I'm back and I'm ringing a bell...

Alright folks, for the first time since the marathon I laced up my shoes and out I went this morning on my first run.  No matter whether I am running 4 miles like today or 26.2 miles, it is still incredibly hard to get up and get out there.  Here's how my morning played out.

At about 3:30 am, I woke up panicked that I had slept in.  When I realized that it was a false alarm, I sat in bed thinking, "What if I do sleep in and Leanne stands outside waiting for me?"  Now I have given myself a true reason to not go back to sleep with ease.  I tossed and turned for about 30 minutes and off to bed I went again. Then again I woke up at 5:00 am this time.  I was pretty tired so I rolled over dreading that I only had another hour left of snooze time.

My real alarm went off at 6:15 am.  It never ceases to amaze me that I can wake up naturally and feeling wide awake at 3:30 am, but at a decent hour when my alarm goes off, I am so tired I can hardly open my eyes.  I hit the snooze button for 10 more minutes knowing that I would only have 5 minutes to get up, get ready and go outside.  However, I was secretly hoping in my mind that Leanne may want to postpone or cancel so I could warrant a bit more sleep.

At 6:25 am my alarm rang again.  I looked at my phone and no messages from Leanne.  I said my favorite word "Crap" and up I went.  I got ready and I collected all my running items from the spot that I left them after the marathon.  I started to become reminiscent.  I was thinking, "The last time I looked at this watch or wore these shoes I was running the LA Marathon."  Remembering all the pain the marathon caused me, my reminiscent state changed to a state of thankfulness.  I thought, "Well, at least today I only have to run 4 miles and not 26.2. Whao!"

Running this morning was a bit more challenging than I had expected.  Currently, I am battling a kidney infection, which I also likely had during the marathon last week.  I am on medicine that makes my joints and bones very achy.  After about mile 2, I felt every step that I took.  However, in runners fashion, I kept on going.  As I rounded the end of our loop, my right knee was on fire.  We kept on pushing through and when we stopped we realized that we had run one of our fastest times ever.

I don't know about the rest of you runners, but the smell of the type of success instantly dulls any pain away.  We were so happy and I felt amazing afterwards.  All and all, it's so good to be back running and blogging.  Just as you have missed me, I have missed writing to you!

To each, its own...

So, it's a week after the L.A. Marathon and I feel like a bride post wedding.  For the past 5 months or so, my life has been training for this marathon and now it's over.  I know in my previous blogs I talked about the anticipation of having my life back after the marathon and how great it would be to have a little extra free time.  Although I've gotten my wish, it is not as desirable as my reality.  However, how was I to know?

After my first marathon in December of 2008 from the moment I crossed the finish line, I vowed to my friend Jess, Joe and my mom and sister that I crossed this goal off my life list.  I was so done with running and to prove it, I put away all my gear and my shoes.  For a full year, I stopped working out and I didn't even run a mile.  Not only did I not really miss it (so I thought at the time), I had no desire to run.  As far as I was concerned, the marathon was my encore and this show was over.

Coincidentally, after this same marathon, I also got violently ill for a couple of days from all the lactic acid build up in my body.  I also couldn't move for at least a week because of how stiff I was.  In retrospect, this was probably partially my fault as we hoped into a car and drove for 8 hours back to LA shortly after I finished.   I also was dead set on going to work the next day, which I did, again another mistake.

I don't know if I learned well from my mistakes or if each marathon is just a totally different ball game?  I can tell you one thing, this time around things were very different.  Yes, I still hated the last part of the marathon from about mile 17 on, no change in that.  However, once I got home and took a bath, my body miraculously didn't hurt as much.  Even the next day, which I did take off, I was able to take a walk around the block with Joe.  By about Wednesday of last week, I started to get the running bug and Leanne did too.  On Wednesday night, we had a phone conversation and if you were a fly on the wall, you would have thought we hadn't been running in years.  We talked about how much we missed running and we really feel that right now is the time to pick it back up.  Have I gone completely insane?

To couple it all, many of you have written me saying that you miss my blog entries.  One friend said, "When I read your blog, I feel like we are talking and you are telling me all your stories and it makes my day."  Other people wrote saying that this story has just begun and I need to continue writing it to see where it goes.  Another one of my coworkers said, "We are just at the heart of everything, you can't stop now."  So, back by popular demand here it is, my blog alive and well.  Where will it go?  Who knows, but sounds pretty similar to life, right?  Since you are willing to give it a chance, so am I.

