The Splits!

At the finish line this nice San Francisco Fireman was holding a silver platter loaded with Tiffany boxes. Since this was a women's marathon, no clunky heavy medals on a fat ribbon here! Every finisher got a pretty Tiffany's necklace handed by a cute fireman suited up in black tie complemented by Nike sneakers of course! And your pick! Honestly my brain was too shot from all the running especially the blurry last 10 miles to pick who I thought would be the cutest fireman, but looking back I don't think it was a bad choice! ;) Anyways more embarrassing moments to come in detail later! ;)

Total Time: 4:53:58

Mile 1&2: 21.40.88 (Embarcadero)
Mile 3&4: 21.55.89 (Fisherman's Wharf kinda like Times Square/South St. Seaport)
Mile 5: 10.30.41 (Marina with Golden Gate in the horizon/Presidio)
Mile 6: 11.24.86 (the beginning of the steepest UP hill EVER!)
Mile 7: 12.22.07 (Lincoln Blvd)
Mile 8: 9.52.71 (El Camino Del Mar - ha! the beginning of the steepest DOWN hill EVER!)
Mile 9: 11.31.46 (Clement St. and a sharp curve to breathtaking coastal views of the Pacific Ocean)
Mile 10: 10.29.26 (Pacific Ocean coastline)
Mile 11: 11.05.06 (Golden Gate Park)
Mile 12: 10.44.01
Mile 13: 10.24.76
Mile 14: 11.36.50
Mile 15: 10.18.41
Mile 16: 10.06.38 (Great Highway - The longest 10 mile highway EVER! And the worst pavement in the world! At least for me...)
Mile 17: 10.16.07
Mile 18: 12.32.46 (Premature text messages start coming in!)
Mile 19: 11.53.80 (Lake Merced but can't see it! It's all fenced in!)
Mile 20: 11.01.19
Mile 21: 11.31.85
Mile 22: 13.50.51 (Potty stop!)
Mile 23: 12.05.01 (Finally some pretty views again!)
Mile 24: 12.02.85 (Buff Do-Wrap and Pony-Tail holder thingy go off!)
Mile 25: 12.50.48 (My PT Mike finds me. Asks how I feel and runs with me for a bit! Thanks Mike!)
Mile 26.2: 12.05.12 (Yay! finally done! :)

3 days left! ... and I've run 228+ miles?!?!!

Holy smokes, so I just added all the miles I've done for my 'long runs' each weekend since I 'started' the 6-month training on 4/28/07 -- shortly after my birthday. :) And guess what? It's 228 freakin miles!!! That's like Yokozuna at least for me! ;)

1.7+4+3.1+4+6.2+8+10+4+6.2+3.1+5+3.1+5+6.2+8+11.3+13.1+9+12+12+6+15.4+18+13.1+21.4+13.1+6+all the short runs during the week=228+ miles!!!

04/28 1.7M (Parkinson's Walk)
04/29 4M Thomas Labrecque Run/Walk (My first 4M!)
05/05 5K/3.1M Revlon Run/Walk
05/13 New York Junior League Mother’s Day 4M
05/19 Healthy Kidney 10K/6.2M (My first 10K!)
05/26 8M - 2 4M loops in the Park
06/02 10M - CP (probably hurt my heel here!)
06/03 Japan Day 4M
06/09 NYRR New York Mini 10K/6.2M (Oh shit, literally crying afterwards. Must be something wrong)
06/10 RockNRun 5K/3.1M (Dummy still running!)
06/17 WABC Father's Day Fight Against Prostate Cancer 5M (Marsha beats me by 1 second! But now looking back, I had a stress fracture!)
06/20 5K/3.1M JP Corporate Challenge (Where's Nydia?!?!)
06/23 Las Vegas Baby!!! (Ok, sports MD and PT say it's a stress fracture! So a lot of Black Jack to let my heel heal!)
07/01 5M in Wilbraham, Massachusetts (Boston Red Sox rock!)
07/07 REST!!
07/14 10K/6.2M Naples to Naples (Marsha's first 10K)
07/21 8M
07/28 11.3M
08/05 13.1M/NYC Half Marathon! Central Park, Times Square, Battery Park! (My first Half!)
08/11 9M
08/18 12M (2 loops)
08/25 12M (2 loops)
09/02 6M (1 loop)
09/08 15.4M (2 big loops/12M plus 2 lower loops/3.4M!) Hurts...
09/15 18M (3 loops) Hurts more..
09/23 13.1M/Queens Half Marathon! College Point (Poor Lauren actually ran more like 15 miles as the cab driver dropped her off far from the starting line!)
09/30 21.4M/NYRR ING Marathon Tune-up (I can't extend my right leg. Something seriously wrong - quick trip to PT and Michael fixed it!)
10/06 13.1M/Grete Gallop Half and salmon bagel in the Park! (BPR for Half - 10:06 min/mile!)
10/12 6 miles/big loop (Boy, I miss pigging out after a long run as this didn't quite qualify!)

