Final Long Run Before The Race!

Today was our last long run before the BIG race in 8 days! It's almost here! I alternate between jumping out of my seat in excitement and wanting to puke from anxiety!

We met at Kellogg Park at La Jolla Shores with the purple and north teams (since the San Diego chapter has so many people training for Rock n' Roll, we break out into three teams- I'm on the green) to do six miles and discuss the race logistics afterwards. It was such a beautiful place to meet, right on the ocean although who ever decided this would be our last run before the race was a cruel person, ha ha ha! It was almost all hills, including some REALLY steep hills, so needless to say I was walking a fair amount of it. We went from the La Jolla Shores to just beyond the Children's Pond where the seals are. Did I say how much I love training here? I actually felt pretty great, although I played it safe and walked back from the aid station and kept my ankle wrapped up in an ace bandage for the run. If I could wrap myself up in bubble wrap until the race to keep myself from getting injured again I would!

On the walk back, I saw a couple in a pickup truck hanging out with their cockatoo. I asked if I could take his picture, and just then the bird walked over to me and landed on my arm, fluffed his feathers, bounced and said, "Happy bird! Happy bird!" What an amazing moment- the couple were so happy and so was I, and they took my picture while the bird said, "Pretty Bird!" Training for this with Team in Training has given me so many moments of grace and extreme beauty, not to mention happiness!

After the run, we were given the run down on the race and final information. Alisha, the LLS coordinator told us to practice our finish line photo (arms UP!) and whenever you're lagging during the race to practice it! Coach Ronnie told us that this week first and foremost we are an athlete and to take it easy on the booze (lesson learned from last week) and hydrate hydrate hydrate. No heels, wear athletic shoes if we can all week, take it easy at work, and don't wear new clothes, shoes, or eat anything new for the race.

We're meeting at 5:15 am (yes, you read that right) at the start by the UPS trucks. We were told to first wait in line at the port a pottie and then when we are done, go back in the line and THEN meet with the team. Spending $100 on Brooks items to use their VIP potties sounds awfully tempting right now! If we're going to take the shuttle from Qualcomm, we have to be there by 4:00 am. Major sucking up to my sister and husband for a ride to the race line begins NOW.

So far the San Diego team has raised over $700,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!!!

The view from my run/walk back from the aid station. Not bad!

Our awesome coach Ronnie telling us that we are meeting at 5:15 am at the starting line. Yay!

STRETCH!

Coronado Run

I've got three weeks until the 1/2 marathon. Three weeks! Today was supposed to be a back down week and only 6 miles for the 1/2 marathon group, but since I've got to make up my miles and the longest I've really done is 6 miles, I decided to do the marathon training run and did- gasp- 9.2 miles. 9.2 very long miles, but along Coronado so I can't complain. We met at Tidelands Park at 7 am along with three other marathon training groups- I guess it's a popular place to meet!

I was doing 5 minute run, 1 minute walks, then met up with a group that was doing 6 minute miles, two minute walks and quite frankly I LOVE my recoveries so I joined them. I swiftly went to the rear (I know I'm getting faster, but so is everyone else!) and was joined by the sweeper, Tina, who helped me go for miles while chatting. I said I should be the sweeper (the appointed last runner who makes sure everyone's okay) on the runs from here on in since I'm so good at it! I felt like absolute garbage the first couple miles, but then my body went, oh, okay, I guess I can do it, and I just plugged through it.

After Tina went back with the half marathon group, my buddy Joe came on as the sweeper and joined me for the other part of the run. Did I mention how much I love running with other people? It just makes the miles fly by, and so much more pleasurable. At the aid stand just before the 9.2 mile turnaround, I was going to head back but I had everyone there cheer me on to get to the turnaround point, which was two rocks leaning towards each other like a butt. Imagine hearing six people yell, "Touch the butt! Touch the butt!!" Of course it was like a mirage and so much further then it looked, but it was awfully satisfying to touch the butt : )

The last three miles I was joined by the TNT mentor David, who is doing the Rock n' Roll marathon on a hand bike. I had never really talked to him before, just knew he was from Indiana and was very friendly, and whenever he goes by me in the handbike it makes me go faster. Turns out this is his twentieth race with Team in Training and has been part of the group since 1998. He had done numerous marathons and two ironman triathlons and in 2001 (?) he did the Alaska marathon with TNT, went hiking a few days later, fell, and crushed several vertibae in his spinal cord. He said he had done NYC the year before, and when he was in Alaska was supposed to do NYC so was able to transfer his entry to his nurse, and did the race the next year in his hand bike.

I can't even begin to tell you what an inspiration David is. He has a wonderful, cheerful outlook on life, and while we did the last three miles together he was telling me all about his races. He was also constantly checking on me- how are my feet, how are my shins...it made me want to cry (I did a little but hopefully I was able to hide it). I feel so blessed to have been able to spend that time with David.

Afterwards we went as a group to the Beach N' Diner on Orange Ave in Coronado for a celebratory breakfast! Here's Assistant Coach David having his post run meal of chicken n' waffles and a chocolate shake- ummm!

First Day of Training!

Today was the first day of training with Team in Training for the marathon to kick off 18 weeks of training. It was such a pleasure to meet up with the Central team (about 100 people?), which is only one team out of three- there is also a North team and the South team in San Diego...so nice to see the support for Team in Training!

I'm always amazed how incredibly friendly people are in San Diego, and how happy they are to live here. It was also so nice to see how happy people in Team in Training are to be doing the program- so meeting up at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to start the run was like being in Disneyland, everyone was sooooo thrilled to be there! Yippee, horray, we're training for a marathon! There was so much pride in what we are doing, all the alumni were wearing Team in Training t-shirts and jackets and showing off pins saying how many marathons they did...I would have to say there were about 60% alumni there! There were also about 15 mentors, four coaches, two assistant coaches...with signs and cameras and all these yay rah things that I never would have thought of, like signs along the running route saying all these facts about leukemia and why we are doing it.

Learned some new stretches for my shins today, which were very helpful! Partnered up with someone to hold each other up and first:
1. Went up on our tip toes facing forward
2. Went up on our heels facing forward
3. Had our heels close by with toes facing out and up on tip toes
4. Our heels close by with toes facing out and up on heels
5. Our toes close together with heels out and up on toes
6. Our toes close together with heels out and up on heels
I was also told that as a new (well, returning) runner that shin splints are very common, and it's best to roll a tennis ball under my foot to prevent/ help heal shin splints. Also, if you rub your arch, it helps it as well.

I went with the A group, the beginners group, to do 3.1 miles, running 3 minutes and walking 1 minute. Felt pretty great the first mile and a half, then felt like I was going to puke. So I ran 1 minute then walked 3 minutes (okay, that's being generous) until the end. The picture doesn't really capture my beet red face, but I was happy to be done!

I'm now limping a little bit and my legs feel like lead and I've been SOOO tired all day long. This is going to be a LONG process and hard on my body and I'm starting to wonder why I didn't do the century ride for Team in Training? It's very different to train for a marathon when I'm almost 40 then when I was in my 20s...enough complaining, I've got to get up early to do a 40 minutes jog tomorrow!