Marathon Recap (Finally!)

I am now the proud owner of a Nike Women's Marathon Tiffany's necklace... one that was hand delivered by a SF Fireman in a tuxedo! Overall, the race was pretty good. My finishing time wasn't as fast as I had trained for, but I finished and I have recovered really well! The couse was crowded at the beginning and I had a little trouble with my knee, but it loosened up a few miles in. The scenery was beautiful and the weather was great during the run. 55-60 degrees and overcast, great conditions for marathon running. There were a few moments I remember specifically... the orange slice station where Christina squirted herself in the eye with the juice... Meeting up with coach Rick at mile 7, 14 and 25 and the time he ran with us...the Ghiradhelli Chocolate at mile 21 (which noone told me how hard that would be on my digestive system)...trying to get an eyelash out of my eye at mile 20...Singing "Jesse's Girl" and "We are the Champions" with Michelle at the top of our lungs... and sprinting through the finish line with the girl from Conneticuit that I met on the course. After the race, we headed back to our hotel room for an ice bath, then went out for a cheeseburger and a beer (which actually ended up as 1/2 a french dip sandwich and a glass of water... boo.)

The most memorable part other than the marathon itself was the inspiration dinner. We were greeted upon entering by tons of cheering coaches dressed in funny hats/clothes, etc. I was overcome by emotion, and actually got a little choked up on my way in. The speakers at the dinner were Joan Benoist Samuelson, John "The Penguin" Bingham and a race participant/lymphoma survivor. I also want to congratulate Mindy, one of my fellow team in training members. The Nike Women's Marathon was her first marathon, and she qualified for Boston! Awesome!

I had a really great time with Team in Training. I want to send a huge thank you to Coach Rick, my staff contact Gail, my mentor Lisa, and everyone who donated to help me reach my fundraising goal. I am so proud to have been able to participate in this organization and I would love to do another event with them sometime in the future! By the way, the group that participated in Nike (both the full and half marathon) this year raised just over $180, 000 together!