I did it!

I did it! I really did it!

Right now, I'm sitting, after a day of sitting at home, icing my knees and dragging my legs around...but I did it!

It hasn't hit me yet that I ran a full marathon yesterday morning. It took me 5 hours, 3 minutes, and 1 second, but I finished, and that was my ultimate goal. I can't say at this point that I'm looking forward to running another one, but I know I'm not going to stop running. My husband and I are thinking of doing a half together next year, but we'll see what happens between now and then.

So, how exactly WAS the marathon? Where do I start?

I actually got a good 6-7 hours of sleep the night before. I didn't sleep very deeply, but I did get some rest. I woke up at quarter to 5. It was still very dark outside, but nothing was going to get me to go back to sleep. I had packed my stuff the night before, so all I really had to do was get dressed and eat something. I had my powerbar ready for me and some Gatorade (yes, for breakfast), but that's what I eat before a morning run on any other day, and like all my coaches said, don't try anything new.

My husband, brother and I headed out. I was feeling more excited than nervous at this point. All I had in mind was crossing that finish line. As the sun came up, I got more and more eager to start. After gathering with my team and making a pit-stop at the porto-potty (ew...I didn't go the second time just before the start because they were all out of toilet paper and the lines were lllllong) I headed with some of my family to my corral.

It was amazing to be among so many runners with the same goal in mind - to finish. Of course, many had a time in mind and I'm sure we all had different reasons for coming to do this marathon. The energy was amazing. Everyone was pumped up and ready to go. We all walked towards the actual start and once we got a step or two before it, we were running.

The big thing to keep in mind at the beginning of the race was to remember to pace myself. I'm proud -- that's exactly what I did. People tend to rush at the beginning, which is characteristic of any race, and so when one person sees people passing, the tendency is to speed up to either be at the same pace as them, or pass them. I didn't care. These people were passing me and many of them I passed later on in the race. The key was to conserve my energy for 15K or so down.

The course was lined with cheering groups, people cheering, support was everywhere. It didn't matter if they didn't know you -- they were cheering for you. It felt good.

I had to pee. I really should have gone before the marathon started, and I had thought that I could have gone to one of the port-o-potties along the course, but the lines there were also pretty bad. I didn't get to go until 16-17K later, but after I busted out of that stinkbooth, I was ready to go.

My family had scattered themselves along the course after the start, so I always knew that somewhere along the route, I'd hear them screaming my name. That was great motivation. Another huge thing that helped keep me going was something my husband did for me. He got a few family members and friends to record motivational messages that he put on my iPod and put them between my songs on my "***RUN!!!!!" playlist. Those really got me going.

I was really proud of myself for going so strong for as long as I did. I only felt my wonky knees once and after that, my thinking took over and I didn't feel the pain again. I went pretty strong and had good form and a good pace right up to about 30-32k. My couches and my mentor and fellow teammates had seen me along the way and their cheers and exchanges of "GO TEAM!" really helped me.

The 30-32K point was a challenge. By then, my stomach had started to turn on me. I was nearing the peak of my distance training and so anything after this was new to me. I hadn't anticipated the nausea I felt at this point. I continued to push myself and one of my coaches found me and my other team mate and she got me to do some intervals, which I don't usually do, but decided to do this time because running was not making the nausea go away. After a while I okayed her and my teammate to continue on and I walked for a bit. A medic even stopped to give me some watered down Powerade and biked beside me to make sure I was okay.

This whole ordeal was beginning to affect my thinking. At this point, I HATED running. I was even starting to vow that I would never run again. Oooh, it was ugly. I wanted to keep eating my blocks or a gel since my brain needed sugar so I could think more positively, but I wasn't sure what that'd do to my stomach. I knew that this wasn't me thinking rationally and I picked up my feet and dragged myself a few more kilometers. I knew that 5-7K wasn't very long to go and that if I kept going, I could make it in less than an hour. I really thought I had been running for 6 hours already; I was so tired. I needed a miracle and I found myself praying harder to God than I had been already, even if He himself came down or got some of His angels to pick me up and fly me over the finish line. I was delirious.

