So, I'm running my first non-Disney race on Sunday - the Gasparilla Half Marathon - which is exciting (and a little nerve-wracking).  I'm guessing it's not going to be as organized, but they've done this before, so who knows?  I'll try not to let extra worries like that get in the way of a great race.  Because it is not a Disney race, that also means no characters alaong the way - and I've seen Tampa before, so probably not stopping for general photos either.  Thus, this should be a a PR (personal record) for me - also exciting.

If you are awake at 6am EST on Sunday 2/23 and you'd like to track my progress, you can go here (though you do need to crate an account).  My bib number is 27317.  Post-race thoughts to come!

The pathology results came back on my lymph nodes that were removed - NEGATIVE FOR MALIGNANCY! - no further treatment is needed.

I had my first post-operative appointment this afternoon.  I was unsure if this was just a check-up or the results would be back.  I waited for an hour - this place is always busy, as I've said - and was finally brought in and met by a USF Resident in Orthopedics.  He took off my nasty bandages, asked me a few questions, said the site looked good and that he would go and get Dr. Cruse.  He would double check for the pathology results as they were not back when he checked the computer the first time.

I waited another five minutes and they both came back, said "Hello," and started looking at some paperwork.  When they told me the lymph nodes were negative, I was so relieved - the results had just come in!  I knew there was a chance of a false negative (meaning, the nodes come up as a negative, but the cancer has spread anyway) and he explained to me that there is a 1 to 5% chance of that being true.  At this time, no further treatment is warranted.  I asked if they could run any further tests, but the answer was the same.  I go back in one month for another check-up, and then again after five months, after which I will be referred back to my original dermatologist (the one that decided to send the mole off for tests in the first place - we like her!) and start regular dermatological screenings.  Go see a dermatologist!!!

I can shower as normal, treat the area with lotion, and start scar massage in another nine days.  I will need to trade out my work shorts for work pants, get a better hat, remember to use sunscreen every day, and possibly get some type of sunblocking agent with which to treat my clothes in the wash.  I can start running in a week, which means I miss this Saturday's 14 miles, but I will be good for February 23rd's Gasparilla Half Marathon and certainly for the London Marathon in April.

Many thanks to everyone for their support, kind words, thoughts and prayers.

(Funny) side note: I included a photo of my bracelets from all my Moffitt appointments.  After my first visit, I got home and went to cut the bracelet off and cut my 'Stop Rhino Poaching' one off too.  Oops.  I have since replaced it.  The green one is the surgical allergy bracelet.  10 points to Gryffindor if you know the acronym.  ;)

Lots of developments lately.  The absence of an update is indicative of how busy I've been.  It's hard enough to keep the training portion updated, but here I am now.  I'm working on a few things for the International Rhino Keeper Association (IRKA) - mainly, our fundraising calendar and helping to organize the Board of Directors election - and Tampa Bay AAZK - our next fundraiser.  I have a few more things to work on in order to apply for a promotion at work, so I'm sticking with that obviously.  I heard back that I was not chosen as a finalist for the Conservation Ambassadorship to Zimbabwe for Painted Dog Conservation.  I'm okay with that...it is disappointing, but there's always next year.  I've had a few other unpleasant personal setbacks, but life goes on...and so must I.

On the plus side, I've heard back from Save the Rhino.  They accepted my application!  They sent me a finalized registration form to fill out and send back (which I did) and once they process my application payment, it will be all set!  Then I'll receive their instructions for donations and training and be well on my way to London next year.  I also recently weighed below 200 pounds for the first time in at least a decade, which is amazing - and something I owe to running.  On a related note, I traded in my work belt for a smaller one, and my size 36 work shorts for size 34 shorts.  Woo hoo!  They are a little snug...but they do flatter my rear end.  ;o)

The Disneyland Half Marathon is September 1st.  One month away!  Donald, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Goofy are waiting for me...I'm very excited.  Training amps up a bit in two weeks --- with the longest run of the fourteen week training period (10 miles) on the docket.  I will most likely be running that in Massachusetts as I go home for five days to visit family and hang on the beach in Maine.  I'm hoping the heat does not follow me north.

I am very excited today!  I received the application from Save the Rhino for the Virgin London Marathon 2014 – woo hoo!  I am going to fill it out tonight, scan it at work tomorrow and e-mail it immediately.  I really, really, really hope I am accepted as one of their 50 “Golden Bond places.”   There are a few questions that make me glad I have experienced some  recent events.  One question asks about previous experience with marathons.  Well, I have only run one half marathon, but the director of Save the Rhino (the lovely Cathy Dean) with whom I spoke at the recent International Rhino Keeper Association (IRKA) workshop in San Diego (more to come on that!) knows that London will be my first – it is the Virgin London Marathon after all…hehe.

 “Why do you want to run for Save the Rhino?” is the easiest question on the application – to help save rhinos, of course!  They are a huge part of my life, and treating this planet as gently as I can is something I live every day.  Anything extra I  can do to help wild rhinos is an unfathomable bonus. 
(insert digression here)
I’ve recently applied for a Conservation Ambassadorship at work.  The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund allows several SEA employees the opportunity to apply to travel internationally to one of the Fund's supported projects and help out.  I completed several essays and filmed a two minute video (which ended up being a satirical political advertisement to elect me as Conservation Ambassador)  as part of the application to help Painted Dog Conservation – an organization that deals with educating children about the importance of conservation of animals and their habitat, stopping poaching in Hwange National Park including dismantling snares, and rehabilitating injured painted dogs.  Snares affect rhinos too, so that was a part of my angle.  ;)
(end of digression)

 Lastly, they ask about your previous fundraising experience.  Well…I am the Fundraising Chair of
Tampa Bay AAZK and I just finished coordinating our largest fundraiser of the  year – Bowling for Rhinos!  It raised over $6,300 – a record for our chapter – and while I didn’t do it alone, I did a good deal of work for it, so that should definitely help me out.  Cross your fingers, please...and I’ll keep y’all posted.  :)

I had first heard of the Disney races through a friend (that works at Disney) of a friend (that I worked with at the Houston Zoo).  I ran my first half marathon on February 24, 2013 - a day that holds special significance for me - and I completed it.  I had heard that races were like tattoos - you never do/get just one.  Well, I got my first tattoo on St. Patrick's Day 2010 and that's the only one so far.  I thought maybe running would produce a similar result - one and done.

Imagining the feeling I would get when finishing in no way compared to the actual feeling.

I'm a fairly emotional person.  I will cry watching a sports championship; the visit from family on Day 35 of Survivor leaves me bawling and clutching a blanket; a text-video of my friends' daughter taking her first steps got me good - you get the idea.  I was a wreck when I crossed the finish line at Disney - the video (taken by MarathonFoto) is not pleasant to watch.  :)

That being said, I'm getting emotional doing research for the London Marathon.  And I'm craving that feeling at the finish line.