The Mariathon is complete...

At the start line

Well folks, I did it.  I can now proudly say that I am a two time marathon runner or mariathon runner as my friend Dave Perritano likes to say!  Here is an overview of how my day played out yesterday:

I woke up around 5:30 am and got all ready for the race.  We left our house around 6:15 am to get to the start line at Dodger Stadium.  The drive should have taken 15 minutes at most.  However, true to L.A., it took an hour.  We sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic forever as there was only one way to get up to the stadium.  Once we got there, it was more chaos, the guards screamed at all the cars not letting anyone get dropped off by the start line.  In anticipation for running 26.2 miles, I knew that I didn't want to walk any extra distance so I completely ignored them and got out of the car anyways.

We finally arrived at 7:17 am.  I think the organizers realized that the drop off was a logistical nightmare so they decided to postpone the race by 40 minutes.  Leanne and I waited in the line for the porta potty for about 42 minutes so we actually missed the start of the race :(..  Instead of going out with our pace group, we went out with a group that was slated to finish an hour slower than we were at 5:30.  When this happens, it is really hard to judge how on target with your goal you are.  It seemed like we were going fast, but probably not fast enough.  We finished in 5:07:11, which was about 20 minutes slower than my last marathon time.  I feel bad because I think I really held Leanne back because at about mile 17 I was hurting and definitely slowed down.  Leanne being the fabulous running partner she is, wouldn't leave me.  As I encouraged her to go ahead, she said, "We started this thing together and we will finish it."

And we did...as we crossed the finish line, we held hands and I was in tears.  I can't believe what I've been able to accomplish all in the honor of the children of GOTB.  It has just been amazing.

The experience of the marathon was equally as incredible.  As we ran yesterday, we saw so many different people participate in marathon.  There were at least 4 different Elvis's, a Marilyn Monroe, someone dressed in a full furry costume, which wasn't too smart given the 80 degree heat, someone running with a 4 ft. by 3 ft. wooden cross, who decided to forsake Jesus at about mile 14 due to exhaustion and a bunch of people running with American flags and military flags.  The most inspiring person I saw was a man about my age that walked with crutches as his legs weren't strong enough to support his weight.  Even though he could barely walk, he was motivated to run a marathon.

Ever wonder what someone thinks while they are running the marathon?   Well here is what I was thinking:

Mile 1- As we crossed the start line, we started our first steep climb around Dodger Stadium.  Leanne and I looked at each other and said, "Wow.  This is going to be an interesting race."  As we crossed mile 1, I saw my first spectators my assistant Jennifer and her boyfriend Kyle.

Mile 2- After seeing traditional Mexican dancers, we headed up to Hill St. in downtown.  This street really capitalizes on its namesake.  As we got to the top of the crest, we were greeted by an ancient drum line, which was really cool.

Mile 3- We turned onto Cesar Chavez and were greeted by Joe and Gigi and a mariachi band.  We got so much energy from seeing them.

Mile 4-  I started to get emotional about how unbelievable that all this training had been worth it and I was in disbelief that the marathon was finally here.

Mile 5- We were greeted by this great group of people from the Dream Center.  One guy was wearing a Steelers shirt so it was over.  I yelled, "here we go Steelers, here we go."  The guy started chanting back and high fived me as I ran past.

Mile 6- We passed by a school for blind children and they were all out front cheering and slapping people high fives.  Of course my hand went in the air as I high fived every last kid.

Mile 7- We headed into Silverlake and we passed our first injured runner.  It was a young girl who seemed to fall and hurt her leg.  I felt for her as I know how much sacrifice it takes to train for this one day and to not finish is just devastating.  However shortly after, my spirits were uplifted as I saw Joe and Gigi with our friends Derek, Emily, and their dog Holly.

Mile 8- Although Leanne and I are good gabbers, we decided to listen to some music.  I was extremely happy as both my friend Marylou and my brother-in-law Frank and gotten me gift cards to load up my Zune so I had all new music to rock out to.  The first song that shuffled onto my Zune was appropriately, "I Run" by Lady Antebellum.  It was a total coincidence but this song really encompasses every aspect of why I run so I teared up.

