Run Club's Friday Night Workout

"Run club" began innocently enough one auspicious Friday night.  Instead of our usual jaunt around Greenlake, Court and I took on Queen Anne, a lively Seattle neighborhood with shops, bars and restaurants that served as welcoming distractions and detours along our windy workout path.  

We began with a short warm-up from Court's house to Queen Anne Ave.  We breezed down a few blocks until Menchies lured us in. After filling up on Pineapple Dole Whip, our workout was, literally, all (Queen Anne) downhill from there.

Carbo-loading on Pineapple Dole Whip!

Refueling with free Earth Day caffeine

No pics from Hilltop, since apparently, this brew pub discriminates against "runners," (especially those who forget their IDs!).

Picturesque running views at my fave QA sunset spot.

Stretching out near the Needle

Rehydrating at Toulous Petit

Carbo-loading once again. (Toulous Petit was too expensive so we opted for Pagliacci.)

Found a friend at T.S. McHugh's!

Discovering new running tunes at Spectator karaoke.

Recruiting more "runners"!


What a workout!  Even though Court and I didn't flex much muscle or step up our mileage, we did test our endurance to hang out together for longer than 4 hours.  With that tried and true assurance, running the half should be a breeze. :)


As a reminder, if you'd like to support me as I train for the Rock 'n Roll Half-Marathon AND raise money for the American Cancer Society, please check out my  ACS DetermiNation Fundraising Page!


To read more about my training pursuits and follies, check out my "Running" label.

Ready, Set, RUN!!!

It's official - I’m a registered runner for the Rock ‘n Roll half-marathon! Big day is Saturday, June 25.

I hope you'll cheer me on as I train for this race. I promise to keep you posted on my progress through blogs, e-mail and Facebook. Many of you supported me as I scaled Columbia Towers' 69 floors in 2009. I very much appreciated your support then, and would appreciate it again now!

Why I'm running

My friend Courtney signed up for the Rock 'n Roll half-marathon months before I did. When she told me about it, I thought she was nuts. Who would want to run 13.1 miles, much less all at once? It seemed insane, but her bold move both impressed me and piqued my curiosity: Could I take on such a challenge? Was it within the universe of (athletic) possibility for me?

As I toyed with the idea, I put myself through a 3-week preliminary trial to gauge my endurance. I surprised myself by running 2.7 miles around Greenlake NON-STOP in 33 minutes. I’ve never done that before! Usually, I get halfway around the lake before I slow to a defeated trudge, then debate the fastest way back to my car. Never in the history of Liz Fong and Greenlake have I run it non-stop before. Sad, I know – but it was an amazing first accomplishment, one that pushed me to wonder, "What else could I do?"

Our weary feet after a run around South Lake Union.

My goal

My goal for this race is simple: I want to finish. Ideally, I’ll run/walk the 13.1-mile stretch in three hours or less; but I’ll be happy just to cross that finish-line. Considering my lack of physical stamina, I’m stacking up on mental grit. I rock out to teenage angst music with a good beat; I practice my fist-pump finale; and, I even made dim sum reservations for exactly 4 hours after the race start time. I WILL NOT MISS DIM SUM! Clearly, I'm committed.

I’m also very committed to a greater, more important effort. I plan to funnel my energy and enthusiasm for this race into raising money for the American Cancer Society. This is a small gesture, but it makes 13.1 miles seem like a breeze compared to the marathons others face.

My plea

So, with nine weeks left to train, I humbly ask for your support. Whether through a donation or just a friendly fist pump, please help push me across that finish line! This runner is full-speed ahead!

To support me and my fundraising goal, please visit my ACS DetermiNation Fundraising Page!

To read more about my training pursuits and follies, check out my "Running" label.

A Fong Farewell!

After several years of neglect, I decided to revamp my blogspot.  Bidding a Fong farewell to the old look!