and finally very very soon...Sunday, 10/21 The Nike Marathon! Here is the 26.2 mile race course! And weather looks like a nice sunny low 54, high 65!

This doesn't even include the two short 3-4 mile runs I sometimes did during the week!!!

That's a motherload of miles.

That's like almost 4 hours in the car driving at 60/mph! A trip to Philly?! Although I've never been! Crazy!

Anyways, so am I ready? The sad news is I am not ready to chop my hair off, but the GREAT news is that I'm freakin ready for the marathon!! :) Sorry guys, super doubts about the hair chopping and was totally reinforced today when my coworker Shelley enacted a scissor chopping with her index and middle fingers on my hair. The semi-ticklish pretend hair cutting almost gave me a heart attack. Maybe someday in the future... But not now!

Hmmm what else? Extra motivation to finish as my sister Marsha will be there to greet me at the finish line. I am super proud of her efforts in training, but unfortunately she got injured twisting her ankle in a non-running activity. No worries though. She will try to run/walk it! Maybe we'll even finish together as she's doing the half and I'm doing the full! JK.

So what next?! I fly out Friday really early in the morning, something like 7am. I arrive in San Francisco at 10:30am and I guess I have the entire day to kill on my own until my girlfriend is done working. I'll pick up my bib and I guess chill out on my own. I hear San Fransisco is nice. Haven't been back in 5 years.

Then my sister Marsha arrives on Saturday. We'll hangout and walk around. Saturday night there is a pasta party but will try to avoid a pasta food coma. Then the race is on Sunday! It starts at 7am. I hope to finish - just finish - but maybe by lunch time will be done. :) Then Sunday night and Monday nothing but sightseeing and SF misbehaving. :)

Please say your prayers for me. I am certain I will cross that finish line, as I am dedicating my *very* first marathon in memory of my dear friend and work colleague Michael Feng who fought extremely strong and hard every step of the way before passing in February 2005 at the very young age of 26. My run is in honor of Mike's courageous living and strength!

Lastly, I want to thank my family, friends, friends of friends, and colleagues for their continued positive support -- the 13.1 red velvet cupcakes (yum!), bunch of bananas, one lost sumo returning as sumo triplets and their MMA buddies!, halfsie mascot, compression bandages, band-aids, ointment, ice packs, ibuprofen, standing appointments to my PT and sports MD, running maps but still getting lost in the Park, body glide & muscle cream, eating tips, jelly beans, yucky GU gels, tanks of all the Gatorade flavors, and TNT mentoring/training which I guess I will wear the ugly Barney Purple Singlet on Sunday, and so much more... -- all along the way during my 6 month training (from couch bar potato to now semi-runner!!!) as well as the super generous donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. As of today there is only $97 left to reach my goal of $3900, and that's BEFORE my company match!!! That's amazingly incredible!!! Thanks again for your awesome generosity!!!

