The San Diego Rock'n Roll Marathon: The Making of Bleached Kenyans :P

26.2 miles!

And just like that, it was over. With one final step I crossed the finish line, but I knew the finish line at the San Diego Rock'n Roll marathon was merely milestone...the race for a cure is not over and neither is my marathon career. During the 26.2 mile course, I passed spectators holding signs that read "Thank you for saving my life", and "TNT saved my mom!" I couldn't help but feel proud of what I had accomplished, it inspired me to keep running through the discomfort during those tough miles. On the course, there were tons of runners dressed in the purple uniform running for blood cancer just like me. Every purple jersey was decorated in honor of a specific person (or people) for whom they were running for. Some runners were cancer survivors themselves. There were 4,000 Team In Training athletes who participated in the race. Together we raised over $12,000,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society from this one event alone! Trust me, thats not a typo! Together we made a difference.

I wish everyone could have the opportunity to experience what experienced this past weekend. Words cannot explain, but I will try:

The flight to San Diego took 77 members of the Washington/Alaska Team In Training chapter to California. On the plane, everyone was so amped up (yes, even at 6:30am). Shouts of "Go Team" echoed here and there and 95% of all conversations we about training, fundraising, injuries, cancer, racing, etc. Conversations with complete strangers we easy and fun. We got to San Diego checked into our hotel and headed for the Race Expo to pick up our racing packets and check out the vendor booths.

As we entered the expo, we walked down a long red carpet lined with cheerleaders as loud music rocked over the speakers. The was a large clock counting down to race time. Seeing that clock tick closer to zero flipped my stomach at the thought of running 26.2 miles in a race. I bought a few things at the expo, but also got to see my running idol, Deana Kastor!! She was at the expo promoting running and meeting other athletes who were there to compete. I got my race bib number signed by Meb Keflezighi. Meb was this year's winner of the New York City marathon and the first american to win the event since 1982! He signed "Kile, Good luck & run to win! -Meb". I thought that was pretty cool to meet such an elite athlete!

Saturday, I woke up for a morning run on the beach. Nothing too long, just enough to get my legs moving and loosened up for the big race on Sunday. I spent the entire day drinking water, glass after glass of nothing but H2O. The best part of Saturday was the Inspiration dinner/Pasta Party! This event was held for all TNT members who raised money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma society. It was our chance to carbo-load and get inspired for a great race. I ate so much food its not even funny!! The speaker at this event was a father who had lost his 12 year old daughter to Lymphoma. It was the saddest, yet also heart-warming talk I had ever heard. Bythe end of his talk, I was litterally bawling my eyes out. I would think of Grace Gibson and cry even harder. There were 2,000 athletes in the room and not a single dry eye. One thought that flashed through my mind "I've been drinking all this water for hydratation...now its coming out of my eyes!" The pasta party was full of tears and full of laughter. It made me appreciate everything I have in my life and the ability to help others.

That night we had a team meeting and decorated our race jerseys. I wrote notes on my jersey to remind myself why I was running:
"Remember Bill S."
"Because Pam Renaker is a Rock Star - Survivor!"
"Never forget the spirit of little Gracie"
"For Teri who continues to fight. Get well soon!"

Race Day:

3:30am - Wake up call. For breakfast I had oatmeal from a coffee maker = breakfast of champions! Then, after a team meeting, the shuttle left for the start-line at 4:30am. When we finally arrived I took my belongings to gear check, waited 30 mins in line for the port-a-potties, stretched, and drank some water. By 5:50am the Navy marching band was marching to start line to signal everyone to take their place in line. The starting line was about 1/2 mile long on a city street with shoulder to shoulder runners. Right before the gun sounded, the national antheim was played and I dumped a last-minute packet of salt down my throat to help my body retain water. The gun went off at 6:15am and the elite runners took the course! At 6:19 am I crossed the starting line...there was no turning back!

It took almost an hour for all the runners to cross the starting line once the gun went off, by this time in the race I was already passed the 7 mile mark and hanging the with 3:40 Boston qualifying group. I was going to see how long I could run with them, but around mile 9 I felt my IT band tighten up. By mile 11, I was limping everytime I tried to run and mentally prepared to walk the rest of the race! I would stop and stretch and walk then try to jog, then stretch some more...this went on for atleast 2-3 miles! One of the Team In Training coaches told me I should consider taking the half marathon course at the split off point...I told her I was going to finish all 26.2 miles even if I was the last one to finish the race. Then, just after the half way point (13.1 miles) it was clearly an act of God...the pain went away and I could run again! To me, it was nothing short of a miracle!

