Triathlon next??

Since I've completed the marathon I keep thinking....what's next? Perhaps a triathlon?? I've been trying to get the hubby on board and for some unknown reason, he hasn't jumped at the opportunity! Figured we could start out easy with a little 1/2 marathon in February and then a mini triathlon in May....sounds reasonable! So I decided that even though we haven't signed for anything yet, I should continue to train in some capacity. I hit the treadmill and figured I'd whip about a few miles no problem! I mean, I just finished a damn marathon, anything after that should be cakewalk right? Yeah well, my body doesn't exactly agree! In fact, I'm pretty sure it was yelling loud and clear....."what the heck do you want from me??", "you need a reality check lady! You are not a 20 something super elite athlete!!" It appears that my mind and my body have very different opinions! This may be more difficult than I originally thought ;)

Enough Cancer Already!!

It's been just 8 months since my father in-law John passed away, sometimes it feels like an eternity and other times it seems like just yesterday. As if this year hasn't been rough enough on many of us, my mother in-law Jan's very close friend of 30+ was diagnosed with breast cancer. I met her for the first time at John's funeral, such a lovely lady. Joyce and Jan have shared a wonderful and treasured friendship. Jan describes Joyce as "my rock." She's undergone surgery, chemo, the works but it appears that the cancer has worked it's way into her brain. Needless to say, the prognosis is not good and the news hit Jan especially hard. It's just to close to home! DAMN this cancer stuff! I'd ask all of you to send peace and healing thoughts for Joyce and her family during this difficult time. We know all too well just how hard it is :(

Diane Canning Update

Diane (Hootie's mom) was diagnosed with Leukemia a short time ago and has been undergoing various tests etc. At her most recent doctor's appointment, her blood test revealed that her white cell count had risen dramatically since the last one 2 months ago. The tricky thing about Leukemia is that one doesn't feel ill so I think it's hard to believe that you're really sick. Diane's doctor has recommended that they start the chemo-therapy. I may get in trouble for this next statement but I believe that I'm at a distance far enough away to avoid immediate repercussion ;) With the holidays coming up, Diane isn't sure when she wants to start the treatment! Soooo, I would ask all of you to please send her urgent..."do it know!!" thoughts so that she heeds the doctor's advice! From what I'm hearing, Diane is one stubborn gal. Hootie, perhaps this is where you received a similar trait? ;) Love ya!

Wish we had more pics like this!

This picture was taken last Easter, I insisted at the time since it's rare that we can get most of us together!

Check out the happy and smiling faces of the two teenagers ;) From left to right: Blase (RIP), John (step-bro), Scott (my hubby), Allison (Blase's daughter in-law) Madge (Blase's wife) Sarah (step-sis), Jane (Blase's daughter and my wicked step-mommy), Mike (my daddio!), Jeremy (my mean-ager), me of course, Joe (Blase's grandson), and Jim (Blase's son).

Cancer claims another loved one :(

As some of you may remember from my previous posts, one of my special honorees was Blase Mathews (step-grandpa). In August he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma and I knew that I had another good reason to complete the marathon. Blase passed away last night leaving a big hole in the lives of many.

You've all heard the cliche: "life is to short!".....think it, believe it, know it!

The finish line!!

The last stretch prior to crossing the finish line was a madhouse of people waving signs, blowing whistles, and cheering like crazy! Just before I hit the finish line I saw Greenlaw :))) rooting me on! And as soon as I crossed the finish line, as promised a handsome and nicely dressed Fireman handed me a little blue box!! Scott and the kids were there to congratulate me! Wahooooo, I did it!!

Almost there!

During the last mile I must have stopped to stretch 5 times!! Tired doesn't begin to cover how I was feeling.....and then you hear it! "Ladies! In less than a mile....you will cross the finish line and a handsome firefighter dressed in a suit will hand you a Tiffany's box!" Talk about motivation ;) Yippee!

Mile 24 ish!

One of the many great parts of being involved with TNT is the amazing support system! There is literally someone to cheer you on every agonizing step of the way! At one point, a women spoke to me from the sidelines with tears streaming down her face, thanking me for my dedication! She wanted me to know that she is the daughter of an honoree that passed away and how she appreciates all of our efforts to support the cause. And yes of course I was bawling!!! Thank god for sunglasses, geez! Tisha, one of my coaches came out to walk me in the last few miles, offering words of encouragement, and to basically hold me up! (Thanks Tisha!) She asked me if I could imagine doing such an endurance event without all of the support we'd had......uhm...NO!

Reasons to live!

