RUN A MARTHON....CHECK!

JASON AND I COMPLETED THE SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA ROCK N ROLL MARATHON ON SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 2007!!!!!!
HERE IS A SHORT BLOG FOR NOW...MORE DETAILS TO COME!
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This past weekend has been a INCREDIBLY MEMORABLE ONE. It started with a group flight to San Diego from NYC. Each time I got up to use the washroom and stretch my legs every eye I met walking down the aisle was beaming with smiles and laughter, each of us excited and anxious of what was to come. We arrive in San Diego and take group ground transportation to the hotel, the Marriott Marina (GORGEOUS)! We settled in, a bit. Then we headed next door to the convention center to pick-up our numbers. Some of you probably know that we were told by a sports doctor to only do the half marathon (13.1 miles). Our campaign coordinator told us to tell the guys who hand out the "chips" that we were switching to the half. A chip is placed on your running shoe to track your time and to generally keep track as to whether you finish the race or not. We decided not to tell the "chip guys." (nervousness set in)

After picking up our numbers and chips we walked the sports expo. Basically they have these at all big marathons. It's an opportunity for all the running retailers to reach their target audience. We were starving because the airlines don't feed you anymore. So we ate a lot (more than I ever want to again) of scientifically designed food that was being sampled out. We watched as runners had their gait analyzed and examined all the running technology that leaves one with the question-what did they do back in the day?? Seriously!

Since we were near downtown San Diego we headed to Market street to find real food and ate at a place called Henry's Pub. It might not sound like the place for real food but it was!! Well, when you are as hungry as we were you think anything that isn't called protien bar or accelerade drink, real food. Shortly after eating we headed back to the hotel for sleep-something that wasn't hard considering the time change.

Saturday morning we got up to do a very little workout. They say you should do this just to lessen your nerves before a big race. Jason and I opted for the elliptical at the hotel gym. After 10 mins I was done! Gosh-how on earth could I run a marathon with this attitude, right? Apparently, with tapering and what not your body becomes hypersensitive to everything. I am, of course, skeptical. We headed back to the room to clean-up and met our team for breakfast. It was great. Peter, our mentor, got us all together and we had a really fun time together talking about our expectations for the race and the like. After breakfast we were on our own until 12:30PM when the whole NYC team would make their way to another convention center for the big pre-race pasta party. Jason and I just went for a walk around the hotel taking in the beautiful weather and sites. This weird thing happens in San Diego in June, called June Gloom. The sky is cloudy and the temps are in the mid 60s. It's pretty comfortable, but perhaps not so nice looking...it's great running weather, so it's beautiful to us!

The NYC team met in the lobby at 12:30PM dressed in our I Heart NYC t-shirts to show our team spirit, and we hopped in the buses to the pasta party. This party was an event in itself. Two thousand of us lined up outside this other convention center making our way in to eat AGAIN. I mean we just ate breakfast. As we make our way in, all of the TNT mentors, coaches and campaign managers are lined up whistling, clapping, screaming and ringing cowbells, cheering us on!!! It was overwhelming. We piled our plates with pasta and breadsticks and salads and brownies despite a lot of complaining about how we all feel like we just ate, and made our way to tables in a room the size of an airplane hanger. They festivities began with a welcome, and stats on our accomplishments for this race. They had TWO pasta parties. One at 1PM and another at 5:30PM, each with 2,000 TNT runners to feed and pep talk. The numbers are as such:4,000 TNT runners for the RnR Marathon, who collected 12.5 MILLION dollars in preparation for this race for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!!! Can you believe that? They honored the top fundraisers and then the survivors. The survivors stood up and our teammates clapped-it was an emotional experience to say the least.

That evening we met as a team to decorate our singlets (team tank tops). We used glitter and puffy pens and markers and tape to put our names on them and the names of those who we wanted to honor, remember and celebrate during the race. It was also an opportunity for each of us to share why we were in this and how we were feeling. There was a lot of gratitude. One young girl showed up late, apparently having just arrived in San Diego. She explained that her lateness was directly related to her connection to the cause. She had been with her Dad who is battling Leukemia and not having a lot of success. Before the night was out a number of us who had planned to do the 1/2 marathon SWITCHED. We simply had to.