Mile 9- Pete Carroll, Coach of the Seattle Seahawks was in the middle of the runners giving high fives.  Of course, I didn't pass this one up even though I would have rather them had Mike Tomlin there.

Mile 10-  We saw Gigi and Joe for the second time.  Another burst of energy.

Mile 11- We headed into familiar territory in downtown Hollywood.  As we made the turn onto Orange, a lady asked me about what my shirt meant and she said that I was an inspiration to her.  Another burst of energy surged through my body.

Mile 12-  I saw my neighbors Kelly and Jeff and they were so kind to bring Maya.  Maya was obsessed with how the light was reflecting on the sidewalk, but I ran up to her and petted her and she went bananas.  She tried to jump into the race to run it with me.  It was so cute.

Mile 13-  We saw Joe and Gigi again and tasked Joe to get us some salt as we were starting to cramp up.  We then saw our old neighbors Ian and Shira and their baby Lena and then my friend Davin!  I was literally bursting with excitement.

Mile 14-  As we rounded the corner down San Vicente Blvd, we saw our friend Michael and he was standing next to the West Hollywood mayor.  I was feeling great.

Mile 15-  Going into Boy's Town was quite a treat.  There were half naked gay men dancing on makeshift stages and in the middle of it all was our friend Ed, which is really funny because Ed is as straight as they come.  Although I was tempted to jump on one of the stages and give a little shake, I kept on running.

Mile 16-  As we crossed over to Burton, we were greeted by our friends Bill and Juliet and Juliet's mom.  Joe and Gigi were also there with our salt.  We also saw Michael again right by Rodeo Dr.  I was still having a great time.

Mile 17- This is where the marathon started to take a downward turn for me.  We ran through Century City and saw no one and there were hardly any spectators.  At this point, my adrenaline was wearing off.  Instead of doing a 1 minute walk break and a 5 minute run, we put in an extra minute walk break.

Mile 18-  Ouch in pain.  That's about all I could remember.

Mile 19-  Still in pain and I could have swore they spaced out the mile markers as it seemed it was taking forever to get to the next one.

Mile 20-  I saw Joe, Gigi, Tommy and his girlfriend Erin.  I was able to get another burst of energy from my fans.  However according to the webcast Leanne made, I was quoted saying that "I feel like I'm going to die."

Mile 21-  This was the crappiest mile on the course.  We ran through a veteran's park and there was no one there.  The only redeeming quality was the one crazy vet that just kept screaming people's names.  He was a super cheerer.

Mile 22- Joe and Gigi were also here.  However the true highlight was the fireman.  They set up hoses for everyone to run through.  The last time I ran through water was when I was young and we used to run through the sprinklers.  Do you realize how awesome in 80 degree heat it feels to do this?  I ran through every hose because it was so much fun.

Mile 23-  Again we saw Tommy, Erin, Joe and Gigi and there was a crazy marathon cheerer guy that came up to me personally and gave me a strategy for the rest of the race.  He said it was all flat.  Although he was a big liar, it was what I needed to hear right then.  I believe at this point I was also crying but not tears of joy, tears of pain.

Mile 24-  We went back to having only 1 minute walk breaks as we were getting excited to end this thing.

Mile 25-  This mile marker was hidden around a turn so I kept on thinking we missed it.  However as we rounded Ocean Blvd, there it was.

Mile 26-  Holy crap, I am really going to do this.

Mile 26.2-  I crossed the finish line!!

I want to say a special thank you to everyone.  Without you all, I could have never done this.  Thank you to everyone who came out to support me yesterday.  Thank you especially to our two college friends Ed Norton and Brenda Chroniak for your kind donations.  Brenda is running the Boston Marathon next month so my luck goes out to you girlfriend.  I will continue to be humbled by this experience for years to come.

Lastly, if you would like to view more photos, please check out my facebook page and Joe will also be uploading everything onto our photo website www.joepalmer.shutterfly.com.

Bring it on LA...

Leanne and I at the start line!

With less than 24 hours left until the marathon, I am ready!  This morning we woke up like the 25,000 other people running the marathon and went to the marathon expo.  I love going to these almost as much as I love race day.  The expos are filled with people and loads of free stuff.  It is like a Disneyland for running enthusiasts.  

