Phoenix Zoo Lymphomathon 5K Walk

Awhile ago, I wrote about my coworker and friend, Theresa's, battle with lymphoma. Well, I'm happy to say that Theresa's lymphoma is in remission!! I few weeks ago she had her last chemo treatment and the tumors are gone. She still needs to get check ups and preventative treatments for the next few years, but things look good right now!

Today, our company walked as a team for the Lymphomathon at the Phoenix Zoo. It was a 5K and not really a race at all, but I decided to recap it anyway because there are adorable zoo animals involved.

I got up ridiculously early to pick up my friend, Tabatha, and still have enough time to go to her beloved Starbucks. We have our priorities.

Looking half asleep as usual.

After loading up on Mint Mochas, we headed to the Phoenix Zoo. Or tried to, anyway. My iPhone GPS kept routing us back to Starbucks. Not sure what cosmic forces were behind that, but eventually, we met up with Team Milburn for the Lymphomathon Walk.

Team Milburn

The walk was slightly disorganized, but we had a blast. The route was actually through the zoo, so we were able to look at the animals before the zoo was actually open.

I think this guy moves faster than I do

 

I'm not sure how his back got all wet.

 

I heart giraffes

 



This tiger was so playful, romping around.

We somehow ended up off course, but took advantage of some photo ops...

Me and Tabatha

Me and Frogger

Me, Jay and Tabatha

Sarah and me

Most of our group left after the 5K was over, but if you did the walk, you got an all day pass to the zoo, so I hung out for while with Sarah, her two sons, and a coworkers son. We looked like a nice lesbian couple with our adopted brood.

Looks like a family photo, right?

Jambo the giraffe, Jambo means hello in Swahili.

I have to say that the Phoenix Zoo kind of blows. Sarah told me all about the Wild Animal Park outside of Phoenix that she says is much, much better. I'm going to have to check it out. All in all, it was a fun day and I'm glad that we did this.

The highlight of my day: feeding Jambo

My New York City Marathon Experience

So I guess this sort of counts as a race recap, since I have plenty to write about despite the fact that I didn't actually run this race. As everyone in  the running community around the world knows, the NYC Marathon was canceled for the first time in its 40 plus year history.

I have mixed feelings about the way this entire thing played out, but I love, love, love NYC and running the NYC Marathon is a bucket list event for me. I'm more determined than ever to cross that finish line, be it in 2013 or later. Even though I did not actually run this world class marathon, being in NYC that weekend was still a life changing event.

Here is my NYC Marathon story.

During the week we were supposed to leave for NYC, we watched for updates constantly. With Hurricane Sandy hurtling towards the east coast, no one knew whether or not we would actually be leaving on Friday. I kept checking the NYCM Facebook page and while it was questionable as to whether or not the marathon would go on, NYRR posted updates saying that every effort was being made to proceed with the event, even up until Thursday night and Friday morning.

I had mixed feelings about the continuation of the marathon after there was such destruction to many parts of  New York and New Jersey. The general consensus was that the marathon should go on if possible, bringing millions in much needed revenue and lifting spirits.

So I met my team of 30 runners at the airport at 5am Friday morning to begin our adventure. I've never run with or traveled in a group like this so it was a cool experience. The pilot on our flight even made an announcement wishing us well and giving accolades to our coach, Susan Loken, a 3 time competitor at the US Olympic trials.

And so it begins...

We arrived in NYC, made our way to the Sheraton Towers, which was a host hotel for the marathon, and then headed over to the expo.

It was after 5:00pm Friday night - I'd guess a majority of the close to 50,000 runners had arrived by this time - when my phone started blowing up with Facebook and Twitter messages from friends sending me their condolences about the race. WTF? What were they talking about? Seriously? After telling all of the runners to come, they canceled the race after most people had already arrived.

When we got to the expo, the packet pick up was at a stand still. It was not yet official, so we waited with thousands of other runners for the final word and I knew we were getting bad news when they brought in extra police and security before making the announcement.



Waiting for news

Thousands of disappointed runners after getting the news

Watching a statement made by the mayor and Mary Wittenberg

Our original plan for Saturday morning was to meet in the lobby, head over to Central Park, and then run the final 2 miles of the marathon course. After we all received the news of the cancellation, Susan sent a group text saying that we would still meet up in the morning.

Coach Susan giving us a pep talk

Susan tried to lift our spirits and told us how proud she was of us and how she'd like us to pick a marathon in the near future to run and she would continue to coach us. Of course, Tara and I have Goofy in 2 months, so I don't think I'm going to attempt another marathon in between then. (I think most of our group will be doing the  PF Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona marathon, but Goofy is 2 weeks prior, so maybe I will do the half.)

