marathon weekend

Well folks, it's 5:50am Mountain Time. I'm currently sitting in the Salt Lake airport after being up all night. Some friends and I went to see the Backstreet Boys last night (that's a post yet to come) then I finished packing when I got home and hopped into an airport shuttle at 3:30am. Now, with 20 minutes before it's time to board and lacking the energy to be able to read and stay awake, I'm writing the promised blog post about my first marathon.

We had a 7am flight out of Salt Lake to San Diego (with a transfer in Las Vegas). It was quite an early morning. A friend was nice enough to give me a ride at 5:15 in the morning. Friday wasn't very eventful. We walked to the expo center to pick up our packets. It ended up being about a 3 mile walk. My shoulders got burned big time, which did not feel so hot while running.

Saturday was our Inspiration Pasta Dinner (Lunch). And what an inspiration it was. One of the speakers had recently lost his teenage daughter to one of the forms of blood cancers. Another Team in Training chapter had just lost their "walk coach" to his battle with Leukemia. The stories made me cry. However, hearing the numbers of how much we raised for the LLS was inspiring. I believe the number was 12 million just from the fundraising participants alone. Since the San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon benefited the LLS this year, they made even more money off of the public's registration. Another inspiration was the little 87-year-old who was running her 13th marathon - she's participated in the past 13 of 14 San Diego Rock n Roll Marathons. Crazy, huh?


The Pasta Dinner welcoming committee! It was quite an entrance!

After lunch, my TNT roomie (Sam) and I rented a car and toured around. Our first stop was a beach in La Jolla. It was cloudy, go figure. Then later we met with Angel (one of my mentors and my best friend's mom) and Mishellay. We explored Old Towne, took a trip to Wal-mart, and just had fun.


San Diego roommates

Sunday was race morning. I'm not sure exactly what to say about it. We got there around 5:45am - a half hour before race start time. It was the perfect amount of time to get there beforehand, unlike the Disney Princess race. I kept an excellent steady run/walk pace up until mile 13 or so, then my running length started to get shorter and shorter. (My friends were amazed that I was texting them and answering phone calls during the race - but I only did so when I stopped to walk). After mile 18, it started to hurt. I could feel the blisters on the sides of my feet, my stomach was growling, and it was sooo hot. What kept me going was all of the encouragement from other TNT participants and cheerleaders along the way. I also found myself thinking about the names I painted on the back of my jersey. They were the real reason I was there, and I had to remember that.

Running for Allie, Julia, Rex, & in memory of Lesa.

I got to the second cut-off point (20.7 miles) with 45 minutes to an hour to spare. Once I reached that point, I started to walk. I knew I would finish. I started to run/walk again at mile 25 just to make sure I wasn't too stiff to run the last .2 miles across the finish the line. When I reached 26 miles, one of the TNT coaches came up and ran beside me. She congratulated me on everything I've done, and that's when I started to cry. I was really about to finish a marathon!

After my victory run across the finish line, I heard my name being yelled. Angel and Mishellay (who had finished waaaay before I did) had waited for me. It was so great to be able to share this opportunity with Angel. She gave me her medal to bring home to give to Allie. This race was for her. Angel took care of me and immediately made me get iced and loaded me up with snacks and goodies.

That night, instead of going to the Victory Party, Sam and I stayed in our hotel room. Mishellay came and stayed with us while Angel went out with some old high school friends. We ordered pizza and watched movies. The perfect night after running a marathon.

