The last post!

Once again, training and fundraising as a member of Team in Training has been an incredible experience.

It's already been two weeks since the race. I intended to write a post sooner but Luke and I stayed on in California to visit friends and sightsee for a few days, and arrived home just in time for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary celebrations. In the week since that celebration, I've been busy trying to catch up on all the things that didn't get done while I was preparing for the marathon. I still haven't had much time to reflect on my experiences race weekend but, all the same, here goes...

The arrival
I rebooked my flights with United to avoid the possibility of being stranded by an Air Canada strike so landed in San Francisco a few hours later than expected - having spent a lot more time on airplanes than I intended. On the upside, the stopovers meant I got great views of both Chicago and Los Angeles en route.

When my flight finally landed, I boarded the BART (train) to get downtown. (I knew from a previous visit to SF that it was the easiest and least expensive way to reach the city centre.) On my way out of the station, as I struggled through a turnstile with my gear, a man ahead of me turned back to help. We were still chatting as we made our way up to street level, with me yanking my rolling suitcase up the stairs behind me. Suddenly, the suitcase felt lighter and I turned to see that another man had stepped forward to lift the suitcase. Seriously, how many good Samaritans can you meet in a single block? It was a lovely way to begin my visit to the the city.

Finally at ground level, I offered sincere thanks to both my knights in shining armour and walked quickly to the hotel where I immediately changed into clean clothes and headed out the door to attend the first of three major warm-up events.

Warm-up events
Event number 1 was a TNT reception for "top fundraisers".  I attended as a guest of one of my teammates, Heather who, together with her colleague Lori, had raised over $12,000.  A wonderful accomplishment! 

The high point of the evening (aside from meeting some of my teammates in person for the first time) was taking in speeches from a number of very committed TNT supporters - including the legendary Joan Benoit Samuelson. It was a thrill just being in the same room with her! 

Event number 2 was a team gathering back at the hotel where my teammates and I got to know one another better, decorated our shirts for race day, and celebrated our achievements before tucking in for a good night's sleep.

The final event was the inspiration dinner held on Saturday - the evening before the race. We arrived at the Moscone Center to be greeted by coaches and staff from across the US and Canada who cheered loudly as participants and guests entered the hall.  The food left something to be desired but no one cared. It was awesome having 3700 TNT runners, their coaches, supporters and guests together in one place. 

John Bingham (another running hero of mine who I got to meet in person in Chicago) gave a funny, inspirational speech, as did a wonderful woman (whose name I've forgotten, unfortunately) who told us about her son - a blood cancer survivor - and how she and her sisters had raised tens of thousands of dollars for cancer research by participating in running and triathlon events - though none of them had been distance runners before taking up the challenge. Amazing!  Kara Goucher (yes, that Kara Goucher) took to the stage as well - to thank us for our hard work and wish us well in the race.

Of course, the best part of the night was learning that the TNT participants in this one race had raised $12.7 million dollars! When the number was announced, you could hear the cheer from blocks away.

Race day



I slept well and woke up at 5:00 am feeling relatively rested. The team gathered in the hotel lobby at 6:00 for a team photo and we made our way to the start line under the leadership of Coach Ramona (that's her in the purple wig on the far left) who, having run the race a few times, knew exactly where we needed to drop our gear and line up. The weather was perfect - cool but comfortable - as we waited for the race to start.

The full marathoners on our team - Andrea, Stephanie and me

Joan Benoit Samuelson and Kara Goucher said a few encouraging words, we listened to a fabulous rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and we were off.

The course was spectacular.  The first few kilometres took us through the business district so dawn was breaking as we caught our first glimpses of the harbour.

A view of Alcatraz Island as daylight came on

As planned, I stopped every now and again to take pictures and set a moderate pace for the first half - which was more challenging than expected because my Garmin wasn't working properly and I had to rely on "perceived effort" and occasional mile markers to calculate how fast I was running. In retrospect, I think not having my Garmin was a good thing because it forced me to listen to my body more closely - especially during the first half of the race where all the biggest hills were.

After running along the waterfront, the route took us up, up, up... through the Presidio past the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, then down towards The Great Highway where this photo was taken.

You can make out the finishers' tents in the distance but those of us running full marathons wouldn't see the inside of them for a long while yet.

The next stop was Golden Gate Park where Andrea and I yelled cheery hellos as we crossed paths once again. (She was coming out of the park just as I was heading in.) After that, it was on to The Great Highway for a long loop that took us along beautiful beaches and around a lake before we headed back to the finish. I loved running beside the ocean, listening to waves crashing on to the beach. It was just like home - except for the surfers!!

Six or seven kilometres from the finish, my knee began to tighten but it didn't lock up and - just when I needed her most - Coach Ramona appeared at my side encouraging me to run as fast as I could to the finish line. By that time, I knew I was going to run a "personal best" and I think she was more excited than I was!  Nonetheless, rather than savouring the moment with me, she turned back a few hundred metres from the finish line to look for Steph and run with her to the finish. What an incredible runner - and incredible person - Ramona is.  My teammates and I ran full and half marathons that day. Ramona ran 58 kilometres while looking after the members of her team and any other TNT runners who needed help. Mind-boggling.

Needless to say, I was feeling pretty darned pleased as I crossed the finish line - as you can tell from the video posted here and the photos here. And here's a picture of me showing off my finisher's shirt and Tiffany necklace after the race!  You gotta love a course that finishes on the beach!

The last thing I want to say is this: During the race, I wore an inspiration band with the names of people I wanted to think about during every mile of the race - all of whose lives had been affected by cancers. When things got tough, those names helped me to be determined and grateful - determined to honour them by running the best race I could, and grateful to be alive and able to run in such a beautiful place among so many incredible women.

I like to think that Jon, Maeve, Annette and Michael (all lost to cancer) were with me in spirit. It sure felt like they were. But, in any case, they were in my thoughts every step of the way - as they were so often during this last long year of training. 

Celebrating with my teammates
The evening after the race, Luke and I joined my teammates and their families and friends for a delicious post-race meal at an Italian restaurant close to the hotel. Folks were tired but happy so there was lots of laughter, as well as a few tears. Many of us had met previously by email and through facebook but it was the first opportunity to let down our hair and really get to know one another and we all made the most of it.

A final word of thanks
Of course, I have to conclude by expressing sincere thanks once again. To Kirsi, for being such an amazing inspiration in ways too numerous to count. To Jon's family and friends, for their unwavering support and encouragement. To my husband, Luke, who puts up with my running addiction (even encourages it!), who has whole-heartedly supported all of my TNT adventures, and who remained loving and patient throughout the craziness of race weekend. To my friends, family, colleagues and sponsors who donated so generously to the LLSC. Together, they contributed more than $6,000 for cancer research and patient support. To my chiropractor, Dr. Eric Helson, whose exceptional care, terrific sense of humour and sound advice have helped me recover from many injuries over the past nine years. To our coaches, Ramona and Theresa, for their encouragement, patience, wise advice and passion for TNT.  To Cheryl (our TNT staffer), for all her efforts on our behalf. And, finally, to my teammates whose enthusiasm, commitment, and stories of loss and survival were an inspiration each and every day.

Until next time...

P.S. If you're interested, you can go here to see a few more pictures taken before, during and after the race.