I know I said my next post would be after marathon, but I just HAD to share my great news:
I am in a wedding at the end of June, and bought the bridesmaids dress a couple of months ago. It fit fine, but I was definitely going to have to be on my "best behavior" until the wedding. I tried it on yesterday with the appropriate accessories, and...
THE DRESS IS TOO BIG! {and the crowd goes wild}
I also weighed myself, and I have lost about 8 pounds over the last few months. So my metabolism must be waking up a bit! It's not as much as I would like, but it's something.
TTTTTTOOOOOOOOO BBBBBBIIIIIIIGGGGG!!!!!
Holy cow, can you tell I'm excited? See you at the finish line!
-Sara
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The Verdict and A Dromedary
Well, we were all relieved to find out that I will be able to participate in the marathon after all!
I went to the podiatrist on Friday afternoon at the Rothman Institute here in Philly. Since it's affiliated with Jefferson, and literally a block from my office, it was very convenient and they were nice enough to squeeze me in before the holiday weekend. I had some X-Rays done, and met with Dr. Tawell. First of all, there is no fracture. Thank goodness! The doctor thought that the pain I am having is just a repetitive overuse injury. Also, my feet flatten out a bit when I walk, which causes a weird distribution of weight and stress. So my foot is trying to compensate, and I end up putting alot of stress on the balls of my feet and also along the outside. The connective tissue and muscles get squashed and inflamed, and that's what's crippling me at mile 8. The doctor thought that shoe inserts for better support would be best. He asked when the race was-- "Don't say tomorrow!", he joked.
Since the race is so close, there isn't enough time to order orthotic inserts for my sneakers. Dr. Taweel gave me generic ones that should offer the support I need. There is a heel support to help me from turning my foot inward or outward, and there is a "metatarsal extender", which is kind of a ball of support beneath my big toe pad. It sort of feels like walking on a tennis ball a little bit, but not that severe. He had me walk back and forth across the room-- then he said "okay, close your eyes, you're on mile 10 of the race. Is that ball bothering you?" It actually felt a little better to have that support, so I think it will be fine!
We had our last practice on Saturday morning at Kelly Drive. What a difference from our 1st practice in January! Instead of 28 degrees when we finished, it was 82 degrees! Instead of moaning after 3 or 4 miles, we were joking that 6 or 8 miles was "a walk in the park". It's really neat to see how far we've come, and how much we have bonded as a team. My feet felt okay after the 6 miles- sore but not awful like the week before.
After practice, Dan and I drove up to NY visit our friends Becca, Ken and their 2 year old daughter Amelie for the long weekend. We took Amelie to the Bronx Zoo on Sunday. We had a great time! It's funny, you almost forget you are in one of the largest cities in the world (until you get in the car and turn left out of the parking lot and you are DEFINITELY in the Bronx!) It's kind of like when you're in the middle of Central Park and you look up and see skyscrapers surrounding you.
I took Amelie on a camel ride, which was interesting to say the least. Technically, I think it was a dromedary since it only had one hump. So we're standing in line, and we're watching the camels walk around this little track. One of them pooped, and Amelie said "OOOOHHH, that camel made poops and didn't even go on the potty!" It was hysterical. As the camels are making their rounds, Amelie decided that she HAD to ride the blue camel (they all had different colored blankets on their backs), and NOT the pink camel. Of course, when we get to the top of the stairs, old PINKY is waiting for us. I eventually convinced her that riding the cool pink camel was FAR more exciting than the dumb old blue camel, so it wasn't too much of a crisis. Then the Zoo employee lifted Amelie into the carriage. I was freaking out-- I kept asking the employee, "Do you have her? I don't think you have her. Can you hold onto her better?" Then I had to get onto the camel. Can I remind you how short I am??? I practically had to jump onto the camel's back. So now I'm hanging onto the carriage and the 2 year old for dear life-- all the while trying to sound really calm and positive about riding the PINK camel as opposed to the BLUE one-- and around we go. By the time I got used to the bumpy ride, we were a couple hundred feet from the end. And of course, they take your picture, just like on the roller coasters. But they take it about 30 seconds after you start. So in the picture Amelie smiling in that "2-yr-old-Is-this-okay-?-I-don't-know-if-I'm-really-having-fun-kind-of-way", and me smiling in that "adult-holy-crap-what-have-I-let-this-kid-talk-me-into-and-if-we-fall-off-and-land-in-camel-poop-I'm-going-to-lose-my-mind-but-I-need-to-pretend-I-am-having-fun-so-the-2-yr-old-doesn't-freak-out-kind-of-way". Becca was laughing so hard, she actually spent $14.95 to get a copy of the photo.
