Migrating the blog

Now that my official training is over (for now, anyway), I'm going to post to just one blog. To see what I'm up to, visit http://californiatocolorado.wordpress.com. Thanks!

End of the race, end of the season with Team Oz (for me)

Following the gear claim mayhem, the TNT tent was an oasis in the middle of the desert. Kelsie and I parked ourselves at the edge and waited for our teammates to join us. We kept looking for Andrea, but we didn't see her anywhere. We had planned to jump back in the race to run Ernie in, but after all the hassle following the finish line, I didn't have the fortitude to go through it again.

One by one our teammates finished and joined us at the tent. Everyone had run really good races! It was so fun to share our excitement and experience. I called Mom and Dad, who had access to results online, and they looked up everyone who was still running and told us where they were (or where their chip had last registered them). I talked to Natasya once I knew she was done. She hadn't run the race she wanted, finishing with a positive split and running out of steam at the end. But she still finished in 4 hours! That's phenomenal to me.

Andrea finally appeared, with Ernie! She had given up on the gear claim (smart move) and jumped back in the race to run him in.

After about two hours at the tent, we all started making our way towards the hotel (within walking distance), which took us by the end of the race. A few of us stopped to cheer runners on as they climbed the last incline toward the finish. Our timing was great, as we saw our teammate, Kim, and her husband, and we shouted a loud "Go Team."

Following showers and beau- tification, a bunch of us met up for a post-race pre-dinner on the Riverwalk. It was my last chance to see everyone before I took off to meet family. Apparently I missed all kinds of fun at and after the victory party. Oh well! I'm just glad I was able to see Team Oz in San Antonio. I had so much fun! It was the perfect end to a fabulous season, and I would definitely do it all again!

30,000 People = Post-race Gridlock

Note to self: Next time you run a race, do NOT make a beeline for the gear claim area! Wait until the masses have gotten their things first.

Okay, just wanted to make sure I don't make the same mistake again.

You see, every race herds participants through a series of checkpoints following their finish, which can include medal donning, official photo/s, chip removal (although this may have been phased out with the advent of the new strips they're using), emergency blanket and towel giveaway, food freebies, and gear bag claim.

The setup for these steps in San Antonio was basically the same as in San Diego, which made sense. After all, Elite Racing runs both events (all the Rock and Roll marathons, actually) and basically mimicked their process. But they grossly miscalculated one aspect: the sheer volume of people. Talk about bottleneck city, oh my!

Andrea and I got stuck in a flood of people all trying to make their way through the exit system. First pain point: official photographs. Two people (only) were taking shots, and the guy we were in line for kept fumbling with his camera. The net result was a lengthy delay that prevented us from cooling down and stretching properly.

The free food options were actually quite plentiful and varied once we got to them, and we grabbed as much as we could balance in and under our arms. Next stop was to claim our gear. The UPS trucks were lined up in alphabetical order, just as they had been when we check our bags. However, there was apparently no system for how the bags within the trucks were organized. "P" wasn't a popular letter when I went to claim my bag, so I didn't have to wait too long - maybe 10 minutes or so. I just showed my bib number to the volunteers and my bag magically appeared. Great!

As I cut through the neighboring lines heading towards the TNT tent (where I was to meet Andrea), I saw Kelsie, so I stopped to wait with her. Let's just say the "M" line was popular. Imagine Black Friday with a line of people a mile long that wraps around buildings. Only this line lacked the anticipation and excitement of a deep discount and deal. Instead, it reeked of B.O. and was a lot like sitting in rush hour traffic going 0-10mph. We weren't in line 10 minutes before people's impatience reared its ugly head.

To top it off, Kelsie was noxious and her stomach was getting worse by the minute. I took her stuff, including her bib, so she could go take care of business. When she came back, I'm not sure I had moved at all. Seriously. There was a marathoner in front of me who was about to lose it. Anarchy was brewing all around. Kelsie disappeared again, which was just as well. The volunteers on the UPS truck were just standing there looking at the sea of runners in front of them. They were overwhelmed to the point of complete inaction. Fabulous.