Anxious and teary-eyed we all headed back to our rooms. Jason and I set up our gear and supplies for race day. We showered, got into bed and set up a wake-up call for 3:15AM. That's right: pre-crack of dawn time. The team was to meet in the lobby at 4:15AM. We slept---which was a small miracle. I blame the pasta. Next thing we know we are up again, wakened by the ringing phone. We ate our pre-long run snacks: I had a Daryl's All Natural Protien Granola Bar and a mouthful of coffee (no more...you never know) and Jason had pretzels and gatorade. We met our team in the lobby. Everyone was chatty, taking pictures (for before and after shots, I am sure) and peanut buttering their bagels. Coach Ramon gave us a pep talk and just as we were about the depart we did a salt lick. You know, a salt lick, like when you're doing a shot of tequila. The salt helps your body hold on to all water you take in so you have it for later. We licked our hands, poured the salt, licked on a count of three and swigged water, gatorade, or coffee (weird, I know.) We headed out to the buses and onto the race site. Once there we laid down our garbage bags and ran off to stand in line for the port-a-potties, to come out and get back in line just in case. Teammates shared suntan lotion, body glide (to avoid chaffing) and gu (that stuff I wrote about in my long run blog.) By 6:10am we hugged and packed it all in. We were all off to our corrals.

Corrals are set up according to the predicted amount of time it will take you to finish the race. Coach Ramon encouraged us to get up toward the front. This was especially important for those of us who are slow-it lessens the time you spend on the course in the sun, when it finally comes out. We stood there in a sea of strangers all dressed like pros, shorts pockets filled with running nutrition and visors up, sunglasses on, dancing around, trying to keep warm in the chill of morning and chatting away like we were all old friends. A few announcements were made and then the gun shot went off. We shuffled and walked until we reached the starting mat. As we crossed over it, I was holding Jason's hand. And then it occurred to me...I am running a marathon!!! I busted into tears. Man that caused a cramp! We were off...running our first marathon!!!

This was undeniably the 2nd hardest thing I have ever done. And in the same way I now view my experience with cancer it is the 2nd most amazing thing I have accomplished. There is joy and light and dark and at the end more joy and light than you thought you could withstand.

Jason and I were together up to mile 13. At mile 8 we stopped at a medical tent because Jason's IT band was torturing him. We were there for at least 15 min and they iced both his knees and medicated him with some Tylenol. He and I power walked to 13 where he said he was going to finish. Just as we reached mile 13 we were met by Coach Ramon with encouraging words. Jason told me to go on and he would follow behind! It was difficult thing to do. I ran for awhile until my RIGHT leg (not the one I was concerned with or dealing with in physical therapy) started screaming! MY IT band in my right leg was SOOO tight. So I power walked and alternated with a shuffling like run the remainder of the race. I stopped in the bathroom what seemed like 50 times (really only 3 times) and when I crossed the finish line (bawling like a baby) I went to retrieve my things and found out that-and you will probably not believe this either-that JASON FINISHED BEFORE ME!!!! 5 MINUTES BEFORE ME!!! UNBELIEVABLE!! We were laughing and crying and hobbling and made our way to check-in with TNT and immediately over the medical tent. Jason had both of his knees iced, and all of his blisters popped (6 in total) and I had one knee iced and my right foot wrapped as I had a sort of sock burn on the pad of my foot that felt worse than it looked.

One of the coaches found me at mile 25 and held my hand while pep talking me until I could the sign for mile 26. It was mile 20, however , that killed me. And by that I mean, I bawled when I crossed it. It's 20-the age I was diagnosed, and here it is JUNE 3rd, the week I began chemo 12 years ago! JUNE has a new meaning...one full of life and what it means and feels like to be alive. It is my reminder that this life is something to share with those in need. June is a new milestone.

Thank you for your support. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for reading this blog. Thank you for donating to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Thank you for everything. If you feel inspired...look them up. You, too, can do this...any of us can. www.teamintraining.org. It will change your life.

This journey from Februray to June, this past weekend, this community that I joined-it has CHANGED MY LIFE and better yet, it may change some else's.

Love and gratitude,
Shannon