Just as I was getting closer to the city, I still found that I was thinking I didn't have it in me to continue running. Then, all of a sudden, some guy, not participating as a runner, said to me, "Okay, let's go Katrina." This guy got me to the finish line. I don't know how he did it. This was Richard. He knew exactly how to help me get there, even if it was little by little, and he ran with me. I told him I was feeling very nauseous and he said that if I have to vomit, to just do it and get it over with. I wanted to, but something in me wasn't going to let me stop to let this happen. I kept going and as we approached a water station, the last one before the finish, he took my empty bottles from my fuel belt and refilled them for me. He wanted to make sure I got there okay and didn't fall over from being dehydrated.

He told me I could walk after the water station, but I kept going. He caught up with me, told me he found one of my team mates and was going to grab her and we would all do this together. So we did. My team mate had messed up her knee along the way and so she was struggling too. He even got me to start thinking positively again...

When I thought I was going to fly up to space and beat up the sun for making it so hot, he told me to take in the sunshine and remember that this is my moment. He left me at 100m and cheered me on and told me to remember that this part is the part I do on my own.

I got there and crossed the line.

BOY DID IT FEEL GOOD.

I got my medal and my "silver blanket" and headed over to our team tent. I found my mentor and we exchanged stories and even got to congratulate the team mate who did the last stretch with me and Richard. My family caught up with me and we hung out for a bit...and then I threw up. Booo...

Then it was off to the victory party where I caught up with many of the half-marathoners and marathoners, coaches and staff and ate a bit...then I threw up again. Booooooooooooo...

We headed home for a bit and I took a much needed shower (quite possibly one of the best in my life so far, haha) and an ice bath, and then iced my knees.

What a day.

Cheerleaders

I had my siblings and nephews and nieces over the other night. We worked on an honouree board for the Team In Training pasta party and tent. We put together pictures of my Mom and my Mom and us and my Mom and her sisters and my Mom and her parents and my Mom and Dad and had words to describe what and who Mom is to us and everyone who knows her.

Here are some words we chose:
Strong
Brave
Spiritual
Admirable
Fun-loving
Friendly
Honourable
Positive
Faithful

I found that these words aren’t just who she is, but what she has made us. Even without her being here, she has made us just like her. Those of us who were old enough to have learned something from her taught those of us who were still too young to understand. She’d be proud of that.

This weekend, I’m excited to have such a huge support team to cheer for me and TNT as we run kilometers and kilometers for such a wonderful cause. I know that I really am going to cross that finish line because I have their love all the time. It goes without saying.

I’m excited to have my parents cheering for me too. They’re not always able to make it to these crazy things I do, but I’m totally looking forward to seeing them carry signs, clapping, pumping fists, and all that other stuff.

Sunday’s going to be one of the best days of my life.

As my reward, after the marathon the TNT victory party, then a baby shower, I’ll be heading down to the Janet Jackson Rock Witchu concert, which I’ve been looking forward to for years. I’ve wanted to see her in concert since my cousins and sisters were raving about her years ago. I’ll keep enough energy in my legs to jump up and down when she gets on stage!

Here it comes!

I am actually running a marathon in 6 days.

At this point, I know I’m physically prepared, so the trick is to keep my head in check. I know what this means and I know what is required of me, yet, I find myself wondering if the preparations I’m making mentally are the ones I should be making. I know there isn’t an exact science on how to psyche yourself up before something like this, but I’ve never done a long race like this in my life.

If I had to sum up how I’ve been feeling lately, the word is nervous. I am nervous. I’m not sure why. I know once we start, that feeling will subside, but it’s just the anxiety of the starting line. In the other runs I’ve done before, I’ve always felt the adrenaline of the group, but all those times, I was running with someone, namely my brother. This time, I’ve got my team with me, but I do wish I had someone close to run with me…

…and I do. This time I’ve got my Mom to run beside me the whole way and I know that maybe not everyone will be able to run with her, but I know she’ll be right beside me, even if it is on a Segway or something…whatever fun forms of transportation she decides to bring from Heaven.