Miles 14-21 went by as expected...but right around mile 22 it felt like I had weights chained to my ankles! The temperature outside was about 80 degrees as the sun beat down on me. I couldn't stay cool enough and it was all I could do to keep running. Every step I thought about Teri. I thought about Grace. I thought about Pam. And, I thought about Bill. I wanted to the race to be over so badly but I still had 2-3 miles to go. Every chance I got I was dumping water over my head and chugging Cytomax (its a sports drink, similar to Gatorade). Mile 25 was an emotional mile for me. Tears filled my eyes when I thought about how far I had come, not just in the race itself, but the fundraising and the training too. I thought about how lucky I was to still be running when 11 miles ago that didnt seem like it was going to be an option. The last 2 miles, it also hurt to keep running, but it also hurt to stop running, my muscles would tighten up...so I just kept running. The last .2 miles was crowded with fans. Their cheers carried fatigued runners to the finish line. Crossing that line was the BEST feeling ever! So after 3 packets of salt, 5 packs of Gu, 1/2 gallon water and 1/2 gallon cytomax, my finishing time was 4:00:16.

They gave me a cold towel to help cool off. It felt amazing! I grabbed my finishers metal and continued walking to prevent my muscles from cramping. I then waited for Abby and Ellen to finish the race. We all agreed that this was one of the most fun and most fulfilling things we had ever done. We all had an incredible runner's high that lasted for days! All three of us will definately run a marathon again. In fact, as soon as we got back to Washington we registered for the Portland Marathon...those Keynan's better watch out! :P

Anyways, after the race, we went back to the hotel, hopped in an ice bath then showered and got ready for the Team In Training Victory Party!! The party was awesome....lots of food, drinks, dancing, and marathon battle stories. Absolutely incredible. Anyone who has the opportunity to join Team In Training should do it without thinking twice! It will change your life.

I want to thank Teri, the Gibson family, Pam, and the Spicher family for giving me strength. The strength they embodied throughout thier journey with cancer was the reason I was able to complete this challenge. To everyone that donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society...you are saving lives! Thank you!! I am so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people!

IT'S TIME!!!

Day 126 (Saturday pre-race day): 20 mins - 2.7 miles

Its 3:25am and we are off to the airport. Sorry i havent been very good at keeping up this blog the past week. Things have been a little crazy. I took a couple days off because i had a sore hamstring. Hopefully it was long enough to do the trick so I am ready for race day!!! I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me. You are all great people and trully inspirational for me. My team (the Tacoma chapter of TNT) has raised over $118,000 for the Luekemia & Lymphoma Society!! I personally raised over $3,000 and couldn't have done it without you!!!

AH!! I cant believe its time!!

Day 125: Rest
Day 124: Rest
Day 123: 40 min - 4.5 miles
Day 122: 40 mins bike, 1.5 mile run
Day 121: Rest
Day 120: Rest
Day 119: Rest

Week 17: Tapering

Day 118: Rest
Day 117: 25 mins - 3 miles
Day 116: Rest
Day 115: track workout - 5 miles
Day 114: 17 mins - 2.5 miles
Day 113: Rest
Day 112: 90 mins - 11 miles

The race is approaching fast and everytime I think about it I get knots in my stomach! I cant believe its just around corner. Its time to start cutting back the miles and taking it easy. These last two weeks before the race will be used to rest my body and re-energize all my muscles so that hopefully they will be at their peak performance come June 6th! I am seriously getting nervous just typing this blog and thinking about it...26.2 miles! :S

During the race, anyone who is interested can "track" my run via text messages. I signed up for something called CompetitorWireless. As I pass certain mile points in the race it will read the timing chip on my shoe and send a text message out saying where I am at on the course, what my time is, and so on. If you are interested let me know and I will help you sign up for it.

I only have one more team practice and its going to be lots of fun! Stay tuned for next weeks blog to find out more!

Congrats to Joanie Lipp from Hingham, MT. She was the winner of the quilt raffle. This fundraiser was a success and raised over $400 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

Week 16: Longest Run Party

Day 111: Rest
Day 110: 17 mins - 2 miles
Day 109: Rest
Day 108: 43 mins - 5 miles
Day 107: 25 mins - 2.75 miles
Day 106: Rest
Day 105: 3 hrs - 21 miles

Wow. I feel like a freak, but I promise I'm not. We had a great practice this week and I am really glad I didn't have to miss it! It was our longest pre-race training run of the season so the coaches made the practice extra special. They had music playing at some of the water stops. They decorated the last 200m of the run with sidewalk chalk and made a balloon arch at the finish line. They even gave us finisher's medals!! It was a little corny but really fun. They brought cake and lots of food for us to eat too. Oh and we also got to practice taking salt for the first time as well. Basically, what you do is grab a salt packet (like from McDonald's) ...and pour it down your throat before you run and then again after about 16 miles during your run. Yuck, I know! It helps with muscle cramping. I am not sure if it worked, but I felt great the entire run, so I guess maybe it helped.

These last 3 weeks should be pretty easy as far as training...race day will be the next BIG milestone. Its a down hill finish from here :D
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The rest of the week's runs were tough. I had no energy and even my slow runs felt hard. I wasnt sore one bit, just had no energy to run at all, let alone at "training speed".

Week 15: 400 miles!!

