We Rocked The City!

We were up at 4:30 a.m. and The Captain was driving us to The City by 4:50. This year's race was set up so much better than the past...each corral, with your specific time per mile was entered at a different street...and once in the corral there were port-o-potties. This made for less of a wait for the potties. Then about a minute was added between letting the corrals start the run...we still had to dodge walkers (who think rules don't apply to them,) and much slower runners. 30,000 participants with 306 Legacy Runners...those are participants who have RUN all 10 year's events!

That's not an orange mustache but the straw :)

We bought some funny hair spirals that light up at CVS and wore them in the run...Ali's was purple for TNT and mine was green and purple...and the back of my tank top said, "MOM OF A CHILDHOOD leukemia SURVIVOR." (Terry, Julianna Banana's dad taught me that you never give cancer the power of capital letters.) 

We rocked the run- well, The Teacher dragged my butt the entire way and could have beaten me handsomely but she chose to run with her mom...which made me go faster- oh those hills! But at the end, a tuxedoed fireman awaits with a silver tray full of Tiffany boxes...holding the coveted necklace.....

 Pretty cool!
And all the proceeds go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society...so one day soon

all children with leukemia can stand by this sign!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN LIKE A GIRL*

S.F. Women's Nike Marathon

On June 28th, 100,000+ people, mainly women, waited for an email notifying them if they were lucky recipients of a slot in the S.F. Nike Marathon in October.

 *It's the 10 anniversary so it is an even more special event.

Daughter #1 and I registered to run as a team with another survivor and her father from New Jersey....her mother has run all 10 years! When you register as a team, your entire team is either in or not. I have registered 8 times and gotten in 4x.

So imagine my surprise when Daughter #1 opened her email and said we were IN! Then I opened mine and saw.....

Your entry was not accepted, but your second chance opportunity is here. Read below for two opportunities to earn your spot at the starting line.

WTF mate?!! So I quickly text our friends...the 12 year old girl got in...but the dad did not. I tried to call the 800 number to no avail...so I sent an email and got a rather quick response...

You will join the thousands of women who will conquer the hills of San Francisco in the 10th year anniversary of the Nike Women's Marathon.  The run is amazing and at the finish there are firemen dressed in tuxedos holding silver platters which are piled high with little turquoise Tiffany boxes where your finishers necklace resides. The race raises millions of dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society- a cause close to our hearts since Daughter #1 and the girl we are running with are both childhood leukemia SURVIVORS!

Here we are at the finish of the 2011 half...and now we will run our 3rd Nike together...now that I got my offical email.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN THE NIKE...IF YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET IN THE LOTTERY*

We Made History Today

This morning Daughter #1 and I got up at the crack of 05:00 hours and headed for the San Francisco Nike Women's Marathon. It was foggy and dark but so fun to be part of the largest Marathon and Half Marathon in the WORLD! The record was set today!

My shirt says, "I'm a mom of a childhood leukemia SURVIVOR!
Hers says, "I am a childhood leukemia SURVIVOR- Thanks LLS!

The race is for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society...many, many Team in Training Teams come from everywhere to run. Daughter #1's friend ran with us...he is like another son to our family.

This summer right before climbing Half Dome, I felt stiffness in my knees...and then my foot. I broke my foot in college and that site always hurts before it rains...but this was painful...so much that I taped my foot for work. In New Zealand my back and knees hurt and by the time we returned my elbows hurt. Apparently I had a virus that attacked my joints- and my body responded with rheumatoid arthritis. I felt like I was 100 years old. I had to ask for help adjusting the first grade desks brought into my classroom....normally I can wield an Allen wrench or screw driver like no ones business...but it was all I could do to ride to work and swim. I ran a few times- the Firefly Night Run and the event at our running store but my knees and back did not enjoy it. In fact my miles were slightly faster than walking. Swimming....well, I felt like I was going fast and then I would look at the clock and see that I was actually S-L-O-W! So needless to say we went out on this run cold turkey....we ran 3 miles two times last month...but we finished today...and only walked when we got water...and we got our finisher's t-shirt and Tiffany necklace handed to us from a very cute fireman in a tuxedo...

Then we headed to Costco and ordered a pizza and chowed down! The sun came out and it is a beautiful day...thankfully the fog lasted throughout the run...unfortunately for the visitors because the Golden Gate Bridge was not visible and the ocean view was gray.

Last year I fractured ribs before this run...next year, if I make it in the lottery for the run, I WILL BE HEALTHY!

 

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN 13.1 MILES*I HATE THE YANKEES BUT LOVE DEREK JETER*