Can't tell you how glad I am that the camel moment is captured for posterity....
Well, the next time I post may be after the marathon, since we leave on Friday morning. I will be sure to take lots of pictures, and post them as soon as I can when we return. Please think of us on Sunday morning--pray for good weather, no blisters, and comfy insoles! I can't believe it's here already! Thanks for visiting our blog and also for all your support in the last 5 months!
-Sara
I went to the podiatrist on Friday afternoon at the Rothman Institute here in Philly. Since it's affiliated with Jefferson, and literally a block from my office, it was very convenient and they were nice enough to squeeze me in before the holiday weekend. I had some X-Rays done, and met with Dr. Tawell. First of all, there is no fracture. Thank goodness! The doctor thought that the pain I am having is just a repetitive overuse injury. Also, my feet flatten out a bit when I walk, which causes a weird distribution of weight and stress. So my foot is trying to compensate, and I end up putting alot of stress on the balls of my feet and also along the outside. The connective tissue and muscles get squashed and inflamed, and that's what's crippling me at mile 8. The doctor thought that shoe inserts for better support would be best. He asked when the race was-- "Don't say tomorrow!", he joked.
Since the race is so close, there isn't enough time to order orthotic inserts for my sneakers. Dr. Taweel gave me generic ones that should offer the support I need. There is a heel support to help me from turning my foot inward or outward, and there is a "metatarsal extender", which is kind of a ball of support beneath my big toe pad. It sort of feels like walking on a tennis ball a little bit, but not that severe. He had me walk back and forth across the room-- then he said "okay, close your eyes, you're on mile 10 of the race. Is that ball bothering you?" It actually felt a little better to have that support, so I think it will be fine!
We had our last practice on Saturday morning at Kelly Drive. What a difference from our 1st practice in January! Instead of 28 degrees when we finished, it was 82 degrees! Instead of moaning after 3 or 4 miles, we were joking that 6 or 8 miles was "a walk in the park". It's really neat to see how far we've come, and how much we have bonded as a team. My feet felt okay after the 6 miles- sore but not awful like the week before.
After practice, Dan and I drove up to NY visit our friends Becca, Ken and their 2 year old daughter Amelie for the long weekend. We took Amelie to the Bronx Zoo on Sunday. We had a great time! It's funny, you almost forget you are in one of the largest cities in the world (until you get in the car and turn left out of the parking lot and you are DEFINITELY in the Bronx!) It's kind of like when you're in the middle of Central Park and you look up and see skyscrapers surrounding you.
