TNT Wrap-up

Where, oh where, did the month of June go? I can hardly believe it has been nearly a month since the Rock n Roll marathon! I just started running again after taking more than three weeks off. I didn't originally intend to wait that long, but in some ways it was good for me. I had been feeling a little burned out with training, and waiting made me want to go. If I had pushed myself to go too soon, I might have burned out completely and never want to run again! It felt good to hit the trail again last week, though. And now I've committed to the Chuckanut Footrace on July 7, and the Bellingham Bay Marathon (the half!) on October 7. So I will continue to blog as I maintain for those events.

I want to say a few words about my Team in Training experience. Team in Training is the largest endurance sports training program in the world, and with good reason. First, it supports a really great organization, The Leukemia Lymphoma Society. A second, it provides coaching, fitness, health, and training advice and information, a TNT-alum mentor, and a team to train with. I can honestly say it was a great experience, and I would recommend the program to anyone who would make the commitment.

I said in my blogs that I often felt alone on the trail because most of my teammates were walking. And while that was true, when I got to San Diego, and espcially in the hours before and after the race, I really did feel like part of the team. We all shared in our excitement before the race, and our joy (and fatigue) afterwards. We were really rooting each other on, even if we weren't together through the race!

TNT was the perfect project for me while I was not working. I really wanted to do something productive to help other people, but it also kept me dedicated to myself too. There were many days when I would not have gone running if I hadn't been committed to the marathon. (And I never would have tried running more than 5 miles if I hadn't been training!) But more than that, as a participant I helped raise more than $.5 million dollars for the Washington/Alaska chapter, and $12.5 million nationwide--and that's just from the participants in the Rock n Roll marathon! That will go a long way for research and patient care services!

I should mention Coach Terry. She wasn't able to make it to San Diego, but otherwise she was there for all of us every (pounding) step of the way. We met at 8 a.m., and for her that meant arriving even earlier to set up water stations along our routes, and putting out signage so we could find our meeting points. And she had to drive from Everson! She made a point to get to know us, and to check in regularly about how our individual training and fundraising was going. She has completed several marathons, many with TNT.

Kim was a great mentor, too. She also checked in frequently about fundraising. She participated in the same event last year, and she lent her own perspectives gleaned from her experience. I don't think Kim missed one practice throughout the four months; she is very dedicated and passionate about LLS.

I will say I was disappointed in our Event Liason in San Diego. All of us from the Bellingham Team felt overlooked; we didn't have a coach with us where other groups did, and no one stepped up to fill that position. Our liason should have seen to it that we were taken care of; the reason coaches are at the events is because they are needed. I would have benefited from one during my few miles of delirium during the race. That said, my overall experience with the organization and on event weekend was so great that I won't let that aspect taint the whole season.

Thank You again to everyone who donated. This was one of the largest seasons for Team in Training. I couldn't have done it without you!

Photo by Nancy, Fred's wife. Pictured are: Erica, Kim, Fred (one of our honored teammates, and a Leukemia survivor who is cancer-free!), Sherry, Me, Alysaa, Sherri, Kelsi. This was taken before 4 a.m. on race day, before we left for the starting area.

Rock -n- Roll, Baby!

I DID IT!!!!!

I completed the Rock-n-Roll marathon, in just under 5 hours. (Yes, my chip time read 5 hours, 2 minutes. I'm deducting a few minutes for my bathroom stop. There was a line, after all.) It was an amazing experience! It's difficult to describe the energy of the event; there were thousands of spectators cheering, and over 20,000 people participating.

The race began at 6:30 a.m. In order to get ready, meet up with my team, and shuttle to the start area, I had to get up at 3 a.m. (and I did not sleep well for the hours I was in bed). There was water, coffee and bagels, and hundreds of port-o-potties waiting for us there, though. Our bus was among the first to arrive, and we had the unique experience of watching the crowd grow, and the sun come up. Three bottles of water, two bathroom stops, and two-plus hours later, I left the team to line up in my corral to start the race.

For the first few miles of the race I was trying to find my pace and a place to run. The group was so thick at that point that it was difficult to get in stride. I figured out quickly how to move around other racers, though, and the first several miles were truly fun. The bands were lively and the runners were cheering for them as much as the crowd was cheering for us. And between miles four and five when I passed Erin, Kirsten, and my mom -- who were going crazy cheering for me -- I was feeling great and just enjoying the whole thing.

The first half of the race went smoothly. I stopped for a few minutes at mile 8 to use the toilet, and walked a few minutes here and there, as was my plan. (I ran the whole first hour; it went by really quickly to me!) But after about mile 15, I was thinking "okay, I'm ready to be done." And then the race got hard. Between miles 18 and 24 I walked more than I ran, and I was really struggling mentally. I knew that I couldn't stop moving though. A few times I went to the side and stretched lightly for a moment, but I felt like if I allowed myself to stop too long, I wouldn't be able to start again. At some point, a TNT runner from the LA chapter started walking with me. She was struggling the same that I was, and I was glad for some company for a few minutes. There were coaches from other TNT chapters encouraging everyone from the sidelines, which helped, too. I had our honored team members' names on the back of my shirt, and when I was really feeling bedraggled, one of the coaches reminded me of why I was doing this: "for Judy and Fred!"

Then, around mile 24, Erin was cheering for me at the sideline. I'm so glad she was there! I needed her then! She had some Excedrine, which I took for the headache that was faint before the race, and she walked with me for a few minutes. I was really close to losing it, but she encouraged me, and it was enough to get me through. And I actually started feeling better, and I ran the last mile. I was determined to run through the finish. It felt great! Not too long after finishing, I started to forget how much I had struggled; it was just so awesome!

I told myself that I didn't care about my time; I wanted to go out and have fun and be present in the moment(s). I couldn't help, though, but track my minutes and think about my pace. Months ago one of our training lessons was about goal-setting, and the reading talked about setting three different goals for the race: one that was most certainly attainable, one that might be possible, and one that would be a dream goal, but not easily achieved. At that time, finishing in less than five hours was my "wouldn't it be awesome if..." goal: and I did it!

San Diego, Here I Come!

I meant to update you all on my final few weeks of training. And clearly I failed miserably. There really wasn't anything much to report. But here we are today, and I'm leaving for (not so?) sunny San Diego. The marathon is in 2 DAYS!!! I can hardly believe it.

I'm trying not to let myself get nervous about the race. My plan is to go out there, enjoy the people and the overall experience. My "goal" is to finish in about 4 1/2 hours, which is about an hour faster than I originally estimated, but I also plan not to specifically push myself to meet that goal. I want to have fun, too.

I do have to say I hope I can get a different singlet for the race. The one I have is comically small; I ordered a size small because the shirt I was given at the beginning of the season is a medium, and it's too big. But apparently the singlets are sized women's and men's sizes. But this small is tiny. Serious muffin-topping ensued when I tried it on. ("Top of the muffin to you" is only pleasant when edible.) I can't race in it! So I'm a little nervous about how that will work out.

I'm sure I'll have plenty to report early next week. I hope to catch a glimpse or two of the running Elvises and to experience some moments of grace and humility.

Wish me luck!