Finally, participants jumped out of line and into the truck to try to help the situation. Good intention, poor execution. They started grabbing bags and yelling out names. Uh, Houston, we have a problem. Half the names they yelled out were people who were still running the race! And the line was so long that beyond 15 feet no one could hear anything anyway! Unbelievable. Really. Despite the zoo-like atmosphere, I managed to move up a little bit. When Kelsie reappeared, we were about 10 people away from the front of the line, but it had stopped moving again.

There seemed only one solution left: get on the truck! So Kelsie hopped inside and fished out her own bag. I guess if you want something done, sometimes you really have to do it yourself. I need to learn to run a race without checking gear at all.

2:01:46 - A GREAT Race!

It indeed took a couple of miles to warm up, but not as many as I thought. Lindsay and Jen were at the 2.7 mile mark, and we tossed our extra layers to them as we passed by.

The four of us were making really good time, maintaining about a 10 minute/mile pace. We should've placed ourselves a few corrals earlier because we were passing people left and right. On the one hand it was motivating but, on the other, it caused us to exert extra energy, as we were constantly looking for ways to cut through the masses and we zigzagged across the street too much.

We kept speeding up with every mile. Andrea was out in front blazing our trail. I was afraid we'd gone out too fast and that we would burn up before we got to the end! But I also appreciated being pushed.

Then, a few miles into the race, Andrea and I really had to pee. I was hoping I could just hold it, but that was not going to be an option. Since we were trying to PR, we couldn't afford to stand and wait for a port-o-potty. What to do?! Well, that leaves one option, and we took our chance after rounding a street corner by ducking into someone's driveway. Their bushes may grow a little greener and lusher come next spring!

We only lost about 30 seconds for our pit stop, but then we had to catch up with Ernie and Kelsie. It was hard work! We really sped up to find them, and it took at least a half mile before we saw Ernie's head in the crowd. I was ready to sit down and rest by the time we came up behind them, but that wasn't going to happen! It took a bit for me to "catch my breath."

The four of us stayed together for about 8 miles, which is a lot farther than I thought we would. Then Andrea and I pulled ahead just a little bit. I'm actually glad Ernie didn't keep pushing it with us -- he was running the full marathon and I would've felt awful if he ran out of steam before the end. Andrea and I stayed together for a few more miles, but we even separated around mile 11 or so. I kept looking over my shoulder for her and she was only 50 feet or so behind, but soon I couldn't see her anymore. I was on my own, for better or for worse.

Around the 11.5 mile mark, I became aware that the half- marathon course had met back up with the full marathon course (the marathoners split from us at mile 10.5), and the woman who was leading the full marathon race passed by, smoking me! That was right about the time my knees and quads started to hurt, but I thought, "if she can smoke me after running 24-25 miles, I can sure as heck keep going!" Looking at the race clock, I knew I had a chance to break the 2-hour mark, and I used the woman as inspiration. However, I knew it would take an act of God for it to happen. I was just running out of juice despite being well-fueled.

In my head, I was like the little engine that could, and I just put one foot in front of the other. That's all I could do. When I turned the corner with about a half mile to go, I saw a hill in front of me. What?! Are you kidding? At the end?! Okay, it wasn't a real hill; it was more like an incline and, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't very long (maybe the length of a football field?), but still, it was a hill! Who designed this course?

My knees and quads were burning by the time I hit the top and turned the corner into the final stretch. I didn't have enough left in me to kick it up, so I just tried to maintain my speed to the end. Crossing the finish line felt so good! It certainly was a different kind of accomplishment compared to the San Diego race. I got my medal and kept walking toward the finisher's area, but I pulled off to the side to wait for Andrea. I knew she wasn't far behind me. Indeed, she crossed the finish line less than two minutes after me. We both PR'd by a lot! It was awesome.

Here are my race stats:

• Average pace - 9:18 (waaay faster than I ever thought I could run)
• 5k - 30:33
• 6.1 miles - 59:29
• 10 miles - 1:35:14
• 13.1 miles - 2:01:46!

To view official photos of me during and after the race, just enter my last name on this website!

To view the course map, click here.

32 degress -- yes, it was freezing!

After gathering in the lobby for shout outs and a team cheer, we boarded the bus to the start line. Well, the corral area, anyway -- there were some 40 corrals needed for all 30,000 runners, so we were actually nowhere near the start line.