I took Amelie on a camel ride, which was interesting to say the least. Technically, I think it was a dromedary since it only had one hump. So we're standing in line, and we're watching the camels walk around this little track. One of them pooped, and Amelie said "OOOOHHH, that camel made poops and didn't even go on the potty!" It was hysterical. As the camels are making their rounds, Amelie decided that she HAD to ride the blue camel (they all had different colored blankets on their backs), and NOT the pink camel. Of course, when we get to the top of the stairs, old PINKY is waiting for us. I eventually convinced her that riding the cool pink camel was FAR more exciting than the dumb old blue camel, so it wasn't too much of a crisis. Then the Zoo employee lifted Amelie into the carriage. I was freaking out-- I kept asking the employee, "Do you have her? I don't think you have her. Can you hold onto her better?" Then I had to get onto the camel. Can I remind you how short I am??? I practically had to jump onto the camel's back. So now I'm hanging onto the carriage and the 2 year old for dear life-- all the while trying to sound really calm and positive about riding the PINK camel as opposed to the BLUE one-- and around we go. By the time I got used to the bumpy ride, we were a couple hundred feet from the end. And of course, they take your picture, just like on the roller coasters. But they take it about 30 seconds after you start. So in the picture Amelie smiling in that "2-yr-old-Is-this-okay-?-I-don't-know-if-I'm-really-having-fun-kind-of-way", and me smiling in that "adult-holy-crap-what-have-I-let-this-kid-talk-me-into-and-if-we-fall-off-and-land-in-camel-poop-I'm-going-to-lose-my-mind-but-I-need-to-pretend-I-am-having-fun-so-the-2-yr-old-doesn't-freak-out-kind-of-way". Becca was laughing so hard, she actually spent $14.95 to get a copy of the photo.
Can't tell you how glad I am that the camel moment is captured for posterity....
Well, the next time I post may be after the marathon, since we leave on Friday morning. I will be sure to take lots of pictures, and post them as soon as I can when we return. Please think of us on Sunday morning--pray for good weather, no blisters, and comfy insoles! I can't believe it's here already! Thanks for visiting our blog and also for all your support in the last 5 months!
-Sara
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Pictures.... Finally!
Without any further ado, here are some pictures from last week's TNT practice at Valley Green! Over the past few months, we've become kind of attached to our team. I suspect that, on the second weekend in June, we will sort of still want to go to practice-- if only just to see all our friends!
6:45am: Dan stops to admire some of the scenery at Valley Green in Chestnut Hill. We were SURE it was going to rain, but the sun came out and it was a beautiful morning! Good thing we started so early... as we were leaving, the entire street was packed with cars and people that wanted to enjoy the park!
Teammate Lucretia & Survivor Randee arrive for practice. Lucretia will be walking the full marathon in Anchorage, Alaska on June 23rd! Randee is a cancer survivor, and is at every practice to walk with us and encourage us!
7:20am: Before we start walking, Head Coach Jerry reviews our mileage for this practice: 20 miles for the Full Marathoners, 13 for the Half. Jerry likes to make sure we all know where we are going:
7:31am: A tortoise eye's view of practice! We all set off on our walk on a lovely morning. The course is five miles up and five miles back.
8:30am: Look! It's Papa Duck Jerry watching over all of us cute and fuzzy ducklings!
Mile 4.5: I get lapped by Dan and Assistant Coach Ben. Ben's a legend: at the Walt Disney World Marathon, Ben did "The Goofy"-- the Half Marathon (13.1 miles) one day, and the Full Marathon (26.2 miles) the next! All I can say is WOW!!
11am (only 10 miles done because of my stupid foot): We are always happy to see our wonderful Summer Team Coordinator, Robyn, at the "finish line". She's also Head Coach Jerry's wife- guess that makes her our Mama-Duck! Robyn's always waiting for us with a smile, some encouraging words, and a big bucket of Gatorade! Thanks for everything that you do, Robyn!
6:45am: Dan stops to admire some of the scenery at Valley Green in Chestnut Hill. We were SURE it was going to rain, but the sun came out and it was a beautiful morning! Good thing we started so early... as we were leaving, the entire street was packed with cars and people that wanted to enjoy the park!
Teammate Lucretia & Survivor Randee arrive for practice. Lucretia will be walking the full marathon in Anchorage, Alaska on June 23rd! Randee is a cancer survivor, and is at every practice to walk with us and encourage us!
7:00am: Assistant Coach Linda gives us a pre-practice pep talk! This week's topic? "Mental preparation for Race Day". We'll picture ourselves crossing the finish line! While Linda is talking, Teammate Lori, Mentor Cheryl, and Teammate Kathy do some stretching. Looks like Lori will be FLYING to San Diego. "I just flew in from Philadelphia, and BOY are my arms tired!"