We waded through the crowd to get the back tent to get our numbers.  When I handed the lady behind the desk my registration and she gave me my number, I felt burst of excitement rush through me.  I have been training for this thing for nonstop for the last 4 months and the day has finally come.  Tomorrow morning at 7:25 am PST, I will be crossing the start line of the LA Marathon.  I can't believe it!

In preparation for my run in David Letterman style, here is my top 10 list for people who are ready to run the marathon:

You know you are ready to run the marathon when:

10.  You know the exact mileage distance between your house and anywhere within a 20 mile radius because you have run it.

9.  You know more the flavors of Gu than ice cream.

8.  Your body feels like it is 80 when in fact your are only 29.

7.  You spend an exorbitant amount of money buying a poorly made sweatshirt that says LA Marathon just because you want bragging rights.

6.  You have asked your dad to play your bib number in the lottery for good luck.

5.  You justified buying a LA Marathon plaque that includes your name, time, photo and medal because you will be getting an extra medal and again more bragging rights.

4.  You have loaded up your Zune with all the '80's and '90's music you can find.

3.  You found a new pain relieving spray that you could swear was made by Jesus.

2.  You have carefully crafted your race day outfit and had it beside your bed the entire day before.

1.  You have given the last 4 months of your life to this and you are due to for a break!!

If you are in the LA area tomorrow and would like to come watch, please contact my husband Joe at joepkool@yahoo.com or 310-922-7388. He will help you find a convenient spot and time for you to see me along the race. If you are out of the LA area, but would still like to watch me, you can. You can track me on your computer or on your cell phone. Go to http://live.activeresult.com/msg/MSG-signup.tcl?event_id=24 for more details.

Thank you all so much for all that you have done for me and for the children!! Hopefully if all goes right by this time tomorrow I will be a 2 time marathon finisher!!!

That's a wrap..

This morning was my final run before the big race on Sunday and I'm not totally sure how I feel about it.  In one sense, I am very happy to be finished with my training, as it is very hard to juggle marathon training with my job.  However, on the other hand, I am sad to have closed another chapter in my training career.  My run today was much the same.

When I woke up from last night's birthday celebration, I definitely wanted to hit my alarm and go back to bed.  I actually almost did.  However, just as I went to reach for the snooze button, it dawned on me that this was the last time that I could safely squeeze in a run without risking overexerting my muscles before the big race.  Crap!  I hate it when logic ruins my own reality.  There would be no rest for the weary so up I went.

It was a rough start to the day, as I lost my earphones and the clock was ticking away.  I realized that it was so late that I may just have cave in and go without my music so I could get back in time to get ready for work.  At the last second, Joe found them on an unsuspecting place on the ground.  Things seemed to be turning around.

I went out in the crisp morning air and I felt great.  I thought about this being the last time I had to force myself to wake up to run and that excited me.  I even got a sense of wanting to go faster, which rarely happens.  Feeling great, I turned onto the hill on Vista and headed toward the entrance of Runyon Canyon. My Zune cued onto the Queen ballad, "We Are The Champions" and I lost it.  Big puddle-like tears dripped from my eyes and I was having a hard time controlling my sobs.  I became quite the scene at Runyon Canyon at 7:30 am.  Even though many people and dogs alike were gazing at me, I just didn't care.  I realized at that moment what this all had meant to me.  Not only the experience of training for a marathon, but why I was training:

For Gigi- Your perseverance to do what is right even when the right choice is the hardest choice continues to feed me.  You are a strong and a beautiful woman and friend and I am happy that you will be on the sidelines cheering me on this weekend.

For Stella- No matter what, you brighten my day with your messages no matter how crazy life gets.  I am so happy that using my name has gotten you places as it has never gotten me anywhere. ;p

For Gennisse- Your story continues to inspire me.  I am so proud that our agency will be responsible for helping you to reunite with your father after 30 years.

For Andrea- You are the true definition of what this program does for people.  You have not only defied the odds set out for you, but you used a potentially damaging situation and turned it around so you could make a difference in the lives' of children who have incarcerated parents.

For Bob Barker- Bob, I have learned through GOTB how to forgive and forget.  Even though you hurt my toe, we are okay in my book.  (What could make us better is a donation from you!) ;p 

For Sly Stallone- To my silent trainer, thanks for letting me have a sighting of you every time I run the marathon.  Don't you worry, I will be playing the Rocky soundtrack on Sunday just for you!