Our weekend went by quickly but it was so much fun. I don't want to forget how much 26.2 miles hurt at the time but I surprisingly felt amazing afterward. I had some battle wound blisters, some bad sunburn, and minor aches. However, in comparison to many others that I saw, I felt AWESOME! I know that I had said that I would never do a full marathon again, but I want to do another one and finish under 7 hours. That's my new goal. Maybe the Philly one in September???

stress turned to peace

I've spent the past few weeks stressing over money, and in particularly fundraising for this marathon. I've had some frustrations with planned fundraisers not working out like I thought they would, and last week I was still a good $1000 from my minimum requirement. After a couple more pleas on Facebook, I am closer but still several hundred dollars away. I've realized that unless some miracle occurs in the next week (which I often pray to God that it will) and that I'm somehow able to collect $500 from door-to-door soliciting, at least a $500 charge (not including the $250 I've already paid for my flight) will be put on my credit card if I don't meet that $2,900 minimum. At first, I cried. I cried like it was the end of the world and that I would end up living on the streets. Then today, as I watched last week's episode of the Biggest Loser on Hulu, I had a change of heart. Last week's episode was Makeover Week. The last 6 contestants get new clothes, new hair, and it's when you really see the difference between when they arrived and now. It's more than just a physical change. You can see their emotional and mental changes as well. As I thought about that today, I thought about the change I've seen in myself through this challenge of running a marathon while raising money for cancer research. I ran/walked 18 miles last weekend. How many people, let alone individuals who are 40 pounds overweight, can say that? I can't put a price tag on the confidence I've gained through this opportunity. Each week, I continue to do things that I never thought I would be able to do. Today, I was sprinting at a 6.7 on the treadmill when I usually just jog between 4.7 and 5.3. I'm sure I'll push myself and run some 7.5/8.0 sprints next week. Between my weight training sessions with Brian and Andre and all of this marathon training, I've grown so much (well, actually I've shrunk) and I feel good. $500 isn't the end of the world. Yes, it adds to my pile of student debt but it will get paid off. In reality, $500 is a small price to pay for everything I've gained. And it all goes to a good cause. :)

18 miles down, $950 to go.

Well, this morning's training brought on a whopping 18. I'm grateful to tell you that I, despite having to walk a lot and now being sun burned, finished all 18 of those.

So, I'm no longer so worried about the number of miles in the marathon. Once I get over the nervousness and am able to look past the negative thoughts about how looong 26.2 is, I know that I can do it, even if I'm limping my way across the finish line.

The big worry is now the mula. I'm currently at about $1,950, still $950 short of the minimum amount. I need a miracle. I need a day to sit outside at Wal-mart and collect donations. I need all of my Facebook friends to donate $2. I can't front the $950 on my own. That's almost a semester's worth of tuition. However, if several people give small donations, it will make a huge difference.

less than four weeks

So the marathon is less than four weeks away!!! I'm so nervous. We're running 18 miles this weekend, and I confess, I've been doing a lot of run/walking during my weekly runs because my knee has been bothering me. Please pray that it heals quickly.

Also, I still have another $1,000 to raise to reach my goal. If you can help me out and donate, please do so by going to www.malindajmiller.info.

I'll let you know how this weekend goes.

good news

For those reading outside of the Perry County area, or those that are and just managed to miss this tidbit of information: Allie's tumors have shrunk: Read the news article and watch the video on ABC27.

pictures as promised

OK, so I don't like the way blogspot uploads pictures. They're all out of order now, so go by the captions since there is really no time-line.

Kristen, Kelly, and me at the very end of Sunday. We were exhausted.

We headed into the park shortly after I finished the 1/2 marathon. What a day.

After crossing the finish line and getting some food into me.

Two thumbs up at mile 8 :)

4 a.m. race day

Still sticking to the fact that this is how I felt at mile 9.

My first race bib!

The hot tub felt good after that long weekend

A yummy dinner at Jumby Bay (or something along those lines)

1/2 mile to go at this point....

Subtract 21 minutes from that time and that's how long it took me to get to mile 10

Dang! I was distracted by Capt. Jack Sparrow asking me why everyone was walking. Gee, it was mile 11, what did he expect?

