Newsflash

Somebody please notify MCM personel that there will be not one but two
Jill Stoltzfoos' running in the MCM. They may need to increase the amount of marines present to control the crowds and at a minimum will need to provide extra refreshment stops (because it is understood that the two Jill Stoltzfoos' definately need their fluids and energy Jelly Beans).

jms

$14

I read an article about a woman who, to motivate herself in training for a marathon, paid herself $1 per mile she trained. Then after the marathon she went on a shopping trip. Not a bad idea. I made $14 dollars on Saturday! Look out Pentagon City Mall, I'll be spending some big bucks soon! If I stay on track with my training, counting from last Saturday through the marathon I will have a total of $169 to spend after October 26 (+$26.20 since naturally I should add the marathon milage).

One problem with this plan is my hourly wage. It took me about 2 hours and 20 mins to run 14 miles. This means I made about $6.36/hr. Minimum wage is currently $6.55. This is not ideal. So either I need to pick up my pace to at least be on track with minimum wage or find another way to increase my spending power at Pentagon City Mall. Hmmm, maybe I should stick with Real Estate for my income and just run for the joy of it.

jms

MCM Here I Come!

It's official!!! I'm now registered for the 33rd Annual Marine Corps Marathon!!!!!!! I was planning on running the Harrisburg Marathon 2 weeks later but a spot opened up -- one of Jill's co-workers was able to transfer her spot to me. Yay! I registered, altered my training schedule and I'm ready to do it! So now that means everyone gets 2 Jills: 1 Marathon. See ya there!

I heart the Amish

Now that school is back in session it's impossible for me to do any runs longer than 5 miles before school. So I sometimes run right after work among the cornfields of Conestoga Valley (praying that none of my students will see me). When i was a highschool senior in New Jersey my friends often made fun of me for choosing a college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They would tease me and say I'm going to major in butter churning and marry an amish man named Jebediah (ironically, I did marry a townie). However, I made it about 3.5 years at F&M without seeing any amish. This week I realized it's because the amish don't live in Lancaster City, they all live among the cornfields of Conestoga Valley. They were everywhere. Small ones, big ones, male, female, old, young. There was even this adorable baby going for a buggy ride! And I almost got ran over by a horse. You may think the amish are out-dated and technologically behind, however they can still move faster than me on their scooters and in their bare feet. I'm not really much of a "chipper" runner you could say, but when a horse & buggy comes by with a little amish boy in the back with his ridiculous bowl-cut hair style you can't help but wave & smile.

-Jilly

Rain Delay

Rain delay today on my long run because of Tropical Storm Hanna visiting the Northern VA area. While I was saddended that I couldn't go out and run 16 miles I entertained myself with some TV and icecream along with a few hours of work.

When the sky stopped falling I decided to head out. The humdity was at 99% and Hanna still had some serious wind gusts but I made it a solid 7 miles. Now I have a sick stomach because of the pre-run icecream but hey- at least I was out there!

jms

Singing in the Rain

Ok, so there wasn't any singing going on today, but I needed a good headline. There was an iPod with music, but no singing. There was a little grunting, a little whining, and a lot of me talking to myself (it helps me get up those hills apparently) but still no singing.

Oh there was rain though! I actually haven't had to run in the rain at all during the past few months of my training. Today it was coming down. I made it all the way to mile 6 rain-free. But then it started raining harder and harder. It was really humid this morning so the rain was actually nice and refreshing but my cute running outfit & I did not look so hot after the run was finished. I resembled my dog after she gets out of a bath.

But the good news is that it's over with. 15 miles down. less than 2 months to go.

-Jilly

Flashing Red Lights

There has been some concern in my house about running in the predawn hour. The concern comes from my husband, the predawn running is where I come in. I admit, it is a little dark but the street lights help a lot. Regardless, Jeff bought me a present in the likes of a flashing red light that I can conveniently attach to my body. This flashing red light accomplishes two things.

1. It shows ALL of Alexandria City that I am slowly moving along the streets in the predawn hour.
2. It hopefully demonstrates to vehicles on the road that I am slowly moving along the streets in the predawn hour.

See you in the morning!

jms

River Run

I ran 14 miles this morning and don't think it's possible to add 12.2 on to that. It just can't be done. Early this morning Gerald & I drove out to the Susquehanna River & he dropped me off on River Road approximately 14 miles from home. We placed water bottles & sports beans every few miles along the route so I could replenish along my route. It was a tough run. Note to self: stop making runs with so many hills! The hill @ mile 13 just about killed me. Also, I saw so many McDonald's wrappers along my route that I think it's a sign that's where I should be eating lunch. i was craving a snack wrap & fries the whole time. I think it's time to ice my knees. ciao.

-Jilly

Michael Phelps

You may also want to consider adding 12,000 calories to your diet because that worked for Michael Phelps as well...

-Jilly

playlist....

I hit the 16 mile mark on Saturday! I just kept running and running and running. In fact I ran all the way to Reston VA and back (I guess I did start in Vienna VA only 8 miles from there...still it was a long way!).

I was feeling fairly motivated throughout the run except when my handpicked-Ipod-Nano-running-play-list started repeating itself. That is when I realized I was running for a very long time. Alas, I worked through these issues and finished.

My play list (which is about to be lengthened bc I'm told that a marathon is 26.2 miles and not 16) includes:

Survivor- Destiny's Child
I'm for Love- Hank Williams Jr
Independence Day- Martina McBride
Gimme Three Steps- Skynyrd
You took the words right out of my mouth- Meatloaf

I may need to add some from Michael Phelps' olympic winning playlist. It worked for him!
jms