For our volunteers and staff- GOTB could not run without your undying support.  Your commitment to the children really is making the difference in their lives'.

For my supporters- No matter whether you gave to me, followed this blog or sent me an e-mail of support, I appreciate all of you.  As I said before, it is so touching that some of you have decided to run your first races just by reading this.  Thank you!!

For Leanne- Thank you so much for being my copilot throughout this journey.  I am proud to be running by your side on Sunday.

For Joe- Thanks for not only mapping out all of my courses, but for being patient and understanding during this time consuming process.  You are the best and I love you!

For my dad-  You always have been and will continue to be my hero.  Thank you for teaching me all that I know about being a committed person and standing true to your beliefs.  No matter how society may label you, you will always be my dad.

For all children of incarcerated parents-  You are not defined by the mistakes that your parents made.  Don't ever believe differently.  I believe in you so much that I will finish the 26.2 miles this weekend even if I have to hop on one leg to do it. 

Lastly, I would like to thank my Grandma, Aunt Diane, my cousin Eddie Howe, my former English teach Mrs. Dines, my friend Nabil Riaz, Rev. John Hartnett and my dentist Dr. Pema for your kind donations.  I am now only less than $400 away from my goal.  Keep my bus in motion.

Looking back on my 29 years...

So for those of you who don't know, today is my birthday.  Every year I get a year older and arguably a year wiser.  So, what did I do for my birthday this year?  I went to prison.  However, not to worry, I did nothing wrong.  Joe and I yesterday escorted a bus load of people to the women's prison in Chowchilla so that they could see their loved ones.

Although DayLight Savings time caused us to get up at 2 am in order to make the bus, once we got there I was reminded why we signed up.  It was just so wonderful seeing all the energy and excitement of the folks.  For some of them, one 18 year girl in particular, it had been quite a while since they saw their loved ones.

When we got there, everyone got a chance to go in except for that 18 year old girl.  I was over doing something else at the time and Joe came and grabbed me and told me that one of the guards said she couldn't get in.  As I walked over to her, I could see that she was visibly upset.  I came up and gave her a hug and asked her to tell me what was going on?  She said, "I just turned 18 and I sent my clearance paperwork 3 months ago and they said they don't have it and they won't let me in to see my mom."  With tears filling her eyes, she told me that it had been over a year since she had seen her mom.

My heart broke for her so I just stayed there and listened.  We talked school, hobbies, weather, etc.  After a couple of minutes, her frown turned to a smile.  After the last visitor was processed, we walked up to the counter and advocated for her and it worked!  The visiting staff ran her clearance on the spot and she got in!

As the day came to a close, she walked back out to the bus and this time, the hug was for me!  She took me in her arms and trying not to cry said, "Thank you for helping me get in.  You made my day and my moms."  That was one of the best birthday gifts I could get.

Thank you all for your continued support.  I want to especially thank Chris McMurry our college roommate and friend for your kind donation.  Less than a week to run, help make my bus move!!

A Get On The Bus Alumnae Has Emerged...

Get On The Bus has the same appeal as the "6 degrees of Kevin Bacon". When I am wearing my GOTB shirt, I get into some of the most interesting conversations. Some people are just interested in what GOTB is and others have a personal story of a loved one's incarceration. However, now since we have been in existence for 11 years, my favorite conversations are now starting to emerge: We are starting to meet successful young adults who have ridden the bus as children!!!

From a researcher prospective, this is so huge. Not only are the families of the incarcerated voiceless, but they are hidden. Having a family member incarcerated is a highly stigmatized phenomenon in our society and people, especially children, do not like to talk about it. As we know from a previous blog entry, children do better when they visit their incarcerated parents. It is so exciting to me to now be able to catch up with our previous families to find out how much better they do. That is why I am honored to highlight one of our alumnae Andrea.

Karen, our Southern California Regional Coordinator, met Andrea at a talk she was giving in the Ventura area a couple of weeks ago. At the meeting, Andrea revealed that her mother was incarcerated at Chowchilla, the prison Joe's bus will be traveling. She said that when she was younger, Get On The Bus was her only mode of reliable transportation to visit her mother. I got a chance to connect with Andrea last week:

Andrea and her husband

Maria: What happened in your life prior to your mother's incarceration?