7:20am: Before we start walking, Head Coach Jerry reviews our mileage for this practice: 20 miles for the Full Marathoners, 13 for the Half. Jerry likes to make sure we all know where we are going:"Don't worry, it's pretty much impossible to get lost around here. If you end up on Lincoln Drive, you've gone too far!" Thanks, Jer! He's like a little Papa-Duck looking after us little ducklings...
7:31am: A tortoise eye's view of practice! We all set off on our walk on a lovely morning. The course is five miles up and five miles back.8:30am: Look! It's Papa Duck Jerry watching over all of us cute and fuzzy ducklings!
Mile 4.5: I get lapped by Dan and Assistant Coach Ben. Ben's a legend: at the Walt Disney World Marathon, Ben did "The Goofy"-- the Half Marathon (13.1 miles) one day, and the Full Marathon (26.2 miles) the next! All I can say is WOW!!
11am (only 10 miles done because of my stupid foot): We are always happy to see our wonderful Summer Team Coordinator, Robyn, at the "finish line". She's also Head Coach Jerry's wife- guess that makes her our Mama-Duck! Robyn's always waiting for us with a smile, some encouraging words, and a big bucket of Gatorade! Thanks for everything that you do, Robyn!Monday, May 21, 2007
My Left Foot
So you wouldn't really think that a chubby-30-year-old-former-musical-theater-geek could get a sports injury. However, yours truly was practically crawling at the end of practice yesterday after only 10 miles! Here's what happened:
For the last couple of weeks, I have noticed some left foot pain in the outer part of the bottom of my foot to the heel. It happens to some extent on the right, but it is much more severe on the left. It usually doesn't bother me until about mile 8, so thus far, I have been okay. But yesterday was our dry run- I was supposed to complete the full 13.1 miles. I was walking at a great pace (I've come SUCH a long way since the beginning of training), with Head Coach Jerry. I mentioned the problems with my foot, and he suggested some stretching exercises. Sure enough, when we hit 8 miles, it started. I only walked another 1/2 mile before I had to slow WAY down. The pain was so bad, I felt like I was going to be sick! So naturally, when something hurts, your gait changes to compensate. I was trying hard to walk normally, but it was virtually impossible. Jerry ran ahead to get some BioFreeze gel that I could apply to my feet when I got back to the gazebo at the 10 mile mark. I literally had to bite my lip to keep from crying all the way in.
It took me about 2hrs & 15mins to walk the first 8 miles, and about 1 hour to to the last two! Jerry wouldn't let me go back out for the final 3 miles, for fear of making things worse. I was still in pain for the rest of the day. This morning, I feel a little better; the pain is not as blinding as it was yesterday, but it's definitely there. I am also nursing some lovely blisters because I was walking differently, so I basically just want to chop of my left foot.
I made an appointment at the Rothman Institute on Friday afternoon (the first available) with a podiatrist/sports medicine doctor. Hopefully, this is not a huge problem and he'll have a quick fix. I would be devastated if I couldn't do the marathon on June 3rd. Yes, we've raised all this money for a great cause, and that's the whole point. But it's a matter of pride for me as well. I have worked so hard and come so far! I feel really strong, and if I had not been in so much pain, I think I could have walked 20 miles yesterday! It's so frustrating to have a problem with only 2 weeks left until the race...
So everyone cross your fingers and toes. I'll keep you posted and let you all know what the Dr. has to say on Friday. I also have some pictures that I took at practice yesterday that I will try to figure out how to post tonight. Thanks for checking in!
-Sara
For the last couple of weeks, I have noticed some left foot pain in the outer part of the bottom of my foot to the heel. It happens to some extent on the right, but it is much more severe on the left. It usually doesn't bother me until about mile 8, so thus far, I have been okay. But yesterday was our dry run- I was supposed to complete the full 13.1 miles. I was walking at a great pace (I've come SUCH a long way since the beginning of training), with Head Coach Jerry. I mentioned the problems with my foot, and he suggested some stretching exercises. Sure enough, when we hit 8 miles, it started. I only walked another 1/2 mile before I had to slow WAY down. The pain was so bad, I felt like I was going to be sick! So naturally, when something hurts, your gait changes to compensate. I was trying hard to walk normally, but it was virtually impossible. Jerry ran ahead to get some BioFreeze gel that I could apply to my feet when I got back to the gazebo at the 10 mile mark. I literally had to bite my lip to keep from crying all the way in.