I'll put it right out there for ya folks, 26.2 miles is LONG!!! Somewhere around mile 22 I saw a gal waving a sign that read "4.2 miles until flip-flops and cold beer!" That's what I'm talking about!! :)

At mile 20- Lake Merced!

I'll just go right ahead and admit that this pic is awful! This is what pain looks like :( My left knee was absolutely throbbing! I was limping, and thinking.....the last 6 miles is a guarantee of absolute agony, what fun! Ahhh the beauty of Lake Merced.....this is mental torture right here! Don't know about you but from my point of view, this looks like about 10 miles around the lake! Supposedly, it's only 4! Pssshaw!

Personal cheering section :)

I have to admit that I am indeed a lucky gal for I had my own personal cheering section! My hubby and the kids spent the weekend in the city with me and Greenlaw came all the way down from Lake Almanor to cheer me on! :) The kids made these cute signs to wave at me but by the time I actually made my way past their spot....I think they had about given up on me and were using these as seats instead, hehehe! It's the thought that counts!

The "Fantastic 4......street-stalkers!" I meant street-walkers ;)

From left to right----

The Merciful Maven, Blaze Veronie, Marathon Monie, and The Contender

We're ready to take the streets of SF :)

4am....yeah it's a little early!

Had to get up and out very early and the hubby was kind enough to tag along and see me off! :) As you can see from the pics, I'm geared up and ready to go.....and if I'm not mistaken I look sort of happy about it too! Clearly, I'm slightly deranged!

Celebrity Status!

On the eve of each major event, TNT (team in training) hosts a huge pasta party/inspirational dinner for all of the participants, honorees, mentors, and coaches. It's a HUGE event, requiring a large venue, in this case the Moscone Center in SF. When we arrived at the center and opened the doors, we were blown away! There were perhaps thousands of people lining our path on both sides from the top of the steps all the way down several flights of stairs and into the main exhibition hall. The noise was nearly deafening as we were cheered for and ushered in. Jeremy said that he figures I must have told everyone that he was coming, LOL! It was simply amazing to see all of the appreciation and support! I was moved to tears! Since we didn't know what to expect we hadn't planned on taking photos, bummer. It was easy to imagine that you were like some sort of celebrity! The honorees were so inspiring, it feels great to be a part of such an extraordinary group of fighters!

The WALL of names!

Funny little story or not so funny....depends on how you look at it. As we were all waiting outside to go into Nike Town, there was mention of a wall with names on it. Since it's this particular women's marathon is TNT's big event, I assumed that the names listed on the wall were of the thousands of people who had lost their battles to blood cancers. Sammy asked me if my name would be on the wall next year.....I said "I hope not!" The names listed on the wall are actually those of the participants in the event for that year. So naturally we went on the hunt to find my name. Did I mention that it's a WALL??? At any rate, we found my name and as a bittersweet token, Karin's too! Friday marked 3 months since she passed and Sunday was actually her b-day and had she still been here, she would have done the marathon too.

Yesss!!! I did it :)))))

So much to tell and lots of pictures to post so I'll have to do several updates! This pic was taken by Jeremy and it's of Scott, Sam, and I at the expo the night before the big event!

Final post and thoughts!

One of my coaches sent this quote over and I think it's a perfect summation of how I'm feeling! "As an athlete, when you least expect it, you may find yourself standing on the threshold of an accomplishment so monumental that it strikes fear into your soul. You must stand ready, at any moment, to face the unknown. You must be ready to run (or walk) boldly through the wall of uncertainty." John Bingham
This is it folks, I'm off to San Francisco! Tomorrow morning at roughly 4:45 am, I'll be hitting the streets to conquer this enormous task! Here's to crossing the finish line, send me your good thoughts! :)

The Jersey!

Okay so my puffy-paint skills aren't the best but at least I've got all of my honorees names on the darn jersey! I've been thinking about this all morning, I'll be needing the strength of all to accomplish this feat! I'm doing this thing!!

P3 = puffy-paint problems

Okay so....I wanted to wear something as a token of each person that I'm walking in honor of. I've got handcuffs on my charm bracelet for John. People please, he was a Police Officer after all! I have Karin's bracelet from the Hope Run and needed something for Blase and Diane. So I know that Blase LOVES sports and especially golf, and Diane's favorite color is blue and she loves horses. Jewelry is discouraged for this type of event so I figured that instead of trying to wear all of these things, I would get some puffy paint and put every one's names on my jersey. It'll look so cute, right? Yeah well, if anyone out there really knows me, they know that patience is NOT one of my virtues! So....I get to work with the puffy paint...but it needs like 4 hours to dry! Why not speed up the process I say. I get out the blow dryer....and let's just say that it didn't go well. Did I mention that I only got one jersey???? It'll be interesting to see how I salvage this one...stay tuned!

