Thursday, December 27, 2007

A Few Things My TnT Experience Has Taught Me:

  • Running with a group makes the miles pass faster
  • Try and stay on your feet
  • Stay away from balloons (They mark the last of the runners at Disney ... anyone after the balloons gets picked up by the bus!)
  • Listen to your coach, mentor and fellow runners -- they know what they're talking about
  • Running without music is a good way to be alone with your thoughts
  • I don't like cross country (I'm still sorry, Jamie!)
  • There are a lot of supportive runners out there
  • No one looks good in a Christmas sweater
  • A run is a great way to start the day
  • Rebel never gets tired
  • Running in the rain is actually enjoyable
  • Running in single-digit temps is not
  • People are generous when you ask them to support a good cause
  • Nothing beats a good pair of shoes
  • People throw a lot of trash on the side of the road
  • The first mile never gets any easier
  • Showering at work isn't the end of the world
  • Everyone should push themselves to do something they never thought they could
  • Drivers don't pay attention to the road (or people running on the side of the road)
  • You can never stretch enough (an IT Band injury hurts like hell!)
  • The body can be hot and cold at the same time
  • You really can change your life (and the lives of others) just by putting one foot in front of the other

REMEMBER, I'M DOING THIS FOR A GOOD CAUSE.

Have you donated to my fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society? If not, please consider doing so. You can donate online at http://www.active.com/donate/tntma/Teresa. Please pass this link to everyone you know. Every dollar helps me get a little closer to the Disney 13.1!

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Wednesday, December 26, 2007

The Big 1-0 (and a half)

Well, this is it. My distance training is done. If I'm not ready now, I won't be ready for the race.

Sunday was the Big Day -- the day I ran my first double digit distance. It still feels a little strange to say that, despite the fact that over the months of training I've slowly started to think of myself as more of a "runner."

I'm definitely not fast, I'm sure my form is way off and I certainly don't have a runner's body (darn it!). But I like running. And, to me, that makes me a runner.

I ran 10 miles on Sunday. Yes, 10 miles. (Actually, it ended up being 10 1/2 miles.) It was the longest training run we'll do before the Big Race. Surprisingly, it felt good.

Maybe it was the warmer weather. (Boy, it sure is nicer running when it's in the 30s, a welcome change from the single digits I endured last week!) Maybe it was knowing that this run was the last shot at a long run before the race.

Whatever it was, I was pleasantly surprised that Sunday's run wasn't a struggle.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I was a bit nervous about the Big 1-0 on the training schedule. My mid-week training schedule hasn't been what it should be lately -- a battle for daylight, sub-freezing temps and the busy holiday season are a bad mix for training.

I made sure to hydrate a little more than I normally would on Saturday night and Sunday morning. I ate a good breakfast and did lots of stretching.

We started out slow, making our way through downtown Portsmouth. At points, we carefully navigated snowbanks and icy spots.

Our team is small now. Just me and the Disney marathoners, Kara and Erika. It was nice to have a small team on Sunday as we talked about all the Disney details -- where we would be to cheer each other on along the route, how we'd get to the airport, what we'd pack.

Race Day is finally in our sights -- not just a pie-in-the-sky training goal. We're talking details and thinking about what it will be like.

Dave, our mentor, ran the Disney Marathon last year and shared some inside tips with us. Kara and I agreed that we'd like to have Dave with us in Florida. He's a great mentor, running with us every week, offering us encouragement and practical advice -- not to mention a much-needed donation to our fundraising campaigns last week.

After the Downtown Loop, I ran the Newcastle Loop. It's been a while since I've run this route. It felt good to see the familiar sights and know the landmarks. It felt good to see Coach Jack pull up in his car along the route to check in on my progress. It felt good to hear Coach Jack and Dave clapping as I made it to the Old Mobil Water Stop -- only one mile to go at that point.

Dave joined me for the last mile. He pulled ahead of me as we turned into the school to end Sunday's run, so he couldn't see me smiling as I finished my 10+ miles on Sunday. But I know I was smiling.

We'll use the next couple of weeks to taper down our runs, giving our legs a chance to rest up for Race Day. (Judging by my tired legs Monday morning, I'll enjoy the shorter runs -- and be better prepared for some tired legs after Race Day.)

Despite the months of training and preparation, I can't believe that the Disney Half is just 16 days away. And I'm ready.

REMEMBER, I'M DOING THIS FOR A GOOD CAUSE.

Have you donated to my fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society? If not, please consider doing so. You can donate online at http://www.active.com/donate/tntma/Teresa. Please pass this link to everyone you know. Every dollar helps me get a little closer to the Disney 13.1!

TO POST A COMMENT, CLICK ON THE "# comments" LINK BELOW

Monday, December 10, 2007

The Sales Pitch

The TnT program is about more than running. It's about achieving goals, helping others, doing things you never thought possible... and making lifelong friends.

That's a summary of what program organizers and past participants told us at the Info Night back in August.

I went to Info Night just to learn more. Maybe I'd take home a packet of information, think it over for a few days, then decide whether to join the program.

Yeah, that was my plan.

