Race Day

Well, we have finished the race!!! Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support. I thought I would give you a glimpse of what race day was like for us!

We woke up at 4:50 am and got dressed in our running gear and then several layers on top of that. The temperature outside was a chilly 32 degrees and we knew we had quite a bit of time to wait before we crossed the start line. When we opened the door, we were surprised to find it decorated by our TNT Chapter!












We met the team at 5:30 for a pre-race team photo (which I'll post at another time when it is emailed to me) and for some last minute advice from our coach. Here we our with our coach. Yes, he is dressed like Elvis!! What more appropriate attire for a Rock N Roll marathon??








We boarded the TNT charter bus and headed to the starting line. It was dark. It was cold. It was pretty exciting!! We rode up to the start line with 2 fellow team members from Iowa City. One was doing the half; the other one the full marathon like us. It was a first for both of them and they were very excited.











We lined up in corrals based on your expected time of finishing the race. We were in corral 23 (out of maybe 40). The race was started in waves, with a minute and a half between each corral. It was over 45 minutes from the starting gun before we even crossed the start line!! (The Kenyans were almost to the half way point by that time, FPS!) But with as many runners as there were, it was a GREAT way to start the race. It prevented having to just run in a solid pack of people for the first several miles. Our corral finally made it to the start line and we were off!!


Mile 8 was the first spot that we came across our personal cheering squad! The kids were there with shirts they had made and holding signs and cheering loudly. What fun to see them!














I think that they had a great time cheering not only for us, but for all of the runners (over 30,000 of them!!) And they were not the only ones who cheered for us! I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard 'Go Iowa!!'; 'Go TNT!' It was greatly encouraging!!








The kids surprised us and booked it to the mile 10 spot and were there again with their signs and shirts and smiling faces!!











The shirts they had on were great! M's shirt said 'My Inlaws are Rockstars!'. :) A's shirt said 'In Our Dreams We're Kenyans'. (On the back it said 'Ken ya keep up?') R's shirt had one of his famous rock star drawings on with our names, 26.2 etc..














After mile 10, the majority of the course went south of town and out of the populated area. It was beautiful, but started getting pretty long! The bands were a welcome diversion but came and went too fast. And then we hit MILE 20. At mile 20 the pain in my right knee was almost unbearable. Every step when I was running was so painful. At that point we were running 4 minutes and walking 1. I knew I wouldn't cross the finish line if we kept that up. It was a hard moment for me. I thought of the ribbons on my back and reminded myself of why we were doing this. For Lindsay, David, Barb and Jared and everyone who had supported us and I knew I had to keep going. We switched our running to a 2 minute run and then a 2 minute walk. It helped. But it wasn't until we hit mile marker 25 that I knew that I would really make it.




The kids were there at the finish line and had rallied a crowd to cheer 'Go Mom and Dad' as we made it the last .2 miles (uphill no less!) and across the finish line. I couldn't fight the tears of joy when we finally made it across the line, holding hands. We had done it. Despite all of the injuries and set backs and not getting in the training runs that we wanted, we had crossed the finish line. And not in a bad time... 5:32.





In the TNT tent afterwards Steve gives me a victory hug. Steve was a huge encouragement during the race and kept me going even through my 'grumpy' moments. Sometimes he was a bit too perky, but I know he was just trying to keep me going. Thank you, my love.













Will I do it again? NO! Not a full marathon. (And friends and family have been give strict orders to wap me upside the head if I even mention the thought of doing another one!!) I do hope to keep running and will certainly do more 1/2 marathons if the body permits. And I would DEFINITELY do another one with Team in Training. The experience has been incredible and I truly believe in what they are doing. I believe that someday there will be a cure for blood cancer. I believe in the work that LLS is doing in helping those who have been given the diagnosis of Leukemia or Lymphoma. They have come a long way towards a cure, but there is much work to be done. GO TEAM!


Until Next Time...

TNT Update

Hi everybody! I know that it has been awhile since I have done an update on our marathon training. Steve and I are training with Team In Training for the San Antonio Rock N Roll Marathon November 16 to help raise funds and awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. There hasn't been much of interest to report lately, but thought I would at least give you a glimpse into what our training looks like these days.

To begin with, it is now only 45 days until the marathon. Or, more importantly, 46 days until the day AFTER the marathon which I think I am looking even more forward to!! (How's that for being honest?) I do think the race itself will be fun with all of the bands and with our kids there to cheer us on, but the training has gotten long and hard.












Our training runs each week consist of three days doing 5-mile runs and then a long run on the weekend. This past long run was 18 miles. Many of you may wonder how long that takes. Well, the way I looked at it is if Steve had taken off in the car at the same time as I started on the run, Steve would have been to Minneapolis before I had completed mile 18. (Minneapolis is about 240 miles away!) Actually, I like the picture of me driving to Minneapolis and Steve doing the run better!! We have been especially thankful for the cooler weather as our runs get longer and longer. Running in the heat is zero fun.


