Generosity

I am starting to see the effects of generous friends and family. I sent out my fundraising letters for Hope Runs last Monday and barely a week later we have raised $200! A feeling I can't quite describe comes over me each time I receive a check in the mail or an email telling me of a new online donation. I think it has something to do with the original feelings of trepidation when sending out the fundraising letters wondering what people will think when they read my request for money. But, then I receive a donation and I am reminded that it completely is not about me, it is about the kids at Tumaini, Huruma, and Shamba. I'm so overjoyed when I realize that the givers have looked passed the bumbling words of the messenger and seen the message.

So, thank you all who have taken the time to visit this site or have given to the children touched by Hope Runs. Bless you. "Do your little bit of good where you are; its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." -Desmond Tutu

Yes, I'm that tall...

Well, I forgot, yet again to take a picture before our Saturday run. I must get major morning brain or something! I can't believe I always forget my camera. My apologies.

The picture you see, is of Jacque and I after the Charlotte 1/2 Marathon in North Carolina. It was this past December. This morning Jacque and I ran 12 miles which is our last run before the Gainesville 1/2 Marathon next weekend. For those of you who don't know, I am the REALLY tall girl on the left! Yes, I'm really that tall, just over 6 feet actually.

Our run was nice. It started warming up towards the end and now it has turned out to be quite a warm day. Florida weather is strange. My last post I was sad about the hard freeze and today I am in shorts and a tank top! So silly.

Unfortunately my right knee is really bothering me. I'll be icing tonight and might take a few days off next week and swim and/or bike instead. I know it's just a little inflammation, and it will subside if I let it rest and ice like I should be. I might even treat myself to a leg massage to loosen up all the kinks... as I write that I realize how inappropriate that is, saying I'll treat myself, because if any of you reading this have ever experienced a deep tissue athletic massage, you know it brings tears!

Well, off to the garden, time to replant my veggies!

Day of rest?

Well, today I should be doing speedwork, but it is Valentine's Day and Bill has worked the past two days but is off today(he is a nurse so when he works it is a 13 hour day), so I'm thinking it might be a day of rest. Perhaps tomorrow I'll find the time for speedwork.

Last night was a great run with my running buddy Jacque. Jacque is a great friend and trained with me during my first marathon training. We did 6 miles and tried to find as many hills in Gainesville as possible on a 6 mile run.

This morning was a very sad morning for me and fellow gardeners/farmers. Last night we were supposed to get temperatures in the mid 30s (Fahrenheit), so no real freeze warning. Well, this morning everything was covered in thick ice. We apparently got into the 20s. Which I know isn't that cold compared with other places, but when your in Florida and the last freeze date is only 2 weeks away, you expect to have a warning of a hard freeze. My passion, other than running, is veggies, and I lost about 100 new veggie plants. It will be okay, I'll replant tomorrow, but some of my friends weren't so lucky, which goes to show that this freeze was a sneak attack.

But, if I didn't garden I would be thrilled at this cold snap and crisp air. Today though, I'll morn my little plants and be reminded again of what can happen when we try and out smart mother nature. After all, the books say the last frost date is March 5th, and it isn't March yet, so I have to let mother nature win this one.

Ocala run and good food

Last night was a great run. I went down to Ocala, FL (about 40 minutes south of Gainesville) to meet Megan after work to run 7.5 miles. Even though Megan lives in Gainesville, she works for the Marion County Court System in Ocala. So, to change our scenery and squeeze in a longer run before dark, Bill and I drove down.

The miles really flew by, I love running with Megan because of our great friendship and her sneaky talent of talking through any hills we encounter, to make sure we are adequately distracted. The nearly 8 miles felt like half that, and to finish our visit in Ocala, we treated ourselves to Thai food, which was gloriously sinful.

It's funny how in America we crave foods that our not our own, and then when we travel outside our country we come back hungering for those foods we call American. Is that normal I wonder? Or is that a symptom of Americanism? Like the saying the grass is always greener on the other side, did we make that one up?

As I write about my experience last night, I wonder what the kids at Tumaini ate for dinner? What can you buy at the markets right now? What is growing in February in Kenya? I hope it is every bit as delicious as our little Thai meal.