Diane Canning....last but certainly not least!

I'd put a picture up here if the individual in question were of the "sure you can take my picture" variety but that's just not the case. In fact it's my understanding that photos of this woman are very hard to come by! My very good friend Hootie, okay so that's really not her name, it's Cindy. But anyways....her mom Diane Canning is currently battling Leukemia. And while I've never personally met her, I believe she must be an incredible person for she is the mother of one of my dearest friends. Her name will be on my jersey and I'll be walking proud in her honor!

Sad news :(

Very saddened to hear the Roxanne (Blaze Veronie) has lost her father very unexpectedly. As we've been training for months, I've gotten to know these ladies a bit and find Roxanne to be a very upbeat and determined person. So while she won't be completing the full marathon with us this weekend, she'll be completing a half, still a major feat! I'm sure that her father would be so proud of all that she has accomplished. I would ask that everyone be thinking healing thoughts for Roxanne and her family during this very difficult time.

The Diggety-dogs :)

This is it....a picture of barely controlled chaos! Riley the Rat Terrier a.k.a Pooper, Ms. Mina the Poodle a.k.a Crack Poodle, Jolie Bear the Westie-poo a.k.a The Tail-Wagger!

Dog park disaster!

I'm just days away from the big event, eeeeek! I've been drinking water like crazy, stretching, and walking. Last night I took my diggety-dogs (if there's was any question for you previously, I'm insane...I have 3 dogs!) for a quick walk and play-time at the dog park. Didn't have to exude much effort on my walk since the they literally drag me along for the ride! At the dog park, it's always barely controlled chaos, much like at home! At any rate, the p-doggies had a great ol' time running around, sniffin behinds and such......and then it happened! Some furry-roving maniac took my legs right out from underneath me....ouch! The owner was horrified and worried that my ankle had been injured. I assured her I was just fine but inside was thinking...oh my gosh...I can't get hurt right now, I'm just days away from completing a marathon!! And who gets injured at a dog park??? I'm fine really, a tiny bit sore. But more so.....very thankful that I didn't land in anything unpleasant ;)

Continued source of inspiration :)

This man is a special one indeed, my step-grandpa Blase! He's an absolute pistol at age 92 and handsome too! Last year he opted for back surgery, a double fusion! (Who does that in their 90's??)It's the same one I've had and it's no walk in the park I can assure you! As an avid sports fan he truly encompasses a competitive spirit to say the least! He played a mean game of golf well into his 80's and to my knowledge he never let my Dad beat him on the course. We've joked that my Dad had to wait until the man was a serious senior before there was even a chance in Dad's favor! Blase is currently undergoing treatment for Lymphoma. Be thinking healing thoughts for him as I proudly walk in his honor!

Sicky girl!

Ickkkkk! Unexpected set back this week when I came down with the flu, argh! At least it was only the 2-day plague and I'm so thankful that I'm getting it out of the way now! Could be way worse!

The day after the Marathon

My mentor, DeMaris sent this to me.....many training days have felt just like this~

Sources of inspiration

These 2 are the reason that I originally started this journey. John and Karin both fought their cancers with courage and tenacity. And while they were taken from us way to soon, they've left an indelible mark on many lives. I miss them both and I fully expect that they'll be rooting me on and helping to make sure that I cross the finish line. Karin will have her running shoes on, drinking her favorite coffee from Starbucks while offering words of encouragement. And John will totally be giving me a hard time! I wouldn't have it any other way! ;) We had a special relationship, quipping back and forth all the time. Despite his joking nature, he never failed to show how much he cared.

My Mentor :)

This lady DeMaris is something else! She has successfully completed 2 full marathons and 10 half marathons! Makes me feel like a ninny since she's 30+ years older than me!! Don't be too aghast ladies, she will proudly tell you her age! Each weekend, she comes out to help support us by walking along side us, offering tips, words of encouragement and food :) She has been volunteering and fundraising for TNT since she lost her own son David to Leukemia several years ago. She is truly a wonderful mentor and has helped me literally every step of the way! Thanks DeMaris!

The "Fantastic" 4.....Street-Walkers!

Yesterday's training started off a little sluggish for me since I was awake from about 2am on! I've noted that on the eve of training sessions, I just can't sleep....waiting for the alarm to go off and the excitement to ensue! ;) At any rate, we were all looking forward to only having to complete 3 hours of training as opposed to the 6 that we've become accustomed to! It was a tad brisk at about 46 degrees to start and I was certain that frost bite was setting into my toes and fingers! If my brother and sis-in law are reading, they're laughing at me because California cold simply doesn't count! Okay so I'm a Cali-girl and it felt damn cold out there!

