Slideshow link

Here is the link for a slideshow with most of the pictures from the marathon...

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=45333942

I DID IT!!!!!

I ran the Nike Women's Marathon throughout San Francisco on Sunday and LOVED IT!!!! Everything about the race weekend was amazing. Nike had a great Expo with tons of stuff geared toward women.. free manicures, massages, etc. :) The entire Team In Training experience has been wonderful. There were over 5000 TNT participants that took part in the 20,000 person race. Together, we raised 18 million dollars!!! Saturday night we took part in a huge pasta dinner. When we walked into the convention center for dinner... the walls were lined with thousands of TNT staff, coaches and mentors all dressed in purple in green screaming for us. They had every type of noise maker you can imagine. The cheering continued throughout the convention center until we reached the dinner. It was truly surreal. I got chills and tears came to my eyes as I looked around at all this support. The first female marathon Olympic gold medalist, Joan Benoit, spoke at the dinner along with John "the penguin" Bingham and several Leukemia survivors. Hearing their stories really solidified why I was there, why I had trained so hard and why I chose to fundraise for such a wonderful organization!!!

Race morning was full of excitement. I woke up at 4:30 am to get ready. Meera (my running buddy) and I got ready together blasting music in the room. We were pumped!!! The race started at 7am and I was soooooo excited because Brandon called to tell me that he, my mom, my dad and Tyler had secured a spot right at the starting line to see me off. I have the most wonderful family. They have always been my biggest fans and cheerleaders. This experience wouldn't have been the same had they not been able to share it with me!

We finally crossed the starting line at around 7:15am.... and we were off!!! Starting the race was such an exhilarating moment. I had trained for over 5 months for this, and I couldn't believe how quickly it came. The race was REALLY tight at first with over 20,000 runners on the course. However, by mile 5 it started to loosen up. The hills started at mile 6, but surprisingly, they were not as bad as I had anticipated. People had pumped them up for soooo long, that I was literally expecting huge vertical hills (like the ones we had trained on!). Instead, there were many low grade hills. They were difficult, but not as difficult as I had made them out to be in my head. It was a pleasant surprise :)

John "the penguin" Bingham had said that there was going to be a point in the race where we would KNOW that we were going to finish the race. He said sometimes it's at mile 8 for him... and sometimes it's when he sees the balloons at the finish line! None the less... we would reach a point in the race where we would just know. For me.... it came very early! Once I saw the Golden Gate Bridge at mile 5 I knew! This was one of the first moments that tears came to my eyes during the race (there were many!). I had worked so hard for the past 5 months following the training program my coaches had devised for us and it was finally paying off!

I got to see my family again at Mile 11. It was so exciting seeing them waiving signs and ringing cow bells!!! I stopped to give them all a quick hug and was off again! I wouldn't see them again until the finish line... but they kept texting me (I brought my cell phone in my hydration belt!) wishing me good luck and sending me pictures of Tyler!

The split for the half vs the full marathon was at about mile 12. I was surprisingly excited that I was doing the full because I did not want this experience to end. There was a quote at the Nike expo that really stuck in my head... "The thrill is in the journey, not the destination." I really made it a point to enjoy this journey and not just focus on the finish line 26.2 miles ahead... I made a point to look around at the scenery and all the other inspiring runners around me! I think this was one of the main reasons I had such a great run!

Miles 18-22 around the lake were the toughest. They say that the true half way point in a marathon is mile 20, not 13. All runners talk about the infamous "wall" that you usually hit after mile 20. I had a plan.... the night before the race I had Brandon load 8 songs that would uplift and inspire me. When I started to feel that I was approaching the wall (around mile 22), I followed my plan. I put my Ipod on (i didn't wear for any other portion of the race) and focused on keeping my arms swinging. If your arms keep moving... your legs keep moving too! I remembered what one of the LB coaches had told me a week prior... "when you hit the wall, just remember.... it's "just a wall", run through it!" That is exactly what I did!

I completed the trek around the lake around mile 23. Now I could see the 3 mile straight away to the finish line. It was a beautiful sight! The ocean was directly too my left and the street was lined with people cheering us on. This is where I really lost it. Tears started streaming down my face. Not because I was in pain or worried I wouldn't finish... but because I had done it. The wall was behind me and in front of me was just 3 more miles of open road until I would reach my goal. It was a moment I will NEVER forget. I will never forget the song that was playing ("I Run for Life" by Melissa Etheridge), the view of the ocean filled with surfers or the smell of the ocean air. It was a beautiful moment!