It took me about 2hrs & 15mins to walk the first 8 miles, and about 1 hour to to the last two! Jerry wouldn't let me go back out for the final 3 miles, for fear of making things worse. I was still in pain for the rest of the day. This morning, I feel a little better; the pain is not as blinding as it was yesterday, but it's definitely there. I am also nursing some lovely blisters because I was walking differently, so I basically just want to chop of my left foot.
I made an appointment at the Rothman Institute on Friday afternoon (the first available) with a podiatrist/sports medicine doctor. Hopefully, this is not a huge problem and he'll have a quick fix. I would be devastated if I couldn't do the marathon on June 3rd. Yes, we've raised all this money for a great cause, and that's the whole point. But it's a matter of pride for me as well. I have worked so hard and come so far! I feel really strong, and if I had not been in so much pain, I think I could have walked 20 miles yesterday! It's so frustrating to have a problem with only 2 weeks left until the race...
So everyone cross your fingers and toes. I'll keep you posted and let you all know what the Dr. has to say on Friday. I also have some pictures that I took at practice yesterday that I will try to figure out how to post tonight. Thanks for checking in!
-Sara
Friday, May 18, 2007
It's not easy bein' green...
You'll notice I changed the look of our blog. I was just getting tired of the green. Though, I am NEVER tired of seeing green in the form of donations!
Today is our deadline with TNT for fundraising. Since we signed a committment to raise a minimum of $9,000, we are now responsible for the remaining funds. However, we do have 30 days after the marathon to continue to fundraise. All donations made between today and July 3 will be reimbursed to us.
If you have not yet made your donation-- don't wait any longer! DONATE TODAY! If you are making an online donation, please click on DAN'S link to the right of the screen. After our recommittment of $1000 in March, we decided to just pool all donations into one account. Since my minimum is fulfilled, we will now concentrate on Dan's. Thanks!
Together we can find a cure. Pardon the cliche, but Dan and I will work to find it "one step at a time". So that less children have to undergo the torture of chemotherapy; that less best friends have to wonder why someone can't come out and play; that less kids will have to wonder why their parent is sick; so that less spouses will have to bury the love of their lives too soon; so that less patients and their families have to endure the heartbreak of Leukemia & Lymphoma.
We are anxiously awaiting word about a possible corporate sponsorship from Dan's company. Since DaVita is a dialysis company, normally they do not make donations to unrelated causes. However, we are hoping they will approve our proposal for corporate sponsorship. Patients with Leukemia & Lymphoma are at higher risk of developing kidney failure, and, therefore, needing dialysis. We hope to hear later today if our proposal was accepted! Keep your fingers crossed!
-Sara
Today is our deadline with TNT for fundraising. Since we signed a committment to raise a minimum of $9,000, we are now responsible for the remaining funds. However, we do have 30 days after the marathon to continue to fundraise. All donations made between today and July 3 will be reimbursed to us.
If you have not yet made your donation-- don't wait any longer! DONATE TODAY! If you are making an online donation, please click on DAN'S link to the right of the screen. After our recommittment of $1000 in March, we decided to just pool all donations into one account. Since my minimum is fulfilled, we will now concentrate on Dan's. Thanks!
Together we can find a cure. Pardon the cliche, but Dan and I will work to find it "one step at a time". So that less children have to undergo the torture of chemotherapy; that less best friends have to wonder why someone can't come out and play; that less kids will have to wonder why their parent is sick; so that less spouses will have to bury the love of their lives too soon; so that less patients and their families have to endure the heartbreak of Leukemia & Lymphoma.