The handsome heroes :)

The Genie!!!

with the Chipmunks and my new race friends :)

we ran through Cinderella's castle!

stopping at mile 4 to get a pic with Kristen and Kelly (and to hand-off my gross sweatshirt)

the sun was finally starting to come up :)

At the start line in my Corral at about 5:30am. It was dark and FREEZING!

I've been behind in my blogging. I'll be better once the semester is over. I promise. I still owe you pictures from the Disney Princess Half Marathon. If you're friends with me on Facebook, you can view them there for now.

I sent out one batch of thank you cards, but still have a stash to finish writing and addressing.

I'm roadtripping to Vegas this weekend with some friends (and to visit Precious). It's a 12-mile weekend. Let's see if I can find the time to run while I'm there or if I'll have to get the miles in on Monday. :)

Disney Princess Half-Marathon

Well folks, I went to Florida for a few days and just got back Tuesday evening. I'm proud to say that I finished the Disney Princess Half-Marathon, my first race ever. I didn't really treat it like a race though. I just wanted to finish and not be swept from the course from being too slow. I finished in 3 hours, 32 minutes, and 17 seconds. But, I think I could easily take 20 minutes off of that time for the bathroom stops and the many times I stopped to get pictures with Disney characters (they were all along the course - soooo much fun).

I'll have to update with some pictures later :)They gave us a disposable camera, so that's what I carried with me during the race. I have to get my film developed.

another update

Wow! What a week! I mailed in my first batch of checks this morning only to receive another $150 worth of donations today! Every time I think I have all of my thank you cards written, I find myself needing to write more. But that's a good thing! I don't mind!

I'm getting a little nervous about the Disney Princess Half-Marathon this weekend. I don't feel prepared. But I bought a crown to wear, at least for the picture at the finish line and a skirt to wear over my running pants.

I'll be sure to post pictures after this weekend!

fundraising update

I just want to say another big thank you! In the past 3 days, I've received over $200 worth of donations! I'm up to $404.80, just $325 away from the $725 I need by our re-commitment date at the end of March. If you've made a donation in the past month, look for your donation receipt in the mail soon! If not, you can still donate by clicking here or contacting me for my address to send a check made out to the LLS.

I also appreciate the letters I've received in addition to donations. They've all been super supportive and encouraging. Just when I was beginning to doubt whether or not I'd really be able to do this, I was blessed with inspiration to keep training.

Well, time for a run! Have a great day everyone!

running in the snow makes me legit

Well, I didn't go to the group run (again) this morning because it was all the way up in Bountiful. I almost chickened out on running outside all together. I drove to the gym, anticipating a treadmill run, but all of the machines were taken. I did weights instead, seeing it as a sign that I was supposed to get my butt outside.

After going home, getting some food, and getting some things ready for an activity tonight, I braved the cold. Well, about two miles in, it started to snow. I kept going though. Once I got closer to Utah Lake, the flakes got bigger, fell faster, and the wind-picked up. I had to keep wiping snow flakes off of my nose and out of my eyes. I must have looked pretty bad because into mile 5, some guy ran up beside me and asked if I was OK, and if I needed to call anyone, lol. Cancer-fighters, know that you are loved, because I don't run in the snow for just anyone. I hate running in the cold. By the time I got back to the apt, my head was soaked from melting snow flakes, my legs were frozen from my "dri-fit" pants absorbing all of the water and holding it next to me legs, and I was dehydrated because today I realized that both the bathrooms and the water fountains at the small parks are closed for the season (yes, it makes sense, I know. I just didn't think about it). But, when all was said and done, I ran/walked a good 7 miles and burned 995 calories (thank you Bodybugg).

On another note, I'm over $200 in my fundraising. I just need to send in the cash/check donations I've received. I'm probably going to hold off for a couple more days in hopes that I receive more. A big thanks to those of you who have donated to the cause.

I've been trying to think of other ways to fundraise. Typically, I could do car washes and bake sales, but it's a little chilly for that right now. Maybe a silent auction would go over well.

fundraising

Thanks for your contributions everyone! I'm up to $90 so far!