Day 104: Rest
Day 103: Rest
Day 102: 43 mins - 5.1 miles
Day 101: 134 mins - 9.7 miles
Day 100: Cross Train - 25 mins bike
Day 99: Rest
Day 98: 17 mins - 2 miles

I have been busy selling tickets for the lovely quilt my mother made to help us raise money. So far, I would consider it a success! Right now, its on display at a local quilt shop in Poulsbo, WA. On Saturday, we set up a table outside the shop and sold tickets as we enjoyed the beautiful spring weather!

As for a training update...I have been in a training slump since my track workout last week. My hamstring has been bothering me AGAIN, so I have been taking some easy days and hoping it heels up fast. I pushed my long run to Tuesday instead of Saturday and ran at a much slower pace to make sure I could get the time in on feet without making anything worse. I want to be ready for this coming Saturday's run. It will be 180 minutes, the most important training run of the season and the longest training run of the season.

I am also excited because this week I have run 400 miles since I took on the challenge of the marathon!

Week 14: Tacoma City 1/2 Marathon Madness

Day 97: Rest

Day 96: Track workout - 5.5 miles (tempo miles @ 6:42 pace)

Day 95: 50 mins - 6.54 miles
Day 94: Rest
Day 93: 30 mins - 3.6 miles
Day 92: 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) - 1:42:00
Day 91: Rest

This was my first 1/2 marathon race. It was great practice for my big marathon coming up in a month. I didnt really know what to expect as far a pacing so I tried to stick with my goal pace of 8min/mile. That didnt work so well but I just went with it and ended up staying pretty consistent throughout the race. I averaged 7:47/mile and finshed 22nd out of 624 women and took 4th in my age group. The course was an out-and-back course which made it fun because at some point during the race you got to see all the runners! I saw one guy who ran the entire 13.1 miles in flip flops and another guy who ran it barefoot!! I also spotted most of my teammates from Team In Training as well. Go Team!

It was a really fun day. There were over 1,000 runners total who competed in the 1/2 marathon. It meant a lot to me to have my parents there to cheer me on...they even ran with me for part of the race!! :D

I thought I'd be sore the next day, but I feel great. So, the training for the big race continues...one month to go!

Week 13: Fundraising Success and Halfway Party!

Day 90: Rest
Day 89: Rest
Day 88: 3 mile track workout
Day 87: 50 minutes - 5.6 miles
Day 86: Rest
Day 85: 157 minutes - 18.5 miles
Day 84: Rest

Alot has taken place this last week in my world of Team In Training. First of all, I am most excited to report that I have met my fundraising goal!! I am giving a shout out to all who have helped me with this aspect of my challenge. It was very tough and kind of stressful. Without a doubt, I couldn't have reached my goal without the support of others. I still have a couple fundraisers planned so looks like cancer is going to take a bigger hit from me than expected! :P

Our team also had our halfway party. The timing of the halfway party is not exactly at the halfway point...but i'll take any excuse to party with my teammates. We had a good time and it was very motivational. Our mentors gave out some fun awards and shared their past marathon experiences. We also ate lots of food and enjoyed eachothers company over a pint of beer. It was strange seeing my teammates in regular clothes instead of 8am sweaty workout clothes!

This week, again...i had the longest run of my life! I didnt make it to practice with the team because of a certification exam I had scheduled that day. I did my long run on Sunday this week. I was scared to take on such long mileage by myself so I recruited a friend to go the distance with me. Only true friends will agree to this kind of favor! We lucked out and had perfect weather too. I felt pretty good most of then run...hips got sore after about 8 miles, but I kept running. There was a gaint hill around mile 13 that ALMOST had me walking, but I kept running. The last mile was complete torture though...I swear every joint, muscle, bone in my legs was on fire! It got to the point where I just didnt feel the need to run the last 3 minutes of my run...18.5 miles was far enough me! My knee felt like it was about to flare up again like it did last week so I played it safe. After the run, we stretched forever and ate lots of food! We were both limping around...very sore and stiff so we decided to take an ice bath. Haha, it was so cold that I screaming at the top of my lungs!! It took a couple minutes to get used to it, but I am glad I took the plunge! :P

Week 12: Running in the Rain

Day 83: 34 minutes - 4.5 miles
Day 82: rest
Day 81: Track workout! 1 mile easy + 5 x 1 mile @ 7:00 pace w/ 1 min recovery + cooldown
Day 80: 50 minutes - 6.40 miles
Day 79: rest
Day 78: 30 minutes - 3.65 miles
Day 77: 144 minutes - 16.2 miles

We had a very special "mission moment" at practice this week. I met a young father who was diagnosed with Leukemia several years ago. He was weeks away from death, but thankfully cured. He began running not quite two years ago with Team In Training. After his first marathon, he decided to keep running....and running...and running. Two weeks ago he entered into a race....an ultramarathon! The race was 100 miles long and he completed it in 32 hours!!Just to put this in perspective...I was pretty excited that I ran 100 miles in a month...he did it in just over a day!! Trully amazing, inspirational, and very motivational!!