We are anxiously awaiting word about a possible corporate sponsorship from Dan's company. Since DaVita is a dialysis company, normally they do not make donations to unrelated causes. However, we are hoping they will approve our proposal for corporate sponsorship. Patients with Leukemia & Lymphoma are at higher risk of developing kidney failure, and, therefore, needing dialysis. We hope to hear later today if our proposal was accepted! Keep your fingers crossed!
-Sara
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Have a little Faith
I saw my patient, Faith, the other day. She came in for her 6 week check up, after delivering Colin in March. She and the baby looked great! I made sure to snuggle him and spoil him as much as possible before I had to run to see another patient. He has a full head of brown-ish hair (maybe borderline red-ish) and his hands are really big (maybe training for the 76ers?). Faith said that Chris is feeling well. He's finally finished with his lumbar punctures (13 in all) and will have to follow up with oncology every couple of months for a while, but his prognosis is excellent. This is really a new beginning for their new family. Faith told me that they found out about Chris' diagnosis right around the time they discovered they were expecting Colin, so it was a really hard time. But I think she and Chris both feel like the birth of the baby is also a re-birth for them as well! We pray that the Lymphoma will continue to stay in remission, and someday, it's nothing more than history. I am so happy for the 3 of them as they get their "fresh start"!
I promised I would call them from the finish line in San Diego! Let me know if you want to be on the list as well!
Our trip is coming up so fast! We have our "dress rehearsal" this weekend. I will complete the Half Marathon (13 Miles) and Dan will be doing 20 miles. Our friend Beth said she did her 20 miles last weekend and "only wanted to die a little bit" at the end. I think for all of us, it's not necessarily fatigue that gets us, but the little aches and pains that happen along the way. The muscles in back of my knees start to ache at around 8 miles, and sometimes my heels ache as well. Beth said her left foot tends to ache during the longer miles as well. I still get blisters after a long walk- though not NEARLY as bad as in the beginning. It must just be the way I walk, because I have the special (read "expensive") socks and the running shoes, and I apply Aquaphor beforehand... I thought about scheduling my post-marathon pedicure for the Weds. after we get home, but I am afraid that if I have even the smallest blister, I really won't want anyone touching me!
Our travel plans are coming together as well. We arrive in San Diego on Friday around lunchtime. I assume we'll check into the hotel and then go to the Marathon Expo, where we get our race bibs (I'm #22050) and can purchase souvenir t-shirts/sweatshirts etc. I will definitely be getting SOMETHING to commemorate my first marathon! Friday evening we are going on a scavenger hunt with our team (and honorary teammate Beth) around San Diego. The tour company breaks us into smaller groups and we sight see our way through the scavenger hunt. We end up at a neat bar, called the SIDE BAR, for dinner afterwards. I looked online, and it looks like a pretty cool place.
On Saturday, we have decided to go to SeaWorld. I kind of wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo, but both Dan and Beth had already been, so we decided to visit Shamu instead. We were also nervous about the Zoo on the day before the marathon-- apparently it is very large, and very hilly, and you walk ALOT. We certainly want to stay limber for the marathon the next day, but don't want to be fatigued! Saturday night is the big TNT pasta party with everyone from the organization. I expect there will be thousands of us from all over the country. My cousin has some friends from Texas that will be there, so I will try hard to find them in the crowd!
We'll need to go to bed early on Saturday night, because the race begins at 6:30 on Sunday morning. This means getting up and leaving the hotel at an ungodly hour! We are in corral 22, so we'll have a little bit of lag time before we really start. I've heard there is alot of pent up energy and excitement when we are waiting for corrals #1-21 to go ahead of us. Dan and I will be able to walk together at the start-- he usually stays with me for the first 1/2 mile. Then, he will set off on his longer legged pace, and I'll hang back with the rest of the tortoises (tortoi?). I anticipate being finished with the marathon in about 4 hours. The only drawback to being the only one from my team doing the half marathon is that I don't think there will be anyone waiting for me at the finish line. I mean, I am sure there will be plenty of people, just nobody who knows me. I plan to carry my camera and ask some stranger to take my picture at the finish line! I'll hang out at the finish line for Dan and Beth so I can get their picture too.
