASIK eye surgery! It was so amazing! I spent a long time trying to decide if I wanted to get it done, but I finally got tired of spending money year after year for glasses, contacts, etc...so I said, why not?!

I did a lot of searching around, TLC Laser Eye Center, LasikPlus, etc...but in the end, I went with a private practice. Dr. Edward Rashid, MD is the best opthamologist in San Antonio and he is the Spur's Doctor. When I researched him, I saw nothing but good reviews...when I researched the other companies, I saw that they had complaints on the Better Business Bureau as well as Consumer Reports. I couldn't find any physician stats on one of the doctors, in fact, it didn't even look like she was licensed to practice medicine in Texas. Also, one company had a class action law suit against them.

So I asked myself...do I want to go with the best doctor in San Antonio, the Doctor that the Spurs trust with their vision needs, the doctor that several people told me was awesome and that I was in good hands with him? Or did I want to go to the franchise one-stop shop, who have received many complaints, have questionable doctors and who have been know to renege on their "guarantees"? Well, I think the answer was obvious - Of course, Dr. Rashid hands down!

So, once I made that decision, I met with him and his staff. They were awesome! I could tell that he really cared about my eyesight and my results. He told me the truth and was not shy to say that I may not be a good candidate. In fact, he sent me in for additional testing to be sure that I would be a good candidate. In the end, he gave me his seal of approval and my date was set.

In Photo: Abigail, Amy, Dr. Rashid, Lisa and
Paula - the wonderful staff who restored my vision!

http://www.seeitclearly.com/

On July 16, 2010, I went in to the Alamo Laser Vision Center not able to see my hand in front of me without my glasses and minutes later I was able to walk out with 20/20 vision. There was some discomfort during the procedure; however, overall, it was an awesome experience. They explain to you many times what they will do and what to expect, which really helped because I was thinking, 'Oh, ok, now they are creating the flap.' It was almost like being on a medical show, except I was the show...

I like to describe the experience as riding the Space Mountain rollar coaster. When you walk in, you are terrified....but you decided to put on a brave face and just go into the operating room. There is some slight discomfort and pressure. You stare at a red light admist bright circular lights, then everything goes black except the red light. Suddenly, you see a neon purple light which lasted about 30 seconds per eye and then it was over.

I wasn't really able to keep my eyes open after the procedure. But I took a nap and when I woke up, I felt good. I even watched a movie! And the best part of this weekend, other than being able to see, was that I spent the entire weekend with my family. It was great! I stayed at my parent house, we shared all meals and spent a lot of time together - it felt really nice to spend so much time with my family.

So, I had my first follow-up appointment with my doctor on Saturday (where I could see 20/20) and so I missed the Team in Training Run. However, I did get in a 4 mile run/walk with my brother Saturday afternoon.

Finally, I am doing very well with my fundraising. I have $725 posted and another $125 to turn in. I have $850 and only $2150 to go!

I have a fund raising event this Saturday at Taco Cabana and I am still planning my Gala event/Silent Auction. I have found a caterer who will give me an awesome deal on an enchilada dinner...so all I need now is a venue and I am set!

Til next time!

Julia

Training Log for Week Six:

• Tue, July 13: Ran 2.17 miles at the University of Texas in San Antonio in 33 minutes (15 min/mile)
• Wed: July 14: Ran 3.4 miles on the University of Incarnate Word track in 49 minutes (15 min/mile)
• Sat: July 17: Ran 4.23 miles at Rogers Ranch. Finished in 1 Hour and 7 minutes (15 min/mile).

This will be the last running picture of me wearing glasses!!

Vital Stats of an Athlete

I made up for last week's laziness! I ran on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Ok, I did do my fair share of walking, but still - I got a lot of work outs in :-)

The best part of my week; however, was that I saw my doctor on Wednesday and he checked my blood pressure, heart rate, etc. He said that everything looked great and he even said that I have the "vital stats of an athlete."