It was still dark out when we got off the bus, and it was COLD! Freezing to be exact. Like good little boys and girls, we stood in line for the port-o-potty and then huddled together to try to stay warm. Several of my technologically savvy teammates had their iPhones and Blackberries with them and tracked the temperature in various cities. Even Denver was 46 degrees to San Antonio's 32. Are you kidding me?!



None of us was prepared to wait for so long in such chilly conditions. Even the freebie gloves we had gotten at the expo didn't do much to ward off the cool air. It was just plain uncomfortable. Finally, at about 7:15am we stripped off any extra clothes we didn't want to run in, checked our gear bags and headed for our corrals.

Kelsie, Andrea, Ernie and I all stuck together. The race was supposed to start at 7:30am, but it started late due to logistics. Each corral was supposed to start a minute apart. Well, we were in corral 18, and we didn't make it to the start line until 30 minutes after the gun went off! By the time I stepped on the electronic mat under the balloon arch, I couldn't feel my toes and I guessed it would take about 4 miles just to warm up.

How I get dressed for a race

I woke up on race day morning at 4:30am! I had set several alarms, just in case, but I didn't need any of them. I woke up on my own just before the first one sounded. Guess I was that anxious because I certainly wasn't that rested!

We didn't have to be in the lobby until 5:30am, but whenever I have a lot of things to coordinate, I like to leave enough time to move slowly and methodically so as not to leave anything behind. What could I possibly need to do besides get dressed? Well, shower for one (helps me wake up), and getting dressed itself required multiple steps.

I had to body glide (to prevent blisters and chafing); then, after the clothes went on, I had to affix my bib/number. To do this, I had to put on my Camelback (water belt) so I knew how much real estate I had to work with. I had to fold the bib to a smaller size, then figure out how to pin it on straight!

As for the Camelback itself, I had to make sure everything I needed was in there: goos, a mini-Clif bar, a pack of pretzels, cell phone, chap stick, my hotel room key, a $5 bill (hey, you never know) and, of course, water, to which I added an electrolyte mix. Filling the Camelback is tricky, so it took some coordination to get all 32 oz. in there without spilling.

After that, I had to check my gear bag to make sure it had pre- and post-race stuff, including sunglasses, PowerBars, my silver thermos (which I would fill with coffee -- it stays hot for 8 hours!) a clean shirt and sports bra (in case I got really cold after the race and needed to put something dry on), and Birkenstocks, among other items. And, of course, I had to make coffee and put in my contacts.


Yes, I'm a bit complicated and I like to be prepared, but that's my prerogative! The only thing I hadn't done by 5:30am was affix my race chip, and that's because I had so much trouble with it when I ran the San Francisco half-marathon in August that I figured I get someone on my team to help me (thanks, Carol!).

Kelsie, queen of puff paint

We discovered during the pasta party that a few of our teammates hadn't decorated their TNT shirts for race day - sacrilege! Never fear, however, for Kelsie the puff paint queen was at the ready to remedy the situation.

Everyone ran up to their rooms and met back down in the lobby for an impromptu decorating session. We definitely looked a little funny hunched over purple t-shirts, but desperate times called for desperate measures! Fortunately, many of the hotel guests were also TNTers, so they certainly understood our arts and crafts session.

Pasta Party

I was exhausted by the time I checked into the hotel. Of course, it couldn't just be easy to get into the room. No, I had to call Lindsay, who had to talk to the hotel staff. Then, when I got to the room, the key didn't work! I was so not about to haul all my stuff back downstairs from the 15th floor, so I found the hallway phone and asked them to send someone up with a new key. Thank goodness for customer service!

I had a great time catching up with Lindsay and Jen. It had only been a few weeks since I was last in California, but it felt like a lifetime! I was so excited to see my teammates that I headed down to the lobby about 30 minutes before the pasta party to meet up with some of them. How fun and surreal that we were all in Texas, my stomping grounds!