I also met a 5 year old boy, Isaac, who has been battling Luekemia since he was 19 months old. His grandma has been running marathons for him with Team In Training. The grandma was sharing her grandson's story about his cancer. She had told us that one of her races was a couple weeks before his birthday last year...so, she asked Isaac what he wanted for his 5th birthday. He simply responded, "Grandma, I just want to be 5." This story completely broke my heart and brought tears to my eyes. Luckily, Isaac got what he wanted for his birthday. He has about an 80% chance of survival and will be celebrating this 6th birhtday in a couple months.

So after all this motivation and inspriration, I had it my head that I was going to run 18 miles today...as you can see I didnt make it. I felt great for most of the run. I go through ups and downs on these long runs but nothing that cant be overcome mentally. Then, just after 16 miles, things went wrong. I felt my IT band (connects knee to hip) tighten up causing pain in my knee. Unfortunately, I know this feeling is all too well. A couple years ago, I developed IT Band Syndrome, but not knowing what it was, I tried to run through the pain...not a good idea. I had trouble going up and down stairs for quite awhile and was completely sidelined from running for about 4 months! So, today at the first sign of the IT band monster I stopped running. Its definately frustrating because everything else was feeling so good...I think I could've went another 1.8 miles but hurting myself 6 weeks before the big race is not something I want to do! On a positive note, it was encouraging to finish the 16 mile run feeling much better than I did last week!

Week 11: Crossing the bridge!

Day 76: 50 mins - 6.50 miles
Day 75: rest
Day 74: 40 mins - 5.25 miles
Day 73: Track workout! 1/2 mile easy + 1 mile - 6:18 + 1/2 mile easy + 5 miles - 36:23
Day 72: rest
Day 71: 30 mins - 3.25 miles
Day 70: 147 mins - 16.4 miles (Saturday, April 10th)

After a rough week, it felt good to get out and run with the team again in Tacoma. It was colder than normal and there was definately some wind....especially going over the bridge. Yes, I finally got to run across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge!! Not quite the dream I had imagined it would be...i was getting hit in the face with dirt because it was so windy and its essentially a big hill! Nonetheless still pretty cool to be running that high above the water on a big bridge. I definately felt really good the first 10 miles or so. The next 4 miles werent terribly bad. But, OH MY GOSH the last 2+ miles of the run my legs were SCREAMING at me! My lungs felt great the entire run, but my legs were not having it! I went through 2 packs of Gu, and several shots of gatorade and water during the run.

After the run my body got back at me. This required several stops to the restroom accompanied by a little shakiness, slight nausea, soreness, stiffness, and the overall feeling of being tired. But, what could I expect after burning 1700 calories?!? To replenish, I drank a protien shake after I properly finished cooling down to avoid cramping up. Ellen, Abby, and I then rewarded ourselves with a visit to Joeseppi's Italian Restaurant and Deli...yum! I managed to drink 3 HUGE glasses of water too :) A couple hours later I felt much better...all I needed was a nap! I think I need to be eating and drinking more during my long runs to avoid these post-run symptoms :S

You may call me crazy...but I call this fun! A new PB (personal best) for the books! :) I couldnt have done it without my honored teammates....Teri, Pam, Bill, and especially Grace!

There's A New Angel In Heaven...

I havent choosen to skip a training run yet...until yesterday. Here's why:

On Tuesday night, I recieved word that my honored teammate, little Grace, was not doing so well. She was sick. Really sick. She was in the Seattle Children's hospital and as soon as I found out, I knew I had to go visit her. I skipped my run yesterday to support Grace and her family. Grace's birthday was just over a week ago, so before I left for Seattle after work I put together a birthday present for in hopes that it would make Grace smile. I gave her a T-shirt from Team In Training that had the San Diego Marathon logo printed on the back. I wrote her a note in permanent marker "Grace- To my little fighter, you're my inspiration!" I also gave her a copy of my favorite children's book, Alice in Wonderland. I took some food for her parents to make sure they weren't going hungry.

When I got to the hospital, it broke my heart to see Grace laying in that hospital bed. She found the strength to greet me when we met. I tried to keep a strong face for Grace and her family during my visit, but after I left I had to cry.

This morning, only 12 hours after meeting Grace, I recieved a phone call at work with news that sank my heart and hit me like a ton of bricks. Grace, my little fighter, had passed away.

And through my tears, I came to realize.....This is why I run! So no child or family will have to go through what Grace and her family have been through! So no child is stuck laying in a hospital bed instead of playing with friends! No child deserves have cancer take their short life away from them...

I read that the average runner takes 1,800 steps per mile....today I went for a 50 min run and ran 6.5 miles. You better believe that Grace was on my mind all 11,700 steps....she is in God's hands now. She left this world for a better place and I am blessed to have gotten to meet little Grace...she is my hero. She is my inspiration. She is why I run.

Week 10: Happy Easter!