In the fund raising department we have GREAT news!! We have met and exceeded our minimum goal of $8200 raised for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!! We have been humbled and blessed by the generosity of friends and family. We are continuing to raise money until the day of the race. Every dollar that we raise above our minimum goes 100% to The Leukemia and Lymphoma society for needed research. (The original $8200 has administrative costs included in it). Personally I would love to see us reach $10,000. Wouldn't that be incredible??


Thanks again for all who have encouraged and supported us. Keep thinking of us as we are in the final days of training.

Just found this on the marathon site and thought is was blog worthy! I bet you all wish you were running the marathon now!!

Top 5 Reasons to Run Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio:

• 5) Flat Fast and Scenic Course- the course is flat and runs south (away from Hill County!) capturing a great mix or urban and rural scenery- from downtown San Antonio to historic sites along the beautiful Mission Trail- you will see all of the sights and sounds that San Antonio has to offer.
• 4) Perfect Running Temperatures- Average temperatures in San Antonio in November are in the mid-60s. Translation: ideal running weather!
• 3) Location, Location, Location! From the Riverwalk to the Alamo, San Antonio’s got it all. With the perfect mix of authentic culture, rich history, lively nightlife and family fun, you'll want to stay a few extra days.
• 2) There’s only ONE inaugural race- Certain bragging rights go hand-in-hand with inaugural races. From inaugural branded race gear to the finisher medal, you will always be able to say that you were the FIRST to rock San Antonio!
• 1) 26.2 Miles of Non-Stop Music and Entertainment! Whether you are setting out to finish your first marathon, set a PR or walk for a charitable cause, why not have fun while doing it? With live music and spirited cheer teams every mile and a post-race headliner concert, this is one race that you’ll enjoy from start to finish!

Until Next Time.....

TNT Friday

Yes, I know it's always been TNT Thursday, but I can't seem to get my posts done on Thursday, so I changed it to Friday. I can do that. I thought I would let you know a little more about the Poker Run our team is doing tomorrow. I've spent a good part of the last couple of days getting ready for it. One of the things we all needed to do was to make 'memory boards' to have at the different stops. Here are the boards that I've been working on....

The first is a board I made which will sit outside the restaurant that we are having registration at and will be the starting point of the 'race'. Turns out there is a big 'Panther on Main' event tomorrow which should draw hundreds of UNI students who may be interested in registering for the race. I've ordered some balloons to tie on to it as well.












The second board is our memory board that is basically an enlarged version of our support letter which highlights the 3 special people who Steve and I are running in memory of: David; Barb and Lindsay. Steve will have this board at the stop that he will be at and will be able to explain more to people the purpose of Team in Training and why we run!












For the last board, I decided I wanted to have an emphasis on the importance of giving blood and what a source of life that is, especially to those who suffer from a blood cancer like leukemia and lymphoma! I stopped at both the American Red Cross and the Blood Center and got information for people on giving blood. I especially would encourage people to look into Apheresis.. which is a special kind of blood donation where they basically just take the platelets from your blood and give the rest back to you. Platelets are especially needed in those with blood cancer. I remember being able to watch Lindsay perk up and the color return to her cheeks when she received a unit of platelets. Almost like magic. If you've never looked into it, call your local Red Cross center or Blood center today!!





Everyone who registers receives this t-shirt, which I think turned out very cute. The colors are the same colors as our local University (UNI) which should be a big hit!






A close up of the front:













Basically the way a Poker Run works is that people register and receive a map of the 9 stops along our 'course'. At each stop they receive a marked card. With the 9 cards they get, they come up with their best poker hand and the winner wins this: A 4GB Ipod Nano. Now people also have the option to purchase additional random cards at one location to better their chance. Sounds fun. We hope it will be fun for all who come and a big success for the team.






Until Next Time....

TNT Thursday

on Friday. Yes, I know it's Friday. The weeks keep slipping by! Anyways, it is time for another update on our marathon training with Team in Training. Steve and I will be running in the San Antonio Marathon November 16. While we are training, we are raising awareness and funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Our hope and prayer is that we can help in the race to find a cure for these diseases!

I thought I would post a bit about the fund raising aspect of this journey and then share the winners of my first prize drawings!

When we first signed up to do the marathon we were told that we needed to raise a minimum of $8200 between the two of us. Yikes. That seemed like a lot of money! (And it is!) I don't particularly enjoy asking people for money and Steve has a downright aversion to it, so I knew it wouldn't be 'easy'. Steve designed a great support letter to send friends and family. I talked about our undertaking on my blog and amongst the knitters on the Ravelry site. And it has been amazing (and humbling) to watch as the funds have come in.