11 in the woods

Today Megan and I successfully ran 11 miles in the woods. We ran a couple of unpaved trails in San Felasco State Preserve, which is by far the most beautiful place to run in Gainesville, Florida. It saddens me that I failed to bring my camera, yet again, I need to get better at chronicling our runs with pictures.

The run was beautiful and uneventful. There were a group of TriGators (the Triathlon Team for the University of Florida), who are always friendly and always fast. I think they passed us three times during our run, and I'm sure they were covering many more miles than we. I'm glad athletes out there exist, those that run faster than I ever will and who never seem to break a sweat. Takes a lot of pressure off leisurely runners like me and my friends, we can just enjoy the run and never worry about if we are the fastest that day, or any day. It is quite freeing to run for fun and not competition.

The downside of today is that my right knee which has been starting to bother me this week, is officially hurting. I'm sure it is just another bout of tendinitis, which seems to be my injury of choice, so I know I'll get through it but it will be a bit of a pain in the meantime. Ice and Ibuprofen, cause I'm not very good at resting, never was a good tendinitis patient.

We are spoiled with picture perfect Florida winter weather the past few days. 40s (Fahrenheit) at night 70s during the day, as Megan said today... it is the kind of weather people decide to live in Florida for. Good to be a runner on days like today.

Tomorrow is my day of rest, then back to the pavement on Monday... until then...

Lack of Oxygen

So, I've discovered that recovering from the flu doesn't mix well with intense hill training.

Last night Megan and I did a 40 minute hill training on the ramps of the football stadium. It would have been yet another great workout, had I been able to breathe. Toward the end of our run, as I was huffing and puffing, I developed a new appreciation for working lungs!

I apologized profusely to my friend, for being the slow poke, but she of course told me it was fine. Can't wait to be fully healthy and back to my old self, lungs and all!

I'm scheduled to run 8-10 miles tonight, but after last nights poor showing and the coughing fit it brought on afterwards, I might scale back the run... we shall see.

Here's to a good day.

Hello Tumaini!

Welcome to my blog, friends!

My hope is that this will be a place for me to post updates on my running and life as I get closer and closer to crossing the finish line of the Big Sur International Marathon on April 27, 2008 for the kids of Tumaini Children's Home in Kenya.

So, hello kids and everyone else at Tumaini!
My name is Kim Moore, I am 27 years old (turning 28 on February 26th!) and I am training to run my 3rd and most challenging marathon. You all are my inspiration, and help me get out of bed to run when I might not feel like it! So, thank you all!

A little about me...
I live in Florida which is one of the most southern states in the USA. It gets pretty hot here, but this is a great time of year to run, because the temperatures are still enjoyable. I live on 5 acres of land in a little house with my husband Bill. We have lots of animals; two dogs, two cats, 6 chickens and 4 goats. We love them all very much and we are very grateful for our lives.

During the day I am mostly at home, tending to things around the house, gardening, and taking care of the animals. I love vegetable gardening, visiting with friends, reading, and of course running. I never ran much growing up, but I always was playing sports, my favorite was soccer (also known as football). My husband, Bill, is my best friend, and even though he doesn't run long distances with me, he is my biggest supporter. My dog Tucker is my very best running partner, he can run up to 7 miles, without breaking a sweat!

I am going to be running the Big Sur Marathon with 2 friends, Megan and Laura. Megan lives near me in Florida but our friend Laura lives about 3,500 miles away in Palo Alto, California, which is very close to where the our marathon is. I am so excited to share this experience with them, this is Megan's 1st marathon and it's Laura's 2nd.

I'll be sure to post pictures and running updates as I go! I am working on my letter to send out to friends and family telling all about Hope Runs and Tumaini.

Tonight I'll be running for 40 minutes doing hill training. Since we don't have a lot of hills in Florida, I am going with my friend Megan to the football stadium, where the University of Florida Gators play, and we are going to run up and down these steep ramps! Doesn't that sound fun! I'll be thinking of you all!

Keep learning... keep running... keep praying
Much love. Kim.