Day 70: rest
Day 69: 50 mins - 6.5 miles
Day 68: did not run
Day 67: 40 mins - 5.3 miles
Day 66: rest
Day 65: 30 mins - 3.4 miles
Day 64: 60 mins - 7.5 miles

Happy Easter everyone!!

Week 9: Mental Toughness and Congrats to Teri!

Day 63: 32 mins - 3.75 miles
Day 62: rest
Day 61: 1.5 miles, 20:53 - 3 miles tempo run, 1.5 miles
Day 60: 40 mins - 5 miles
Day 59: rest
Day 58: 30 mins - 3.4 miles
Day 57: 120 mins - 14.15 miles

I just finished reading the book called "Once A Runner". It was about an elite runner who set out to conquer the 4:00 mile. I realized that elite runners face the same mental struggles that novice runners are challenged with. Although athletic condition definately plays a huge part in the performance of a distance runner...the mental strength is equally important. There are times in our lives when we are or will be faced with challenges. Those challenges present the question in our mind...give up or fight? When your entire body is telling you its time to quit its difficult to make the decision to fight. But, we fight anyways because we know by fighting through these challenges we will become better. The longer my training runs get, the more I am able to understand how trully amazing the mental strength is of those fighting cancer. Sometimes I struggle getting through the last 10-20 minutes of run and struggle deciding whether to quit or persevere. Cancer patients choose to fight every minute of every day of thier battle. I think that's pretty amazing.

Furthermore, I recieved an email from my honored teammate Teri. She told me is in REMISSION!! This news nearly brought tears of joy to my eyes. Congrats Teri! She has been fighting so hard and she did it! She told me they tested her bone marrow to determine that she was in remission, which reminded me to update my address on the bone marrow registery. I want to encourage every one to sign up by going to Be The Match at http://www.marrow.org/.

Week 8: Breaking Barriers

Day 56: rest
Day 55: 47 mins - 6.0 miles
Day 54: 35 mins - 4.45 miles
Day 53: 40 mins - 5.17 miles
Day 52: rest
Day 51: 30 mins - 3.15 miles (still feeling awkward from yesterday's run, the ice pack is my new best friend...trying to give my body lots of TLC!)
Day 50: 90 mins - 10.70 miles

10.70 miles without walking...a new personal best!!! But, I unfortunately had to skip the team practice again. My best friend came to visit me so I needed to be efficient with time. Driving 45 mins each direction to Tacoma didnt seem like the best use of my time. Although, I apparently missed an incredible run over the Tacoma Narrows bridge :( maybe we'll do it again sometime! Instead, I recruited a friend and former college distance runner to accompany me on a 10 mile route I mapped out. The route I mapped out for us to run started at my house in Silverdale and ended at a waterfront coffee shop in downtown Poulsbo, WA. My best friend met us there for a post-run breakfast and coffee.

The run itself was pretty good. We started running at 7:30am and took the first 5 miles fairly easy. I had no idea what to expect on a run this long. After 6 miles, we stopped for a water break and a 'Gu experience' which i had strategically planted along side the road earlier that morning before my running partner got to my house. The last 4 miles of the run were ran at a grueling pace, about 7:40 per mile. I felt really good until I hit about 8 miles....then it got tough. At that point I was really happy to have a running partner who could keep me motivated. I was nervous we weren't going to make it to the coffee shop within the estimated time, so kept pushing the pace to make up for lost time from the slow start. The last part of the run was uphill and I was dying!! When we got to the "goal line" (the coffee shop) I was surprised that I still had 2 minutes of running time left! I did a little victory dance for meeting my goal and running 10 miles, then kept going to get the full 90 minutes. Never before in my ENTIRE life I have I EVER ran more than 8.5 miles and today I ran 10 MILES! I ran so long, that for the first time in my running life, my running playlist on my ipod started repeating....hmm. I am going to need to add more motivational music to keep up with my training. The rest of the day, i felt kinda cruddy, but it was totally worth it. I'm just wondering...if i feel this cruddy after 10 miles, how will I feel after 26.2???

St. Pat's Day Dash Photos!

At the starting line, and this isnt even half the runners....

And, ya got to love a good action shot too!

Week 7: Keep on keepin' on

Day 49: rest
Day 48: 40 mins - 4.90 miles
Day 47: 40 mins - 4.80 miles
Day 46: 40 mins - 5.15 miles (hills)
Day 45: rest
Day 44: 28:42 - 3.75 miles (St. Pat's Day Dash - Seattle, WA)
Day 43: 44 mins - 5.1 miles

I didnt go to practice this week because they decided to start practice at 9am instead of 8am. I was also coaching my last basketball game of the season in Kingston the same afternoon at 1pm which put me on a major time crunch. So, I hit the streets of Silverdale! On Sunday, I'm doing the St. Pat's Day Dash in Seattle with a group of friends...should be lots of fun!!

I'd also like to take this time to thank everyone who have so kindly supported me through donations. You have no idea how much it means to me. It really has motivated me to keep running. It trully is making a difference in more lives than you know :) If you havent donated yet, its not too late! I still need help reaching my fundraising goal!

