26.2 Miles (run) For Hope: Race & campaign recap

As predicted I didn't live up to my blogging expectations but I have been wanting to write about the culmination of my Miles For Hope campaign for my sister Jen.  The Tucson Marathon was nearly three weeks ago, but better late than never, I say.

First, I would like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to all of my very generous supporters!  Thanks to all of you, I raised $4,500 for Miles For Hope, specifically for their initiative to fund a pediactric brain tumor vaccine trial.  We are that much closer!

The timing of the race was very bittersweet; Bob Gibbs, founder of Miles For Hope and brain tumor patient, passed away just the day before after a 7-year battle with the disease.  So I dedicated my race to both Jen (a.k.a. Creepy) and Bob.

(Yes, apparently I did run the entire race with my tag sticking out.) 

I never met Bob in person, but I did have a long phone conversation with him when I was considering joining Miles For Hope, and I'll always remember it because we talked in depth about the disease and some life changes to make and I realized a) he was THE Bob I had read about on their web site, and b) he knew Creepy and he was the one who had given her so much guidance with her treatment options!  I felt like the Miles For Hope connection was meant to be. 

I always feel so lucky to be able to run and to glean as much fulfillment from it as I do, but I felt so very fortunate to be able to run this marathon for this cause.  

So back to the race.  First, I about fell over when my brother Zac showed up at our doorstep - from Kansas City - two days before the race to run it with me.  Joe had secretly staged this surprise knowing I had suggested (only half jokingly) that Zac run it with me back when I started all this.  To say I was beside myself with joy is an understatement.

Zac is a video buff like I'm a camera buff so naturally he brought along his trusty video headcam to wear for the weekend's events.  Which also takes still shots. All wide angle.   

Sorry, I jumped ahead.  Here we are on the bus, headed to the starting line in Oracle.  Would like to add that it was a brand new heated tour bus and I was the very first person to christen its mobile... ahem... facilities.  

I was pretty bundled up as it was supposed to be in the very low 30s at the start and I'm a big baby.  

Gradually I peeled off my layers.  Here I am, standing proud and still a bit chilly.  I wasn't finished taking my sweats off and had requested the whole pants-around-the-ankles not be seen but I guess that message wasn't received.

The starting area was in the foothills, and quite pretty at sunrise.  Here's a hilltop view.  Unfortunately we couldn't show you the valley view looking the other direction because that's where the menfolk were dropping trow.

Starting line self portrait!  Thank goodness for that wide angle...

In the spirit of Christmas, my opening playlist song was Carol of the Bells by Trans Siberian Orchestra.  Very good, motivational beat, I think.  Really got me pumped up, except that Zac insisted we not go any faster than 8:15 for the first mile.  I was nervous about that, especially since the beginning had a screaming descent (my fave), but since he was going to be my pacer AND pack mule, I decided I better trust him.  That, and the fact that if he'd run the race on his own he'd have likely beaten me by a solid hour so he apparently knows a thing or two about marathoning.

And I'm off!  This one is probably 2-3 miles in.

Here I am again, a few miles farther, nearly getting hit by a car.  Ok, not really.  The northbound lane was still open.

I'm normally pretty anti-social when I race and I did warn Zac about that before we started ("NO chit chat! And don't you DARE talk to me during the last 6 miles!  Love you, Bro!").  However, during the downhills I found myself not nearly as aerobically taxed as I normally would be at that point (though my legs were definitely taking a pounding).  Near the halfway mark, we met a guy named Mike (?) who had these weird, big-soled shoes and we all made friends and stuck together.  I even bent my rule about the chit chat thing and was somewhat pleasant, though I had decided in advance I absolutely HAD to beat this guy in the end (which I did).  He's the one in the middle.  Nice guy.

I wish Zac had been IN more pictures, but that's how it goes when you're the one holding the camera.  Trust me, I know.

Here I am again, just keepin' on for my peeps.  I can't claim to know Bob but I think he would really have loved this route.  It was really quite scenic, and a perfect day.  For once I even appreciated having sun during a race.  I'm not normally super spiritual, but I did look up more than once and wonder if he, and others, were looking down on me that day.

