It all started for me when Richard Harvey passed away. We were at the funeral and I was truly inspired by the number of people that lined the wall. All of these people had dress clothes on and tennis shoes and medals galore on their necks. Then these same people all put a flower on his casket and they stuck together as one large group at the funeral and you could tell who they were and how much they cared about each other. And that is when Edwin and I decided it was our destiny at that moment to sign up with Team in Training. We had to do it for Richard and find out who all these wonderful people were that cared so much about each other.
When I first signed up I thought well this shouldn't be so hard. I've played sports for 12 years I am in great shape. Then we did the 5k Run for the Cookies, and I thought, "Oh, what did I get myself into." I kept asking Robin if she thought I would get faster or if she thought I would be able to run longer as the training went on and she always told me of course I could so I kept going for the next 5 months. I trained as best I could and surprised myself at how much I improved and my breathing improved and especially how much weight I had lost. And I admit I cheated some, I ate healthy most of the time but I couldn't deny my chocolate craving or my fast food cravings. I figured Richard ran multiple marathons and would always come over with a huge Taco Bell cup after he had just eaten a full meal there and he was doing good running (he he).
Half marathon day begin at 3:30 a.m. I can't remember the last time I was up that early. But I woke up refreshed and awake. I stood up from bed and my knee was swollen. Probably slept funny, but it hurt. I just kept thinking this is the last thing I need today and I am going to keep going no matter how bad it hurts. So I headed downstairs, took pictures, and boarded the bus. The bus driver was funny. This guy was sitting in traffic for about 20 minutes and all I kept saying to myself was "We better get to the start line with plenty of time because I am not going to start late and jeopardize my chances of being swept or it will be this guys butt for sure." So finally he figured out he could go around and off we were. We got to the start area and hit the bathrooms. I went once and kept thinking should I go again like John "The Penguin" said or should I go drop off my bag or should I stretch. There were tons of thought running through my head at that point. So finally I made my way to the start line and found my corral. All the way in the back, so I looked around for other Team Tally people and found Michelle W. I was so happy and we were chatting and the start gun went off. I was surprised because the corrals moved very quickly or at least it seemed that way. I made it to the start line in no time and I was off.
I remember passing people hanging out on their balconies and the helicopter flying overhead. There was one lady in her bathrobe waving and holding signs on her balcony, I just thought why you would get up this early to come outside in your bathrobe. Of course I know why to cheer us on. DUH! There were two ladies in front of me that had a sign on their back that said this was their 18^th^ marathon. They were walking the whole marathon. Holy cow, that is absolutely amazing. There were people everywhere. I was more focused on everyone around me and watching the Elvis' in skirts running by. It was like Mardi Gras but everyone was running the whole time. The first half a mile my legs started cramping but I kept running knowing what Robin, Erin , and Sara said all season that if I kept going it would work itself out. And it did. By the end of mile 1 my legs no longer hurt and I knew this was going to be a great time. I got to about mile 2 when Dalisha and Tiffany came up. I tried to stay with Tiffany but man she is fast. So Dalisha and I ran/walked together. It was about mile 2.5 when I saw a sign from a Leukemia survivor. It was incredible the support they had for us running. Seeing the survivor made me feel like I could run forever for her. I started the lip clenching as if I was going to break down, but then I thought man I have 11 more miles of this I have to stay strong and I can break down at the end if I need to. So I kept going. Mile 3 "The doghouse" was really cool. There was some radio guy yelling and barking and there was someone dressed in a dog costume. I made sure to high five him for being out there and cheering us on.
At a certain point on the course I recognized the aircraft carrier that Edwin and I had seen the day before when we were sightseeing. It was incredible running by the water. The breeze was awesome and the water was gorgeous and there were boats everywhere. There was a Boston terrier trying to play with a huge yellow lab and the lab was just laying there trying to sleep. It was peaceful. It was about at that time I felt like I had support from above and that Richard was right there with me. Again I almost broke down in tears and had to hold it in. When I turned the corner for 6.5 miles I saw Tina on the corner of the street cheering in some really big glasses and purple stockings. I was so happy to see her I ran up cheering with her and gave her a big hug. I was glad she was there and I saw someone I recognized. That gave me even more energy and I knew I could do this. I ran a 13 minute mile after that. And I knew I was half way done.
At one point we were on the freeway running. I was trying to get on flat ground so I would start at the top of the road and run down, then I would start from the bottom and run up and I did this for a while. It was fun and I am sure people were thinking what is that crazy nut doing up there. I remember running past a bunch of guys wearing TNT purple singlet's and had balloon boobs underneath. They were awesome. One guy gave me a high five and then I head downhill for another fast run. I made sure at every downhill I would run to make sure my time was getting slower.
At about mile 10 or 11 I saw Robin on the corner cheering as I came around. She snapped pictures and joined me for the run/walk. I am pretty sure I talked her ear off at that point telling her everything she already saw in the past 10 miles, but I was so excited to be close to the finish line and to have her run me in to the finish line. When I got to mile 13, I had a crazy thought cross my mind. I thought hey since I am 40 minutes ahead of the sweep time I should keep going, it's only 6 more miles to the next sweep and then I am home free and I can finish the whole marathon. And right as my thought finished I snapped back into reality and my feet told me you better not. So at the 13.1 clock when my chip beeped I stopped running. I thought that's it I finished. And I was trying to get good poses for Robin to get pictures, and then some guy in front of me said half marathon keep going around the corner through the finish line. Of course there was so much going on I had no idea where to go and just followed people. I crossed the finish line trying to go slow enough to find Robin and her camera. I walked over and got my medal and some PB&J and sat down.
Sitting down was probably not the best idea. But I waited a few minutes, relaxed and then headed for the shuttle to the finish line. Edwin and I were texting back and forth so I knew what mile he was on and how quickly I needed to get on the bus. I called everyone in my phone. I called my Dad and almost broke down in tears, then I called my Grandma she was so proud of me. While I was on the phone with my Grandma someone came up behind me, put their arm on my shoulder and said "Richard would be so proud" and walked away. I lost it there. The tears began rolling and there was no holding back. It was at that moment that I realized the accomplishment I had achieved and who this was all about. I did it all for Richard and he inspired me till the end. I boarded the bus and headed for Edwin at that point. I called my Mom and we talked on the bus ride over. When I saw Edwin cross the finish line, I teared up again but this time was his time to break down and I was there for him. We made our way to the tent and sat down with the team and ate some food and more food until we were stuffed.
This whole experience was hard but it was well worth everything. The training was awesome and I felt like I was definitely more prepared then most people not with TNT out there. I knew what to do at the water stops; I knew when to eat my Luna moons, and what to do after I finished the race. I couldn't have done this with without an amazing coach and team leader. I was thinking about Edwin doing Disney in January 2009 and how it will be so much different. I am definitely going to miss doing everything as a team but maybe when I work up to the 26.2 miles I can do it again with such a wonderful group of people. Thank you for everything.