We cruised along the trails of Walnut Creek and successfully made it up what has been named "cardiac hill." Kathy (The Contender--do not question our mileage with this gal!) narrowly escaped the clutches of dehydration while gallantly taking on the Mojave Desert! Roxanne(Blaze Veronie) resisted the nearly overwhelming desire to grab up a pair of discarded gloves for warmth. And as usual, Muriel (The Merciful Maven) smiled all the while...I'm not sure a bone of complaint exists in her body! :) My toes aren't black so apparently the frost bite hasn't taken it's toll after all.

Even though we probably only did something like 12 miles, we were all ready to be done! Not one of us was gunning for another 10 miles or so! And though we've yet to complete the actual marathon, we're already planning our next event!

A little reality check compliments of my bro, Marc :)

I got this email from my brother and I'm not sure that he'd approve of my sharing it with all of you folks but I'll do it anyway! For the sake of "nice verbiage" I'll slightly edit some of the wording but it goes something like this.....

"your blog makes it sound like you have some times when you doubt your intent, but you and I both know that the Malcuit's are made with a little iron inside, and more than our fair share of stubbornness! Just when you start to doubt it, your inner little voice says "damn this, it's just a little hill, I'm gonna get this damn hill! Oh you think that you're gonna beat me? Good luck!! That's the competitive side..."

And yep, he's right....that's precisely what happens when I'm out there! So I should probably mention that I don't care if I have to stumble, drag, or crawl across the finish line, I WILL beat this thing!!

This pic is several years old but it's of me and bro so I think it's fitting for the post :)

Love ya Marc!

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Those are the words I keep hearing over and over so my refrigerator looks like "Gatorade Nation!" Since we did the big miles this last weekend, we'll be scaling back and doing a mere 12 miles or so for our next training. There was a time when that felt like it was insurmountable! Ah but not so....maybe I'll shoot for a tri-athalon next ;)

23.5 Miles!

I have to first start off by saying that I now realize that if you think it, "murphy's law"has a way of twisting it around~ In my last post, I foolishly mentioned that I'd get to sleep in a bit, PSHAW! No sleeping in, since I barely slept! So today's training started out a little rough for me. It was something like 47 degrees this morning so it was pretty damn cold to start with! I was VERY reluctant to let go of of my steamy cup of Starbucks! I literally labored through the first 5 1/2 miles and I was trying desperately to convince myself that since I've managed to make it through all of the previous training, today is no different! Things finally warmed up and I realized that each week, a different part of my body protests my apparent desire to crush it's very being! Two weeks ago it was the hamstrings, last week it was the shin, today it was my calves.....I beg of you body...give it a rest! But really, the body has been painful but relatively kind during my pursuit. At some point along the way, my other training partners and I got into a discussion about perception versus deception. I've come to the conclusion that our perception is brutal and the deception of our coaches and training staff, even more so! ;) Perhaps it's merely dog tiredness or paranoia but we felt certain that "water stops" had been moved much further apart! And when they said that we had a mile or so to go, it was really much more like 5 or so!Don't get me wrong our mentors etc. are simply awesome and we wouldn't be at this point without them, I just think that they find it necessary to massage the truth at times! Course I feel pretty certain that I wouldn't want to tell me how much longer it would be either! ;) Could be trouble! We ended up completing 23 1/2 miles today, wahoo! After getting home and going through the usual ice-bath routine, I'm feeling a little stiff but hey, I'm alive! Can't beat it!

It's Friday! One more weekend closer to the BIG day! I get to sleep in at least a little bit tomorrow since I don't have to leave until about 5:30am, I'll take it over the 4am job any day of the week! We're set to do another 22 miles tomorrow morning, I can hardly wait.....oh geez who am I kidding? I'm just thankful to make it through each day let alone the ones with so many miles! And who the heck signed me up for this anyway?? Oh yeah....mental note, "you did this to yourself!!" I'm off to get my gear ready and my food planned out. That's the major bonus of this deal....you always have to be planning enough food to sustain your energy....no brainer here since I pretty much live to eat :)))

The streets of San Francisco! By some small miracle I've managed to survive one more weekend of training! Got an early start and left the house at 4:30am to meet other members of our team to carpool. It rained the entire way into the city and we figured it wouldn't be much better at our destination. It was in fact raining pretty steadily and I think we all started to second guess our desire to do 20 miles! Cold, rain, and we're out in it....sounds fun doesn't it? As luck would have it it cleared up a bit and while we did get rained on a fair amount, it wasn't miserable. Before heading out, the coaches explained what we could expect.....I think we would all agree that perhaps they had left out a few key points out!