At mile 25, I met up with my running coach who ran the last mile with me. He was snapping pictures, pumping me up and getting the crowd to cheer louder for me! I saw my family at exactly mile 26. Again, they were screaming and waiving signs! I picked up my pace and ran the last .2 miles with my hands in the air. It was awesome!!!!

I did it! I trainer hard, raised over $3400 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, met a ton of great people, and met one little girl named Alyssa who is still running her race. Unfortunately, her race will last much longer than 5 hours and 20 minutes. She will be running her race for the rest of her life. I'm so blessed to have been a part of it!

I've learned a lot over the past 5 months. If you work hard and believe in yourself, ANYTHING is possible. I was the girl that was always picked last for teams in PE class. Luckily I had a high self-esteem ;-) All kidding aside, I just ran 26.2 miles! I'm proud of my accomplishment and the money I've raised for such a great organization... but most of all, I am proud of the example I have set for Tyler and my future children to come. I want them to know that there are no boundaries to what they can achieve. No matter what the obstacle (or the size of the upcoming hill!), there is always a way to the top... and what a view they will see!!!!

Thanks to all of you for your love and support! You have made this journey all the more memorable.

So now that the marathon is over... I wasn't sure what I should do next. So.... I did the logical thing, registered for the Las Vegas Half Marathon on December 7th. Brandon will be joining me this time and we will be renewing our vows at mile 5. I have a feeling this won't be the last race for us.......

Only 1 more week to go!!!!

I can't believe that a week from today, I will be in San Francisco preparing for my first marathon. I feel like I have been training forever... yet, this day has come so much faster than I had anticipated! I'm ready! I've followed the training program, overcome my first injury and am ready to RUN 26.2 miles!!! I feel good and am so excited and nervous at the same time. I've been having dreams that I arrive at the starting line without my shoes, line up at the finish instead of the start, etc. I don't anticipate having any of those issues come race day:)

We had our kick-off party last Tuesday. It was great getting to spend time with everyone outside of the Long Beach or Bolsa Chica bike path. The best part... ALYSSA and her family was able to join us. She looks great and is doing much better! She was even up and trying to walk. She is such an angel and I am forever changed to have met her.

Tomorrow we'll have our last training run. It will be a short 6 miler followed by two short 40 minute runs the following week. Friday I'm off to San Francisco. Saturday night we have our pasta party and Sunday morning the race begins followed by a victory party! I'm so excited. Brandon, Tyler, my mom and my dad will be cheering me on. I really do have the best support system ever! I am very grateful!!!

Not sure if I'll get the chance to post again before the race. I'll definitely be sure to update after the run. I'll let you all know how each and every of the 26.2 miles went ;-)

Wish me luck...

Less than 3 weeks to go!!!

I can't believe it is already October. Time has truly flown by! I ran 16.5 miles this past Saturday and it felt great. I've been training since May... so I'm getting really excited as the marathon quickly approaches! This week my long run is only 12 miles. I'm looking forward to giving my body a bit of a rest before I run 26.2 miles.

Alyssa is home now! Here is the latest update from her grandma:

This has been one.... if not the toughest journey that our family has been on,
when you stop to think all that has happened to Alyssa in less than, 14 months
you would have said that was impossible, this combinations of both of these illness doesn't happen

only in the Twilight Zone, and that is where I think I have been, only in the far corners of the zone,

The main thing is how is Alyssa doing, with each day she is trying to do more,
She tries to do different thing each day and she keeps surprising us

the doctors have said that she shouldn't be doing what she is doing,
the with amount of damage that she has, no explanation for it
some of you that have come by to visit you have been able to see
her progress even if you seen her the day before,
This all shows us Alyssa determination and she will go far

They can't explain it, but we can,
We know that the Lord has had His healing hand on Alyssa
and that all things are possible threw Him,
We have had the Power of Prayer for Alyssa,
from Family, Friends, Our LBAC Family, as well as many other Churches,
Alyssa's Team in Training, the Nurses & Doctors, Friends of Friends,
Strangers we meet in passing, I know there are so many others out there
praying for her that we don't know about
We send our Heart Felt Thank You to all of you,

Let the tapering begin!

This past Saturday, I ran 20 miles!!! It is the highest amount I'll run before the marathon. This Saturday is 16 miles. It's crazy how relieved I feel that I "only" have to run 16 miles :) I'm feeling really good. I had minor aches and pains throughout the 20 mile run... but my ITB pain actually went away after mile 10?!?! I'm not sure how or why... but I am very thankful!!! I'm getting soooo excited for the marathon!!! I'm so glad I joined the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training to help me cross the finish line!

I don't have many more updates on Alyssa just yet. She was possibly going to get to go home this week. I hope that is the case. I'll update as soon as I get more updates.