I'll see you all next week for the 'Elaine Misbehaving' Post-Victory Party(s)! Ciao ciao y adios adios! :)

11 days left! Salmon Sandwich and The "Taper"...

Hmmm so I "only" ran 13.1 miles during Saturday's 10/6 Norwegian Half Marathon. The best thing about this half marathon compared to the other two official ones (NYC and Queens) I did during this training is that all the finishing runners got a yummy salmon and Norwegian cream cheese bagel at the end. Running for Norway has definitely been one of my favorites. :) Norwegian waffles were served as well but we didn't want to wait in line. :/

My net time was surprisingly my best time for a half considering the humidity and heat - 2:12:29 like a 10:06 min/mile. I am happy with that. Don't want to die out there... I swear around mile 8 I had to stop and walk for a minute though and a few more times. It was too hot and humid, and there were only fluid stations every 3 miles. I feel bad for the Chicago Marathoners. It must have been really hot there. Hopefully it won't be as hot in San Francisco and they'll have plenty of fluid stations.

Anyways, now this is part of the "taper" from that ridiculous 21.4 mile long run. I let my body, rest, repair as I prepare for the marathon which is only in 11 days! I promise to eat and drink well. :)

OMG - 21.4 miles on Sunday, 9/29!! 20 days left!!

I am wasted but I feel like I could do a few more miles at the end. My right leg is a little messed up - stiff to straighten out this morning! I will have to find my sports doctor and physical therapist this week! Am I ready for the marathon in 3 weeks?!! I feel ready! ;) This last run was the "peak" of my long training runs meaning it's as close as you get to the full marathon distance of 26.2 miles and then you start to taper with your long runs before the event. I really wanted to sleep in and unpack from my move but I got out there bright and early and did it! 3 big loops + 2 lower loops all counter-clockwise. I started at 8:15am and finished at 12:30pm. 21.4 miles in 4:15, so an average of 11:45.6 minute/mile?!

What did I learn from this run?
* The hill at the top of the loop never stunk more than it ever did, especially on the third loop.
* I had to walk for some parts towards the end to not force a muscle cramp on the top of my right foot the last 2 to 3 miles.
* I need one more jelly bean packet (originally brought two packets eating a one before).
* Realized tucking jelly bean packet under sports bra is handier than holding on to it by hand while running for 15 miles.

What's in store for the next 3 weeks before 10/21 Marathon Day?!!
10/6 Norwegian Half Marathon/13.1 miles in Central Park!
10/13 6 miles
10/21 SF Marathon/26.2 miles!!! Here's the course!

Queens Half Marathon/13.1 miles on Sunday, 9/23!

2:23:15!!! And I didn't forget my chip this time!! ;)

The race was fun, but early at 7am and in Queens! I guess I got spoiled by having Central Park so close. Lauren ran the race with me, but we didn't see each other until after the race. We took separate cabs to McNeil Park in College Point Queens which was a good half hour away. Was kinda fun traveling but since we weren't so familiar with the area, the cab drivers dropped us off "near the park". For me it wasn't so bad, but for Lauren, she said her cab driver dropped her off about 1 to 2 miles away from the start line! She says she probably actually ran more like 15 miles rather than 13.1 miles!

Anyways, the course was nice. A lot of turns and houses! Felt like running in someone's backyard. Shooting for 20 miles this weekend. Wish me luck!! ;)

30 days & $888 left?!?!!!

Hola hola.

I'd like to thank all of you for your generous donations and support during both our marathon training and fund raising efforts! I was just looking at how much is left for the fund raising page.

Looks like the most recent donation (Thanks Lauren!!!) put us over the $3K mark at $3012!!!

Strangely the difference left is $888?!?!!!! (To reach my fund raising goal of $3900!) What are the chances the numbers would work out that way?

I am a lucky person.

Also don't forget should we reach our fund raising goal, after finishing da marathon I'll chop off my hair and donate it to Locks of Love! My hair will go to a little kid who has lost his/her hair due to cancer treatment.