I was so overjoyed - it was amazing. He also said that I have Plantar Fasciitis and Knee inflammation. Plantar Faciitis is basically when the plantar (in the heel) splits. It is very painful especially in the mornings and after you've been sitting for a while. Mine isn't so terrible so my doc said I should keep on training but he gave me stretches to do and told me to get knew shoes soon. I also need to get into the habit of icing my knees after I run to reduce the inflammation.

Anyway, I was so excited that I have reached this new point in my life where I can truly call myself a runner! Oh, and speaking of being a runner, I ran in the San Antonio Road Runner's Zoo Fun Run and I won first place in my division! Ok, so what if my division was just one person...I ran and I won... :-p

On Saturday, I skipped the Team in Training practice and instead went to Fredericksberg with my friends to run at the Enchanted Rock. We ran about 5 miles around the rock and then climbed up the rock. It was hard and grueling. About half way up the rock, I wanted to quit and turn back but Byron, in my run group did not let me. He encouraged me and motivated me and somehow, got me to the top of the rock. Once there it was so beautiful. Breathtaking views of the Texas Hill Country. Then we climbed down, which was easier but very scary as it seemed like if you missed a step, you'd plummet to your death - ah, well, I survived.


Anyway, I am about to go to Chilis for my first Fundraiser. They are donating 10% of our bill to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I hope to have a good turn out. Wish me luck!

Till Next Time,

Julia

Training Log for Week Five:

• Mon, July 5: Ran 4.7 miles at Phil Hardberger Park in 1 hour and 7 minutes (14 min/mile)
• Tue, July 6: Walked 2.9 miles at the Riverwalk in 46 minutes (16 min/mile)
• Wed: July 7: Ran 2 miles In the SARR Zoo Fun Run and won 1st place in my division. Did the run in 27 minutes (13.5 min/mile)
• Thurs, July 8: Walked 2.51 miles at Eisenhower Park in 46 minutes (18 min/mile)
• Sat: July 10: Ran 5.8 miles at the Enchanted Rock. Finished in 1 Hour and 25 minutes (14 min/mile).

Swiming or Running?

Well, this week was a bit different. So before it was so hot that the evening runs were just crazy hot....but this week we got rain all week. Which is weird because generally by this time of year in Texas we are a drought and having city-wide water restrictions.

I suppose it may be due to the hurricane that was heading this way, but we had a lot of rain this week....and I ran in most of it on Monday. It started out like any other day - hot. I arrived to the trail and it was still just another hot day and then, right before we started to run, it started to sprinkle. Right as we started to run, it began pouring and then it was a torrential downpour the rest of the way.

The water poured down so fast and intensely, I could barely see in front of me; actually, in many ways it felt like swimming....except that I was running. The one awesome thing was that I ran really well. I managed to keep a good pace for a longer period of time. I think that was due to the fact that I wasn't melting beneath my skin - I was actually very cold and ran the heater on the way home.

The worst part; however, was that my phone got soaked and would not work. I was very worried about that especially since I had to pick up my grandma from the airport at 10:30pm. Luckily, it all worked out. I was able to pick up my granny without any problems and I got my phone working again by blowdrying it and then letting it sit overnight.

After Monday, I was exhausted. I could not muster the strength or the energy to go running again and it seemed that no matter how much sleep I got, I did not feel rested. I did not run again until Saturday. I so did not want to wake up at 5am to go running, but I knew that I had too. I mean, I am training for a marathon and I can't train very well if I only run one time.

The Saturday run was very difficult for me. We only did four miles, but I was still so tired and had a hard time finding the strength to run. But I did it and was happy to go home to enjoy a nice long bath.

I am at $230 on my online donations. I still have checks and cash that I need to turn into the society. I will mail that in this week, which should bring me to about $420. I need to be at $500 by August 11, so I am hoping I will make it.

I am having a dinner at Chili's on Sunday, July 11 from 4-10pm. I am hoping for a nice turn out, but we will see.

Anyway, hope you are all having a great week. Take care.

Julia

Training Log for Week Four:

• Mon, Jun 28: Ran 3 miles at Phil Hardberger Park (n the pouring rain) in 40 minutes (13 min/mile)
• Sat: Jul 3: Ran 4 miles starting at Mission San Jose. Finished in 1 hour (15 min/mile).