HILLS!!!

I have a new respect for hills! I ran 15 miles of hill training this past Saturday. It was a 2.5 mile loop that we ran 6 times around Signal Hill. I would say this run was more challenging than the 18 miles of flat land I did the week prior. Anyhow, it was a great run and I felt good (considering the vertical climbs!) for the majority of my run. I even convinced my running partners to complete the final lap. We usually run straight out in one direction and then turn around at the half way point. There is never an option to quit. Running laps... it's much easier to give into the temptation.... but I convinced them not to cut themselves short. We came to run 15 miles and I was not going to leave with running anything less. Let's just hope I'm feeling as spirited on my 20 mile run this Saturday!

Here is the latest update from Alyssa's grandmother. She can have visitors now... so my running buddy and I are going to visit her within the next week. Again, please keep her and her family in your thought and prayers....

Alyssa's eating is great,
thanks to a great start with prednisone for 5 days,
8-29 Alyssa started back with her maintance chemo meds,
so mood changes, we are getting use to them again

she still has the feeding tube in, so she can still be given different meds,
as soon as she can tolerate all meds by mouth they will take out the feeding tube

Alyssa has been seeing "Monster" or some of sorts 'scary visions' for the past 4 days,
she has been given Haldol, to calm her, but we don't like the added meds for her
they are not sure what is causing them at this point
they will have a psychologist talk with her
and also see about ruling out some her meds as the problem
no answers as of yet

Juliette has Alyssa today, scaring them away "Monster" with a fork
like the Kung Fu Pandas and Hanna Montana
so far it seems to be working but the " Monsters" are still there

she has started with physical therapy doing well,
Alyssa has occupational, speech and physical
she is able to go to the different rehab rooms to work out
Alyssa is starting to trust them and she will work on moving as well

she tries to sit up and keep herself straight, she like to do a ballerina move
she does get tired but will try what she has learned later in the day

she put a popcorn in the right hand ( which doesn't move)
and with the left lift the hand to her mouth to eat the popcorn

the results from the one vision test showed some eye response but it will take several more to see if her vision will return and if it does it will be very little only with 1 eye

Alyssa has a wheelchair now which makes it easy to move her she is now 39 lbs, she enjoys being able to go out in the wheel chair

I can not even begin to let you know how difficult this has been, it's been a shock, and very devastating to us all,

the one constant, that is a big comfort, is to know that, you all praying for Alyssa and are there for us and their is only one that can heal her and that is the Great Physicianso we trust in Him, to carry her through all of this

I ran 18 miles and enjoyed it!

I finally have the upper hand on my knee!!! It has taken about a month... but I am now able to run while keeping my pain under control. At the 7 mile aid station, I made the mistake of stopping completely to down some oranges. After a few minutes of standing around, I jumped right back into running. That was a mistake... I literally almost fell over. For a second I thought that was it. I was going to have to turn around and walk back 7 miles to my car. Instead, I kept walking toward the 9 mile turn around point. I used this walk time to drink some water and eat some sport jelly beans. I increased my walk to a power walk and eventually back to a run. I was even able to catch up to my running group. By mile 12 I was feeling really good. I had a runner's high that lasted me the final 6 miles. Next week we go back down to 15 miles and the week after we're back up to 20 miles. That will be the highest mileage we'll do before the marathon. My confidence that I'll be able to successfully complete my marathon has gone way up this week. Besides the sore muscles, blisters and bruised toenails... I'm really feeling good!

Here is the latest update on Alyssa:

She is becoming more aware of her physical challenges (blindness and paralysis on the right side of her body) and as a result is having a real difficult time adapting. For example, she keeps holding up toys to her eyes and asking her mother or grandmother why she can't see them. So sad! Regarding her paralysis, the doctors have informed the family that it might be permanent. So heartbreaking!

She started chemotherapy again last Friday because throughout all this they still need to keep her leukemia under control and the family is hoping she'll get through this next phase of treatment with no more setbacks. Once the chemo starts to kick in, her immune system will become suppressed again, and she'll become more susceptible to infections, etc. Lets hope this won't be the case for little Alyssa!

On a happier note, she is talking more and she remembers who people are by the sound of their voices. And, believe it or not, she still find things to smile and giggle about - such things as her grandfather trying to sing a nursery rhyme, being tickled, listening to her music, and her mother playing with the curls in her hair.

As always, please keep Alyssa in your prayers.

Thanks again for all of you that donated on my behalf to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You have helped make a positive difference in the life of Alyssa and others just like her battling cancer!

God Bless you and your families.