Lake Tahoe is absolutely stunning. I love it and I'm incredibly happy to have made the trip.
I was a little worried about the trip, not about Tahoe, but about being there for America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride. This was the 100 mile bike ride that I decided not to do. Honestly, I was
more than a little worried that I'd be heartbroken and petulant all weekend. It's not my nature to sulk, but then it's also not my nature to be a quitter either.
In fact, I had an absolutely fabulous time the day of the race. My job was to help with SAG - that's either "Support and Gear" or "Sympathy and Gear" depending on your day. First, I met the team at Inspiration Vista above Emerald Bay. It's beautiful there as you can clearly see in the photo. At Vista I took the cold weather gear they needed to ditch. I also snapped team photos and did whatever the riders needed. Then I had a few hours off so I went for a run. (Oh, I ran three times in Tahoe. Chi Running is awesome.) Finally, I wrapped up my day cheering on the cyclists at Spooner Summit. This was toward the end of the ride and after the cyclists had finished a 9 mile climb.
In total, I spent about 7 hours and it was great to be able to help people succeed. I had never done SAG at an event, but I've always always appreciated it. There have been plenty of events where some TNT person called out "GO TEAM" and it gave me the push I needed to reach the finish. Last night at the victory celebration someone said that seeing me at Spooner was like a "Ray of sunlight. All the cheering is great, but when it's someone you know cheering for you it's a big lift." Her taking time to say that made my weekend.
It is a huge lift to see a familiar face along the course. I'll always remember seeing Coach Ellen at mile 19 of my first marathon and seeing Steve cheering at Nike Women's Marathon. I hope I was able to provide some joy to the riders along the course.
Lake Tahoe, AMBBR and SAG
Did I Ever Tell You You're My Hero?
Dear Heavens this is an ambitious goal.
Nick Hollon, a high school senior, is going to run 3,000 miles in 10 months to raise money to cure blood cancers. Like many of us who raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, blood cancer his touched his life.
Three thousand miles in 10 months is a great goal, but he decided to make it even tougher. Next Saturday, he's running 100 miles. In. One. Day. I can do 26.2 in one day and it's tough. He's doing nearly 4 marathons in less than 24 hours.
Visit his website www.3000forthecure.org to hear more about his run. I'm planning to join him on the track and run a few miles to keep him company if he needs some support.
October? How Did That Happen?
It's October. The Nike Half Marathon is less than 3 weeks away; Dublin is less than 4.
We're coming to the end of this season of Team in Training - which I should have noticed due to the increasing mileage. Last Saturday we did 18 uneventful miles. Somehow September (and August) slipped right by me.
Actually our Saturday mileage is increasing, but our weekday mileage is already in the back-down mode. Last night we did 3 miles in the park. The entire Monday night crew was itching to go farther, but that's back-down for you. Tuesday night is normally our intervals session at the lake. Unfortunately, the sun is setting earlier and they're closing the trails earlier too. That means we can't do that walk again until the springtime. I'm really sad to lose our walk at the lake; it was probably my favorite.
Not to get all misty, but I'm really sorry to see this season end. I'm excited about the two events, but I'd love for my time with this group of teammates to continue. Of course, I probably won't miss hauling up the Laurel Street hill every Monday (nearly a mile at the 22.5% incline. Whew!)
Kat sent this photo of the Monday night group. We always meet at this statue - for the photo we tricked her out with a TNT hat, jacket, bracelet, and water pack.
It's Not the Heat
Coach Peggy wisely cut yesterday's workout short due to the brutal humidity and heat. Well, it's brutal for San Diego, but a real nice day if you live in Houston or New Orleans.
We got to Ocean Beach expecting a 13 miler, but instead she shortened it to 12. You know you've been marathon training when someone says 12 miles and you think, "That's nothing; it's not even worth getting out of bed."
It was a decent workout and we had a reasonably good pace. A little frustrating to have another short workout, but it was the right thing to do.
Yesterday, we saw several non-TNT people out running with no water, no electrolytes, no salt, nothing. It was hot and sweaty and people were obviously struggling. One thing that always impresses me about Team in Training is that we have very, very few injuries. I haven't really seen one in the last year. Part of the reason for that is the coaches are conservative and make sure participants are working out safely.
Choose Your Own Adventure
I finally filled out my recommitment form today. For Team in Training participants recommitment is the real decision to do the event. Before that, you've agreed to train. Now the commitment is financial. At recommit you're accepting responsiblity to raise the full amount of funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. If you don't meet your goal, you're agreeing to donate the remainder yourself. The official recommit date was Wednesday. I've been out of the office so I haven't had a printer to print the forms. Our Team in Training coordinator kindly agreed to bring me a set of recommit forms to today's training session.
For the past few weeks, I've been kicking around an idea. This session Team in Training participants are training for 1 of 2 events - either Nike Women's Marathon or the Dublin Marathon. I wanted to do both, but signed up for Nike since all my friends were doing it. But Dublin just called to me. For the last few months, it seems as though everyone I know has gone to Ireland for work or vacation.