Week 6: The 'Gu' Experience

Day 42: 40 mins - 5 miles
Day 41: rest
Day 40: 25 mins - 2.8 miles
Day 39: 70 mins - 8.46 miles
Day 38: rest
Day 37: 42 mins - 5 miles
Day 36: 60 mins - 7.2 miles (Saturday, March 6th)

I woke up at 6am, two hours before practice, and I was not in good shape. Although, I had a great time hosting our fundraising event at J&Rs bar last night....I was paying the consequences this morning! Any normal person would have popped some Tylenol and went back to bed. Unfortunately, this was not an option for me! I crawled out of bed, put on my running clothes and headed straight to the grocery store in search for a quick hangover fix. 15 fifteen minutes later, you would have spotted me on the couch with a bottle of Tylenol, icing my achy knees and recovering hami, chugging a giant bottle of Gatorade, and eating a large sugary donut with the most miserable look on my face ever! As Ellen walks in the door, its time to make our weekly trip to Tacoma...

The hour's drive to Tacoma gave me some much needed "wake up and recover" time! By the time we arrived at our practice site, I felt much better....it must have been donut! This week's mission moment was from a mom on our team. She had just lost her son to Leukemia less than 5 months ago. Her strength was absolutely amazing! She didnt want anyone to feel sorry for her, she wanted to motivated us to keep raising money so that another child's smile isnt lost to these terrible dieases.

The 3 rest days were much needed. We ran for 60 minutes today and my legs were feeling alright..not screaming too loudly. It's suggested that any run lasting an hour or longer should be accompanied by a packet of Gu. What the heck is Gu?? Gu is a packaged slimey, gooey, gel full of carbohydrates and engery used by marathoners, triathletes, and other endurance athletes to give them added energy during long races. Our bodies are not designed to store enough energy to race an entire marathon and thus we pump "Gu" into our bodies in order to finish the race. They had packages of Gu for us at practice. Apparently, its important to starting trying different types and different flavors now so we have plenty of time to find a Gu that agrees with our bodies and to avoid finding ourselves in much more painful state. My mentor kindly let me try his favorite flavor, "Tri Berry". He warned me "this (Tri-Berry) is the most tolerable Gu out there for me, but if you actually like this stuff, you're weird. Make sure you chase it with water!" When it came time, I ripped open the package and squirted this foreign substance into my mouth....it was like liquid gummy bears that coated your mouth! Ha, and I actually liked it! I later went to the local bike shop in Silverdale and bought 3 different flavors of Gu to try on future long runs: Esspresso, Montana Huckleberry, and Vanilla. The brand of Gu I bought was called 'Hammer Gel'... I didnt know this stuff was manufactured in Whitefish, MT!!

Putting the 'Fun' in FUNdraising!

What does a local bar, shuffle board, pizza, darts, and huge raffle have to do with Team In Training?? Its the combination for a fun-filled fundraising raising event! Abby, Ellen, and I hosted the event this past Friday night. We collected TONS of donations from local businesses and raffled off 22 prizes! We had a variety of prizes that ranged from oil changes, restaurant gift certificates, free bowling passes, sweatshirts, gym memberships, etc. We also sold pizza for $2 a slice while patrons enjoyed playing shuffle board, darts, billiards, and jammin' out to the juke box! The event raked in just over $500 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

I was hoping the event would have been a little better for us, but ya just cant control the uncontrollable. The bar accidentally double booked events, so we were sharing the bar with group who was serving catered food. Needless to say, its hard to sell pizza for $2/slice when there is a table of FREE food 30ft away! Our pizza sales suffered, but at the end of the night, a good time was had by all! My voice was a little hoarse from announcing the winners over a routy crowd.

I am getting really nervous about the fundraising...its going to be a long road travelled to meet my goal. I need to raise $2,900 and I am barely half way there! Yikes :S

Set Back #2

Day 35: rest
Day 34: rest
Day 33: rest
My heart wants to run, but my body says NO! Even though I am completely motivated and would give anything to be outside running on this beautiful day, I am taking the today off. I seem to have strained my hamstring as result of my workouts these last 2 days. I felt it coming on during yesterday's run and probably should have stopped immediately, but didnt. I'm sure this probably just the start of the minor aches and pains that will be accompying me and my training. So instead of running today, I have decided to hit the weight room and focus on upper-body and abdominal strength in order to give my legs a rest and a chance to heal before I am sidelined with a more serious injury. After a couple days rest and a little TLC to the hami, I should be ready to start increasing the miles and decreasing the intensity to start building up that endurance!!

Week 5: 100 miles!!