Everyone else had arrived the day before, so they had been out and about cruising along the Riverwalk and buying Texas paraphernalia, including a gigantic burnt orange Texas (UT) hat made out of foam. Dad would've been so proud. Apparently Gary agreed to put on a silly cowboy hat (or was it a tiara?) and clip-on earring for some kids on a scavenger hunt. The photo is out there somewhere to prove it. :-)

The pasta party was great -- just as energizing and inspiring as the one in San Diego. Actually, two of the speakers were the same (John "the Penguin" Bingham and the president of Elite Racing, the organization that puts on the RNR events), and their speeches were near replicas of what they said in San Diego. The third speaker, Lori Marek, was phenomenal. She lost her son to leukemia when he was just shy of 5 years old. Since then, she has completed a century ride and a triathlon with Team In Training. Her story and the photos she shared made us all cry and made me really proud to be supporting such an amazing organization.

Click here for additional photos.

San Antonio - Rock and Roll Expo

I flew into San Antonio midday on Saturday. Easily half the people on my flight from Dallas were running the marathon, including the couple sitting next to me. I heard from them that over 30,000 people had registered for the race - holy toledo!

It just happened to work out perfectly for my friend, Natasya, to pick me up from the airport. She and I went to 3rd and 4th grade together in Walnut Creek and have kept up off and on over the years following her family's move back to Texas. I used to visit her on vacations to Houston, but we last saw each other just before (or after?) I graduated from TCU, so it had been a while!

We most recently reconnected via Facebook and discovered that we were both running the race in San Antonio. I swear, it's such a small world! Natasya drove down from Austin with her sister and brother-in-law and picked me up on her way to the expo. I couldn't have planned it any better.

We had a dickens of a time parking. San Diego's expo was much easier to get in and out of. Then again, I went on Friday there, so that was probably the difference (note to self for the future). Everyone and their mother was trying to go to the expo with us in San Antonio on Saturday!

We eventually snaked a great street spot and made our way inside to get our bibs and race chip, plus all the other stuff they put in your gear bag. (Most of it is junk.) Since Natasya and I had both been to expos before, we didn't linger too long. I did stop by the Team In Training booth to write on the wall, though!

My pet peeve with the Rock and Roll events is the cotton t-shirt they give you. Cotton, really?! For the amount of money it costs to enter the race, they should really give a technical (dry wicking) top out. That's what the SF Marathon did, and I really appreciated it! Since a cotton t-shirt just wouldn't cut it, I tried to buy a cool technical top like I had done in San Diego, but the expo was practically cleared out of its merchandise. I guess 30,000 people will do that. They clearly hadn't planned for such a volume of people -- and that would become even more obvious following the race itself.

San Antonio, here I come!

It's T-minus 3 days and counting! And today is my last day in Colorado before heading to the great Republic of Texas. I have almost finished decorating my TNT shirt. It has a bit more bling than my singlet for the San Diego race and, of course, lots of puff paint! Now I just have to pack, and I really hope I don't forget anything. Fortunately, I still have my master list from the last race, so that should help.

I would encourage you to read Kelsie's most recent blog post: http://thenospinzone-kelsie.blogspot.com/2008/11/michael-5k-is-five-kilometers-not-5000.html. I'll be running with her this weekend in San Antonio and am so proud not only of her, but also of all of my teammates who will have completed their first half- or full marathon and raised a lot of money for a good cause by the end of this training season. It's a phenomenal achievement and one that anybody can accomplish.

Maybe you have a different goal or dream you'd like to achieve. Whatever it is, I really want to encourage you to go after it. Maybe it's been on your To Do list for a long time and maybe it's brand new. But none of us is getting any younger. So, taking a cue from Kelsie's post, ask yourself, What do I really want to achieve? What is my dream? Then I want you to do the following:

1. Write it down.
2. Add a "by when" -- set a date by which you'd like to realize this goal.
3. Email it to me! I'm curious to know what you're inspired to accomplish, and I'd like to help you get there.
   

And with that, I'm off to pack my bags. Happy "goaling" and I'll look for your emails following my race!

First Saturday run with the Colorado team

I went on my first long run with the Colorado team this morning. We met at the Bobolink trail head in Boulder. I came dressed in many layers thinking it was going to be in the 30s (temperature wise). Fortunately, it wasn't really cold at all, so I stripped off my long sleeved technical top and my windbreaker. (The wind was gusting like crazy yesterday, but today it was fairly still.) I wore my Camelback since I didn't know if there would be any water stops. Better to be prepared!