Andrea: I was the second oldest of 7 siblings. Growing up was rough. My father was in and out of prison. My parents were separated and my mom remarried. I always saw my mom in bad conditions- abusive/emotion relationships. In order to comfort her pain, she turned to drugs and alcohol. I always stepped forward to take care of brothers and sisters. By the time I was 7 years old, I had attended 6 different schools within a two year period because we were always moving.

Maria: When did your mother go to prison?

Andrea: She first went around 1990-91 and I was 6 or 7 years old. When she went in, we went to live with our grandmother, where we stayed for the duration of our childhood.

Maria: How long was your mother incarcerated for?

Andrea: She was in prison for 12 years.

Maria: How many times did you see your mother before Get On The Bus?

Andrea: Three or four times. My grandmother worked 3-4 jobs to make ends meet. It was too hard for her to take us to the prison because it was a long drive and then we had to wait in line for about an hour and a half. By the time we got into the prison, we only got to see her an hour.

Maria: What is it like being a visitor at a prison?

Andrea: It was very hard. There were so many documents you need to bring in order to get in and no one gives the family an official document saying any of this. We came a couple of times and we couldn't visit because the prison was on lock down so we had to turn around and go home. There was also a lot of negativity coming from the officers. One time a male officer looked at us kids and said, "It wouldn't surprise me if these kids ended up just like their mother." I wanted to speak up about this, but I knew if I did, he could deny my family a visit so I said nothing. However, still to this day, I use this man's words to do better for myself. It became fuel for me to set my goals higher and persevere.

Maria: What is it like to have a parent incarcerated?

Andrea: For years, we went without talking to my mother. We would write lots of letters, but talking on the phone was too expensive. I had lots of misplaced emotions about this. As I grew older, it started to hurt that my mother couldn't be there for all my big achievements: graduating from high school, graduating from basic training, the birth of my son. That hurt.

Maria: When did you start riding on Get On The Bus?

Andrea: When I was about 9 years old.

Maria: What was it like to be on the bus?

Andrea: It was different experience. You see all walks of life on the bus. I was hesitant at first to talk to anyone. However, after I started talking, I realized that everyone else was in the same boat as me.

Maria: Prior to coming on your first GOTB trip, how long had it been since you had seen your mother?

Andrea: 5 or 6 years

Maria: Why was the GOTB trip a good thing in your life?

Andrea: GOTB was the only way we had to see our mother. We asked my dad to take us, but because of his record, he couldn't. A few people volunteered to take us, but they never made the time. We needed our mother. GOTB also made me know that I was not alone. It connected me to the counselors that I needed to start talking to and helped me deal with my emotions. It brought closure for me.

Maria: Why should GOTB exist?

Andrea: Not many people give you a chance when you have an incarcerated parent. This program does.

Maria: How is your relationship with your mother today?

Andrea: I am still trying to help my mother. I have high hopes for her. She is still battling with addiction, but she is a grandma now to my son!

Maria: What are you doing now?

Andrea: I made it a point to turn all this negativity into something positive. Family is everything to me. My youngest brother lives with me and I am taking care of him. I am married, have a young son, and am in the military. I got out of the life that everyone expected me to have.

I would like to commend Andrea for all of her accomplishments. You are truly a light in the darkness. I would also like to thank our dear friend April Burns and my parents Joe and Donna Costanzo for your donations. Keep 'em coming!!

Lessons learned while pounding the pavement...

Yesterday I completed my last substantial run before the marathon, which is now just under 2 weeks away.  I can't believe how this time has flied.  It seems that just yesterday I was huffing and puffing trying to run 3 miles and now I have become a running Thomas Guide, as I have traversed just about all the roads in West LA!

I am so proud to say that because of the inspiration of this blog, many of you are now running races.  You have no idea how much this fuels me and touches me all at the same time!!  Some of you have written and asked for some real advice that you can't read in running books.  You know me, when you ask, you shall receive.  With each race, I learn something.  Here is what I learned this time around.  Even if you aren't a runner, you can adapt much of this to life so enjoy!

1.  If you want to know what it feels like to be 80, run a marathon.  It's true kids.  The one drawback to running the marathon is that you are always in pain and/or stiff and physically exhausted.  The good news is that your tolerance for pain will go up so even when you are in pain, you will learn to ignore it, which is a great technique to use around mile 20 for all of you aspiring marathon runners.  Advil definitely helps.  I take 2 before my long runs and 4 afterwards and that takes the edge off.  You will also need to get a little more sleep than normal and this will help your body to recover quicker.