Day 32: 40 mins - 4.90 miles
Day 31: intervals/sprints - 1.5 miles
Day 30: 60 mins - 5 miles (100+ miles!!)
Day 29: 50 mins - 5.65 miles

Today, I feel like I am on top of the world...I broke the 100 mile mark since I began training in January!! I didnt realize how close I was until yesterday when I logged in to record my time and mileage. After the team workout in Tacoma I only had just over 4 miles to go to break the barrier...Sundays are suppose to be easy, low-mileage days a.k.a recovery days. I couldnt resist, I had to break the 100-mile barrier. I accomplished this feat during a slow run with some friends that I have recently started running with. The weather was perfect too...60 degrees and sunshine :)

Lately, I have been wondering why so many people take up this crazy sport of running? What causes people to push themself passed the point of exertion? For me, running helps me stay in shape, but its more than that. I run for the feeling I get when I have ran farther or faster than I've ever ran before. I run to escape life and take time to appreciate all that God has given me. I run to test my mental strength and my physical strength. I run because if I work hard enough, someday I will accomplish something that I never thought I could do.

During my search, I fell in love with these short video clips and I encourage anyone interested to watch. They give great insight into a runner's passion and tell the stories of many different types of runners. There's more to it than you'd ever imagine! Watch and find out...very inspiring too!

The Spirit of the Marathon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8XSit8XyeM
(Watch the full documentary: http://www.hulu.com/watch/85354/spirit-of-the-marathon)

Why Do I Run?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuy1GSYoOr8

Week 4: Rekindled Motivation

Day 28: 40 mins - 5 miles
Day 27: rest
Day 26: 40 mins - 4.75 miles
Day 25: 60 mins - 7.35 miles
Day 24: rest
Day 23: 60 mins - 5.2 miles
Day 22: 50 mins - 6.10 miles (Saturday, February 20th)

Although I have been posting a decent number of runs, this past week was not easy. Wednesday's workout called for a 40 min. run, but after a long day at work not one inch of my body felt like running. I was sitting on my bed thinking how it would be to just lay down and take a nap...afterall it wouldnt be that big of deal if i skipped just one day. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought of Teri. I thought of Grace. I thought Mrs. Renaker. I thought of Bill. I realized they never had a choice whether or not that wanted to fight their cancer that day. And so I ran. I wanted quit 2 minutes into my workout...it felt like torture! I ran the entire 40 mins because if quitting wasnt an option for my honored teammates, then it wasnt going to be an option for me. When I finished my run that day, I was glad it was over, yet thankful that I had such strong honored teammates to keep me track. Whether they know it or not, they are helping me achieve my goals!

I used my new found motivation to finish the week strong with some nice long runs. Saturday's team run in Tacoma was awesome. We had great weather...lots of sunshine! After practice we went to J&R's Bar in Silverdale to touch base with the owners about a big fundraiser we planned. Everything is ready to go. We are going to raffle off over $1000 worth of prizes, sell pizza by the slice, sing karaoke, play shuffle board, and have fun on March 5th...all to fight cancer and raise cancer awareness! While we were visiting J&R's bar, Ellen and I collected $46 in donations from random patrons who had over heard our conversation! I am so incredibly grateful for all the support from everyone!

Week 3: Should I bring tissue to practice??

Day 21: 52 mins - 6.15 miles
Day 20: rest
Day 19: 40 mins - 5 miles
Day 18: 40 mins - 4.90 miles
Day 17: Cross Train - bike 13 miles
Day 16: Valentine's Day Race, 4 miles - 29:31
(super hilly race course = torture!)

Day 15: 40 mins - 4.85 miles (Saturday, February 13)

Our third team practice was a 40min run. We ran on a trail next to the busiest highway that runs through Tacoma. It makes me appreciate all the beautiful miles of trails in Bozeman, MT where it was just me with mother nature and my iPod wasn’t fighting the sound of traffic to be heard. My ipod is usually blaring "I can only Imagine" by Mercy Me, which is my favorite running song. Nonetheless, it still feels great to get out run especially when you have good company. I am starting meet more and more of my teammates....all of them are amazing people! I am also feeling more confident with my runs, I am ready to start rampin' up on the miles a bit more, so the 50 min run next Saturday will be perfect. After practice, we had a fundraising clinic and a really great “mission moment”. One of the mentors first read a poem written by a leukemia survivor. It set the stage for my emotions. She then read a letter from our honored teammate’s mother. My emotions took over. Before I knew it I had tears rolling down my cheeks! It makes me wonder, should I be brining my running shoes and a box of tissues to practice??

Week 2: New Shoes!

Day 14: 30 mins - 3.97 miles
Day 13: 30 mins - 3.90 miles
Day 12: rest
Day 11: 40 mins - 5.05 miles
Day 10: rest
Day 9: 30 mins - 3.70 miles
Day 8: 40 mins - 4.78 miles (Saturday, February 6)

This week's 8a.m Saturday team training session was much better. Its was a 40 min run on a trail with steady rolling hills. After the run, we had a shoe clinic at a local running store. I was able to get the right type of shoes for my stride. Running high mileage in the wrong shoes can have damaging effects on your body. I'll do anything to reduce the risk of another IT band injury, plus hopefully no more black toenails either (I've got one about to fall off)!