There were probably 10 runners, and most were already there when I arrived. Coach Wendy was describing the course; since I'm a complete newbie to the area, I asked her to back up and fill me in on some of the details. As you know, I have a propensity for losing the trail! (I put my cell phone in the Camelback, just in case I needed it!) The team did a round of introductions, and then we were off!

I was waiting for shout outs and a team cheer, but there was none of that. It was so odd! There was also no mention of stretching -- not as a team or even on your own. Hmm....okay. Within a half mile, I settled in behind a group of three girls who were basically running at my pace. But for a good mile or more, no one said a word to me! I had flashbacks to the Nike Preview run where the girl from the SF team said her own teammates didn't really talk to her. Uh oh -- was this team like that? I hope not! I know I'm the new kid on the block, but is it asking too much to acknowledge me?

Fortunately, they did -- it just took a little while. But then we started chatting and we talked all the way to the water stop at the 3.5 mile mark. As we were approaching it, I asked, "Where's the water stop?" I was looking for a table with water and Gatorade, as well as pretzels, gummy bears, goos, etc. Not to mention a volunteer! Well, let's just say I gave the girls a good laugh. Their water stop was literally a jug of water and a jug of Gatorade on the ground, along with a bag of plastic cups and goos. No table. No volunteers. No "Go Team!"

I can understand the difference in the water stop. After all, this team is very small, so to support it with full water stops like I'm used to would probably be a lot of work. But I was surprised nonetheless at how little support or connection to Team In Training the team seemed to really have in general. Maybe they're just not as outward about it?

One of the girls mentioned fund-raising, so I did ask them how they were doing. They acknowledged that it was a lot of work and said they were about halfway there but that they had pretty much tapped out their friends and family. So I shared a few ideas, including requesting corporate matching, as well as doing something like I did with rock climbing. I even threw out Sara, Clara, Don and Kyle's idea for selling bottled water at farmer's markets, but I guess the farmer's markets here just ended for the season.

I ran with the girls for another 5-10 minutes past the water stop before turning around, since I certainly didn't need to go 14 miles with them! Not with my race next Sunday (woo hoo!).

I haven't even mentioned yet how beautiful it was out on the trail. We were surrounded by tons of open space -- dry grass, mostly, but also lots of trees in certain areas. And, of course, the mountains towered up just beyond us to the west. It was really serene and quite naturey. On the way back I noticed tons of prairie dogs popping up from their holes in the ground. There were also horses in nearby fields and cows, as well.

I was afraid I wasn't going to remember how to get back to the car since we had made a few turns on the way out. Fortunately, I ran into Wendy with about 2.5 miles to go, and I ran the rest of the way with her. She commented almost off the bat that I was going at a good clip, then she looked down at her Garmin and said, "8:52" (or something under 9 minutes/mile). Wow! I had no idea I was going that fast. I didn't have a watch on and I wasn't trying to push myself. I didn't even feel winded from the higher altitude. That must be a good sign that I'm adjusting well already. Hooray!

First track workout with the Colorado team

I joined the Northern Denver team last night for my first TNT experience east of the Rockies. It was a track workout and it was tough! There were four other girls there -- all very nice. All are training for full marathons. The team is into its eighth week and everyone is much better accustomed to the altitude than me. That's what kicked my butt.

We did the following track workout:

• Warm-up: 2 laps
• 1 lap at 75-80% maximum
• 1 lap recovery
• 2 laps at 75-80% maximum
• 1 lap recovery
• 3 laps at 75-80% maximum
• 1 lap recovery
• 1 lap at 75-80% maximum
• Cool down: 2 laps

The three laps at high intensity are what nearly did me in. One of the girls, Beth, was pretty fast, and at first I tried to keep up with her. It was a good challenge! However, it was unrealistic. She's just must faster than me, but I liked trying to chase her.