34 days left. I did 18 miles yesterday!

18 miles biaaaaatches!!! (3 big/6 mile loops counterclockwise in the Park) I couldn't believe I finished it. I woke up intending to do the long training run with NYRR but they started really early at 7am. The long training run is for anyone running a long race and the course is 18 miles and you do whatever length you feel like. I decided to just do the 3 big/6 mile loops to get my 18 mile run in. The benefit with the training run is that they had fluid stations along the course.

So 18 miles?!? Yah, that's insane right? Here's the breakdown:

Pre-run Banana, Water
09:05-10:10am First Loop/0-6M (Water, Fruit Roll-up thingy)
10:10-11:18am Second Loop/7-12M (Water, Fruit Roll-up thingy)
11:18-12:40pm Third Loop/13-18M (Orange Gatorade and a lot of inspiration)
Post-run Red Gatorade
Post-run Workout on the tummy and stretching

That's something like a 11:56.4 minute/mile over 18 miles.

Highlights of this run?
* Dampness. First time for me running on wet pavement. Had to be careful to not slip.
* Around mile 5 and 10 I decided to "eat and run" by nibbling on my Fruit-Rollups. I thought I'd give it a try since I saw a guy running while eating a banana. It wasn't that bad no worse than running while drinking water.
* Around mile 9 it started to drizzle and lightly rain which prior to this run was totally foreign to me. Good thing I had my orange Adidas shades with me to shield me from the rain. I was more concerned about my shuffle buzzing out which was clipped to my bra strap all exposed to the rain. So I decided to clip it on the waistband of my running shorts and protect it underneath my tank.
* Hmm around mile 15 my legs felt like they were burning. I was still amazed at how much my body could take without dying. I also thought about how to prepare myself for when I cross that marathon finish line. I heard some people cry from tears of joy... or pain. I had a semi-preview of that around mile 16. It was something like "*#&@! Why the #@^* am I doing this again? This is ^&@(ing insane!" And then I thought about my family and friends and all the reasons to push through it. That was inspirational. I guess that's why most people only do up to 20 miles before the race. The last 6 miles are inspirational.
* Post-run I felt very cold. While I ran it was hot, but since it was 60something degrees outside (similar to what the SF Marathon climate will be) I'll have to think about what to wear while I'm not running.
* Injuries? A little sore on the legs, but I feel like someone really chubby stepped on the top of my feets. Not good. Like when I curl my toes in and out like to make a foot fist the top of my feet muscles are sore. I don't think it's a show stopper though.

Now to the exciting part of what did I eat after burning 1800 calories?!? :) (I heard from my PT it's about 100 calories per mile burned.) Considering my not-so-good diet from last weekend's 15.4M long run, I tried to be "healthier" by picking up 2 Burger Joint Cheeseburgers (med. rare) w/ the "Works" immediately after my Post-run Workout. ;) Then later in the day I had a green apple. Then chilled out and watched the Bosox game (which Yankees got their butts majorly kicked after that stupid Giambi incident the night before) over sirloin steak sandwich, mashed potatoes, prosciutto wrapped greens (yum!) and beer. Oh and for dessert apple crisp pie with vanilla ice cream, Frito chips, and Reese's Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies. :) That was only for Saturday. Sunday was even better. I had 4 eggs (two poached, two sunny side up, sausage and porcini mushrooms sauteed in a yummy red wine sauce, black coffee, bread, 2 ice cream cones, creamy goat cheese profiteroles, soup dimplings, udon beef noodles, cheezits, veggie/potatoe chips in mango habenero salsa! Oh yea and a diet coke!

What's up for the rest of Elaine's training schedule? :)
09/23 Queens Half/13.1mile Marathon!
09/30 20 miles or NYRR ING Marathon Tune-up/18M
10/06 12 miles/2 big loops
10/12 6 miles/big loop
10/21 The Marathon/26.2! (I hope it doesn't rain!)