It was a party!!

Last night's "Know Before You Go" party at Lindy's house was just so much fun. It was such a change to see all of us cleaned up, wearing 'real' clothes, with hair done and make up on. We didn't look like our normal Saturday morning no make up, sweaty, ball cap-wearing selves. We are actually quite a lovely group of ladies!

Andrea gave us the low down on the weekend's events. Wowie - there was a lot of info there. I was trying not to get overwhelmed. I went back and forth between being excited and being nervous and being so emotional about it that I thought I just might cry.

Here are some of the highlights:

There will be about 30,000 running the marathon. And about 4,000 of those people will be TNT'ers! She said that every Leukemia Chapter in America has someone participating in the RNR Marathon. (I think she said there were 68 chapters.) I think that's just neat. She said there will be purple TNT jerseys EVERYWHERE! The TNT'ers are very well taken care of by the Elite Racing staff (company that puts the race together) all weekend.

All of us on the San Diego team met -- and exceeded -- our fundraising goal! YIPPEE FOR US!!! We are already winners!!!

The rough schedule for the weekend goes something like this:

Friday - Arrive San Diego. Our flight gets in about 11am. Andrea & George recommended going to the Expo that afternoon to get our packets and to visit the booths since it will be uber crowded on Saturday. This will probably be our last good night of sleep since we'll be too keyed up on Saturday night to sleep much. Should not be a problem since our flight out of Memphis is at 6am. So Friday is a long day to begin with. Sleep should come easy.

Saturday - Pasta Party at 1pm. Followed by a team meeting where we will get last minute instructions. Probably a group dinner after that and then early bedtime for an attempt at sleeping.

There are lots of things to see and do in that area. And, did you know, San Diego is only 23 miles from Tijuana!? (OK, so geography isn't my strong suit...) But it is *right* on the Mexico border. Not really sure how I will spend my free time. Maybe just laying low for a little R&R and enjoying the "away from home quietness". I definitely don't want to do a lot of walking (and risk blisters and sore legs) or do something to get sunburned (like go to the beach) or get arrested in Mexico (just kidding!) I'm always good with a book and a chair by the pool.....

Sunday - RACE DAY! Shuttles will leave the hotel about 4:00 am. The race is scheduled to begin at 6:30 am, but it is a 'wave start' which means they start the fastest runners first and go in order down the corrals. We are all in corral #19. George says it could be about 15 minutes or so before we cross the start line. The long and the short of it for Sunday morning is a lot of sitting around waiting. It will be hard to manage that with the nerves and excitement....

Weather that early could be cool and ground could be damp. George said to bring garbage bags to sit on and/or wear. It was also suggested that we wear an old, inexpensive long sleeved t-shirt to wear early that morning before and during the early part of the race. Then you can throw it along the side of the road. These are usually sent to a local shelter. Which I think is just a neato thing.

Andrea suggested when we get there to go straight for the porta-pottie line and then come out and get *back* in the line and then do that about three more times.

Sunday night there is a victory party somewhere (I missed wherever that will be and really what it is.) and then the post race concert (Pat Benatar). I guess all that post-race hoopla is just tentative for me depending on how I am feeling. Wherever I choose to be will be my own victory party!

Monday - Return to Memphis. Flight is at 8:30 am or something like that. Long day of travel since we are flying back against the clock. Get in at 6:00 pm. Maybe I'll wear my medal on the plane.....

We all got our purple race jerseys! HOORAY for us!!! We have two honored teammates that are included on the jersey. Jordi (It says "I'm doing this for Jordi") is a young girl fighting leukemia. And the Memphis Grizzlies mascot ("Friends of Grizz") is battling lymphoma. Here are some pics of Jessica (brown shirt) and George (easy to identify) and Nicole (red shirt) ironing their names on their jerseys. (If your name is on your jersey, the crowd will cheer for you by name! That will be cool.) It was getting a bit late, so I had to head on home, but I ironed my name on this morning and added Daddy's picture (that says "For My Dad" on it). Turned out pretty nice I think. Take a look.

It was really just a fun night. It was exciting to talk about what we will be doing that weekend -- what to expect and how it will all play out. We've been working towards this major goal for almost 6 months now. And here we are getting ready to do it! I still can't believe it. It was nice to be together - as a team - to visit and laugh and just have fun being together NOT RUNNING!

Happy Earth Day

I hit the street this morning at 4:00 am and it was 70 degrees! Wowie! (Tom, I felt a little guilty about typing that until I checked your New Hampshire weather and found out you should hit the 70s today too. So I don't feel so bad.....) It was really super nice out there. Shorts, t-shirt and sweat. Haven't had that combination during a 4 am run in a long time. It was *great*!

Speaking of great....so was my little 2 miler! It felt good. A few short walk breaks, no pain or tightness of any sort. Just a good run. Some stretches and rolling when I got back inside. I feel really good today and I have since Saturday. Maybe I've turned a big corner here. I think so. Yea!

Happy Earth Day! When I went out later to get the paper, there were two of these in our yard. Guess they were celebrating Earth Day.