The track we were at was behind a new middle school, and it had no lights! With daylight savings time over, it was pretty dark out there. Fortunately, I remembered to bring my headlamp, but I was the only one who had one! Crazy. I have no idea how the rest of the girls ran without tripping in the dark because the track wasn't paved; it was dirt and it wasn't completely smooth all the way around.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the long run with the team Saturday morning. And I can hardly wait to see Team Oz in San Antonio! It'll be here before I know it -- 10 days till I meet up with them. Go Team!

High Altitude Training

No wonder I was winded during my run this morning! Laramie, Wyoming is 7,165 feet above sea level! That makes the third straight day I've done cardio at high altitude. I ran Halloween morning in Tahoe for about 45 minutes, from the Rustic Cottages to the casinos at the Nevada state line (sounds impressive, huh?); elevation, 6250 feet. Then yesterday I did the elliptical trainer in Park City for about 25 minutes; elevation, 7000 feet. Today's five-mile run was impressive, then!

I thought for sure I was running slowly because I felt so tired. (In fact, I maintained close to a 10 min/mile pace.) I just kept putting one foot in front of the other; I was like the little engine that could. At least the route was basically flat, and I got to run by the University of Wyoming. I love colleges and universities, and it's fun to see how they differ. The University of Wyoming reminded me a lot of Ft. Worth. It had a very mid-western feeling, at least to me! There was a lot of brick architecture and quiet, tree-lined streets. It certainly reminded me of parts of Texas, anyway.

Last run with Team Oz (I'm not looking in your car, Lindsay!)

Yesterday was my last run with Team Oz, not counting the San Antonio race (RNRSA), of course! It was all the way in Livermore and, since it was the 20-miler for the full RNRSA marathoners, there were staggered starts. I knew I couldn't stay till the end of the run, so if I wanted to see everyone, it meant I had to be there at 7:30am!

I should've learned by now that the 7:30am group wouldn't leave on time. Boy, was that an exaggeration! I think we all left more or less together around 8:10am or so. But it was fun because we got to spend quality pre-run time together.

In fact, the team got me a little going away present. (Actually, it's sorta big and it's pretty heavy!) When I first arrived and got out of the car, I walked right by the open rear hatch of Lindsay's car and she yelled, "DON'T look in my car!" Fine! I wasn't anyway. Big weirdo. :-) As we stood around waiting for everyone to get there, I moved around a bit, and Lindsay kept yelling, "DON'T turn around!" All right, already!

The surprise was a huge basket full of goodies from Trader Joe's for our road trip out to Colorado. How cool is that?! It's perfect! Especially since there is no Trader Joe's in Colorado, which Lindsay had heard me lamenting on more than one occasion. (Expansion into the state isn't even in the store's 5-year plan; how will I live?!)

Also in honor of my last run with the team, Lindsay decided to run with me. When she announced this, the coaches almost fell over! She usually never trains with the team, so no one ever sees her run! Of course, she does run quite often, and she seems to always participating in races with her mom. Heck, she's done like 20 million bazillion races, including half- and full marathons! But the coaches couldn't let her escape with out a healthy dose of razzing.

The plan was for Lindsay and I to run out and back a few miles together, then I'd run a few more. (She only wanted to go four miles and I needed to get in eight.) Well, Gary goes, "Why don't you run with me -- I've got a shortcut!" Oh dear. I've heard this before! But, the more the merrier, so Gary, Lindsay, Coach Haakon and I headed out in the reverse direction on the course.

Haakon had marked the course in the wee hours of the morning, and at select intersections, he stopped to chalk additional arrows on the ground. Gary's plan was to do the 10-mile loop so we didn't have to go out and back, but we'd shave part of the loop off by cutting through a few neighborhoods. I looked at Gary and asked, "Is this your way of trying to get us to run 20 miles today?"

Fortunately, we didn't get lost and the shortcut worked, although it only cut off one mile instead of two. All in all, though, it was a good run! We even managed to run a bit under a 10 mile/minute pace, at least according to Gary's watch. Not too shabby!

By the way, how cool is this bumper sticker on the back of Jon's truck?

Nike - the Details

It's one week post-Nike, so I'd better add some race day details!