2.  Listen to what your body is telling you, it is not wrong.  Through my first marathon, I fought tooth-and-nail with this one.  I made myself train regardless of how I felt.  I even went once for a long run with my sister in the dead of a snow storm when I had a cold.  This time around though I have tried to be much better.  If I am sick or too sore, of if the weather is inclement, I just don't go.  I think because of it, I have been able to recover a lot quicker and I am getting sick much less.

3.  Experimentation is the only way to find out what will work for you.  There are a million training books and even more supplements and sports drinks out there.  Don't assume that they will all work for you because they won't.  When it comes to developing a training plan, get input from everyone and then adapt your program to fit your lifestyle.  When it comes to marathon fuel, try many brands and flavors.  I recommend that you not only look to replace electrolytes, but look for a drink that also has sodium, like Gatorade.  I used to get violently ill while I was running because I didn't have enough sodium and switching my drink did the trick.  Other runners carry salt packets with them.  Again, whatever will work for you, do!

4.  Things can sometimes get ugly.  Just like in life, no one said it is going to be easy and it won't.  Running can definitely shake your system up.  One minute you will feel fine and the next you will be on the side of the road getting sick or having to make an emergency bathroom stop.  This is normal.  Every runner I know has had this happen.  Just like life, take a deep breath and keep going.

5.  Never underestimate the power of Glide.  I discovered this miracle stuff right before my last marathon.  It looks exactly like a deodorant stick.  You apply it to every part of your body that may rub (on your feet, your inner thighs, and if you are a woman, under your bra) and it will keep your clothes from irritating your skin.

6.  Find a good podiatrist and a chiropractor.  I don't know where I would be without Dr. Nejat or Dr. Carrie.  You have kept me in line even when I was out of line!!  Ha!

7.  There is nothing like a runner's high.  Some people experience it throughout their runs.  I experience it especially during a race when spectators cheer for me (hint, hint) or when I finish my long runs.  The runner's high definitely exists and once you've experience it, you are hooked on this sport for the rest of your life.

8.  Success tastes sweeter when you have someone to share it with.  I am forever grateful to my running partner Leanne.  I recommend that all runners find a partner.  Leanne keeps me in line, on track and pushes me when I can no longer push myself.  She has been a great motivator for this race and has become a great friend of mine.

I want to send much gratitude to my friend Amber and Ed Jackson for your kind donation.  Ed is serving right now in our armed forces so I wish you a safe return!!

A little bit of love goes a long way...

Each year at California Men’s Colony (CMC), we go inside and meet with the dads a couple of times before the event.  The first time we introduce the program and disperse applications and then second time, we share event details, get further contact information for the families (if needed) and answer questions.  These days are always the perfect combination of utter exhilaration and exhaustion.  However, I have to admit, I never walk away feeling anything less than a sense of accomplishment and pure joy about what I do.  Yesterday was no exception. 

With the help of our wonderful staff in SLO Sr. Theresa Harpin and Cece Lane and the CMC Administration, we were able to bring 40 volunteers into CMC yesterday to meet with almost 400 men.  Now, this is no small feat.

Not only is dealing with clearances, event day details and moving bodies around the institution a logistical challenge for both our staff and the prison staff, but to top it off, we bring men together who aside from GOTB, do not get along.  They come from all walks of life, different races, religions and gangs. We as outsiders were in the midst of it all.  Needless to say, looking at the numbers, I was a little nervous. 

However, once my assistant Jennifer and I walked through the gates; I was assured that everything was going to be fine.  We were greeted by familiar and unfamiliar faces who just kept on saying “Thank you”.  We heard countless stories from men about how this program has changed their lives and the lives of their children.  We also heard a couple of first time GOTB participants talk about how excited they were to see their children after a number of years.  The entire day was a gamut of emotions not only for the men, but for us.

One emotion that prevailed for me was grace.  Grace came in the form of a powerful story that I would like to share with you about my friend Lauren.  Last year right around our Father’s Day Event, we were a little short on volunteers to escort the children.  Out of desperation, I called in a favor to my dear friend Lauren.  She escorted two little ones Kiki and Tereon who hadn’t seen their father Joel in years. 