Sunday night there is a post-race victory party and concert. The concert headliner is Seal. We are still deciding whether or not we want to go to the concert. We were sort of thinking about it, for lack of anything else to do, but we are considering heading to Old Town San Diego. We hear the Mexican food there is amazing! Then there is a post-post victory party with the team at a piano bar in the GasLamp district-- do marathoners EVER sleep??
We'll probably do something low-key on Monday: shopping, lunch, or a visit to the waterfront. Our returning flight on Monday isn't until 10pm, so we'll be able to have a little more time to enjoy the area before we leave. That is, if we can WALK....
Thanks everyone for checking in with us. We are still about 3500$ from our goal. There is still time to make a donation! Our final money is due on Friday, at which time we will be charged for the remainder. We have 30 days from race day to continue to fundraise and then we will be reimbursed if necessary. Thanks for all of your support! GO TEAM!
-Sara
I promised I would call them from the finish line in San Diego! Let me know if you want to be on the list as well!
Our trip is coming up so fast! We have our "dress rehearsal" this weekend. I will complete the Half Marathon (13 Miles) and Dan will be doing 20 miles. Our friend Beth said she did her 20 miles last weekend and "only wanted to die a little bit" at the end. I think for all of us, it's not necessarily fatigue that gets us, but the little aches and pains that happen along the way. The muscles in back of my knees start to ache at around 8 miles, and sometimes my heels ache as well. Beth said her left foot tends to ache during the longer miles as well. I still get blisters after a long walk- though not NEARLY as bad as in the beginning. It must just be the way I walk, because I have the special (read "expensive") socks and the running shoes, and I apply Aquaphor beforehand... I thought about scheduling my post-marathon pedicure for the Weds. after we get home, but I am afraid that if I have even the smallest blister, I really won't want anyone touching me!
Our travel plans are coming together as well. We arrive in San Diego on Friday around lunchtime. I assume we'll check into the hotel and then go to the Marathon Expo, where we get our race bibs (I'm #22050) and can purchase souvenir t-shirts/sweatshirts etc. I will definitely be getting SOMETHING to commemorate my first marathon! Friday evening we are going on a scavenger hunt with our team (and honorary teammate Beth) around San Diego. The tour company breaks us into smaller groups and we sight see our way through the scavenger hunt. We end up at a neat bar, called the SIDE BAR, for dinner afterwards. I looked online, and it looks like a pretty cool place.
On Saturday, we have decided to go to SeaWorld. I kind of wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo, but both Dan and Beth had already been, so we decided to visit Shamu instead. We were also nervous about the Zoo on the day before the marathon-- apparently it is very large, and very hilly, and you walk ALOT. We certainly want to stay limber for the marathon the next day, but don't want to be fatigued! Saturday night is the big TNT pasta party with everyone from the organization. I expect there will be thousands of us from all over the country. My cousin has some friends from Texas that will be there, so I will try hard to find them in the crowd!
We'll need to go to bed early on Saturday night, because the race begins at 6:30 on Sunday morning. This means getting up and leaving the hotel at an ungodly hour! We are in corral 22, so we'll have a little bit of lag time before we really start. I've heard there is alot of pent up energy and excitement when we are waiting for corrals #1-21 to go ahead of us. Dan and I will be able to walk together at the start-- he usually stays with me for the first 1/2 mile. Then, he will set off on his longer legged pace, and I'll hang back with the rest of the tortoises (tortoi?). I anticipate being finished with the marathon in about 4 hours. The only drawback to being the only one from my team doing the half marathon is that I don't think there will be anyone waiting for me at the finish line. I mean, I am sure there will be plenty of people, just nobody who knows me. I plan to carry my camera and ask some stranger to take my picture at the finish line! I'll hang out at the finish line for Dan and Beth so I can get their picture too.
Sunday night there is a post-race victory party and concert. The concert headliner is Seal. We are still deciding whether or not we want to go to the concert. We were sort of thinking about it, for lack of anything else to do, but we are considering heading to Old Town San Diego. We hear the Mexican food there is amazing! Then there is a post-post victory party with the team at a piano bar in the GasLamp district-- do marathoners EVER sleep??