Running is THE BOMB.  Really.  There really is nothing like it, and I felt it so much during this race.  Sure, I was doing this for my sister and Bob; sure, I wanted to raise a bunch of money; sure, I wanted to PR; but I ran my heart out because I LOVE it.  It is so much about the journey.  I feel so grateful and lucky that I have been given the gift of being able to run, and of loving it.

Here I am again, in the final stretch.  Got my game face on.  I had told Zac to quit talking to me a few miles back and no thanks I don't want to try passing that girl in the grey.  I felt kinda bad but I had warned him that moment would come.

My boys cheering me on!

And we're done!  3 hours, 29 minutes with negative splits (barely - negative splits was Zac's only goal for me).  That time actually earned me fifth in my division.  But of course they only give awards to the top 3.  If you look closely you'll see Zac in the neon yellow on the right side of the finish arch, videotaping my finish.

Zac and I:  Mission accomplished! 

And I couldn't have done it without the love and support of my family:

And the Wolfert family (minus Sidney), who traveled all the way from Phoenix to watch me at two different points - such awesome cheerleaders!

If you're so inclined (and so interested), these and also a few additional photos can also be viewed via my Facebook page.  And in case you're wondering how the headcam video turned out, you can check that out here.

And in other good news... on Thursday, we got word that Creepy's second MRI (since starting chemo) turned up stable and even showed some signs of tumor shrinkage!  Wahoo!

Ok, I'm tired of writing now.  Blogging takes WAY too much time.  But once again... from the bottom of my heart... THANK YOU ALL for your support!!!!   

The Daer family, plus one

Holiday Card season is here, and I have several shoots lined up in the next few weeks!  On Saturday I had the pleasure of doing a session for my friend David's family, which meant I got to meet their new baby girl and their little dog.  David is a longtime co-worker, fellow runner and also a photographer (I'm always flattered when another photographer asks me to take their photos).

They brought their dog, Chico, along for the shoot and I was a little wary, but he turned out to be a good little model.  I can't believe he sat still so long for pictures - granted, much like a toddler, he didn't always look when I wanted him to, but I don't think I ever heard him bark a complaint.  By the end I was thinking a cute little furball like him might be a nice little addition to my own family, but this dog is so small I'm pretty sure my two cats would kill it.  They're a little bit evil.  And a lot jealous.

I love this shot below, which makes Chico look all ferocious even though he's a complete lover (as you'll see in the second image).

How cute is this shot???!!!  I just love seeing little babies and kids with their pets.  I feel so completely lucky when I'm able to capture a shot like this:

Finally... everyone's looking, no one's growling.

Man's best friend:

Daddy's Girl (and his running partner)!

The next image is probably my favorite.  I love taking these kind of mother/child closeups.  It has a lot to do with the fact that I too am a mother now, but I think this shot really illustrates a mother's joy, pride, and pure love for her child.  It captures, as well as can be shown in a single point in time, the bond they share.

Ahhh... wardrobe change into more comfy clothes, and now it's playtime.

Thanks David and Alice for letting me be your photog!

Happy Halloween!

It's been a festive weekend and the holiday isn't even over yet!  My men are dressing as fire fighters this year and naturally I think they are the cutest fire fighters ever.  So here's a little Halloween eye candy for you.  These first few shots were at the boys' respective pre-school Halloween festivities:

Below: Ryan getting help with his hat from a classmate.  So sweet.

The next few photos are from our family and friends get-together last night.  As you can see, their favorite part of being fire fighters is the fire extinguisher (translation: squirt bottle).  I wouldn't let them fill it up at school, but they were allowed to squirt it into the pool at Aunt Ann and Uncle Jason's house last night.

This next one is the only picture I could get them together in, and that's only because Joe told them to get together and squirt Mommy.  Which I didn't appreciate, so I got a quick shot before they soaked my camera.  In retrospect, it did turn out pretty cute...

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Climb every mountain

Today I attempted the infamous South Mountain Summit Road climb for the first time.  Seven miles up, 7 miles down.  I've also been listening to The Sound of Music a lot lately.

