"Lose Yourself" in 10 Miles with Eminem

I woke up at 4:30am ready to do this thing.

My training program called for a 10 mile run...only 3 more left until I run the Chicago Half Marathon.

Feeling anxious and hopeful, I'd never run more than 9 miles before my previous half marathon and I was wondering whether I could do it.

Walking out the door, the weather was amazing...55 degrees with a slight breeze...hello gift from God.

Ear buds in place...fuel in my pockets...water on my back...I hit the road.

Five miles in, I was feeling the love and starting to feel the burn.

And then, he came on...and it was on...like a lioness mother fucker, I ran the shit out of the final 5 miles and finished with an average pace that I've never seen before on my Garmin.

Hats off to you, Eminem and Justin Timberlake and Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson and Maroon 5...you got me through and helped me to lose myself in my beautiful 10 mile strong run.

Misty May-Treanor & My Daughter

Hot damn last night was fun!

We all congregated around the TV to watch the Americans face off for the Olympic gold and silver medals in Women's Beach Volleyball.

And, most importantly, to see if the unbelievably dynamic team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh-Jennings could do it one last time and win gold for three straight Olympic games.

Riveted by each play, every dig, every set...we couldn't move.  And each time that Misty and Kerri scored, we screamed our lungs out!

But when they won, huge tears filled my eyes knowing that after 11 years of playing together, they were done as a team.

Ultimately, it was the first interview that had me sobbing.  When asked what the experience meant to them, they could not stop thanking the people who supported them in their lives.  And they could not help but acknowledge the amazing bond that exists both on and off the sand for the two of them.

And then Misty said it...we are wives, mothers....we have whole lives outside of this.  We are so grateful to have 15,000 fans here elevating the sport, but we know that its time to cultivate the other parts of us.

While she intends to support Kerri as she moves forward, she's excited to start a family with her husband.

Looking at my daughter, I was so grateful that she could see examples of strong, powerful, committed, faith and family focused women.

I want her to know that it is possible to follow every dream and while you may not live each dream simultaneously, there is a season for everything, if you just follow your heart.

Strong, Beautiful, Fearless

Tomorrow I run my first race.  It's a five-mile trail run in the middle of January.

I've been running, but have yet to do five miles straight without walking, so I'm nervous.  Like, really nervous.

And when I get anxious, I dream...technicolor style.  Last night, I was running, running, and running and I was lost beyond belief.  Alone and lost.  Freaked out, I woke up and thought, "What the hell have I gotten myself into to?"  And then I thought, "I can do this."  "I can absolutely do this."

For good measure, I got some decent wool running socks, a good pair of gloves, and my hair colored this morning.  Because, if I die and am found, I want to look good trying.  Every woman knows exactly what I'm talking about.  No one wants to be corpse-like with shitty roots.

Throughout this journey, I've adopted the mantra....Strong, Beautiful, Fearless....as my theme for 2012.  The ball is rolling.  The weight is coming off.  My muscles are getting stronger.  And, the fear is still there, but I'm slowly learning to leverage it to my benefit.  And the stronger I get, the sexier, more beautiful that I feel, especially in the face of fear.

So, here's to the race tomorrow.  You and I are doing this...one step at a time.