As always, Lauren puts a 150% effort into everything that she does and the kids absolutely took to her.  They had a great bus ride up to CMC.  Once they got inside the prison, she spent the day assisting Joel with the kids whenever he needed it.  She felt mostly like a fly on the wall.  She helped the kids when they needed to go to the bathroom, helped to get them some lunch and to clean them up afterwards.  She did whatever she could do, but she didn’t feel like she did anything out of the ordinary.

When Joel stepped into my makeshift office yesterday, he told me that he needed to tell me about a very special volunteer that GOTB had.  He said, "She was an angel that brought my kids to see me after 2 years.  She helped me so much even when I didn’t know what to do.  Her name was Lauren.  Do you know her?"  


I had to chuckle for a second.  "Know her, she is one of my best friends!"  


He proceeded to tell me, "She is a very special person.  She not only made my day, but she made my life. Please tell her that I say "Hello" and that I appreciated all that she did for my family that day and can I get her again this year?"  


On behalf of GOTB, I would like to thank all of our volunteers, especially Lauren.  It is the little things in life that make a big difference.  You all are making a big difference to the children we serve.  I would also like to extend a big note of thanks to our grant writer, Board member and my friend Kelly Kester-Smith for your kind donation.  I was so touched by your note. Only two more weeks everyone so keep that support coming!!! :)

Sorry nuns, but sometimes you just have to swear...

As some of you know, my loving husband maps out all of my running courses.  Although he does get an "A" for creativity, sometimes Leanne and I want to kill him because we feel he is trying to kill us.  Keep in mind my husband's main mode of transportation is his car.  He uses his zippy Jetta coupled with his hurried driving style to get everywhere he needs to go quickly.  This is also how he judges both distance and elevation.

At this stage in my training, running is more a mental game than a physical one.  Physically, I would have been ready to run the marathon about a month ago.  However, mentally, I still need these last few weeks to prepare.  Wrapping your head around 26.2 miles is much harder than getting your body to do it.

I have come to hate the word "about."  For a runner, using the adjective about to describe the distance we need to go or the elevation of our course, keeps us at a constant state of pins and needles.  However, non runners use the word "about" all the time.  My husband is no different.  I remember last year he sent me on a course running down to the Grove, an outdoor LA market.  From my place, you take Fairfax Ave. all the way there.  I remember loving the first part of this run.  I looked down at my watch and I was flying.  I felt great and it was a surprisingly easy day.  However, when I turned around at the Grove, I realized my tragic fate.  The course that was just "about" flat according to Joe was all uphill on the way home.

Sometimes when it feels like I have been running forever without finding my next street to turn onto, I call Joe just to make sure I didn't mess up.  This happened a month ago when I was running my first 15 miler.  I had already ran through downtown Hollywood, the Sunset Strip, Beverly Hills and was now approaching the Century City Mall.  In my mind, this place was so far away from my house that I would never consider even driving there to shop.  Seeing the sign for the mall, clued me in that this couldn't be right.  I had definitely gone too far.  I called my lifeline Joe and was hoping that he would say, "Wow, you went way too far. You already ran 15 miles.  Wait there and I will pick you up."  However, in reality, he said, "You are going the right way.  You are just about there.  I think you have about another 2 blocks to go before you turn."  In reality, about another two blocks in non runner speech means anywhere from 2-8 and 8 it was.

This past weekend Leanne and I ran 15 miles.  We were on our way home and we approached La Cienega Blvd while we were running east on Santa Monica Blvd.  I told Leanne that according to our directions we were taking a left onto La Cienega.  As we took the left, we realized our fate.  We were better off with rock climbing shoes instead of running shoes because this elevation was vertical.  Leanne looked at me and we both agreed that we wanted to kill Joe.  However, since Joe wasn't there, we decided on a different coping mechanism.  This time, we swore.  The entire way up I used every 4 letter word I could think of and it worked.  I got to the top and was able to look down and feel proud.

We also realized what Joe was doing all along.  He was also playing our mental game.  If he had told us beforehand how steep La Cienega was, we would have been dreading it.  We also probably would have built the hill up to be something that we couldn't conquer.  We would have struggled to walk up it.  But here we were, running up it.  How awesome is that?  Maybe the word "about" isn't that bad at all?

Thank you all so much for continuing to support me.  We only have a couple weeks left until my big race.  Please keep it coming!!!