Week #1: Here we go...

Day 7: 30 min run - 3.73 miles
Day 6: rest
Day 5: 30 min run - 3.90 miles
Day 4: 30 min run - 3.97 miles
Day 3: rest
Day 2: 30 min run - 3.67 miles
Day 1: 30 min run - 3.20 miles (Saturday, January 30)

Today marks the first official day of marathon training. We met in Tacoma at Vassault park as a team. I have about 90 teammates training for either the Seattle or San Diego marathon, of those 90, only about 30 are training for San Diego. It was a very easy run today, in fact everyone was encouraged to walk (I opted not too though...dont tell!)

TNT Kick Off Party!

Tonight was our Team In Training (TNT) kick off party! No “official” running yet. I was introduced to my mentor, Nick, who will be supporting me throughout the season. He has ran several races before with Team In Training and will be running the race in San Diego with me in June. I also learned more about what I could expect from the training, ate lots of food, and met other TNT participants as well. The party was motivating and inspiring, but the it definitely left me with the feeling that this is only the beginning and the best of what's to come is incomprehensible. This Saturday is our first team practice and first “official” training day.

Right now, I can’t help but feel fatigued. Last night, Abby and I went to JR’s Bar for Shirley Temples to organize our fundraising efforts, we stayed until 10pm. Nonetheless, as I was at JR’s Bar again this morning by 6:00am to drink coffee with owners and discuss a fundraising event we are hosting on March 5th. The owners of the bar are awesome. They seem more than willing to help us in any way they can. We are just in the planning stages, but I think it will be a fun event for everyone!

Also, I finally found a business to sponsor $100! Puget Sound Auto Body owed me a favor after I kindly brought them a couple $1000 worth of business. Lets just say that WA traffic was quick to remind me that I dont live in Montana anymore...needless to say, my car survived and Puget Sound Auto Body returned it to "like new" condition. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!! I really REALLY appreciate it!

Set Back #1

Today was my first day of fundraising. Abby and I spent the entire afternoon trying to find businesses to sponsor us. Needless to say we were pretty unsuccessful...we came home with $0!! Well, thats not completely true. Signo Di Vino kindly donated a $20 gift certificate which we will put to use in other fundraising efforts.

Despite our day's failure, we learned alot! First of all, we do have a couple leads to chase and may need to refocus the types of businesses we approach. Secondly, it is clearly obvious that running a marathon is not going to be the hardest part. Fundraising almost $3,000 may be the true challenge (but completely worth it). After throwing in the towel for the day, we did some serious brainstorming for fundraising ideas. Here is what we came up with:

-Dollar Drive - For $1 (or more) people can sign our TNT racing shirts
-Garage Sale - 100% Donation based
-Rootbeer Floats/Italian Soda Stand at the Mall
-Sponsor Donuts and Coffee at Church
-Valentine's Day - Help local flower shops deliver flowers
-Event Concession Stand Sales
-Donation Cans - At grocery stores or fast food restraurants
-Bowling Night

Please feel free to post a comment if you have any fabulous fundraising ideas to offer up. We (Abby, Ellen & I) will gladly consider them! No idea is a stupid idea! ;-)

The Beginning of a Journey

Welcome to my Team in Training marathon blog! I officially registered for the San Diego Rock'n Roll Marathon yesterday and have eagerly begun "pre"training and devising a fundraising strategy. First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to explain to you how this challenge came about. A couple months ago, I was signing up to be a 5th grade basketball coach at the Poulsbo Parks & Rec Association when I noticed a booklet of local recreational activities. I grabbed a copy to take home and skim in my spare time. Later that evening as I was reading through the booklet, a training class for a Seattle marathon caught my attention. Running a marathon is something that has alway been on my bucketlist, but I never thought I would take on the challenge this early in life. Afterall, I haven't even ran a half-marathon yet! The idea of a training class appealled to me mostly because I would have to be accountable to someone other than just myself. I have learned to never overlook the power of motivation. Nonetheless, I wasnt sure if I was ready for the commitment.

A couple weeks later, I was buying a trainer for my bike. As I was walking out of the store with my new purchase, the Team in Training flyer caught my attention. I had heard of Team in Training before and thought I would take a look. As soon as I started researching Team in Training, I knew it was an opportunity I couldn't let pass me by. I thought about all the people in my life affected by the diease. I told my roommate, Abby and co-worker, Ellen of my ambition to participate. We knew completing the unthinkable marathon and the opportunity to save lives and leave an impact would be a life-changing journey. They decided to join me as well. And so together, the three of us signed up for the Rock'n Roll Marathon in San Diego.

As we raise funds, we will recieve professional coaching and mentorship with weekly "team" practices every Saturday. My goal is complete the race in under 4 1/2 hours, but I realize this race is not just about the finish line I hope to cross in San Diego. Its about working together to fight a diease.

At this point, I am still in a state of shock....I CAN'T BELIEVE I AM GOING TO RUN A MARATHON!! AM I NUTS?!?