I know I mentioned hills in last week's post and have since come to the conclusion that I had mistaken what a hill truly looks like! The worst of the route came about quickly when we headed up hill and past the Cliff House and through some sort of dirt trail with dozens of stairs.....they definitely left that out of the spiel we'd had to start with! Lots and lots of VERY steep inclines~ it took 2 hours to complete 6 miles!

But really, if you're going to be subjected to torture, it should at least be in a beautiful environment. We had gorgeous views of the Golden Gate bridge, the beach with crashing waves, and some spectacular homes! Miles 7 through 11 were fairly uneventful but equally beautiful as we wound our way through Golden Gate park. Ahhh but there's always something....at mile 12 we came upon the lovely Lake Merced and were told that it's an easy 4 miles around the lake. There comes a point where you start to feel a certain desperation and you wonder if you'll actually ever make it back to your car! Trust me......we all felt it....Lake Merced looked as though it were another 20 miles! But by about mile 16 I got my second wind and felt pretty good. That was before I realized that there had been a slight "mis-calculation" and that the 4 miles back to the car was actually 6!! Now you may think....what's an extra 2 miles? I can tell you that the difference between 18 miles from last week and 22 this week was measurable!!

Alas.....I made it and felt much better than last week! It seems that I have a shin splint but aside from that...life is good! The picture on this page is of my walk partners and I AFTER we had completed the big 22, looking pretty good if I do say so myself!

We're schedule to do another 22 miles next weekend in Moraga.....got it licked! ;)

These shoes were made for walking! Me and my trusty shoes will be hitting the streets of San Francisco tomorrow morning for a nice 20 mile stroll ;) I have to get up at 4am so I'm headed for a night of rest and strength building. I'll check back in tomorrow after I've completed my little trek!

Yep, this is me......looking all happy and fresh! I'm gonna go ahead and tell you that this pic was taken prior to my day of torture last Saturday ;) ya think?

And why did I sign up for this??? So...I've been training for this marathon since July I think and I'm really thinking that I'm out of mind! What? Do I want total pain and suffering? In just 5 short weeks I'll be hitting the streets of San Francisco to complete my first marathon. Thought it might be fun to share in my training and how it's going. Okay, okay it's really more like something to make me laugh at myself while allowing all of you to share in my pain!

Last week.....oh the glory! I did 16 miles in like 3 hours and really it wasn't that tough! I was indeed a bit sore for a day or so but nothing I couldn't manage. Perhaps it was the fact that the trail was wonderfully flat?

TODAY was a WAY different story! It started out so well when I jumped out of bed and ran out of the house at 5:30 this morning ready to enjoy a morning of great training and inspiration! So maybe you don't quite believe that but that was my original plan! Didn't quite turn out that way ;) Hit the streets on a new course covering 18 miles which wouldn't be that bad except for the damn hills that kept coming and going, and then there were more! The first 9 miles went by pretty well, it only took me about 1hr 45 min.......and then it went down hill fast! And I don't mean that I was actually getting to enjoy the downhill part...oh no...those damn hills! At mile 10 or 11 I was pretty sure that my hamstring was ready to snap....not good! So I dutifully continued, taking short rests for stretching....trust me, it didn't help!

The great thing about Team-in-Training is that they have wonderful coaching and most important.....they feed you along the way!! One of the water/food stops was a 1/4 mile up a VERY steep hill....not my favorite at this point because now I swear that my hips are going out, I'm limping along at a disgraceful pace. I was VERY close to simply calling someone to rescue me from my self-prescribed misery...but No! I bravely continued on....in agony! LOL...actually one of the coaches walked with me that last few miles and I'm sure that she was waiting for me to just fall over!

I was so glad to be done!! But then....there was the 1 hour drive home :(.....so when I arrived at home....it was all I could do to get out of the damn car! And to make matters worse....I discovered that my driveway is like Mt. Everest....I kid you not! After an ice-bath, epsom salt, and some Motrin....it looks like I'll survive. Not sure if I'll be able to walk for a few days but at least I know I'm killing myself for a good cause!

I need your support and donations for the Leukemia & Lymphoma society so if you have a kind bone in your body....get out the check book and help out ;)

Tune in next week for my 20 mile adventure! I'm really, really hoping that it'll be a bit less painful!