I sustained a mild foot injury last week that as a result of my running.  The big toe metatarsal was really hurting after my long run, and had been causing me problems for a while.  My biggest worry was that it was a stress fracture, but an Xray at the doctor showed there was no fracture.  I am going to be seeing a sports podiatrist next week to look into it some more, but it seems like there may just be some inflammation in the area.  I have been taking ibuprofen prior to running and it seems to prevent any pain, even hours after my runs.  I'm not quite sure exactly what was the cause, but I'm guessing it has to do with increasing my mileage too quickly for my out-of-shape body and wearing shoe that weren't the best for my overpronating gait.    I've cut back on the training a little and got different shoes with more stability (Air Structure Triax-a stability shoe I've trusted for years)  Lessons learned: doen't always trust the salesperson at the shoe store and listen to my body.

Yesterday was the first long run in two weeks and I completed 14 miles.  the first 10 didn't feel bad, which is a definite improvement for me.   I've started testing out how much water I should drink and when I need a little snack.  I drank too much water during my 12 mile training run and threw up!   I've been having a Cliff bar after an hour of running, and that seems to work well when I'm running 2 hours. 

My fundraising has been going well and I am almost at $2000. I have $3000 to go in order to reach my goal of $5000.  I am planning to have a big yard sale in July to raise money.  If you live in the Chicagoland area and have things around the house you'd like to donate, I'd welcome it!

My current Wish Child
Nicholas is a bright, friendly and active 11 year old boy who loves hockey.  A cancerous tumor was found in his appendix last year and was surgically removed with success.  Nicholas is an amazing and very compassionate child. After his diagnosis, he held a toy drive all by himself to raise money for Children's Memorial Hospital.  The family is looking for to going on their Disney Cruise next month.  I've been keeping in touch with them to help make sure all details of the trip are prepared in advance- e.g. admission to waterparks, special requests for the late seating at dinner, etc.  We will visit them one more time to review the final itinerary and give them goody bags with activities for their flight.