With that said, I'm off to the gym for a treadmill run since I didn't make it outside today.

If you plan on donating, remember that I need to reach $2,175 by the end of March in order to participate in the race with Team in Training!

letters

Wanting to hand-write my fundraising letters was a noble desire, but I think I just gave up on that idea after only addressing 40 envelopes. If I didn't have a thesis to be working on at the same time, I'd be all for it. Or if I had had more than two weeks notice.

I know I'm just getting into fundraising but I'm already stressing over my ability to raise at least $3,000. If I don't get donations via response from my letters, I'm going to have to organize something local. I was thinking about a benefit concert combined with a bake sale and silent auction. All of the planning and gathering of items to sell is going to take a lot of time and effort though. If my decision to run with Team in Training hadn't been such a spontaneous decision, I could have made this my project for graduation. I think it's a little to late to arrange that though since I'm already signed up for thesis credits instead of project credits.

Training is going well. I'm looking forward to a good run tomorrow. If it's not freezing outside (yes, I'm a wuss when it comes to running in the cold), I'll attempt another run along part of the Provo River Parkway.

I got an e-mail from my dad today. Tests are being run to determine whether Bill's father has lung cancer. I also got a message from my mom that Allie has another appointment tomorrow to prep for chemotherapy. Prayers for these individuals and their friends and families. You are the reason I'm running. Trust me, I would never have the will power to train for a full marathon on my own, just for fun. Their fight keeps me going.

letter-writing

Two fundraising letters written, 98 to go. Yes, I plan to write them all by hand, by Saturday. :)

Why did I choose to run?

Last weekend I went to a Team in Training informational meeting. I'm generally the type of person who likes to think things over for awhile, especially things that involve either a big time commitment or a large sum of money. This decision, despite involving both, however, was made rather impulsively. It was one of those "Why not?" decisions. I've known enough people affected by many different forms of cancer. This is my way to help. The bonus is getting into better shape and (hopefully) checking "running a marathon" off of my lifetime achievement wish list :)

Honestly, the whole running idea started from watching the Biggest Loser. Out of the blue, I told my friend Kristen that I wanted to run a marathon. Then, I decided I should probably start with a half-marathon first. It seems more comfortable. She suggested that I visit her and run the Disney Princess Half-Marathon, which also benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. So, I signed up. That was the first impulsive decision. I'm running that "race" - my only goal is to finish - in 5 weeks. I decided that I would want bigger and better goals after finishing this race. (It's the whole self-efficacy portion of Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory - most people, after reaching one goal, set a higher goal for themselves). That desire for a bigger goal is what took me to the Team in Training Meeting in the first place.

This morning, I found myself at my first Team in Training group run and fundraising clinic prepping for the San Diego Rock 'N' Roll Marathon on June 6 of this year. I'll be honest, I've been a treadmill runner. I like flat, temperature controlled environments with something under my feet to keep me going. When we started our run in the freezing cold in Salt Lake City up a hill towards the University of Utah, I thought I was going to die. I had to keep remind me of the lives that could be saved by my running in order to keep myself going. Lesson #1 (which I really did already know, I just tried to ignore it), running outside is completely different than running on a treadmill. Sure, I can run 7 or 8 miles on the treadmill, but that doesn't mean I can run 2 outside in the cold. I learned that I have a long road ahead of me. This is a road I'm willing to take. I have two miles down, and 24.2 to go. 24.2 more that I'm ready to run if you'll be in this race with me. Can you help me cross the finish line at $4,500 by March 15th for cancer research? Can you donate $26.20 (one dollar for every mile) to help save lives from a growing medical concern? Help me race for the Sheri Brunners, for the Julia Swartz, for the Allie Specks, and for the Glenn Mitchell's of this world (all Perry County, PA people who did battle or are currently battling some type of cancer), and those many others fighting cancer, their own daily marathons.