So what I ask is this – please pray for my peace of mind and that in the days to come, I’ll continue to think positive thoughts and my nervousness will be replaced by total excitement.

Runnersworld.com's Daily Kick In The Butt

"You were born to run. Maybe not that fast, maybe not that far, maybe not as efficiently as others. But to get up and move, to fire up that entire energy-producing, oxygen-delivering, bone-strengthening process we call running."
-FLORENCE GRIFFITH JOYNER and JON HANC, Running For Dummies

Katrina, you've got mail from TNT

Each week, all TNT members get a newsletter from our TNT friends at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It has information about how much the team has raised, news, exceptional fundraisers for the week, and also an honouree section entitled "Mission Moment", where the story of one member of the team is featured.

Last week, I got lucky and had my story featured. Here it is:

Katrina's Story...

I wanted to do something different this year. For the past few years, I've done different things to raise money for a cure for cancer - held fundraisers, shaved my head, donated my hair, 10K runs....this year was different.

I decided to join Team in Training in 2007 focused on running a full marathon in 2008, my first ever, and the longest distance I've ever run. I decided to focus my efforts this year on helping find a cure for blood cancers, including leukemia, which my mother fought bravely for 10 months before she passed away.

My mother was in and out of the hospital from what I remember, and at the time, I wasn't old enough to know that this wasn't normal. I had thought my classmates would be going to the hospital to visit their moms after school too and if they were lucky, their moms would get to come home for the weekend. I didn't know. We spent a lot of time in the hospital, my dad, my four older sisters, my baby brother and our countless aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. We were all there for her. When it got to a point where she was no longer coming home for periods of time and instead, stayed at the hospital, it occurred to me that she was getting more sick, but I had no idea that meant I wouldn't get to see her. All I knew about her sickness at the time was that it was called leukemia, it was a type of cancer, and it meant that something was wrong with her blood.

Just a week short of her birthday, my mother lost her battle with leukemia. When we lost her, it was hard for all of us. We went through many changes, big and small, happy and sad, good and bad, but after it all, we became stronger and an even bigger happier family. Through my mother's loss came a much stronger bond among all of us and we always remember the importance of keeping intact all the things she taught us, her values, her lessons and and all wanted for us. She has become our inspiration.

This year marks her 20th anniversary. It's hard to believe that I haven't seen my mother in 20 years, but that doesn't mean that she isn't here. All the big milestones in my life that I've experienced so far, I've never seen her sitting in the crowd, but instead, she stands beside me at each one. She's a silent cheerleader in everything I do.

In September, when I run the marathon with TNT, I will take every step in memory of her, Tini Limgenco, and the honourees I've met since I began this journey with TNT- Bill Stacey, Carolyn Tam, and our honoured teammate, Nicholas Gorys. I'm grateful that in the midst of the fight our loved ones who have blood cancers face, in the sadness of our losses, and in the pain in our strong knees, there stands invincible hope that we will find the cure.

Training update

It's been a while since I posted, I'm sorry to say. I've been pretty swamped lately -- a lot of things have been going on lately. Anyway, training has been quite intense, running lllllong distances and needing to ice various parts of my legs from Saturday to Tuesday. It's all about R.I.C.E. (Rest, Isolate, Cold, Elevate).

Last weekend, I actually had a huge meltdown after having to end my 32K run 10K early because I had done something nasty to my right knee...or at least it felt that way. After going to see a walk-in doctor since my doctor's office was closed, it turned out that my ligaments were all fine, I just had a strain...and since then, Advil has been my best friend. And of course, by Tuesday, I was fine.

This weekend was good. I ate very well on Friday night and did a good run, in good time. I'm finding that the whole psychological aspect really is the trick to this whole thing and what really helps after that 20K, when my knees start to hurt and I start to feel tired, my mind is really what keeps me going, especially remembering that I'm doing this for my Mom and 3 others, Nicholas, Bill and Carolyn. Each step gets easier when I remember that.

This is gonna be so much fun!