About two weeks ago I asked Steve what he thought would happen if I did the half marathon at Nike (October 21) then the full marathon in Dublin (October 29). Other than the fact that I might get sore, he couldn't find a reason not to do it. I asked a few other people, and they didn't have a good reason either. I'm fit. I'm strong. I train consistently. In truth, everyone is sore after a marathon. Soreness is no reason to skip Dublin.
When I filled out my recommit forms, I was still massaging the Nike+Dublin idea in my head. That's the decision point - not the money, which I'm going to raise anyway - but the event. Selecting the Nike Half Marathon means I can go to Dublin too. It's hard for me to do half of anything, but two full marathons in 8 days is insanity. I stared at the form for a long while, and finally checked off the half marathon box.
That's the adventure I choose - 2 continents, 8 days, 39.3 miles.
Nike Women's Half Marathon and Dublin Marathon - Get Ready, Because Here I Come!
Workout Interactive
I'm in the post marathon funk. Everyone warned me that it would happen, but still - bleh.
To increase the funkiness of my mood, the TNT coaches aren't letting us train very hard. I understand that this is for my own good. I understand that this is to prevent injury. On the other hand, going at such a low intensity and short distance chaps my hide. My friend Don runs a marathon every three weeks. I think I can handle a five mile walk. A good intense workout would make me feel much happier.
The other thing is that I like to go out to breakfast after training. If I only walk a few miles then I haven't earned the heaping pile of pancakes. Really, you know it's all about the pancakes.
So here is where we get interactive. Help me pick a new cross-training workout. I already do some lighter weight training. Pilates and yoga are good, but I'd like something a bit more metabolically zippy. Learning to golf is still a possibility, and that seems to be a lot of walking around anyway. Kickboxing, treadmill, gym based stuff are all yucky to me. Is anyone doing anything fun to work out? Any suggestions for something fun, possibly communal? Suggestions welcome.
Starting One, Completing Another
Last Saturday, I started training for the Nike Women's 26.2. This is a whole new Team In Training experience - new coaches, new teammates, new training system. When I got to the training session, I found out that I was supposed to take some time off after the marathon. They said that the rule of thumb is 1 day/mile for endurance events. Who knew? Truth be told, I only went to training because we go out to breakfast after training and I really wanted some pancakes.
On Sunday we had our celebration for our TNT marathon and half marathon finishers. That was the final wrap up of the Spring TNT season. It was a great party, but it was sad to think that some of those people won't be part of the next training session. I'll miss seeing them every Saturday. Of course, it's hard to keep raising money so I suppose lots of people can't participate more than once or twice.
The Race, Part One - The Best of Times
Linda and I met at my house at 5 a.m. Getting to the race, dropping off our post race bags and getting into the right starting carrel was a bit harried. We snuck into our carrel in the nick of time to hear the National Anthem. Unfortunately, we couldn't find Gretchen, Debbie or Carol, but we did get started.
The TNT coaches instructed us to bring a trash bag to wear against the morning chill. As you can see from the photo, I went with the more form fitting tall kitchen trash bag, instead of the sloppy, oversized lawn and leaf bag. Also, I'd fashioned my trash bag with a vee neck, because vee necks are slimming.
The start of the race is one giant blob of people ambling slowly toward the starting line. Finally you pass onto the course and the mob breaks up into groups of people walking and running a decent pace. Like most extraverts, I love crowds. I spent the entire first half of the race people watching. About a quarter of the people in the event had on purple TNT race jerseys. There were teams from other charities too. There was a pretty good sized group from the American Heart Association. There was also at least one woman running for a childhood tumors organization. Her coach was a barefoot runner and she had a prosthetic leg. On the back of her jersey she'd written Isaiah 40:31. If you're inclined to that kind of thing, then you can look that up. It's a pretty apt verse for someone attempting a marathon.
Whenever I took a break from studying the other participants, I was waving at people who were watching from the course route. It was sort of like being in a very fast moving parade. This is where being part of TNT is fabulous. Along the course, there were people with Go TNT signs, kids with "I kicked cancer's butt" tee shirts, and several people with "Thanks from a survivor signs." I'm not sure where it was on the course, but there was a series of "In memory of" signs too. The runners probably completely missed these details.
The entire first half of the marathon was awesome. We loved the bands, the park, walking through Hillcrest and the Gaslamp Quarter. Somewhere around mile 11, I decided to walk and brush my hair. The velcro in my hat was pulling on my hair and it was bugging me. I actually felt so good, that my hair was my big worry.
I was thinking to myself. "This marathon stuff is easy!" You know that couldn't last.
Marathon Weekend: Pre-Race Stuff
Backtracking a bit. Here are several pre-race things that will always be memorable to me.
Picking up the button with my uncles photo - This marathon thing started as a way to raise money for blood cancers. My uncle was such an athletic man, I know that it would have tickled him to be in a marathon. The photo is one where he's smiling broadly and obviously happy and healthy. Just seeing that button made me teary.
Getting my race number and timing chip - At that point it's the real deal. I've done a few 5ks and a bike race. Once you've got the number, the event goes from idea to actual.