Our Nike Spirit Squad had a blast! We caravaned at 6:30am from the Lafayette BART station -- in the pitch black. The drive into the city was a breeze; parking, however, not so much. The Avenues are always a gamble, and around 7am, "normal" people are sleeping, so street spaces are less than plentiful. After lots of circling, much patience, and a few pleas, we all finally found places. Phew!

We then picked a great spot along the course, just inside Golden Gate Park near the Dutch Windmill -- right past mile 11. At first the runners going by were somewhat few and far between, but they were fast! Gradually their numbers grew until there was a sea of people streaming by, many of them wearing purple.

This is going to sound weird, but I can honestly say I've never seen so many bananas being eaten, and I've certainly never stared at so many people's chests before! The bananas were clearly popular swag from the water stop, and we had to kick many a peel out of the way lest runners slip on them; seriously. As for staring at people's chests, well, I couldn't help it! (See, you always knew there was something strange about me.) I was trying to find people's names on their jersey because I know it can make a huge difference to hear someone cheer for you by name. So I tried!

In addition to screaming our lungs out, we rang cow bells and jingle/Santa bells and held signs. It was a blast! I learned that it's actually pretty hard to pick runners out of the pack. Most of our teammates saw us on the sidelines before we saw them running by. And then in a flash, they were gone! I heard later, when we met up with a few of them at the finisher's tent, that our cheering gave them a boost of energy and motivation. Hooray!

Following our stint on the sidelines, Dene and I jumped into the action at the TNT finisher's tent volunteering to hand out food. At least it was warmer in there since the tent blocked the wind. When our shift first started, the fast marathoners were coming by, and while they looked tired, they looked happy. When I said, "Congratulations!" they smiled back and thanked me. As time went on, however, finishers began to look more and more haggard. Some were limping, others were on the verge of tears. My "Congratulations" brought mixed reactions. Some would find a smile buried within their pain, while others just scowled.

Either way, I could sympathize; completing a marathon is an emotional feat, and I remember well how volatile I was in San Diego. In fact, watching the slower finishers come by at the end of Nike reminded me why I'm running 13.1 miles this fall instead of 26.2 -- because it's really ridiculously hard on your body and it's an incredibly challenging thing to do! I have so much admiration for marathoners, no matter how quickly or slowly they go. Their feat is simply astounding. Maybe, just maybe I'll do one again, but for now, I'll stick with the half. :-)

Team Oz Rocked the Nike Women's Marathon!

I don't think I've ever cheered so loudly or so long for so many people before! And I'd never spectated at a major race, either. But I have now, and I loved it! I must say, however, that I am wiped out! Granted, my exhaustion is nothing like that of the participants who ran and walked, but it's very real. It's as much from cheering as it is from volunteering in the TNT finisher's tent after the race handing out sandwiches and cookies. But I'll get to that when I write more about the day.

For now, it suffices to say that Team Oz rocked the Nike Women's Marathon! Everyone finished, and some of my teammates even had personal records. On a hilly course in San Francisco, that's most impressive. Look for more details in the days to come. Congratulations team -- I'm so proud of you!

Here's a link to the San Francisco Chronicle article.

Nike Expotique & Spring Team Girls Reunion

Thursday evening was all about TNT past and present, with no running involved!

My first stop was the Cheesecake Factory overlooking Union Square. I promised to bring dessert to my "spring team girls" dinner party/reunion, and there's nothing better this time of year than pumpkin pecan cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. I don't even like cheesecake, but this dessert is to die for! (It helps that I looooove pumpkin.) If you've never had it, I highly recommend it, but get it now before it's gone, as it's only sold seasonally.

Before I could leave San Francisco and head to Sharon's new house in San Ramon for dinner, I had to walk across the street to check out the Nike Expotique in Union Square. It was like no other running expo I've ever been to -- not that I have that many to compare it to, but still! There were manicure and massage stations, and Thursday was ladies night!

I met a bunch of my teammates there: Heather, Jenny, Shannon, Lynsey, and Janice. We enjoyed seeing well-known athletes, including Brandy Chastain and the first ever women's Olympic marathon champion Joan Benoit Samuelson. Plus, we got to partake in complimentary wine, crackers, cheese and fruit. Pretty snazzy expo, if you ask me!