But after a sales pitch like that (it included a tear-jerking video of cancer patients thanking the runners, smiling participants crossing the finish line and other feel-good images), I took out my pen and starting filling out the paperwork left on our chairs. I think I might have even started filling out the paperwork before the video was done.

Jamie and her daughter, Summer, were in the seats in front of me.

She and I smiled at each other and might have made a friendly comment in passing. I don't think either one of us knew what we were getting into. I'm sure we were both questioning whether we could actually complete this challenge.

Little did I know that Jamie would become more just the girl in front on me at Info Night.

Since that day, Jamie and I have become friends. It started with us meeting up during the week for runs or competing in local races. But then our friendship grew to activities other than running. We've shared stories about our lives, offered advice, grabbed coffee together, did Christmas shopping, talked and shared plenty of laughs.

Just normal friend things.

On Saturday, Jamie and I went to an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party at Erin's house. (Yes, I'm including a photo. How could I not include a photo of a party with an Ugly Christmas Sweater theme?)

Erin is another fellow runner. She is a past participant of the TnT program, but still often joins the group for Sunday runs. After her TnT race, she kept running. As Jamie and I flipped through the photo album of her races, we decided we want to keep running.

Erin probably doesn't know it, but Jamie and I look at her as the success story of the program. Perhaps our unofficial mentor. She did it, so can we.

I guess those people at Info Night were right. Now all I have to do is finish my 13.1 miles.


REMEMBER, I'M DOING THIS FOR A GOOD CAUSE.

Have you donated to my fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society? If not, please consider doing so. You can donate online at http://www.active.com/donate/tntma/Teresa. Please pass this link to everyone you know. Every dollar helps me get a little closer to the Disney 13.1!

TO POST A COMMENT, CLICK ON THE "# comments" LINK BELOW

Monday, December 3, 2007

Jingle Bell Time is a Swell (?) Time

As we turned the corner toward the starting line, a wintry blast of wind whipped our faces.

"Whose idea was this?" Katie said.

Yep, it was mine.

"You are never allowed to pick out races again," Jamie said to me.

And so started the Jingle Bell Run on Saturday. According to a weather report later in the day, it barely reached 4 degrees with the windchill factor in Concord.

Just a few days into my TnT program in August, I put two Jingle Bell Runs on my calendar, both of which were fundraisers for the Arthritis Foundation. Unfortunately, my IT Band problems prevented me from doing the 10K in Portsmouth a few weeks ago, so I was determined to make the 5K in Concord on Saturday.

And so I did -- despite the chilly temps and a hectic planned workday creating a float for Manchester's Christmas Parade (later cancelled due to the cold and wind).

Katie, a co-worker-turned-friend, agreed to join Jamie and I with her sister-in-law for the 10 a.m. race start.

It's a good thing we planned to go as a group. I have to admit that if I was planning on running solo I might have taken one step outside and decided against it. But knowing there were people waiting for me, made me know I couldn't back out. So I bundled up in several layers and headed out.

The four of us (five if you include Katie's dog, Buffy) found each other amid the Santa Claus hats, running elves and other Christmas costumes.

The race went rather quickly. It was a nice course. No hills. Jingle Bells pinned to the runners' sneakers made a festive sound as we made our way through the 3-mile loop.

Somewhere along a dirt road on the route, a woman chatted with me as we ran. "Why do we do this?" she asked as the snowy wind hit our faces. I laughed slightly and said, "Because we like it???" ( I emphasized the question marks strongly.)

We talked a little the type of weather we like to run in, other races around the state and a few other topics. As we parted ways (I can't remember if I pulled ahead of her or she went ahead of me), I thought more about here question: Why do we do this?

I thought about the training schedule for my half marathon. I thought about the social aspect of meeting a few friends for a Saturday morning run. And I thought about my mom, whose rheumatoid arthritis has taken away many of her physical abilities and required numerous joint replacement surgeries.

That's why I ran on Saturday. The four of us running together donated around $100 to the Arthritis Foundation with our registration fees.

I know that no matter how miserable the weather was -- the bone-chilling temps and snowflakes in the air -- or how busy the rest of her day was supposed to be, my mom would give anything to be able to run like that.

And I'm sure, when her doctor introduces a new treatment, she'll be reminded that perhaps it was funded with money from the Arthritis Foundation. My $23 registration fee and a bit of cold on a Saturday morning could make a difference.

Suddenly it didn't seem so cold after all. Okay, that's a lie. It still seemed ridiculously cold, but it still made the end of the run a little easier.

Read more answers to the question "Why Do I This?" at these posts (both of these are linked under the September archive):

The Cancer Center:
www.disney13miles.blogspot.com/2007/09/cancer-center.html

I Run Because I Can:
www.disney13miles.blogspot.com/2007/09/i-run-because-i-can.html


REMEMBER, I'M DOING THIS FOR A GOOD CAUSE.

Have you donated to my fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society? If not, please consider doing so. You can donate online at http://www.active.com/donate/tntma/Teresa. Please pass this link to everyone you know. Every dollar helps me get a little closer to the Disney 13.1!

TO POST A COMMENT, CLICK ON THE "# comments" LINK BELOW