To update you, as of today we have raised roughly $7478 of the $8100 minimum. Personally I would love to be able to raise $10,000, but we will see!!! We are helping with a Poker Run on Saturday August 23rd which is one of the fund raisers our local team is doing. If you are reading this and are interested in more information on how to take part in it, just post a comment; send an email or give a call!!!

Now, on to the winners of the prizes. I did two drawings.... one for the knitter (since the prize was yarn and all!) and one for the non-knitters. Here is who won:

Allison won the Ladigitessa sock kit from Yarnissma (Wollmeise yarn and sock pattern) - courtesy of anonymous. I know that Allison will enjoy this. I know I would!!















Nancy (a fellow knitter and Spring Flinger) won the Loopy Ewe 'Don't Be Blue Kit' courtesy of Sheri at The Loopy Ewe!









For the non-knitter (fondly referred to as 'muggles') there is a $25.00 Applebees Gift Card courtesy of Sumo our dog (who earns them by eating massive amounts of Purina One Dog Food) which is going to my oldest brother Greg!!! We have received tremendous encouragement and support from both of our families and consider it a huge blessing!! But Greg, you get the gift card!!!












A big THANK YOU to all who have supported us so far! We couldn't do this without you. We will have another drawing after our funds are all in for several more prizes that you can see here.

If you would like to donate and be part of the race to find a cure, head over to my donation page. For every $25.00 donated you get a chance to win a prize AND the deep felt thanks for helping us and those diagnosed with Leukemia; Lymphoma and other blood cancers run the race!!

Until Next Time......

TNT Thursday

It is time for another update on our marathon training with Team in Training. Steve and I will be running in the San Antonio Marathon November 16. While we are training, we are raising awareness and funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Our hope and prayer is that we can help in the race to find a cure for these diseases!

Today I thought I would share a little about what our training schedule looks like. As we have mentioned before, one of the supports that you receive when you join Team in Training is a coach who helps come up with a training plan that is designed to help you prepare for your race and accomplish your goals. It is exactly 108 days until our marathon and I have a training schedule hanging on the door that maps out what I will need to do each week to get ready.

Basically we run 3 shorter runs during the week (3-5 miles) and then do a long run on the weekend. It is by increasing the length of the long run each week that you get ready to go the distance. The longest we will actually run before the race will be 22 miles (which we'll do about 3 weeks before race day!) It will be late in October which will mean we hopefully won't be doing it in this heat and humidity. (I just hope we won't be doing it in snow!!)

We are very fortunate here in Cedar Falls as we have over 80 miles of recreational trails right here in our community! This is a bridge over the Cedar River which we often cross when we are out on our long run. (We crossed over it tonight as a matter of fact!!) I LOVE having the trails to run on. It's very easy to map out any length run. We can access the trail system just a little over a mile from our house, which is where I usually take off from.

Now just to let you know I do not necessarily look forward to all of my runs!! There are many mornings that it is a battle within my head..... "You should go for your run now"..... "Well.... I could wait until tonight instead and get started on my day instead".... "But you know that you do better if you get it over with first thing in the morning....." "Yes, but I would rather shower and go out for a cup of coffee..." etc.. etc.. Sometimes it takes up to 45 minutes for me to actually get ready and out the door for my run. If I would have just gone right away I would have already been back!!!!


We are continuing to raise support and are well over half way there! We are helping with a 'Poker Run' on August 23rd which I think will be a great event to do with the team and should help push us up towards our goal. We still have lots of time, which is a good thing.



Until Next Time....

TNT Thursday

It is time for another update on our marathon training with Team in Training. Steve and I will be running in the San Antonio Marathon November 16. While we are training, we are raising awareness and funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Our hope and prayer is that we can help in the race to find a cure for these diseases!

Today is a 'Good News/Bad News day! As with most things, there is Good News and Bad News about the fight against these diseases.

THE GOOD NEWS....

1. The effectiveness of recently developed treatment methods and steady advances in research bring us closer everyday to finding the cause or causes of leukemia and related cancers and probable cures.

2. The survival rates for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood leukemia, was an appalling 4 percent in 1960. Today, thanks to research, the survival rate has improved to almost 80 percent! ALL is now considered to be a potentially curable disease!

3. Chemotherapy was initially developed as a treatment for leukemia. Today, it is the standard therapy for most cancers.

4. Bone marrow transplantation was developed as a curative therapy for leukemia. Today, it serves as a promising therapy for curing breast cancer, AIDS and sickle cell anemia.