We'll probably do something low-key on Monday: shopping, lunch, or a visit to the waterfront. Our returning flight on Monday isn't until 10pm, so we'll be able to have a little more time to enjoy the area before we leave. That is, if we can WALK....
Thanks everyone for checking in with us. We are still about 3500$ from our goal. There is still time to make a donation! Our final money is due on Friday, at which time we will be charged for the remainder. We have 30 days from race day to continue to fundraise and then we will be reimbursed if necessary. Thanks for all of your support! GO TEAM!
-Sara
Friday, May 4, 2007
DJ Sara
Thank God for the ipod! I don't know how I would ever get through the mileage if it weren't for my little nano. I can set it on shuffle and just go. I seem to walk to the beat of whatever song I am listening to. Unfortunately this means more mello artists are automatically out-- no James Taylor, Indigo Girls or Sarah McLaughlin, for the most part. (and would you believe that I have a song by Eminem on my ipod??)
I find that I can indulge my love of broadway musicals sometimes, but certain ones just don't work-- Les Mis is awfully sad to try and tackle 8 miles! RENT is a pretty good one, and Hairspray has some catchy songs too. The problem with listening to a musical soundtracks is that I am used to singing along at the top of my lungs (swear to God, I should have been a musical theater major in college...). Something tells me that spectators might think I'm nuts if I burst into "Goodmorning Baltimore!" on the Kelly Drive trail!
My friend, Liz, has done a couple of marathons. She said that at some point during her 26.2 miles, she started singing "White Wedding" by Billy Idol. Not really the whole song, just the chorus: "It's a... nice day... for a.. white wedding!" So every once in a while, no matter what I am listening to, I end up singing Billy Idol for a while. It really works!
The San Diego marathon that we will walk in is also the "Rock N Roll" marathon. So at every mile marker, a different local band will be playing. That's 26 bands in all! I think I will end up bringing my trusty ipod anyway, though. What if the band at mile 4 is playing something I don't like? Not sure I will be able to hear my music with everything going on, but I'd hate to figure out that I want my ipod halfway through and NOT have it with me. There are also supposedly several cheerleading squads from local schools that will be cheering us on. The course will be lined with spectators, of course, and our faithful coaches as well.
Thanks to everyone who has donated during the last few weeks. We are inching closer and closer to our goal! Thank you to everyone for your support and well wishes! It's so motivating to have everyone's support!
-Sara
I find that I can indulge my love of broadway musicals sometimes, but certain ones just don't work-- Les Mis is awfully sad to try and tackle 8 miles! RENT is a pretty good one, and Hairspray has some catchy songs too. The problem with listening to a musical soundtracks is that I am used to singing along at the top of my lungs (swear to God, I should have been a musical theater major in college...). Something tells me that spectators might think I'm nuts if I burst into "Goodmorning Baltimore!" on the Kelly Drive trail!
My friend, Liz, has done a couple of marathons. She said that at some point during her 26.2 miles, she started singing "White Wedding" by Billy Idol. Not really the whole song, just the chorus: "It's a... nice day... for a.. white wedding!" So every once in a while, no matter what I am listening to, I end up singing Billy Idol for a while. It really works!
The San Diego marathon that we will walk in is also the "Rock N Roll" marathon. So at every mile marker, a different local band will be playing. That's 26 bands in all! I think I will end up bringing my trusty ipod anyway, though. What if the band at mile 4 is playing something I don't like? Not sure I will be able to hear my music with everything going on, but I'd hate to figure out that I want my ipod halfway through and NOT have it with me. There are also supposedly several cheerleading squads from local schools that will be cheering us on. The course will be lined with spectators, of course, and our faithful coaches as well.
Thanks to everyone who has donated during the last few weeks. We are inching closer and closer to our goal! Thank you to everyone for your support and well wishes! It's so motivating to have everyone's support!
-Sara
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