This is all supposed to make me a better runner for Tucson (the mountain run, not the Sound of Music songs). The climb sucked and we stopped several times.  It's at this point in my longer runs that I always re-evaluate my race goal and say things to myself like, "What the !@#!@# are you thinking?  There is NO WAY you're gonna be able to run your goal pace for 26 miles.  Give it up.  You've got nothing to prove anyway."  But on the 7-mile descent when I was flying down faster than goal pace, I changed my mind again.  Time will tell.  I'm working on my positive attitude.

I ran with the two Dans, the shorter of whom I have been running with for years.  Also a fellow Mizzou alum, as you can see by the shirt.  He talked me into this, having run Tucson before and knowing better how to train for it.  Here we are at the start:

As you can see, it was pitch dark.  The only water fountains and bathrooms were right behind us at the start/finish.  I could never have done this run a month ago in the heat.

Here we are again at the top.  In front of the TV antennaes.  You know, the ones you can see from halfway across the city.  

The view from the top was incredible, but not as incredible as practically flying back down the mountain.  And... here we are again at the bottom.  I gotta admit, it was totally worth the punishing climb up.  If only I could find someone to DRIVE me to the top a few times.  

one of me in my new Miles For Hope singlet (can you believe this is a large)?  I was hoping for something a bit looser for my I-feel-fat-and-don't-feel-like-wearing-cute-clothes runs, but it does seem to go well enough with my favorite Lululemon speed skirt (really - what doesn't look cute with that skirt - love it!!!).

In related news, I'm nearing a milestone in my Miles For Hope fundraising campaign!  I'm over $3,500 now (this includes a mail-in donation which isn't yet showing up on the web site).  I'd love to make it to $4,000!  If you're interested in donating to this very important (and tax-deductible!) cause, please visit my fundraising page.  

Because all of today's pics were self-portraits, you couldn't see that I was wearing my new Miles For Hope singlet (can you believe this is a large?):

I was hoping for something a bit looser for my I-feel-fat-and-don't-feel-like-wearing-cute-clothes runs, but it does seem to go well enough with my favorite red Lululemon speed skirt (really - what doesn't look cute with that skirt - love it!!!).

Jen started chemo a few weeks ago and it's... going.  A few rough spots here and there that I won't even try to paraphrase; you can read all about it straight from the source on her blog.  Chemo sucks, but what is kind of cool is that instead of actually having to go to a hospital to do it and having a port put in, she just goes to the pharmacy and has a prescription filled!  Yep, chemo is just another pill to be popped now.  Talk about modern medicine!  Now if they could just find a cure for that nasty tumorific disease.

Nothing much else is new.  Today I pre-ordered the new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12's - now with pink trim, yay! - in hopes they are more comfortable than the GTS 11's.  Tonight I ate half a bag of chocolate yogurt covered raisins.  Now I'm going to bed at 8:30 because I got up at 4am.  Until next time...

Newly inspired!

Greetings, my loyal subjects.  It's been a while, but I've been doing quite a bit of traveling the past two months.  I had hoped to update this via my iPad but the blog app wasn't letting me move my photos around like I wanted so I got frustrated and quit.  Anyway, that's my excuse.  Now on to the real topic that moved me to finally post again.  This is one of the few posts where I combine my two hobbies - running and photography.   I just know Sports Illustrated will be calling me any day now.

This weekend we went to Indiana for my sister in law's wedding (which I shot, so in a few months I'll get around to posting those :).  On the way back to the airport, we stopped by the Chicago Marathon to watch my brother Zac cross the finish.  I've been really feeling discouraged by my training lately and this ginormous event was just the shot of inspiration I needed.

The Chicago Marathon is one of the World Marathon Majors (apparently - I learned yesterday) and it's HUGE.  Yesterday there were more than 35,000 runners.  I know some runners prefer the simplicity and intimacy of smaller events, but to me, big races are worth the extra time it takes at the start, the longer lines, etc.  They have so much energy and it's contagious.  The crowd support is amazing, the courses are usually amazing, and I just feel so inspired to do my best. Most of all, when a race is big, it seems more appreciated by the city, and I feel more appreciated as a runner.  I know running will never be to Americans what football and baseball are, but for a few hours during these huge marathons, it's like I'm in the SuperBowl.