She reminded us that the actual race is not the largest part of running a marathon. It's the journey that matters. And she's right. I've learned so much and met so many amazing people on this journey.

Yep, Susan found a giant picture of herself at the expo.
Pretty damn cool.

One of the benefits of having an elite runner as a coach is that she's got connections. She had the famous Bart Yasso give us a pep talk, too.

Cool, huh?

Team Chances with Bart Yasso

After that, we headed to Central Park, which was less than a mile from our hotel. This is where I realized how thankful I was to have this experience regardless of the fact that the marathon was canceled.

The park was absolutely filled filled with runners. We took another group picture.

Why do I always end up looking like a midget?

And then everyone took off for a run. Everyone ran different distances. Tara and I decided to walk to the finish line. We walked through the last leg of the marathon and through the finisher's chute to the finish line. What an awesome experience. Flags of hundreds of countries lined the chute and runners of all nationalities were in the area; some running, some taking pictures.

Mile 26

It was sad to see the empty stands

This is as close as we could get to the actual finish line.

Tara

Yours truly

Even though there was much controversy surrounding the marathon and the announcement of the cancellation, I'm actually grateful that I was able to be in the city for this experience. Runners got together to give back by helping those displaced from their homes. One runner even managed to set up a make shift benefit run on Sunday with proceeds to help the victims. Some of our team members went to a local shelter on Saturday, some went to Staten Island, some donated clothes and money to the hotel staff that came to work when they had no power at their own homes.

Originally, I had a lot to say about the way this was handled. From the late cancellation to the villianization of the runners to the suffering of the people that lost everything. If one wants to see all sides of the matter ranted in specific detail, visit the NYC Marathon Facebook page. It's quite, um, colorful. And trust me, I had plenty to say. But some time has passed and it is what it is.

For me, the truth of the matter is that no one was going to be 100% happy with how things turned out. My heart aches for those that suffered so much loss during Hurricane Sandy and I also feel for those that did not get a chance to run. While I'm very disappointed, I realize that these things were beyond our control. I'm alive and well and I had a home to return to. I had an incredible experience in NYC and my desire to officially cross that finish line as a competitor has only increased.

Spewing hate all over Facebook is not the answer. The runners need to keep in mind that people are hurting in the storm's aftermath and others need to also accept that the NYC Marathon is not "just a race". It is possible to feel empathy for both sides. We're not enemies. I know that while I was there, I was able to make a difference in one person's life: a fellow NYC marathoner that also lost everything.

In the end, runners from all over the world came together to run in the park on Saturday and Sunday and also came together to make a difference in the lives affected by the storm.

Susan was right: it's the journey that matters. I will be back to run NYC one day.

A memento from this incredible journey.

Stay tuned for the rest of my amazing NYC journey!

New York City Marathon - Cancelled

If you're at all involved in the running world, then you've already heard about the drama and controversy surrounding the cancellation of the NYC Marathon.

I have plenty of thoughts and opinions about this, but I'll go into that when I have more than my iPhone to blog from.

This morning, our team met at Central Park for a run- which Tara and I turned into a stroll to the finish line and then a trip to Starbucks.

Anyway, New York City, I love you! I'm sad to be leaving on Monday as a non marathoner, but I wish NY and NJ a speedy recovery.

This has been an adventure to remember, even though it's turning out completely different than I expected.

Pandemonium

Eeeeeek!!! I'm leaving tomorrow for NYC! I feel unprepared and undertrained, but c'est la vie. It is what it is.

Halloween was awesome... And not really because it was Halloween, per se.

First, I had the best ride on Lou that I've had so far. (Don't worry, I was back to my mediocre self when I rode this morning due to the fact that it's impossible for me to go out of town without first creating drama and anxiety for myself.) Anyway, Lou was perfect yesterday!

This was from Sunday,
but you get the idea.

And then there was my half assed Halloween costume. Racing out the door to get to the barn so that I'm on my horse by 7:00am means I'm very disorganized in the morning. Therefore, I forgot half of my costume at home and had to improvise. The most important part of my costume that I forgot? BLUE EYE SHADOW.



Tiana and I- Flashdance style



I also got some new super awesome boots for going out in NYC. Meh, I'm aware I do not have nice enough legs to really pull this look off, but whatever. I think they're cool.

Then I actively avoided being around children trick or treating by drinking wine and going out for sushi with some of my favorite ladies. Whew! I didn't come into contact with a single child all night. Success!