5. Survival rates for adults patients with ALL, only 4 percent in 1960, approached 45 percent in the last decade.

6. In May 2002, Gleevac, the breakthrough therapy that kills cancer cells without harming normal ones, was shown to be superior to standard therapies to treat CML.

7. Hodgkin's disease is now considered to be one of the most curable forms of malignancy. Survival rates have almost doubled from 40 percent in 1960 to 80 percent today!



The Bad News....

1. Leukemia is one of the leading disease killers of children. In the US, four in ever 100,000 children between the ages of 2 and 10 will be diagnosed with leukemia this year.

2. Every 9 minutes in the U.S., a child or adult dies from leukemia or related cancers: lymphoma, multiple myeloma or Hodgkin's disease.

3. Leukemia strikes 10 times as many adults as children. More than half of all cases of leukemia occur in persons over 60.

4. Leukemia and lymphoma are the leading fatal cancers in women and men under the age of 39.

5. More than 106,300 Americans will be diagnosed with leukemia or a related cancer this year.

6. More than 58,300 Americans will die from leukemia or a related cancer this year - nearly 160 people every day.


Although these look like 'just statistics' - they represent real people whose lives are being turned upside down by the diagnosis of one of these cancers. We need more 'Good News'! With additional research we are hoping that new treatments can be discovered. That the survival rates will continue to rise. We're excited to partner with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as they race to find a cure. Thanks for partnering with us and encouraging us!

Until Next Time....

TNT-Thursday

It is time for another update on our marathon training with Team in Training. Steve and I will be running in the San Antonio Marathon November 16. While we are training, we are raising awareness and funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Our hope and prayer is that we can help in the race to find a cure for these diseases!

Today I thought I would share a few facts about Team in Training.

WHAT is Team in Training? Since its inception in 1988, when a team of 38 runners trained together for the New York City Marathon and raised $320,000, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program (TNT), has prepared more than 340,000 people - approximately 39,000 participants annually - to achieve their dream of completing a marathon, half marathon, triathalon or 100-mile (century) bicycle ride. And, in that time, TNT participants have raised over $800 million to support blood cancer research and patient services. The enormous success of this program has helped make possible advances in blood cancer therapies and treatments that have prolonged and enhanced the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients.

WHO participates? Team in Training has had a tremendous impact on the growth of endurance sports, and in particular, the explosion of women's participation. Overall, 73 percent of TNT participants are women, with an average age of 32. (Note: this means I'm above average! :-))

Participants come from all walks of life - from novice to seasoned athlete. The reason cited most often for joining the program is the social aspect - the opportunity to meet new people and have fun as part of a supportive team. The cause - raising money to help find cures and improve the quality of life for patients and their families - is also a key motivator. Many participants dedicate their time and energy in honor of a friend or loved one who has had blood cancer. (Here we are with a few members of our local team.)



Still others are themselves cancer survivors who want to show that they have the physical and mental stamina to finish a 26.2-mile marathon, 13.2-mile half marathon, 100-mile century ride or a triathlon.


That is the case with one of our own team members! Tricia was diagnosed in 2001 with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She received CHOP chemotherapy plus Rituxin and radiation. July 31st she will celebrate 7 years of being cancer free!!! For her, joining Team in Training is a way to join the race to find a cure and to help others become cancer free. She will be running the Nike Women's Marathon in October. Go Tricia!!!



Taking on a personal challenge, accomplishing a goal and getting fit are also aspects that attract people to the program.


Local blood cancer patients, known as honored teammates, cheer participants along from training to completion. TNT participants often say their greatest inspiration and motivation come from their honored teammates, who themselves face even greater challenges in their battles against cancer. (Here I am with our local hero Jared, who is currently in remission after being diagnosed with AML Leukemia last August).


WHY participate? To help fund research to find new treatments and cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myleoma, and provide critical education and support to patients and families battling these cancers.

HOW are you helped? In exchange for raising funds, participants receive:

four to five months of personalized fitness training by certified coaches (Here is our coach, Bruce, with our 'hero' Jared), a supportive group of teammates and lodging and airfare to the event of their choice. Participants also receive tools and support to attain their fundraising goals, including a personalized web page. (Mine is here. Steve's is here.) Participants can choose from more than 60 accredited events in the United States and abroad.

To Register: There are Team in Training teams all over the country. If this sounds like something that you might be interested in doing you can call 1-800-482-8326 or visit the TNT website here. And you definitely look into running the San Antonio Marathon with Steve and I! With over 70 rock and roll bands along the course, it's going to be great fun. And supporting a great cause!!!

Next week we'll look at the Good News (and some of the bad news) concerning some of the statistics about Leukemia and other blood-related cancers. There have been great advances made in the treatment of these diseases, but there is still a long way to go.

That's why we run. Join us!