FINISH LINE and BEYOND!

I'm very fortunate to have such wonderful support during my training and during the run. Without Lori, TNT, famiily & friends, it would not have been possible! I'm also grateful that I can participate in such an event when many others cannot.

Despite my grumblings during miles 18 through 20s, I back for another season of TNT, but this time as a mentor for the East Bay Winter Run team. Yes, you may question my sanity, but I think I'll shoot for a 1/2 marathon this season.

I will continue on with my blog, so you, lucky reader, can hear about me bitch about running in rain, wind and cold weather.

Goodbye to summer and HELLO Winter!!!

Go Team! East Bay Rocks! No Wimps! to be continued......so stay tuned!

Are We Done Yet???

Sooo close, but yet soooo far....

I swear the course markers by this point have been set further apart than ever before. I think I was on auto pilot at this point. I pretty much walked from Miles 18-25, because total exhaustion has overtaken me.

I tried not to freak out too much as I saw a few runners at the first aid stations being treated for gigantic blisters, hypothermia, strained muscles and cuts & scrapes. Mama Lisa's mantra of "run smart" kept going through my mind. Thank you to the kind spectators who offered pretzels and salted foods during the last miles of the race. I needed the sodium boost!


Going around Lake Merced took forever. I never thought that lake was so damn big.

Mile 19: Skyline Blvd & Lake Merced Blvd.
Mile 20: Lake Merced Blvd. & Clearfield Dr.
Mile 21: Lake Merced Blvd & Higuera Ave
Mile 22: John Muir Dr & Lake Merced Blvd
Mile 23: John Muir Dr & Skyline Blvd
Mile 24: Great Highway & Sloat Blvd
Mile 25: Great Highway & Pacheco St.
Mile 26: Great Highway & Lincoln Blvd.
Mile 26.2---FINISH LINE!!!!



Such relief upon reaching the finish line! I found Lori among the crowds and she gave me a beautiful bouquet of red roses, which I carried across the finish line!!! Lori also fulfilled my request of bringing a slice of cheesecake.

The finish line was definitely the land 'o plenty. I gladly picked up my Tiffany box from a man in a tux and then stumbled to the booths to pick up my finisher's t-shirt and TNT 26.2 commemorative pin. I love freebies, but I'm sure there is an easier way to get this stuff.

Run Like a Girl!!

This was the marathon's slogan, since it was a women's marathon.

The elite runners caught up with me by mile 6 and they never looked back. They took the hills like a walk in the park, as the rest of us were huffin' & puffin'. The spectators along the way were great! The cheering and encouragement kept me going. Also the water/Gatorade/stations were lifesavers. I did not take advantage of the pedicure, massage and oxygen stops, because if I stopped, I would not have started up again.


About Mile 12 was a fork in Golden Gate Park where the 1/2 marathoners went one way and us full marathoners went another. It was soooo tempting to cross over into the 1/2 marathoners' lane.

Running along the Great Highway was a trip! The crowds were great and the ocean waves were quite large. Plus the course at this point was relatively flat.

Fatigue did not set in until about Mile 18. In this zone, I didn't really say much. I may have looked really bad at this point, because a couple of people asked me if I was okay. My feets were burning and I was getting chilled from the cool and drizzle. I'm glad I wore my regular TNT shirt under my singlet.

Coaches Al & Gary would periodically ride by and check on us. It was great to see them along the course, no matter how bad I felt. Their presence motivated me to keep going.

Mile 7: Lincoln between Washington & Kobbe
Mile 8: El Camino Del Mar & 25th Avenue
Mile 9: Clement St & 34th Avenue
Mile 10: Pt. Lobos Ave. & Merrie Way
Mile 11: JFK Drive & 47th Avenue (Golden Gate Park)
Mile 12: JFK Drive & 30th Avenue
Mile 13: JFK Drive & Stow Lake Drive
Mile 14: JFK Drive & Over Dr.
Mile 15: Middle Dr. & Metson Road
Mile 16: MLK Dr. E of the Great Highway
Mile 17: Great Highway & Ortega St.
Mile 18: Great Highway & Wawona St.

Starting the Nike Women's Marathon

Date: Sunday, October 23, 2005
Place: San Francisco, California
Time: 5:30 a.m. to ??


Despite the wretched early morning hour, it was quite a crowd at the Union Square starting line. I took advantage of the early 5:30 a.m start which would allow me to finish before midnight. Actual guntime was 7:00 a.m. I met my East Bay Rocks! team and Coach Al got us ready with our shout outs and his enthusiasm. None of us slept at all and I woke up before the hotel alarm went off at 3:00 a.m. Dreadful isn't it??

It was typical SF weather...cool, drizzly and foggy which made for perfect running weather...for me at least (more about this later).

Despite being a "runner", the walkers kicked butt! Many of them walked faster than I could run and were a happy crowd. The first 6 miles were great, because they were flat and along the waterfront. I felt good and enjoyed the company of Team in Training members from Wisconsin and Minnesota. My East Bay teammates blew past me early.

Mile 1: Washington St & Davis St. (financial district)
Mile 2: The Embarcadero & Bay Street (Fisherman's Wharf)
Mile 3: Aquatic Park
Mile 4: Marina Blvd. and Fillmore Street (along the Marina Green)
Mile 5: Mason St & Halleck St (along Crissy Field)
Mile 6: Mason Street & Long Drive (Fort Point)

The longest and toughest hill began just after mile 6 and kept going and going and going...

I Finished the Damn Thing!!

By 8 hours, 9 minutes and 32 seconds, I finally crossed the finished line!!! More to follow once I get my wits about me....