Back to the race at hand... miraculously, we ended up at the bleachers near the finish and there were actually open spots.  So we camped there and were able to see the winners come through. 

Here is Moses Mosop of Kenya, the winner.  He set a new course record - despite the heat - at 2 hrs, 5 min and 37 seconds (2:05:37) with an average pace of 4 min, 48 sec per mile.  WOW.  Think about it.  What can you accomplish in 4 minutes and 48 seconds?  As I was typing this paragraph he could've run another mile.

Another of Moses, waving to the crowd:

I was messing with my lenses and missed my front shot of him, but here's Ryan Hall, the first American finisher. I like him.  He's got a farmer tan too.

Check out how stoked the crowd is!  This is what I'm talking about.

Here's the first place female, Liliya Shabukhova of Russia, in 2:18:20.  She looks like Uma Thurman, no?

Interesting trivia:  Just for winning, she pocketed a cool $100K, plus another $40K for breaking 2:20:00, AND an additional $500K for something to do with the World Marathon Majors (I know she didn't win all of them so I'm not sure how that works).  I'm not good at math but that looks like $640K.  I guess running is much more lucrative than I thought.

Now I wouldn't swear it, but this next shot is, I'm pretty sure, a blind man with a guide (two guides?  see far right).  This guy wasn't far behind the elite runners (so pretty much kicking some !@#!).  Talk about inspiration!  I love running more than most things but this guy has true commitment.

And of course, there's this crazy (I think) woman who ran the race while 39 wks pregnant, with her doctor's blessing (was that a potential lawsuit waiting to happen?  You decide), despite having contractions at the start of the race.  If she'd have been, maybe, halfway through her pregnancy, I'd have thought it inspiring, but as a mother who ran while pregnant, I have to say I never would have done it.  Ever.

I digress.  Here comes my brother Zac (maroon singlet, on the right)!  Finishing in 2:48:58.

His races are inspiring in many ways:  a) he's my brother; b) I don't personally know anyone faster than he is (based on his PRs anyway, which are considerably faster even than today's performance); c) he does his own thing (he doesn't have a coach and isn't part of a team); d) he often runs negative splits (second half of the race faster than the first); and e) In the races I've seen, he seems to be an excellent guage of his own fitness.  He seems to always predict his finish within a minute or two and he never sets unrealistic expectations (unlike yours truly).  But aside from these big races, he also ignites a passion for running in young people, such as the students he leads in Young Life and students he coaches at a local school.  Every Thanksgiving he organizes the Official/Unofficial Wig Bandanna Team for a Turkey Trot in his hometown in which they all wear obnoxious head gear (and win the race).  He just loves running in a way that I can appreciate and completely relate to.

Here's a closeup of him (I was annoyed his foot got cut off... I had switched to my 70-200 f/2.8 to capture expressions).

Here's he and his wife Carrie after the race. 

She is pregnant with their first child - check out the adorable tee shirt she made just for the occasion:

Zac had the back of his singlet tattooed too.  It was the theme from their pre-wedding 5K last year, and quite appropriate for this race, I think:

Adam wanted to get a little sun on his tummy:

My future firstborn runner with Uncle Zac, the family icon:

And here's all of us (I was totally expecting cooler weather when I planned that outfit!):

To wrap up this post that ended up being much longer than I intended... even though I myself didn't run, I was super psyched to get to watch Zac finish, super psyched that Ryan and Adam got to see it too, and was super moved by the crowd in the stands and Zac's awesome finish.  I can't wait for it to be my turn to race again.  I just love being a part of cheering people on to the finish, because I know how those last few steps feel.... very emotional.  There's nothing like it, and I love it.

And now I'm newly invigorated to train for Tucson and meet my goals.  My fundraising is going so much better than I ever expected, I've got only good weather ahead of me, and I had a great run today.  Bring. It. On.  In the meantime, I'll be by the phone waiting for Sports Illustrated to call me about these wonderfully mediocre photos.