See? I told you I was allergic!

So yeah, I have lots and lots to do before I leave in the morning. I have to BE at the airport by 5:00am, so that means leaving at 4:15ish. Yowser.

Of course, there's tons of drama going on with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, but I'm chalking it up to a once in a lifetime adventure. There will be bumps, but lots if people lots their homes and more, so I'm being mindful of the fact that I'm not really in a position to whine and complain like a lot of the assholes on Facebook.

Apologizing in advance for the amount of pictures and posts that are going to fill up your dash board over the next few days! I <3 NY!

NYC Craziness

Like everyone else running the NYC Marathon, I'm anxiously waiting to hear whether the race is going to happen.

Hurricane Sandy wreaked major havoc in New Jersey and New York with extensive infrastructure damage. Friends, family and clients have been asking me for two days if the race is going to happen, but we all know it will most likely come down to a last minute decision.

Of course, I would be extremely disappointed if the marathon was canceled, but this is beyond anyone's control.

I always find it fascinating when people start freaking out via Facebook or Twitter demanding unreasonable answers. Of course, NYRR can't answer whether or not the marathon is still on right this minute! There's several days ahead of us where major clean up and improvement can be made. It's not an ideal situation for anyone, but to demand a decision from NYC and NYRR immediately would force them into a situation where their only option is to cancel. Not to mention, it is beyond the NYRR's control whether La Guardia will reopen. Insisting that they post travel updates is absurd. It's the responsibility of the traveler to determine whether it is feasible to travel or not.

It is what it is, people. It sucks for everyone, myself included, but we all just have to hang in there and wait and see.

Don't get me wrong, I really want to go to NYC. I want to cross that finish line. We trained for months in ridiculous desert heat. I don't want to do that again next year. And really, I'm betting the race will happen. New York is one tough city, so my money is on being at the start line Sunday morning...even if that start line is moved to a new location.

Last Team Run

Today was our last Team Chances group run before we leave for NYC. We met at Coach Susan's house at 6:00 and it was still dark...and actually chilly! No more 90 degrees at 5:00 am. Thank God.

Cool, right?

Neighborhood run

Our run was only 40 minutes and then we had a team breakfast, which was really fun. Coach Susan went through all of our travel and race day information. I'm equal parts super excited and super scared. Eeeeeek!

Team Chances Arizona (I look like a midget)

Seriously, I don't feel like I'm this short!

(ETA: I totally forgot to give Ari credit for the team photo. I shamelessly stole it from her Facebook page.)

Going Gangam Style

Breakfast!

Me, Jason and Ari

Anyway, by this time next week, I will be in New York City! I love NYC. Can't wait to experience the finale of this crazy journey.

An Unconventional Run

I decided to keep my run last night very low pressure. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by everything that I have going on right now (mostly the big scary marathon) so instead of going for a regimented training run with a specific distance, I decided to keep it low key. And I dragged out my Princess Half tech shirt for the occasion.

 

Yep, I'm a princess.

 

After my weird "Stranger Danger"experience, I made a few changes. First, I left a lot earlier than last time. It was dark, but there was a lot more traffic out and about. I also decided to camp out at the police precinct near my house.

 

Feeling a lot more secure with the the police near by!

My friend, Deb, also suggested I buy a whistle. Not sure why I didn't think of that earlier. Sometimes I'm a dummy.

 

 

Oh great, now I have that Flo Rida song in my head...

 

There's a nice park at the precinct, so I basically just jogged, walked and chilled out in the park for an hour. I also did some bridge training for the NYC Marathon.

 

 

What? This doesn't count as bridge training?

I stumbled upon this Halloween gem. I have to say, the iPhone takes some pretty damn good pictures in low light. I didn't use my flash for any of these because they don't turn out as well with the flash on.

 

Scary!

I also had two very intense text conversations happening. One about the presidential debates with Kristy and another with my friend, A, about anything and everything. She's my texting pen pal. I've only met her in person once at the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon, but we talk almost every day via text. It feels like I've known her my whole life!

 

 So last night, I kept myself entertained by jogging along in between texting.

 

Yes, this is a typical conversation between us...

 

So no, my run last night was not your typical training run. But I'm okay with that because my goal was to get off of my couch and get out of my head for awhile and it worked. I didn't look at my Garmin while I was running, I just wanted to be on my feet roaming around for at least an hour and if that meant doing a little texting and Facebooking while on my run, so be it.

 

All that really matters is that I wasn't camped out on my couch watching TV. I was out enjoying the fresh air and our finally cooler temperatures.