Got an email from Julie last night: This weekend, we will be heading out for a "breezy, easy" 18 miler. Our rockin' coach George will update us on the route once he gets back...Just checking in with you to make plans now. Stretch all week, do whatever strength training exercises you need to do, get your runs in this week (but without overdoing to cause injury), stay hydrated (don't wait 'til Friday), get sleep, and eat pasta Friday night. This Saturday is a great time to try out the gear/clothes you want to wear for June 1 (minus the TNT jersey). Find out now what rubs you the wrong way while you still have time to heal. Get used to using Body Glide if you think you may need it. I will get some bottled Accelerade for those of us brave enough to try before race day.

As we think about the long distance ahead, reflect back on what brought you here individually. Why LLS/Team in Training? Why now? What impact has Leukemia or Lymphoma had on your life? Take that energy/drive/impact and channel it this Saturday. You are all champions for getting this far...just a few short steps to go...."Whatever you think you can or think you can't, you're right" ~ Henry Ford. Visualize yourself crossing the finish line in a few short weeks...You are almost there!!


There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about my daddy. I miss him beyond all words. But especially when I'm out there on the long runs, those are times that I really think about him. I know that he's there with me cheering me on and helping me go that extra little bit. He is the whole reason I am doing this. I think a lot about exactly what he would say to me. Will my running this marathon bring my dad back? Unfortunately not. Will the money that we are raising find a cure? Well, it's money for research that is just one step closer to finding one. And maybe there is just that feeling of having to do SOMETHING. Something to make a difference. A good friend told me a few weeks ago (after I learned of yet another person who lost their fight to leukemia): "ONE DAY there will be a cure....and you will be part of the result. Maybe you won't know it....but you WILL have been a part of it." And I guess that's what it's all about.

I'm getting very excited about June 1. There are only 6 more weeks. Only 5 more long runs. FIVE MORE LONG RUNS! Wow. Hard to belive. I believe they shake down like this: 18, 14, 20, 12, 8. And then....THE ROCK 'N ROLL MARATHON!! 26.2 miles!!

OK, I've said enough. Everybody have a good one!

Team in Training

I hope you'll watch this 4 minute video that will tell you more about Team in Training. It makes me even MORE excited and committed to participating.

(To all my Campbell Clinic friends - it's on You Tube - you'll have to watch at home!)

I'm excited!

Went to the TNT kick-off tonight. Sadly, didn't meet Nicole. Didn't meet anybody else on the San Diego team, although George said the count is now up to EIGHT! Good to hear. I can kind of get lost in a crowd eight maybe.... I did meet our mentor Julie. Not sure what that means really. But I think she is running San Diego too. Or at least going. Probably running.

There were some people there who had done marathons before. And there were some people just like me. Some 'jogger-walker' people.

We picked up our training schedule. This Saturday says "3". I was hopeful that this was THREE MINUTES, but George quickly said it was MILES. Too bad. The training schedule is two pages. The last run at the bottom of page one is April 5 and is 15 miles. I was scared to turn to page two...

I left there very excited. Tonight this whole marathon thing seems very doable.

And then there were two....

Tonight is the kick-off party for our Team in Training. George said there is one other person who is training for San Diego. Nicole. She sounds thin and fast. Guess I'll meet her tonight. We also get our training schedule. Scared about that.

He said on Saturday we will run (or "continuously move") for 45 minutes. I can do that.

I've signed up

Well, it's official. I have signed up and am now a member of the Team in Training for the Leukemia Society. I'm training to run a marathon - that's 26.2 miles folks. The funny thing about all this is that I don't even run. Well, I've been trying to run since September (building my 'base miles' as my Coach George says).... I'm waiting for it to get easy and fun. That has not happened yet. Even wearing cute little running clothes from Dick's doesn't transform one into a runner.

I'm going to run in the Rock 'N Roll Marathon in San Diego on June 1.

My official Group Training (GT) starts next Saturday. I guess that's my rude awakening. I've been doing all my running so far (except maybe three mornings) inside on my beloved treadmill. I love my treadmill. It's INSIDE. With my TV and my ESPN Sports Center and all the other indoor comforts. Sister here will have some issues next Saturday when I'm outside and it's 30 degrees. And I have to run on ground that doesn't move. And there is no cable or dvd player.

Why am I doing this? Am I crazy? Yes, probably so. Several reasons I guess. But mainly for my dad. Funny how the training for this starts a year almost to the day of the first anniversary of his death. And when I gave George a donation in 2004 when he did TNT, leukemia wasn't even an issue in my life. Fast forward 3 years..... So, I was really thinking about whether to do this or not. And was really leaning toward doing it. Maybe I just needed that last little nudge to say YES. One night, I was looking at the race route and found that the finish line is on a Marine Corps base. Daddy was a Marine. Enough said.

But at the same time, I'm raising money for the Leukemia Society. My goal is $4000. Check out my fundraising page at: www.active.com/donate/tntmds/AWhitfi1 I hope you will consider making a donation to support my efforts. Your gift will help find a cure for blood cancers. Or maybe just make a donation because you think I'm nuts for doing this and need to seek professional help. Whatever your reason is, I'm grateful for your support.

So I thought I'd set up this blog. As a new person to running, I wanted to share my thoughts as I hit each milestone and roadblock.

I am committed to crossing the finish line. Vertically - on my feet - not on a gurney or in the poop out van.

Anyway, it all officially starts now. I'm TRAINING FOR A MARATHON. yikes.