Running 8 million errands the day before the race - I spent Saturday scrambling to find my favorite nutrition bars, getting my name on my jersey, etc. Note to self: next time rest before the race. Don't be such a perfectionist-dumbass.
Putting together my gear - Preparation is my skill/obsession. I laid out my outfit, race pack and after race bag. I took photos of my gear, mostly so I'd have a list for the next marathon. (Click on the photo and go to flickr to see the entire list.) The funny thing is that all that stuff fit very precisely into my carry belt. Years ago, I decided that I will only travel with 1 carry-on bag. My packing skills are unbeatable.
Entering the pre-race TNT pasta party - About 150 TNT volunteers lined the hallway all with noisemakers and costumes. As the participants entered, it was to a deafening cacophony of cheers and enthusiasm. It was so overwhelming, that it sort of scared me and I ducked off to the side. Finally, one of the mentors pushed me to go through the tunnel of cheering volunteers because that was the only way to the dinner.
Listening to the TNT party speakers - The cancer survivor and family stories were inspirational as always. The keynote speaker was John "the Penguin" Bingham; having him there was awesome. I've read Bingham's monthly column in Runners World since he started writing it. Even when I was completely unhealthy, I enjoyed his take on running. Over the years, he's made marathons accessible to tons of slow runners and walkers or penguins. He's known for saying, “The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” That's true of most things, starting is the hardest part.
Next time, I'll post about the actual marathon.
More Later, But This for Now
Linda will be here to get me in 5 hours, so I should be asleep.
There's plenty of stuff to tell you about - picking up my race number, getting a button with my uncle's photo, going the pre-marathon pasta dinner.
But for now, I'll tell you this. 17000 participants will start the race. Nearly 4000 of those participants are members of Team in Training. Those 4000 runners and walkers raised 12.5 to cure blood cancers.
12.5 Million.
Recovered-ish and Ready-ish
The cold is lifting and I'm feeling pretty much better - still tired but not miserable. Other than stretching, I've pretty much blown off the training plan this week. Rest seemed more relevant than any more training.
I'm definitely ready to make the attempt on Sunday. Worse case scenario, I'll stop at the "secret" half marathon finish line. It's a secret finish line, because the Rock N Roll Marathon only allows a half marathon finish for Team In Training members; everyone else is required to go the whole 26.2. I'm pretty sure I can make the full marathon distance, but it's nice to have a back up plan.
Yesterday, I picked up my official TNT jacket. Members get a jacket when they meet their fund raising commitment. It's sort of like being in a gang. It may be the most expensive coat I've ever owned - lots of y'all chipped in to "buy" it. If you come visit me in San Diego, you can wear it for awhile.
Nike Women's Marathon - Run Like A Girl
Last week I officially signed up for Nike Women's Marathon. There was a very nice TNT Alumni cocktail reception hosted by Nike and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Actually I'm a pre-alum of TNT since I haven't finished my first event yet, but lets not pick nits.
I checked out the fund raising commitment and it's only $1500 even though it's a travel event. I knew it was a lot smaller amount as an alum, but I wasn't sure how much. That's cool.
It's a win/win. I love TNT and the cause is so near to my heart. Nike Women's, here I come.
Kick-Off
Tonight was the kick off party for the Spring Team in Training. It was slightly dorky or also inspirational and fun. The best part was listening to the comments from the honored teammates - if these people can beat cancer, then I can drag my body 26.2. I want to start training right this second.
I also got my first piece of Team In Training swag tonight. I got my TNT training shirt because I'd set up my fund raising website and written my solicitation letter. There's no way I'm going to send out letters, but I did write one. The shirt is actually nice - a Nike CoolMax shirt. Good swag is a beautiful thing.
It was awesome to see all those people ready to go - runners, marathon walkers, triathletes, century riders. Endurance athletes one and all. Go Team!
Getting to Know Team in Training
I'd always wanted to do a marathon with Team in Training. My friend Becca did it a few years ago but it was just never the right time for me. TNT trains people for endurance events - marathons, century rides, triathlons. In return each participant agrees to raise a specific amount of money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. LLS uses that money to fund research to cure blood cancers. It's a win/win.
I was always too busy, too lazy, too frightened of the fundraising commitment, too something. Two things happened last year that made me reconsider. We lost my uncle to myeloma and I moved across country. Suddenly I wasn't too busy or too lazy to raise a bit of money for when a blood cancer hit close to home. I went to the introduction session and decided the timing was just right.
One thing that I always wanted to know was how much I needed to fundraise for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to participate. In fact, I hunted through tons of TNT blogs to try and figure it out before I went to the session. It's like a state secret or something.
Here's the deal - the LLS takes the cost of each participant then multiplies it by 4. That guarantees that the agency has 75% of all money donated going directly to the agency's mission. The cost per participant are: entry fees, materials, travel, jerseys, etc. So if you go to race in Ireland, it's more expensive than if you go to a race in your hometown. I'm doing a local race and it's a 1700 buck commitment.
Not too bad. I can raise 1700 bucks. I signed the form.
On June 3rd, I'll be dragging myself 26.2 miles in San Diego's Rock N Roll Marathon.