Post-expo, I reunited with Tonya, Sharon, Ginny, Becca, and Shanin. It was great to see so many of the girls who helped me complete my first 26.2 miles! Tonya has been training on her own for the Nike Women's Half, and Shanin recently ran the Rock and Roll San Jose Half-Marathon. Yea girls! We had a wonderful time catching up and hope to do it again during the holidays.

Pre-race Tips and Advise

I've been MIA, I know. But I'm still here, and I'm still training! Although I'm training less with the team these days and more on my own simply due to competing interests. I've gotten out of bed early the last few mornings to get a good three miles in before starting the day. It's chilly out there! I donned my fleece hat this morning, and the gloves will follow soon if the weather keeps moving toward fall. I recently had the privilege of providing some marathon advice to a first-time marathoner (a non-TNTer). I can't take credit for it, as the tips were passed along to me by my coaches! However, since the Nike Women's Marathon is this weekend and many of my teammates are running the race, I thought I'd post what I shared:

• Don't do anything new on marathon day. That includes wearing any new clothing or fuel belts you haven't tried out during training, as well as eating anything you're not used to consuming before or during a run. Sounds simple, but I've heard horror stories, including one from an experience marathoner (and one of my teammates) who ate raisins before his race to impress his health nut friend. All I can say is it was a bad, bad idea, and he paid the price. On that note, stay away from fiber entirely the 24 hours before the race!
• Think about your pre-run meal routine and bring anything you may need to replicate it with you.
  
• Don't go out too fast and be sure to fuel yourself properly along the way (water, electrolytes and carbs). A (half) marathon is no time to be stubborn.
  
• Don't even think about sitting or squatting down once you're past about 18 miles -- you may not get up again! (This is not as much of an issue for half-marathoners.)
  
• If you're flying to a destination race, don't check any of your running gear. Bring it on board with you and stow it at your feet or in an overhead compartment. It would be awful if the airline lost your checked bag and your running gear was inside!
• Above all, enjoy the race, take in the scenery, and be kind to other runners around you!

I'll be in San Francisco on Sunday to cheer for my friends and teammates. I've never been a spectator before, and I'm really looking forward to it! I'll post photos and write about the race once it's all said and done. Go Team!

Honoring Our Honorees

Today was a bit of a tough run mentally for everyone. It was warm, and the out-and- back route we ran was uphill all the way back. No wimps, though! I ran the first 5.75 miles with Ernie. I only needed to go 8 miles total, but I've been logging extra mileage because I can, and Becca was pouring water and playing tunes at the second water stop, so I had to make it to her table! She's my fellow spring team and San Diego race alum, not to mention longtime friend. :-)

Mom and Dad dropped by after the run and just before the team potluck. They saw a few familiar faces, and I introduced them to a few of my new teammates. They probably won't get to do a water stop this season just due to the way timing is working out, so I wanted them to get to at least one of my runs. Thanks, guys!

The potluck following our run was in honor of our team and personal honorees. They are such phenomenal individuals -- true pillars of strength and models of inspiration. They've endured surgeries, rounds of chemo, recovery followed by setbacks, and yet they persevere and view each day as a glorious gift. It really helps give me perspective, and it makes me so glad that I can do something to help them and others like them who are going through treatment. I'm so proud of the fact that the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society consistently gives 75% of all funds raised to research and patient care.

One of my teammates, Lynsey, brought her personal honoree, Laura Warren! No kidding. Gary knew her last name was the same as my maiden name, so he introduced us. It's really a crazy small world. And Laura is truly an amazing individual. She really might be superwoman. She survived Hodgkins Lymphoma as a teenager and a recurrence just after college only to get breast cancer about 20 years later, which was manifested itself as a result of the treatment she had received for Hodgkins. She endured treatment for breast cancer once, and now it's back. She just finished her last round of chemotherapy about a month ago and goes in for a full-body scan on Monday to see if all the cancer is gone. Let's hope so!

You'd think so much cancer would be a burden, but no! Laura hasn't let it slow her down. She's particpated in I can't remember how many marathons with TNT -- one about a month after one of her chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer! She's also done two hikes with Hike for Discovery, among other TNT events. We should all be so blessed to meet people like Laura, let alone find out they're our "twin"!